Response To James And Joshua

Response to James and Joshua

First off, thank you Joshua for sharing your story about your first church experience. Mine may have been the same if so many of my family were not active members of the small Presbyterian church in Virginia I was raised in. I remember that my mother stopped going when I was still fairly young; it was not until I was an adult that I learned it was because she was not comfortable: she felt many members were very judgmental, and not in a biblical way. I moved to North Carolina as a young adult, but I did visit this church one Sunday a few years ago. The small sanctuary was not even 1/3 full and most of the people were quite old, adults that I remembered from my childhood (I’m 56), with very few younger adults. Almost

all of those my age have moved on to other churches in the area. The church is dying because they did not want new people coming and trying to change the way they did things. And they judged anyone who did not live as they felt a Christian should instead of trying to help them see that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). It seems they have forgotten to love others as they do themselves.
This brings me to my second point.

I agree and disagree with different aspects of both your views concerning free will and loving others, James and Joshua. When discussing man having free will in Christian Apologetics, Powell states, “As creatures made in God's image, they were endowed with moral ability, the freedom to choose between good (adhering to God's will) and evil (violating God's will)” (pg. 339). James, God wants us to choose to love him because we want to, not because we have to. Free will was not given for us to be whoever and whatever we want; though that is often the result of not choosing God. Joshua, I have to agree with James in that we are to love people no matter what, for Jesus instructs us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:31). This, of course, does not mean neighbor as the word is used today, but is meant to include all people. Jesus did not say to love your neighbor except for those you feel do not deserve it. We don’t have to condone their actions, but we are to love them enough to at least pray for them to come to know God. I do agree with you, Joshua, about loving the person but rebuking the sin. However, even rebuking the sin can be an act of love if the rebuke is done in a compassionate and loving manner. I have to be honest, though, I have not reached the point where I love all people, and I’m not sure I will ever be able to. But that would be a topic for another discussion

board.