In Paul's message, he describes all necessary requirements to enter the kingdom of God. In his message he references many times the ten commandments. He believes that these commandments must be taken very seriously, for if not he believes you will become corrupt by the wild natures of others and you will not be allowed access into heaven. So he believes that you must repel those who drag you down, and accept those who search for wisdom. For if we do we will be free from death. "For there is no condemnation for those who live in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." -Romans 8:1-2.
Through these messages, a non-believer might see God as a cruel and unloving God. The reason is because, though Paul speaks the truth, Paul makes it sound like once you have broken the ten commandments, then there is no way to enter heaven. This is wrong however, so in order to make them understand, you should explain Paul's meaning in further detail.
In these passageways, a non-believer might find it easy to understand the factor of staying away from people who commonly break the ten commandments. the reason being is that most of there addictions and bad habit's comes from the friends they hang out with who are non-believers. So when they see this they will know exactly why you should stay away from such people because they have their own personal experiences. So hopefully when a non-believer reads this passage they will relate and fin the truth through the scriptures, through christian friends, the word, and the holy spirit.
Good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYou should mention where Paul talks about the ten commandments. This would show significant effort in finding context for a proper interpretation.
Again, how does Paul's message sound condemning... cite and summarize the verses you think do this.
Interesting thoughts on keeping good company. That is true... but Jesus kept some bad company too--otherwise he could not reach those who were in need. I wonder how we find the line here? We need to serve and reach out to those who are hurting and in darkness, but we also need to seek good community and fellowship with folks who will sharpen our faith. How do we do both and not make one more important than the other?