Unhitching the OT from the NT

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

@fmiddel

And it contradicts James, who says that you cannot follow “just part of the law.”

Right. And he was not talking about escargot. What law was he talking about? He was talking about the laws of love, the moral law.

@Dale

What does the boyfriend or suitor do, after holding flowers behind his back while waiting for the front door to be answered, when his beloved opens it? Does he shove them in her face and say, “Here, take these! I have to do this because it’s the law of love!”? No. He offers them to her, hoping for her smile.* In which instance is he obeying the law of love? Does he need to obey the law of love? Yes, if he wants to see her smile.

Is the suitor thinking about rules? No, they are in his heart. Can hearts be ‘forgetful’? Yes, I think so.

 

@Dale

We may be telling ourselves we are following Jesus, but are we? How do we know? Because our hearts are deceitful, we need objective standards to test ourselves against. Paul and James, at least, tell us to do exactly that.

@fmiddel

Right. The fruit of the Spirit is a measure. Not a rule to follow.

You are mistaken – they are not talking about just the fruits of the Spirit. There are discrete measurables.