Greetings RS,
I see your point and while it is valid there are grievous errors in the body today that are shipwrecking souls. Humanism and Utilitarianism have slipped in and now many efforts are "man centered" rather than "Christ centered". Using God as a means to an end rather than The End of all our hopes. The very center of our "Self" that Yahshua cane to deliver us from is now the very thing that is being preserves as a primary consideration rather than what is to be sacrificed. To win one soul and lock them up into error will incur judgement all around.
If your view, which I agree with to a point, if correct would mean that James and Peter were in error for the time they spent clarifying doctrine with Paul over matters of obedience to the commandments of God. This essentially is the argument that is being rehashed yet again! Even Peter warned;
2Pe 3:15-17 NIV Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. (16) He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (17) Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
I too love prison ministry and and all the ministries that carry the pure message of the Gospel to those who are being led to Repentance by The Heavenly Father. But to harvest a field and let it set in the field where they are not led to the pl;ace where all must go to bear fruit is a waste and must, at all cost be guided into the full salvation of Repentance, Justification and Sanctification through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Led safely here where they too may be sown in death to self and bring forth new life and bear fruit to the glory of our Heavenly Father!
In our day we know this corruption in not a possibility but an absolute. We were forewarned of this because we were to watch for it and reject it from among us. This is the matter we are all trying to work through and rid from among us, and yes, it is distracting from the work of making disciples of men.
I will not withhold mentioning my admiration for your work and am humbled by your sincerity and diligence.
SG
Thanks and as you may can see my reasoning behind this subject. Of course we know that Paul and Barnabas debated Jewish believers in Acts and then the Apostles also debated the same issue over holding Gentiles to the law. And we saw Paul correct Peter and Peter admit some of Paul's teachings are hard to understand.
I wasn't implying that debate was bad but hostility and over zealous self righteousness is bad. When we all act in some degree from ignorance because we are finite human beings with minimal energy, different IQs, brain capacity, different experiences, and different stages of life.
To me we have everything the Apostles wanted us to know in scripture but yet even the greatest heroes of the faith throughout history didn't fully agree on every doctrine.
So from my perspective we as humans really complicate the message but in reality Jesus made it simple when he said
Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version (NIV)
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
If we preach the Bible plainly that in itself is perfect. We debate over details and in depth theological questions but if you just read the Word. It will save regardless of which in depth theological beliefs we hold.
For example the Word teaches a Hell exists and is a eternal punishment. That is the simple text. But we want to complicate it and try to pick it apart and divide over rather Hell is eternal punishment for the living soul or Hell would be totally annihilated and the eternal punishment is forever separation from God.
Either way Hell exists, the souls get punished and either punishment is eternal and God is still all just for either belief.
Most of the great heroes of faith like for example Billy Graham. If you ever hear one of his sermons it was never too detailed but straight forward. Most Christians could agree with his message even though I am sure personally his beliefs on doctrines wouldn't 100% line up with mine, yours or others.
