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Well, if we model our actions as fathers after the Father of all, then we would whip our kid with few blows for not knowing enough to keep the knife out of the electrical socket, even if we'd never taught him to. But according to this verse, God will punish us for something even if we didn't know it was wrong. Would we do that to our child? Then why does God do it to us? Does anybody comprehend where I'm coming from with this? How is it that God holds us accountable for something we have no knowledge is wrong?
"Behold, the man has become as Us to know good and evil". Before Adam and Eve knew evil they could not be punished for something because they had no knowledge of it. After the fall how is it that God....aw to heck with it. I'm sorry I asked.
IMO It is talking about willful sin, and sins of ignorance, and what you do with gifts God gives you. The servant who had been given much rebelled against his master with full knowledge of his sins was 'cut him into pieces and assigned him a place with the unbelievers'. Where do unbelievers go? Hell. Remember this was a person who the master had appointed to be in charge of all other slaves. In today's world he would be a person who has been given the gifts and the knowledge and is in position to serve the Lord, yet he serves the devil. Think child molesting priest for example. The other slave was ignorant of his sins, and received only a few stripes. A cigarette smoker might be a saved christian, but never thought of smoking as a sin, but if God considers it a sin, he might punish the smoker with lung cancer while living. That would be considered 'few stripes' compared to being hacked into pieces and thrown to hell. There are very few people in America and in Europe who are ignorant of the Bible, so they have no excuse.
"Does not know" implies no "guilty knowledge" (law term). Even in our flawed system of justice the Law recognizes that knowledge or intent is the dividing line between a death sentence and manslaughter. If I had no intent to kill I get manslaughter (few blows) true, but at least I get out of prison after the "few blows" are served.
In God's court there is no light or heavy sentence. One's sins are either totally forgiven and they enter into heaven or they are not and the person is cast into hell to await judgement. There is no halfway with God. One sin is enough to send us to the Lake of Fire if it is not covered by the Blood of Jesus. If we ask for God's forgiveness it is covered, but if we don't know that what we did was wrong, why are we held accountable? And if we didn't ask forgiveness for this sin we had no knowledge we were committing then how can forgiveness come to us? Obviously we weren't capable of asking God for forgiveness because we weren't even aware we were committing sin. So how is it that God holds us accountable and and likely sends us to the Lake for a "few blows" (a lesser intense burning for all eternity) for something we had absolutely no knowledge was wrong and therefore were incapable of asking forgiveness for?
Sin is not inputed when there is no law:
Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Notice what that verse did NOT say - it did not say "... sin is not inputed when there is no Knowledge of the law"
We also know this is true because of what Paul says here:
1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Again, we see that not having knowledge of sin is not an escape from punishment otherwise why would Paul even need Mercy? There would be no need for Mercy if there was no offence applicable.
This should tells us that the ends of the earth should be seeking out what His Law is and abide by it. Thankfully Jesus made it easy to understand - Love God and Love your neighbor above yourself.
...How is it that God holds us accountable for something we have no knowledge is wrong?
...
If he doesn't then Mercy has no signficance. By Him holding us accountable, we can understand the vastness of His Love for by doing so He provides Mercy to those that have been merciful. So if I have been merciful to others then God may give me Mercy even for those things wherein I was ignorant of my sinful ways. Therefore, lead your life being as merciful as you can to others that you may obtain a much needed abundance of it.
IMO It is talking about willful sin, and sins of ignorance, and what you do with gifts God gives you. The servant who had been given much rebelled against his master with full knowledge of his sins was 'cut him into pieces and assigned him a place with the unbelievers'. Where do unbelievers go? Hell. Remember this was a person who the master had appointed to be in charge of all other slaves. In today's world he would be a person who has been given the gifts and the knowledge and is in position to serve the Lord, yet he serves the devil. Think child molesting priest for example. The other slave was ignorant of his sins, and received only a few stripes. A cigarette smoker might be a saved christian, but never thought of smoking as a sin, but if God considers it a sin, he might punish the smoker with lung cancer while living. That would be considered 'few stripes' compared to being hacked into pieces and thrown to hell. There are very few people in America and in Europe who are ignorant of the Bible, so they have no excuse.
What about the "many" stripes. Do they have an end for the person who willfully committed sins?
What about the "many" stripes. Do they have an end for the person who willfully committed sins?
Right. Few, many and being cut in pieces. Remember that Jesus spoke in terms his audience would understand, and in Jewish law there was death penalty, which is obviously permanent, and then a varying number of lashes, which I understand as earthly trials.
Right. Few, many and being cut in pieces. Remember that Jesus spoke in terms his audience would understand, and in Jewish law there was death penalty, which is obviously permanent, and then a varying number of lashes, which I understand as earthly trials.
So your saying that the many stripes for the wilful sinner is an endless beating of stripes?
So your saying that the many stripes for the wilful sinner is an endless beating of stripes?
trettep you made an excellent point in saying we should live our lives showing as much mercy as we possibly can, the biggest stumbling block for us in doing that is "well the bible says", this may sound very wonderful and spiritual, yet when we have never known his great mercy, or much worse still have forgotten the great mercy shown to us,the "well the bible says" is not wonderful and spiritual at all,but the exact opposite(it's an instrument of death)the letter kills, the spirit gives life,and those who do not understand the meaning of the letter kills and the spirit gives life, are those of us who have never known his rich and great mercy.
Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi released after 7 years of house arrest, say she will not hold a grudge against the military junta of Burma. What a shining example of an innocent person showing forgiveness towards her enemy,and we struggle to understand how God who is rich in mercy can do abundantly more than this, even after a man has served out his sentence for crime commited.
The steadfast love of the never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning.
Thanks to all for your input, especially Fin, tret & pc. in posts 11-18. I have a much better understanding of what Jesus was saying. My ""aw, to heck with it" had to do with my frustration at not being able to articulate what I was trying to say, which, at the rate I was going, would have filled an entire page Certainly it had nothing to do with the wonderful responses you good people rendered in trying to help me understand this verse. Context is key.
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