I also gather that Paul not only wrote about conditional instructions but situational towards other Christians (and non-Christians). Paul’s argument is pretty clear that idols mean nothing, therefore the actual food sacrificing is to thin air. Those strong in faith and know food sacrificed to idol is meaningless, should not make the opportunity for the weak in faith to stumble (because the significance of food sacrificed to idol is great to them).

What should a Christian do when s/he is confronted with the situation of gambling? How conditional is this subject? And when does the condition make gambling a sin? I agree that we shouldn’t draw lines where it doesn’t belong and go beyond what was written. Looking forward to part two!

So what do you mean by the word? Please define it.

James

However, Robert Bellarmine forcing Galileo to recant his discoveries was not God reasoning. That was from man and not at all representative of God’s reasoning. The Bible indicates how this is so often the case. We must learn to distinguish God’s reasoning from man’s reasoning.

God indeed does clearly lay out the case for his existence in the Bible and he indeed expects us to make deductions based on the proofs clearly presented. I very much appreciate your input and feel free to comment anytime.

James

And when Robert Bellarmine forced Galileo to recant his discoveries, that was reason?

Deduction from God is not reason. Reason is about looking at the world and drawing conclusions, not from looking at God and drawing deductions. You must prove that God exists before you can deduce the world from him.

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Now that Ayn Rand has finally demonstrated the efficacy of Reason to man in the 20th century, the wager has been refined:

“The existence of God cannot be determined through Reason. Though all men are free to “wager” as though God does exist, they should take into account that Reason would have to count as God’s crowning creation and gift to man. It endows man with the capacity to grasp everything that exists in the universe that God wants man to be able to know and the capacity to use that knowledge to perfect his life. They should consider the possibility that God would not want to be known, but rather would prefer to observe from afar what men can achieve on their own with the capacities he gave them.

After all, God would not have given man Reason if he did not want man to use it in accordance with its function. Furthermore, any rejection of Reason, such as the arbitrary replacement of it by the Satanic anti-capacity of Mysticism to fabricate false ideas of the universe, or worst of all, false ideas of the nature or will of God, would most certainly constitute the most damnable sin.

Thus: man would need only one commandment: I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt falsify neither gods before Me, nor the nature of Me nor My creations.

Thus: there would be only one mortal sin: the rejection of God’s Reason in favor of Satan’s Mysticism.

Thus: in the end, Heaven would necessarily be occupied by God and all of the rational atheists who ever existed.

Thus: all who abused the rational minds God gave them and stubbornly clung with nothing more than faith to religions that worshipped allegedly revealed gods would necessarily reside with Satan in the fires of Hell for eternity.”

Thus: it would perhaps be better not to “wager” on the existence of God after all.

[Copyright 2008 Michael M All Rights Reserved]

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This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

After the plague happens we understand why they needed to leave in haste. Notice the reaction of the Egyptians to this final plague:

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.

So you indeed remembered correctly that one of the reasons for the unleavened bread in the Passover celebration is a reminder of the need to leave Egypt in haste, first because the Egyptians were afraid and later we find out that Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to pursue the Israelites. I hope this answers your question.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect , therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect

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What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Spirituality is very much connected to our thinking. Just as Jesus and the Father are always on the same page, we must make every effort to be there also. We do this by following his instructions. Jesus obeyed and we should obey also. The promise for us is then we can have eternal life with God in heaven. I hope these comments are helpful and thank you for your thoughtful input.