Re: [TruthTalk] Jesus of the Bible

[David Miller]

Bill, this was very well written.  For the record, aside from a slight difference in emphasis upon the role that the fear of God might play in bringing outsiders into a relationship with Christ, I am in complete agreement with what you have written here.  I hope you understand that.   It seems to me that you and John speak differently about this subject, but the constant patting on the back of each other causes some to attribute his comments to you.    Peace be with you. David Miller. ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Taylor To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 4:54 AM Subject: Fw: [TruthTalk] Jesus of the Bible   Judy writes  >  Then I would ask - What does this participation look like in a person's every day life?    A right kind of obedience comes to mind. The truth is, Judy, you and certain others have mischaracterized our position so many times that you are now actually believing your own disinformation. I do not say that obedience is unimportant; neither have I ever; nor do I remember any of the other Trinitarians having said this. We do not dwell on sin, and we do not boast about our accomplishments -- but that does not mean that we do not care about obedience. Indeed we are called to obedience, and the commandments are the same, whether we are reading them and applying them or you are. The difference I see between obedience from our perspective and that of yours, is thus not one of action nearly so much as it is one of motive. And I happen to believe that in our way of thinking, one comes much closer to a proper motivation for obedience than does one from yours. It is not fear of hell that moves us, or simply because "we're supposed to do it" that we obey -- and it is certainly not because we must do what Christ cannot. In fact, woe for even suggesting so! Talk about calling lightning bolts down from heaven! No, we have a seat at the Lord's table because he has placed us there. To quote a mutual friend of John, Lance and myself, "The real motive for obedience is grounded in relationship (emphasis mine). Obedience is the natural fruit of our relationship with our Father. When we come to really know him, we come to see that he loves us more than we love ourselves, and that he wants only what's best for us, and that he longs for our fulfillment with a greater passion than our own." Hence in participation with our Lord, we begin to see that obedience is not only right and loving, it is the only thing that makes good sense.   Bill