Quote:
Originally Posted by white mage
'Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.' That is taken diretly from the Bible correct? And yet, with all of the faithful on this Earth, none have been rebuked or disciplined.
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It is. But you are incorrect in your assumption that God doesn't discipline us. 'Be sure your sin will find you out' is quite a popular quote from scripture. But - to give a couple examples, I'd like to point out a few from scripture itself.
King David - known as one of the greatest kings of Israel - God called him 'A man after my own heart.' He walked very closely with God in worship, in humility...*in killing the enemies of God. Yet he stumbled headlong into sin when he saw from his palace: Bathsheba bathing on her roof. (This story can be found in the Old Testament - in 1 Samuel 11-12.) He proceeded to commit adultry and then try to cover up his sin by murdering the man she was married to - Uriah. When the prophet of God came to him and confronted him about his sin - although he repented - Nathan told him that because he had sinned against God and made His enemies show contempt, the child that was born from the affair would die....and God brought that to pass. Seven days later the child was dead...yet this is what David wrote in response to what had happened.
*Taken from Psalm 51
Against you, and you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
Although he thought he had gotten away with his sin by killing Uriah - God saw what had happened.
Another example of God's judgement/discipline would be when He wiped the Earth clean of life except He saved a remnant in the Ark (Noah and his family with the aminals)
= 3 Cool bedtime story FTW!? I think so. = D
One more example, this time from the New Testament, would be Ananias and Sapphira. Take a minute to read this exerpt.
(Taken from Acts 5)
1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"
"Yes," she said, "that is the price."
9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Sometimes we wish that God would act more like in this example. Personally, sex offenders disgust me. Rapist, pedophiles, and individuals like the man I mentioned in an earlier post...I could just as easily live life without ever hearing about that or having to know someone who's life they affected. Yet God allows them to live - for remember: 'Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.' and: ...'he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.'
As far as the second part of your objection goes...
'Also, have you noticed that the Bible is both racist and sexist? Its mostly completely intolerant of all things that arent itself'
...when you have a planet, and create life and order - you can set it up however you want. He is God and He made it how He saw fit to make it
...the bible CAN be viewed as sexist - especially in the Old Testament at times because of what it has to say about women's 'place' - but if you remember, when God made Eve from Adam, He didn't take a foot bone for the woman to be trampled on, or a head bone that she should be over the man either. He used a rib bone! Signifying that they should be joined together, arm-in-arm. Neither greater or less-significant then the other. Instead - after the fall - man's heart became proud and we learned what good and evil was all about. Individuals could choose to exert their strength over others and subdue them, abuse them, belittle them...but from the beginning it wasn't like this.
...and I don't see why you would say that it is racist, could you clarify your question/point there for us?