Rescuing Jesus from the Bible

Olushola

[Comment] /

Hello, Ken. I just finished listening to your "Episode 5" podcast. While I commend you on taking many of us believers to task - in challenging us to live up to the 1st and 2nd greatest commandments (Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself), I do take some issue with your interpretations and ultimate conclusions. It's funny (in an odd way) how you so readily criticize the authors of that website you mention in the podcast for selective/partial quoting of scriptures without the full context to make their point, then proceed to do just the same in pursuit of making your point.

The argument of EITHER Faith OR Works has always been a false dichotomy, when taken to the extreme. You seem to be implying that Jesus told the lawyer (in the passage Luke 10:25-37) that he should "Go, and" earn your salvation by being a compassionate, godless heathen. In fact, in answers to the lawyer's questions, Jesus said very little (other than the parable of "The Good Samaritan"). Jesus allowed the lawyer to answer his own questions (10:26 - "what is written", 10:28 - "You have answered right"). Remember, He was asked the same question, and emphasized a different point in Matthew 19:16-30.

I don't think that the only purpose of Jesus parable/story was to directly answer the lawyer's question about eternal life (actually He wasn't answering the "eternal life" question, but rather the "neighbor" question, though they're related). Jesus made a regular practice of trying to humble the Jews, and to disabuse them of the idea that they would be saved/justified/made righteous/etc. simply based on the fact that they were the "Chosen People" and by keeping the law (for example Luke 18:10-14). Even earlier in Luke 10:10-16, Jesus chides the cities of the Jews for not receiving His message (saying it will be more tolerable places like Sodom, Tyre, Sidon - all gentile or wicked cities). Also see Luke 4:24-28, Luke 7:1-10 (Matthew 8:5-13).

Not to say that Jesus DIDN'T value "works of faith" as the appropriate/necessary results of faith (Luke 6:43-49), and that that wasn't also being illustrated in the Luke 10:25-37 passage - I'm just saying it's NOT the triumph of works over faith that you seem to claim. In fact, the earlier parts of Luke 10 speak to the danger of NOT believing in Jesus (10:12-16 again) and His message/Gospel, as well as stating that He was the only way to know the Father/God (10:22).

Lastly, I find it curious that you would base so much of your "evidence" on a passage from Luke, after you've already accused him of "massaging" the Gospel and the story of Acts to smooth over the differences between Paul and the original Apostles. But to be safe from accusations that all my "salvation by the sacrifice and resurrection of the Word made flesh, Christ, named Jesus" references come from the biased Luke, or Gospel of John - read Matthew 9:14-17 (need for "rebirth", rather than just being sinners doing works/fasting/etc. and the need for Him to "taken from them" before this could happen), Matthew 10:32-42, Matthew 12:30-42, 16:13-27 (esp. 21), 17:1-9 (esp. 9), 20:17-19, 22:23-32, 24:3-31, 26:26-28, 26:63-64, even 27:62-66. And though I'm almost certain you dismiss it out of hand, the entirety of Matthew 28:1-20.

Again (as stated in my post on your Faith vs. Works blog), if the Ebionites didn't believe in the scriptures by/about Isaiah, David, etc. - then they were HORRIBLE followers of Jesus, who quoted them as SUPPORT for His beliefs/actions/words/works quite often (as a matter of fact, how could they believe in "their version" of Matthew, starting with Chapter 3, they had to start doing some major editing as soon as you get to 3:3, not to mention Matthew 11:7-15, 12:3-4, 12:17-21, 12:39-42, 13:14-14, and others.

Again, thank you for "sniffing out" the hypocrites among us, who would rather hide behind STATEMENTS of faith, with no fruit of faithful works (as James wrote - that equates to dead faith, and as Jesus said - the false teachers/prophets shall be known by their fruits. That criticism is legitimate, and demonstrative through scripture alone. Your attempt to selectively use scripture to discredit the Gospel, as proclaimed by Paul, leaves a LOT to be desired.