We were discouraged from looking at or considering the “Ten Commandments” as being “Law” and Jesus Christ is the “end of the law”. Actually, he is the “end of the law for righteousness,” not for behavior as such. Yes, we are righteous. And we also have to live in this world.
It might be interesting to consider how the rules for living set out in Ex 20-22 (as applicable in our time) were broken by top TWI leadership.
Exodus 20:1-17 (NASB) Then God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.
Not an organization. Not a man. And not Jesus Christ, either.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Not observed from the beginning by those commanded; likenesses of various heavenly beings, animals and plants put in the Holy of Holies as decoration - but not worshiped.
Cuts out statuettes of VPW, the Timothy statue.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Includes acting in his name but not in his power
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; {in it} you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Obviously not applicable to Levitical class, who had significant duties on the sabbath.
Normal work functions not generally permitted.
The busiest day for HQ and the Corps, who had significant duties towards visitors.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Did VPW honor his parents? He encouraged Dorothea to run away from hers.
Did LCM honor his parents? VPW had to speak to his father to persuade him that LCM’s job as Prez was worthwhile
You shall not murder.
Perhaps not done, but self-murder (suicide) by a scorned husband whose wife had been suborned did take place and no responsibility was taken
You shall not commit adultery.
Won’t even begin to go here
You shall not steal.
Includes obtaining by false pretences – that the money is being used to further the work of God
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Includes “spiritual suspicion” and all the homo allegations
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Includes coveting someone's "ministry" or religious organization ("house").
Some people sold property (farms) and gave the money to TWI, after a little "suggestion" by TWI.
Back to the adultery thing
Yet how choosy TWI could be.
For instance, this verse, taken so badly out of context:
Ex 21:22 "If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges {decide.}”
…was used to justify abortion.
And this verse Ex 21:16:
“He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.”
…led to a few rants about how deprogrammers and the families of Way adherents who arranged for deprogramming were worthy of death.
I thought it might be cleansing to consider how much of Ex 20-22 was disregarded. Or just the many ways even just the ten commandments graven in stone were perverted.
And if in doing so, anyone wants to think how better their life can line up to God's standard - that's all part of clearing out TWI's malicious doctrines.
The very idea that the Ten Commandments are not binding for us today is incorrect.
From the mouth of the Lord Himself:
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:17-20)
He fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions by performing the will of the Father in its entirety, He transgressed none of the precepts of the Law, declaring a perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He has delivered to us---granting righteousness, the goal of the Law, to us. He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold. He is the open door that leads to the Father, which was formerly shut under the Law, for all they had were types and shadows in the dark and they could not find the door in in the dark.
Of course, that is my perspective as far as theology goes. From a psychological standpoint, saying "Don't follow those old laws...you all are righteous! You're saved! What we don't tell you is that you have to follow our law now!" strikes me as encouraging that loyal, brainwashed, and at times arrogant, attitude that many TWI (and even many ex-TWI) followers have.
We were discouraged from looking at or considering the “Ten Commandments” as being “Law” and Jesus Christ is the “end of the law”. Actually, he is the “end of the law for righteousness,” not for behavior as such. Yes, we are righteous. And we also have to live in this world.
It might be interesting to consider how the rules for living set out in Ex 20-22 (as applicable in our time) were broken by top TWI leadership.
Yes, I did intend for it to be iin About The Way.
I considered Doctrinal and made a decision that that is NOT where I wanted it to be. I wanted to discuss this particular application of TWI rubbish.
Brushstroke:
He [Jesus Christ] is the open door that leads to the Father, which was formerly shut under the Law, for all they had were types and shadows in the dark and they could not find the door in in the dark.
If he has opened the door, it doesn't need opening again.
Of course, that is my perspective as far as theology goes. From a psychological standpoint, saying "Don't follow those old laws...you all are righteous! You're saved! What we don't tell you is that you have to follow our law now!" strikes me as encouraging that loyal, brainwashed, and at times arrogant, attitude that many TWI (and even many ex-TWI) followers have.
Yeah, they never told us that we would follow their law. We lived by grace, doncha know.
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Brushstroke
The very idea that the Ten Commandments are not binding for us today is incorrect.
From the mouth of the Lord Himself:
He fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions by performing the will of the Father in its entirety, He transgressed none of the precepts of the Law, declaring a perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He has delivered to us---granting righteousness, the goal of the Law, to us. He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold. He is the open door that leads to the Father, which was formerly shut under the Law, for all they had were types and shadows in the dark and they could not find the door in in the dark.
Of course, that is my perspective as far as theology goes. From a psychological standpoint, saying "Don't follow those old laws...you all are righteous! You're saved! What we don't tell you is that you have to follow our law now!" strikes me as encouraging that loyal, brainwashed, and at times arrogant, attitude that many TWI (and even many ex-TWI) followers have.
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kimberly
Did you intend to this to be on the Way forum? Perhaps, I need to read the guidelines for the Doctrinal.
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Twinky
Yes, I did intend for it to be iin About The Way.
I considered Doctrinal and made a decision that that is NOT where I wanted it to be. I wanted to discuss this particular application of TWI rubbish.
Brushstroke:
If he has opened the door, it doesn't need opening again.
Yeah, they never told us that we would follow their law. We lived by grace, doncha know.
What I asked was:
Any takers?
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HAPe4me
anyone?
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