Intersting Conversations

An online conversation in a Q & A format with a friend recently was interesting - I've modified it some for easier reading.

-------------------------------------- Q: --------------------------------------
"Just to play devil's advocate ...

Some would say that the Judeo part of Judeo-Christian looks a lot more like the Islamic states we see today (stoning for adultery, etc). If God is truly who we say He is, then why did He enact a set of laws and commands that so go against the Christian/Western morals that we so readily identify today as being right?"

-------------------------------------- A: --------------------------------------
"Good question!
In some ways the Mosaic Law is very similar to Sharia - but it's purpose is quite different. In Mosaic Law, there are two purposes: the first, and more hidden, is to demonstrate the gulf between what God is like and what Man is like: God shows us his character in the "thou shalt/thou shalt not" laws - but then gives "you may" laws which then ameliorate the stricter "Shalt/shalt not" laws (due to man's weakness - "it was because of the hardness of your hearts ..."). He also provided the sacrificial laws to provide a means of mercy amid the frenzy of justice. Carried within those laws, however, are also principles which are designed to make a society work - each one derived from a practical application of "love thy neighbor as thyself".
Sharia law, on the other hand, is more simple - it is a collection of "thou shalt/thou shalt not" laws, with punishments attached. There is no provision for mercy at the hands of the law - no temporal forgiveness (although Allah may forgive in the spirit world, the legal punishment must be carried out)."

-------------------------------------- Q: --------------------------------------
"But how do you reconcile the fact that at one point God endorsed stoning an adulteress and at another point He denounced it?" God is the same yesterday, today and forever...right?

-------------------------------------- A: --------------------------------------
At what point did God denounce stoning for adultery? I'm guessing you are referring to the "woman caught in adultery" story - presuming that to be the case, Jesus did not condemn the idea that her adultery deserved death, but merely pointed out that not one person who accused her was truly free of deserving the death penalty for their own sin.
It is worth noting that the passage itself (called the "Pericope Adulterae", and found at John 7:58 - 8:11 in the KJV) is not in the original documents - it is highly unlikely that John (or any other eyewitness) wrote it: however, I do think it is "in character" enough to be useful.

Romans 3:23 states that "the wages of sin is death ..." - and this is demonstrated in Torah by the fact that even relatively minor sins would require sacrifice (the taking of life) to cover. Even those that required "only" a grain offering could be considered as requiring life, for in a practical sense, grain was life: it was required to sustain life, and it required a portion of a man's life to cultivate: he put his life into the produce of his land.

Every sin deserves death - even (as Jesus pointed out) the ones we only commit in our attitudes or thoughts - for sin is rejection of God, who is the source of life. You could consider a person like a toaster - if we become unplugged from our source, we are dead, and of no value: it is only when we are plugged in to a source that we truly live. In the same way, sin is an "unplugging", a rejection of our source, and the obvious consequence is lifelessness - aka death. "Unplugging" ourselves has a second consequence - just as an unplugged toaster cannot plug itself back in, we cannot re-establish our connection (relationship) to God: we haven't the power (because we're not plugged in, right image ) The amazing thing is that God doesn't just toss out his old toasters - he offers to plug us back in. If we have learned the lesson that we are dependent on Him, and will take Him up on His offer, He plugs us back in, and fills us with a fresh and new life! He does not do this by ignoring our deserving death, but by providing Jesus death as a participatory means of paying the penalty of death: then filling us with Jesus' Resurrection Life.

So, to recap - all sin always deserves death, but death is not God's goal - He never desires it, but we frequently demand it by our sin! God has not changed, but we can be!