Quote:
Originally Posted by panta dokimazete  It's ok Todd - repetition is key to learning. No need to get snippy  - I am truly trying to pull out every iota of meaning from the Word of God. I am not inclined or willing to say or respond to - "it is what it is and that's it, so get over it and give up!", particularly when it does not seem to be - even though it makes me the target of anger and frustration from my brothers.
I am sorry you are frustrated, but as you point out, there is an implicit assumption of some sort of self-love - how that is defined or contextualized may seem plain to you or falls into in the arena of Deut. 29:29, but it seems to me as if there are relevant and useful areas to explore:
Does Christ equate all men's self-love similarly?
Is the sheep's love for themselves the same as the goats'?
Is the good and faithful servants' love for themselves the same as the wicked servants'? |
My main point, brother, is that there is a limit to what you can get out of a given text. Christ's words, taken as you have, by themselves in a small section of Matthew's Gospel, can only teach so much. Your questions above cannot be answered by the verses you were talking about.
I'm only objecting to your wanting to draw teaching out of Christ's words in this particular place in Scripture that I quite honestly believe, and many here have echoed the same thoughts, is not found there. The doctrine you're trying to find may exist in Scripture - but just not here. It may even be consistent with what is found in these few verses - but that doesn't imply that these verses teach (or even support) that doctrine.
That's all. It's all good.
__________________
Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net
"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light"
(Christopher Love)
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