Saturday, March 25, 2006

Don't work, don't eat

Question: Why is 2 Thessalonians 3:10 the most quoted verse by Christians in reference to the poor? ("For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.")

Question 2: Although cut-n-pasted out of context...would Romans 4:5 be the antithesis of the 2 Thes scripture? ("However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness")

Again, these are both cut-n-pasted WAY out of context. But, is there any validity to comparing the two of these anyway?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

dude i am all abouts the cut and paste bible.

how else could i justify my faith in the free market, my secret hidden hatred for my neighbor, my truncated "pro-life" ethic, and my christian president's just wa.. i mean pre-emptive war/ you are either for us or agin' us foreign policy?

of course my liberal friends all have the same bibles. they use it to justify their childish rebellion against the "modern" church, the old paradigms, their high minded ideals, and their faith in the government to do justly with our tax dollars.

i know this other guy (fletch) that uses his cut and paste bible to justify his sarcasm.

Agent B said...

Thanks Jay...

I know my questions are kinda pointless with the glaring fact that they're incomparable as they're out of context.

But still...curious if anyone has extra insight to any of this.

miller said...

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

i don' know 'bout you but that sounds like work to me!

peace

Anonymous said...

Agent B:

This is an artificial contradiction you have created to backhandedly attack what I said on a previous post. You should know better. People at the time were not working because they thought Jesus was coming soon. Paul was telling them to shape up. The principle is the same these days. Don't expect a handout or a bailout in terms of this earthly life. Go to the ant, you sluggard. Work! That doesn't mean only work if it makes you a good living. It means: Work!

The second verse is talking about good works vs depending on the faithfulness of God. Spiritual salvation, not about putting food in your mouth.

Further loss of credibility: I am surprised at you. I expect better for someone who claims to be God'd agent in the world. Come on, man! I don't hate you. I just got offended that you were offended. Partly because you were attacking my profession as seemingly intrinsically evil, partly because you say "trust in God" in one breath and then get angry that the world isn't to your liking in the next. Hello, the world will never be to your liking because you have the *HS*.

-Trey

Anonymous said...

Thank you for calling me a jackass for contributing to the previous discussion. Also thank you for keeping my mind on "what is noble, what is pure, what is holy", when you justify the use of the f-bomb, etc.

Agent B, I know your light can shine brighter than that. You get it from HIM.

What I think happened is that what you considered to be private isn't so much. Guess what - people read your blog. Guess what - *GOD* reads your blog. So you got called on the carpet by me. You didn't like it. To be challenged on one's own blog! Where one's word is law! I'm being sarcastic, if you didn't notice. But even with all the sarcasm, I still stand by my "get right bro" comment. It was meant as a wake-up call, not an attack. Have faith in my good will toward you. If you don't want me to post, say so here and I'll come back to this entry in a few days and read the comments to find your answer.

One day we will meet. Will you find it so easy to curse? Will you call me a jackass? I know you won't, because you have the *HS*.

-Trey

Anonymous said...

One last thing: Didn't Paul confront Peter? Peter was an apostle, for crying out loud! Talk about having some authority to defend yourself when your actions are attacked! Do you think Peter liked it, this newbie Paul telling him he was in the wrong? May we all have the humility of Peter, and that includes me.

-Trey

Mike Murrow said...

trey,

i would like to know why you think someone who uses the word fuck needs to get right?

is it because it is a "bad word?" really? so who decides what words are "bad?" is there a list of words we cannot say in the bible?

is it because some people find it "offensive?" i find that one interesting. i found your comments that someone who made bad health choices deserves to suffer. that comment showed a lack of mercy.

what did Jesus caution folks about more? using "bad words" or not showing mercy?

i think it is interesting that you were more offended that b used the word fuck than that his friend has to pay all that cash for a pair of shoes.

Agent B said...

Trey -

Fact: you, Trey, were never called a "jackass". I referenced "anonymous jackass comments" then stated that you boldly left a name, and thanked you for it. Thus, you are not an anonymous jackass. Sorry for any confusion.

Fact #2: the word fuck (or f-bomb, take your pick) never appeared in my post. The vague reference "eff" did.

fact #3: God doesn't read my blog. He probably knows what I'm gonna write before the fact.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

mike,

Suffering is instructive. I suffer. It's good for me. God uses it. There is mercy in it. And yes, we all deserve to suffer. God's *grace* reduces this, but he'll still allow some.
The wounds of a friend are faithful. God is faithful.


About words: we are called to be pure. Out of the same mouth should not come both bitter and sweet water. The word crudely references something which is to be beautiful. I hope that answers your question.

About the pair of shoes: I chose not to comment on that because it would have made to post about 3X as long. The economics of what the *real* price of those shoes are is very complex. Just a sampler: 1)Testing and "medical approval" as a "medical device" required by, yes, the state. 2) Retail price, artifically inflated so as to give "discounts" to insurance. 3)Liability: if the device fails or causes injury, the manufacturer can be held responsible. There are several other factors too. I agree that it is absurd to pay that much, but in reality, most of the time, that much is not actually paid. The retail price is almost completely useless in modern medicine.

I've discovered something. My comments are too pungent. I guess I'm still getting used to heavy discussions on the Internet. Maybe I should use more emoticons. :) Body language and tone usually save me in even the most heated personal conversations.

agent B: I respectfully disagree with the content of your previous post re: Fact: and Fact #2. Fact #3 however - yeah, probably true. But I thank you for your kind response.

-Trey

Mike Murrow said...

trey, yes suffering can be instructive but as a christian and as a doctor are you not called to relieve suffering not decide that because someone is fat they deserve to suffer?

in that vein, if we are concerned about being pure and we think that it is a "sin" to say fuck yet we don't think that not having mercy on others isn't "sin" then i think we are straining at a knat and swallowing the camel.