Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
In the Local Church "the Law of Christ" is actually a moving target....it all depends on what Witness Lee said it was....unless he contradicted himself (something that happened all the time) in which case the Law of Christ is whatever the Blended Brothers say it is on any given day. And with this the followers of Witness Lee are constantly "making void the word of God (and by extension, the Law of Christ) by their traditions that have been handed down." (taken from Mark 7:13)
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The description of the "moving target" reminds me of Matthew 7:26
"And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man
who built his house on the sand."
Sand is not stable and tends to move or "shift" when the wind and waves beat against it. If the LCs were built on such a foundation of WL's words which were changing and shifting, then Jesus' prophecy would ring true.
I remember growing up in the LCs that we were taught that the sermon on the mount showed our need for Christ because it was impossible to follow-- but then it just stopped there as if we weren't expected to actually attempt to follow Jesus' teachings because it was too hard. Perhaps this gave the opportunity for WL's commandments to fill the void.
Yet Jesus actually ends the sermon on the mount with a warning that people who only hear his word but don't actually do it will have a great fall:
Matthew 7:27
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
I think the sermon on the mount is also contained in the law of Christ because it contains Jesus' commandments which are related to love.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus equated hatred towards a brother with murder.
Matthew 5:21-22
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not
murder; and whoever
murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is
angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’
will be liable to the hell of fire.
The Apostle John confirms that we should take Jesus at his word in verses like 1 John 3:15
"Anyone who
hates a brother or sister is a
murderer, and you know that no
murderer has eternal life residing in him."
Someone who hates his brother may not be born again of the Holy Spirit. We can only "do" Jesus' sermon on the mount through the Holy Spirit who lives in us because it is humanly impossible. I agree the sermon on the mount shows our need for Christ, but it would be a tragedy to stop there and not try to obey. When we try to obey that's where God's grace comes in to help us through the Holy Spirit
Acts 5:32
And we are witnesses to these things, and
so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.