The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; 1 Tim. 4:1-7
Guess what day it is today? You're right, Thanksgiving! Odd how the passage I'm studying today mentions" thanksgiving" twice. Must have some significance. What does this passage say we are to be thankful for?
I think we could summarize it in one word - freedom. In the garden of Eden, when things were just right, Adam and Eve had only one rule, everything else was OK. When sin came into the world, that all changed. Moses was given moral laws, civil laws, and ceremonial laws which took up half of Exodus, all of Leviticus, some of Numbers, along with a review course in Deuteronomy. Along with that, the Pharisees added hundreds more to safeguard the given laws so that no one might get close to breaking God's laws, which then became as important to the Jews as God's law. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the Law. He kept it for us and took on the punishment we deserved for not keeping it. He summarized it for us in two commands; Love God and Love your neighbor.
Paul is warning Timothy and us that Satan will introduce fake religions that put rules back on us thus nullifying the death of Jesus because if we could get right with God by rules, Christ died for nothing. Aren't you thankful today that we can just bless the food today and not worry if it's Kosher or not and if we are sinning by eating anything on the table? Aren't you glad that if you discovered some mildew in your house, took out a dead mouse in a mouse trap, were on your period, or had a rash, you could still come eat with everyone? (Of course if you discovered gluten in the area that's another story) Aren't you thankful that you didn't have to kill a lamb this morning to atone for your family's sins?
This thanksgiving let us be thankful that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled and made obsolete, and we are living under the New Covenant, the perfect law of freedom. Paul reminds us that we are not free to sin but to love. Let's show love to everyone around the table and love for God who made a way for us to be in His presence with those around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment