Submitted by thelivingphilosophy t3_yt6m03 in philosophy
Reply to comment by amazin_raisin99 in A cross between an Existentialist and an Old Testament prophet, Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard urged his "single individual" reader to follow the "highest passion" of faith rather than becoming one of the stereotyped pseudo-individuals of "The Crowd" by thelivingphilosophy
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
This is extremely important in the interpretation what Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection meant for mankind.
I wouldn't want my quote to be misinterpreted as to not "help" people, but "help" is a subjective phrase. It's impossible to properly help someone without knowing some type of context associated with that said person's life. For a person to desire to keep you from sin, is to put a "stumbling block" in the way of the very person they are trying to help in the first place...
That has, can, and will interfere with them achieving a salvation that is unique to their life... And can keep them from accepting Christ whole-heartedly.
You are essentially controlling their life by educating them on YOUR interpretation of sin and keeping them from it, when you could honestly give them the tools and teachings to help them interpret what sin could be within the context of their life/for themselves, and then they can call on God/Christ for the strength in Spirit to keep away from what they consider sin.
We are all sinners, and what better way to let a person know the compassion, patience, empathy, and unconditional love of God, than to allow them endure on a personalized path in which they understand the power of the flesh (temptation, making mistakes, hurting others, lying etc.) and know that the day they receive the "Good News" of Jesus, they can not only activate their own resurrection (Holy Spirit), they can also whole-heartedly ask for forgiveness, and use their life as a testimony to help others commit to God/Christ and receive that same "Holy Spirit", which is essentially the God/Christ in us. It's the greatest way of disregarding the trauma experienced, accepting the knowledge and wisdom from the mistakes you made, and forgiving the transgressions made against you...
You don't help a person by keeping them from "sin". The word and law of God has been exploited repeatedly, and, there are so many ways in which a person honors God, that the word "sin" becomes subjective. "Sin" can be used in a way to disregard the experiences that lead to that person committing the act in the first place.
This woman is Lesbian, therefore, she is a sinner. Well, she may be a lesbian because of the trauma associated with her being raped (Simplified example).
In Christianity, letting people know the "Good News", in a way that is tailor-made/worded within the context of their life and what they've experienced, is the greatest contribution you can make. But, before you can even do that, you have to ask if they are ready and willing to receive the word in the first place! Then you can sit down, listen to these people, live amongst them, empathize with them, be patient and compassionate. There is a reason why Paul spoke about living amongst the people he desired to help in Corinthians, going from village to village and enduring the same hardships that they did.
If your intentions are to the detriment of others...If your intentions are to control, or impede on the freedoms of anyone? That behavior isn't Christ-like at all. Even in the Bible it is stated that people wouldn't even know sin if it wasn't for the laws being made... In other words, Laws (Like Abortion Laws) don't keep people from sinning. As a matter of fact, it is Laws that tempt the act of sin in the first place!
One way to serve God is to serve and educate those that understand that they need to be served and educated. Teach them what the ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ means for them. Teach them in a way that they will be able to guide themselves on the path of salvation and righteousness. Guide them in the way where they can depend on God, not on Man, to tell them what is right and wrong.
I hope you receive this well.
> there are so many ways in which a person honors God, that the word "sin" becomes subjective.
This says a lot, I think. I would venture to guess that you mean other world religions are equally valid and lead to God. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't want to strawman you. The idea that sin is subjective is so antithetical to the Bible that I'm surprised to hear someone who knows a few biblical messages even consider it. God is the very source of objective morality, without Him it could not exist. But it does, and it's laid out in plain language often repeated several times in different contexts throughout the Bible. What then is your interpretation of Acts 4:12? "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” If you can't agree with that I daresay I wouldn't call you a Christian. Again, if this is not your view please correct me.
The Holy Sprit is the God within all of us. The "Holy Spirit" is Divine Accountability.
If a person is willing to be baptized in the name of Christ, he/she is willing to receive/activate the Holy Sprit within themselves. If they continue to establish and build their own relationship with God, God will guide them on the path in which they will fulfill the Will that He has for them.
Upon receiving the Holy Spirit (and if they desire to have a personal relationship with God), then what sin is will be established within THEIR Holy Spirit (Which is the God in All of Us). As long as they continue to nurture it within the word and context of their life, then The Spirit will grow and guide them for as long as they continue to honor God and Christ.
Let's say someone decided to honor God by not eating meat. Does that mean that they can tell others that it's sinful to eat meat? Absolutely not.
Does that mean I can shame them for not eating meat because of God saying "Anything that I created is Not Unclean"? Absolutely not.
Now let's talk about Apostle Paul, back when he was Saul. Saul persecuted and executed many Jews, and God used HIM as a vessel to deliver the Gospel. He was made blind, and he along with his companions were told to seek Ananias, one of the Disciples of Christ.
Essentially, what Saul was doing was not "sin" in the eyes of Man... Just like when Jesus was persecuted and sacrificed... No one was jailed, not even Judas.
God eventually handled the fate of Judas... But, God also forgave Saul... Saul changed his name to Paul and became a great and devout Christian/Apostle.
Do you understand the catalyst for God sending his Son here? Jewish Priests had essentially claimed Dominion over God; They created hundreds upon hundreds of Laws... Priest telling people what was sinful and NOT sinful, telling people who to heal and who NOT to heal. Telling Jesus that he's committing a sin by feeding unclean people bread with unclean hands! Jesus called them Hypocrites right to their faces and they became furious. Who could challenge the Jews but the Son of God himself!
When you are trying to keep people from sin/telling people what is sinful, you are doing the same thing that Jesus accused the Jews of doing. Your relationship with God is a unique one, and I seriously doubt if you can (spiritually) convict anyone outside of being a murderer, thief, or adulterous. The most Christian trait you can have is one of forgiveness; I am not a perfect man, but I appreciate his forgiveness and mercy more because of it. The book of Ecclesiastes even tells people not to be too righteous as doing so can be associated with vanity.
No one on this Earth can pass true spiritual judgement, because no one is without Sin. To call something sinful is to pass judgement, and the foolishness of God is greater than the greatest wisdom of mankind... God's Will for someone else is beyond our comprehension. If He is taking someone along a path of salvation, who knows what sins they will commit prior to that moment! But, at that moment, they will be all the more appreciative of God's grace. You can help, but be careful as to not be a stumbling block on their journey. Your intentions don't protect you from wrongdoing. Only offer guidance if God placed in that person's heart to ASK you for it. If they do? You have a divine responsibility to NOT convict them, but comfort and accommodate them.
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