Loophole Religion

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Loopholes

Ways around the rules that technically don’t break the rules.

Hypocrites, Whitewashed tombs

Story of Jesus, Peter’s View Point, Written by John Mark

Gospel of Mark

Mark was documenting Peter’s experience with Jesus

Mark 1:15 NLT
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 2:27 NLT
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.
Mark 3:22 NLT
But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
Mark 6:55 NLT
and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was.
Mark 6:56 NLT
Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
Mark 7:1 NLT
One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus.
Mark 7:2 NLT
They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating.
Mark 7:3 NLT
(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions.
Mark 7:5 NLT
So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
Mark 7:6 NLT
Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Mark 7:7 NLT
Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
Mark 7:8 NLT
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
Mark 7:9 NLT
Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.
Mark 7:10 NLT
For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’

Christians don’t honor their father and mother because Moses told us to.

Christians honor their fathers and mothers because Jesus instructed us to love one another the way he loved us.

Mark 7:10 NLT
For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’
Mark 7:11 NIV
But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—
Mark 7:12 NLT
In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.

If we hurt or offend people and use our loophole to get “forgiveness” from God but don’t address that person or address the offense with the offended...

Mark 7:13 NLT
And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
Mark 8:31 NLT
Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.
Mark 1:15 NLT
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Breakdown

Mark 7:8 NIV
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
Mark 7:9 NIV
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

Do you ever try to figure out how close you can get to sin without actually sinning?

Do you believe their a ritual that makes you right with God while removing your responsibility to make things right with others?

Do feel more guilty about missing church than mistreating someone at work?

Are you banking on the myth that God has short-term memory loss?

Kingdom of Conscience, Law of Christ, To love others as God through Christ has treated you

What does love require of me?

What does love require of us?

Did you grow up with any religious traditions that, looking back, made God seem small and petty?

Are you inclined to believe that confessing your sins to God makes things right between you and God, regardless of weather or not you’ve made things right with the person you sinned against?

Jesus accused religious leaders of nullifying the intent of God’s command with made-up traditions (Mark 7.13) Can you think of any modern-day examples of this?

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