Tulipa said:
Um. Yeah I get the whole tradition dictates much of Bible which makes most of it redundant. You don't need to read a whole big kids book to get that.
But now I'm confused. If you understand that the Bible's pretty much redundant in today's society (not saying secular just contextually) then why follow it?
The Bible isnt redunant, but there are some bits that we dont follow anymore. Before you give me the whole "you can't pick and choose" argument, let me explain why.
The Bible is divided into the Old Testament (OT) (before Jesus) and the New Testament (NT) (after Jesus). The OT is under the Old Covenant, and the NT is under the New covenant.
The Old Covenant was based on the law that God had made, and humans complying with that. However, we failed, so the convenant was broken. However, God made a new convenant that was no longer based on us humans obeying laws, but rather that if we trusted in Jesus Christ, then he'd take punishment for us, so that our salvation is now based on faith in him, rather than our own works and us obeying the laws.
I predict your question will now be "So why does it matter if you break the law- it shouldnt matter."
If you know that if you cheat on your boyfriend/girlfriend, that he or she will forgive you...Do you go and cheat?
No, you don't. You might slip up, but you wouldnt do it just cos you know you'll be forgiven. If you love someone, you'll want to do the right thing by them. Yeah, you'll stuff up occasionally, but you'll make the best of efforts not to.
Below i've copied the passage that i took all of the above from. It comes from the book of Hewbrews, chapter 8 verses 7 to 13.
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said[a]:
"The time is coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
9It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.