I want to thank you, Marshall, for the very well laid out thoughts on truly "what would Jesus do." I wholeheartedly agree. Sometimes it just gets lived out differently. And yes, sometimes a good argument can come across as personal attack. No offense taken.
For anyone who happens upon this blog, I hope you will read the comments, because they represent a great struggle in my own life - the tension of law and grace. I, a sinner, am totally dependent on the grace of God through what Jesus did for me. There is absolutely no doubt about that. And knowing how much I have been forgiven causes me to give grace to those in similar situations.
So when a person saved by that grace wants to show love back to the Lord by living the way He asked us to live, there it gets sticky. There are some very proactive things that Jesus mentions (and Marshall stated). And then there are more nebulous suggestions such as "whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever is of good report, think on these things." (and if you look that up, you'll find I didn't quote it correctly).
In the original post, I was never intending to say "this is a law, now walk in it." It is more conviction on my part as to what needs to be weeded out of my life and what is worth keeping. So when the world is coming at you, you do have to discern what those things are that need purging.
Life with "sinners" and life with the saved sinners can be seen as dramatically different. Well, it should be anyway. Those who have not known the gift of grace that Jesus gives, we call "lost." They are not held to the same standard as those who are believers. We can rightfully say that they don't know any better. In Scripture, it is the believer who is called into accounting, and the nonbeliever who is invited.
So, thank you again for the comments. They are both convicting and gracious.
