This essay is part one of a two-part series responding to a meme. The meme in question suggests that since supernatural and ritualistic elements are in the Bible, magic and witchcraft can’t be sinful, and that the Bible is contradictory. <– Part 1
Part 3 of the overview of Leviticus with commentary. The Ritual Purity laws of chapters 11-15.
Continue readingOftentimes people will use the word “sodomy” about same-sex intercourse and “sodomite” about those that engage in it. Let’s make a note that Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of far more than just that. Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned in Ezekiel 16:49 for various sins, like pride and abusing the poor. In Jeremiah 23:14, they are compared to the sins of priests in pre-exile Israel who committed adultery and idolatry. In Matthew 11:24, Jesus even compares his generation of Jews to Sodom and says they are more stubborn and hard-hearted. Therefore, Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of more than just sexual sin.
Continue readingSome may wonder if Christians are supposed to be eating kosher and following rules about bodily fluids and circumcision. Ritual purity laws differ from moral purity in that they don’t involve behavior; therefore, breaking them is not punishable by execution. These laws were designed to set the Israelites apart, and they were never given to Gentiles. Paul had a lot to say about not enforcing these laws in the New Testament, and even Jesus said some things to that effect. Let’s take a deeper look at why they existed in the first place and whether new covenant Gentiles are exempt from following them. What were they pointing to?
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