Question for you biblical theologians.

April 24 2006
(John is warning against false teachers in this passage)
2 John 7-11

7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist........ 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.


Does this mean I as am called as a Christian to not support organizations
that promote things that obviously contradict the words of God? Because they
are supporting leading people away from God's divine plan.... ex. Ford supports
the gay rights movement. It could be said that they are  promote these people to walk away from God. Would
I be "sharing in their wicked work" if  I bought a brand new
F-150? Or is their work even considered wicked? Just a thought. I would really
like to hear what you have to say.

In Him,
Jonathan
Keep fighting the good fight of faith!


trumpetjaz

April 24 2006
i used to struggle with that...especially when the SBC boycotted Disney all those years. The fact of the matter is that we are to do as Christ...."love the sinner, hate the sin." As long as you don't let them stick a pink triangle or rainbow on that truck, you should be able to go out and buy that F150 :)

Sara Shaban

April 24 2006
that's a very interesting thought and I agree.

Sara Shaban

April 24 2006
that's a very interesting thought and I agree.

Ben

April 24 2006
i dont think you are supporting them, i just think you would buy what you like. supporting would be going to their rallies. and all that stuff. but then also, its not just with that kind of stuff. if u buy a pizza from pizza hut, and the owner has lied before, are u partaking in that lie? of course not. pretty good thought. i liked that.

Amy

April 24 2006
I really think that's a personal conviction. Most every company probably supports ungodly things, so unless we all want to become Amish it's hard to avoid. I personally don't buy Abercrombie clothing becuase their clothing catalogs are actually classified as soft porn. So basically, it's something to pray about and see where God leads you. I think it can vary from person to person about what you may need to stay away from. Also, you really ought to not buy Fords just because of the quality of their cars... ha ha... ;)

Wilson

April 28 2006
are you taking that van to gnc? or is it full?

yourcandytears

May 03 2006
First of all, the verses you have picked out are referring to false teachers. This would be anyone that is teaching anything other than what Jesus taught or said. The Ford example would not be an example of this verse because they are not claiming to be Christian teachers or have anything to do with Christian doctrine. But let's look at that example anyway, because there are a few things that can be talked about in it alone even though it doesn't go with the verses mentioned. For one, in order to decide whether a company is "supporting sin", a person would have to sin themselves by judging that company. In the Bible, Jesus says, "Judge not so that you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1). This is just the beginning verse of a whole section where Jesus warns against judging other people. He basically says that we are all sinners and have things we need to work on in our own lives, therefore we are not in any place to judge the sin in the lives of others. Homosexuality, as far as being a sin, is mentioned along with other sins every time it comes up in the Bible. It is also important to point out that Paul wrote both of the books this mention is in, and he said himself that his words were basically his interpretation of what should be done according to the words of Jesus. Therefore, he is a teacher himself, and maybe should be questioned according to the whole false teachers/not false teachers verse. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. But, let's say that it is a sin. Even in that case, it is one of multitudes that anyone could commit anyday. If you were to refrain from associating with or supporting anyone who has sinned or continues to, you wouldn't even be able to be around yourself. Jesus himself dined with prostitutes and tax collectors. He chose to be with the lowest of the low so he could love them. That is what he calls everyone who follows him to do. Simply cutting off anyone that sins is not only impossible but un-Christlike, according to scripture. Also, supporting rights for anyone maybe shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing. Everyone should have equal rights; whether they receive equal rights or not shouldn't be based on whether they sin or not because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It would be most like Christ, in my opinion from reading scripture, to love, support, and tolerate everyone around you. True love is forgiving and acknowledges that people make bad decisions sometimes. Love goes through it with them to help them see a better way.