For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
James Kraft
A true christian church has to agree with the bible. We may not understand a lot of things, but we still have to believe that it is God breathed. Many things in the bible are so plainly written that no one can say they don't understand it. But, without the spirit of God in us it makes no sense. We are all born sinners but with a knowledge of good and evil that God has written in us. The bible brings this to light. The bible confirms what we already know to be true.
We may not know that it is Gods laws written in us, but we know that to steal from others is wrong because we don't want others to steal from us. But we do not want to retain the knowledge of God because it keeps us from our sinful nature.
We want to be our own God and do what we want when we want to without restraint. But sin comes in many forms. Many through there own will follow Gods laws to the letter, but have never known God in the spirit. They trust in their own righteousness to get them to heaven. These are those that make up their own extra biblical laws and make them binding on everyone else to make themselves more righteous. They have to have something to measure themselves so they can say they are more righteous than others, even though they may be living in sin in other ways. They are the ones that strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
Both legalism and liberalism are sins against a Holy God. Instead of trusting in the righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus, we want to trust in our own.
Charles Stanley
James: how do you interpret the following verse (Matthew 5:29):
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
It sure sounds like one of the "things...so plainly written that no one can say they don't understand it." So do you think Jesus meant we should mutilate ourselves as a way to heaven? Or is there some justification for thinking he meant this metaphorically? Did Jesus believe sin resides in the part of the body that did the deed? Origin did, and had himself castrated. Should we not do the same? Shall I say Jesus could not possibly have intended for us to mutilate ourselves? On what basis? The fact that it offends or that we don't want to do what Jesus said?
I say this to illustrate the fact that all scripture must be interpreted by frail and fallen human beings. Those interpretations must be subject to revision and reformation. I don't buy many of the interpretations we have received from the past.
And when people say, "The Bible clearly says..." it is a red flag. It usually means "I am inerrant and I am right and anyone who disagrees with me is not really a Christian." I take issue with this. I think we need to pray hard, study and search for the best possible interpretation of things. That is what "Liberal" theology is to me.
James Kraft
Jesus was showing us that we are all sinners, and even if we cut off our hand or take out our eyes we are still sinners. We are born sinners, and that is why our flesh has to die. If we could live without sin, then Jesus died for no reason. We could save ourselves.
God loves us, but hates our sin. That is why he went to the cross to take the penalty of all our sin so that we would not have to go to hell to pay for them.
For God so loved the world, (everybody) that He sent His only Son, (Jesus) that whosoever, (anybody) believeth in Him, (trusts that He did it just for you personally) will not perish but have eternal life.
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
AMAZING GRACE He gives us His righteousness, and will no longer impute sin to our account. Romans 4:1-8