I’m a little confused as to what you are saying here. Yes, God has spoken in various ways to His various prophets. I’m not sure what your point is. But each of them points to the one Word of God, Jesus Christ. The flood was a “type” of baptism. Issac was a “type” of Jesus. Moses delivering the House of Israel out of Egypt is a “type” of Jesus delivering us from our sins. The needs and circumstances of man change, but the truth does not change and the fullness of that truth is found only in Jesus Christ.
I am saying that God speaks to all and gives them direction according to where they are in their understanding. He did it in the OT. He did it in the NT, and continues to do it now. He may give instruction to those of a different country or culture that is different than what is given to His church, because of the difference of understanding, but utlimately leads to the same place…kind of a “wax on”, “wax off” thing.
Not only to different countries or cultures, but just plain different people. You and I have different understandings so He may tell you to turn left, but me to turn right, and because of where each of us are, a left turn is what you need to get where He wants you but a right turn is what I need to get where He wants me. Though a left turn seems to contradict a right turn, they both lead us to where we should be given our current position.
That is why constant instruction/revelation from God is required.
I hope that makes sense…
I did not say that the word of God carries less authority, I said the prophets, in themselves, carry less authority, simply because Christ is God and they are not.
I suppose we will simply disagree on this because as I see things, if God imbues a prophet with the authority to speak in His name, that prophet carries the same authority as God. That is how Elijah could seal the heavens and call down fire from heaven…with God’s authority. If it were not so, Elijah could not do what he did.
We’ll have to just disagree here. Jesus didn’t say that God allowed divorce. He said:
"Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matt 19:8)
Now, God did not change His mind, saying that divorce was permitted, at one moment, and then saying that you would be guilty of adultery the next moment. God is constant and His truth is constant. It was this way “from the beginning”.
The entriety of the Law of Moses is not what God wanted from the beginning, but it was tailored to the people of the time. It was a lower law…we know this because Jesus Christ brought a higher law.
I’m not sure what else I can say here that I haven’t already said.
No need, I believe we are close enough.
I suppose it all depends upon what you want to call a “practice”. You seem to be saying that “divorce” was a practice and God changed that practice to marriage for life. Jesus pointed out that marriage for life was that way “from the beginning”. So I would not accept your definition of a practice. Marriage is an essential truth of God that has never changed. God “permits” or “allows” murder, rape, molestation, slaughter, abortion, etc. and abhors all of it. It does not come from Him and neither did divorce come from Him in Moses’ time. His truth never changes and though He allows evil, due to our free will, He does not desire or will evil to occur.
In Matthew 5 Jesus states:
“32But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife,
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”
Sounds like diivorce isn’t altogether disallowed. Sure, in a perfect world, there would be no divorce as there is no need for it…but we don’t live in a perfect world. God tailors His instructions to us according to our needs.
God does not “allow” murder, rape, molestion, slaughter, abortion etc., but it does happen…not by His will or instruction. Those who perpatrate such actions will be held accountable and punished accordingly
God has instructed His people to kill and slaughter for reasons that would be defined as murder to our laws today.
When God gives instructions to “seemingly” go against His will or law, as long as we stay within His instrcutions that we do not violate His will or law. That is why the practice of divoce is allowed by God under certain circumstances here on earth.
Animal sacrifice was a practice…but it is the law of sacrifice that is the truth
Only Levites holding the priesthood was a practice, but the priesthood of God is the truth.
Divorce is a practice that is allowed within marriage under specific circumstances, but marriage is the truth.
As I understand you beliefs, marriage does not continue after death, yet marriage is ordained of God here on earth. Marriage would be a practice allowed here on earth that does not continue.
). I start giving her little hints about what her present will be. It has wheels. It has a seat. She knows something, but it could be a bicycle at this point. I tell her it weighs a lot. Now it could be a motorcycle. On her birthday she awakes to see a large covered object sitting in the driveway. It is obviously a car. Now the mystery is almost solved. We walk out to the driveway and begin, slowly, uncovering the vehicle. She sees the tires, the bumper, the color of the paint, the back window, the roof and finally the entire car. What was waiting to be revealed has been fully revealed. There is nothing more to be revealed. Now she gets to know the car. She learns how it handles on the road. She learns where the windshield wipers are; how to turn on the brights; how the sound system works. All of these little “revelations” surround THE revelation of the car. That is what I mean when I say that “He has stated all He has to say in His one Word”. The focus is Christ; He is the Word. The rest is just getting to know Him better.
