Why treat the NT like the pharisees treated Torah? July 1, 2009
Posted by Damian in Biblical Exegesis and Interpretation.Tags: abuse, exegisis, holy spirit, husband, marriage, New Testament, Torah, wife
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Bryan L said something quite insightful over at New Leaven:
Why keep treating the NT like another Torah so that we have to come up with crazy exegetical arguments just to support a position that we already know is right?
He’s right. As the cliche goes, God didn’t give us the New Testament by which to judge our actions, but the Holy Spirit. When something is right, we don’t need to create an exegesis to support it. Jesus told off the Pharisees for doing exactly that. When a wife, a child, or a husband for that matter, is being abused, the solution is to stop that abuse by whatever means necessary.
Abuse is bad. We know this, even if the New Testament isn’t explicit on the fact.
I would accept this in general regarding abuse. But I think it would be dangerous to always do “what we think is right”.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Jeff
Thank goodness that verse doesn’t refer to women!!
Exactly Sue! Women are generally right about what seems right to them
: )
Damian:
I’m glad we’re on the same page with this.
Bryan L
Jeff,
I agree with you, but the way that is right is the way of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and there are many cases where complex exegesis is made to prove a point (ie. abuse is bad) that should be plain. The reason it seems necessary, is that the contradiction (ie. abuse shouldn’t be taken seriously in marriage) is often ‘proven’ through exegesis.
There is a point where it becomes important to do the right thing, despite exegesis to the contrary.