A Question: Is Liberal Christianity Biblical?

“Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter,
not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished.”

For those who wish to separate Old Covenant Law from The New Covenant and the teachings of Yeshua that is a question to ponder for a while, but not for long.

A meme was sent to me by someone who has not told me what or if he has faith in Yeshua so I can only presume his intent was to call in question the Christianity of most true believers.

Here is what the meme said: "Jesus was a nonviolent revolutionary who hung around with lepers, hookers and crooks. Wasn’t American and never spoke English. Was anti-wealth, anti-death penalty and anti public prayer. Was never anti-gay. Never mentioned abortion or birth control. Never called the poor lazy. Never justified torture. Never fought for tax cuts for the wealthiest Nazarenes. Never asked a leper for a copay. And was a long-haired brown-skinned homeless community organizing anti sl_t-shaming Middle Eastern Jew."

When in doubt go to Yahweh’s Word. Read and accept what it says and do not try to twist it to meet your personal needs.
If you change what it says it ceases to be The Word of Yahweh.

So, let's dig into this...

“Jesus was a nonviolent revolutionary who hung around with lepers, hookers and crooks”

So close but also so very far from the truth.
Yeshua never tried to overthrow a government, was not here to do so, so the “revolutionary” title is greatly misplaced. As far as the company He kept He explained that Himself:

“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house,
many tax collectors and "sinners"
came and ate with him and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this,
they asked his disciples, "Why does your
teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this,
Jesus said,
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor,
but the sick.”

“Wasn’t American and never spoke English”

Really? This is beyond irrelevant, it's just silly. I don’t mean to be dismissive here but America and English did not exist then so how could He?

“Was anti-wealth, anti-death penalty and anti public prayer”

Scripture does not record Yeshua being anti-wealth, this comes from a perversion of what Yeshua told the rich ruler,
let’s read this and don’t add to it:

A certain ruler asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered.
"No one is good--except Yahweh alone.
You know the commandments:
'Do not commit adultery,
do not murder,
do not steal,
do not give false testimony,
honor your father and mother.' "
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him,
"You still lack one thing.
Sell everything you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When he heard this,
he became very sad,
because he was a man of great wealth.
Jesus looked at him and said,
‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the
kingdom of Yahweh!’”

Let’s really look at the message Yeshua is telling us, riches themselves are not evil but out attitude toward them can be if we value them over our relationship with Yeshua. We see that Yeshua teaches this over and over again and we need to let it sink in. Money, for example, is not evil. The lust for money, the greed and hoarding of it is evil.
Rich man or woman ask yourself this: “Do I love money more than I love Yahweh?” Be honest, do you? If so you have made money your Yahweh and you have no love of The Father or Yeshua His Son.
Do you love Yahweh and use the blessings He has given you to help those in need? If so money is not an evil for you. Look at the Cathy family(Chik-fil-A), they are very blessed and wealthy but they show their love of Yahweh and appreciation of the blessings He has bestowed upon them by being, and have been, very generous to others in need.
Very, very generous.
Enough about money, let’s move on to the issue of the death penalty. Yeshua never condemned the death penalty, how could he? The death penalty is the very Word of Yahweh His Father and Yeshua never sinned by teaching against His Fathers Word. This comes from a perversion of the Scripture found in John 8:2-11 NIV 1984.

“At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts,
where all the people gathered around him,
and he sat down to teach them.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.
They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus,
"Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now what do you say?"
They were using this question as a trap,
in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
When they kept on questioning him,
he straightened up and said to them,
"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the
first to throw a stone at her."
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time,
the older ones first,
until only Jesus was left,
with the woman still standing there.
Jesus straightened up and asked her,
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
“No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared.
"Go now and leave your life of sin."

Where do you see Yeshua condemn the death penalty? You don’t.
What we have here is selective acceptance of Scripture. Let’s look at what “the teachers of the law and the Pharisees” were trying to do. If you look at verse 6, “They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.” This often goes unnoticed and really should be understood for what they were trying to do. If you don’t know The Law people, just like the ones trying to accuse Yeshua, will fool you and others into their perversion.

“If a man commits adultery with
another man's wife-with the wife of his
neighbor-both the adulterer and the
adulteress must be put to death.”

What does this show us about the evil intentions of “the teachers of the law and the Pharisees”?
Where is the man who was committing adultery with her?
Why was she dragged out in public alone?
Yeshua was not anti-death penalty, He is righteous. He was showing that you can’t try to fulfill half of The Law and be righteous, it’s all or nothing. You obey or you don’t, half doesn’t count for anything but failure.

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of
righteousness' before men, to be seen
by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in heaven.”

Next up, Yeshua never condemned public prayer. Let that settle in.
What Yeshua condemned was anyone doing anything for show whether it be prayer, tithing, clothes, jewels and fasting.
What is the purpose of your “public prayer”? Are you praying for those involved in an auto accident, a fire or a shooting? Is it a public worship venue?
If you aren’t looking for recognition, fame or payment Yeshua will hear your prayer.

“Was never anti-gay”

“But at the beginning of creation Yahweh
'made them male and female.'
'For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh.'
So they are no longer two, but one.”

“Yahweh made them male and female”, not male and male or female and female. Yahweh did not make them male but meant female or female but meant male. You have been created to be the gender that Yahweh intended and He never makes mistakes, only humans do. Your DNA will always tell the truth, your "feelings" can and do lie.

“Never mentioned abortion or birth control”

Let’s start with the medical evidence that life begins at conception. The mother has her DNA and the child has their own unique DNA, so there are two humans. This is a proven fact. Most birth control pills do not prevent conception, they only cause the child to be sloughed off during the woman's next period. So they are, in fact, abortion causing. So where do we see Yeshua addressing abortion?

“You know the commandments:
'Do not commit adultery,
do not murder,
do not steal,
do not give false testimony,
honor your father and mother.' ”

“Do Not Murder”, abortion ends a life and therefore is murder. Period.

“Never called the poor lazy”

“For even when we were with you,
we gave you this rule:
‘If a man will not work,
he shall not eat.’ ”

Yeshua never called the poor lazy however He did teach that those who can work but don’t are not to eat.
Yeshua also teaches us that the care of the poor is an issue the Church is to address, not the government.
So the question to the writer of this meme should be, “what have you done to help the poor today”?

“Never justified torture”

And yet He died the most horrible and tortuous way imaginable for you, yes I made it personal, for you.

“Never fought for tax cuts for the wealthiest Nazarenes”

This was not His purpose, His purpose is to bring The Good News of Yahweh’s Kingdom to those willing to hear. Let us never confuse the world and its ways with The Word and Will of Yahweh as testified to by His Son Yeshua.

“Never asked a leper for a copay”

I am trying really hard not to just laugh… I don’t think Obama Care was available then.

“ And was a long-haired brown-skinned homeless community organizing anti sl_t-shaming Middle Eastern Jew”

The only reason people think Yeshua had long hair is because the paintings we see of Him. But in those paintings He also has blond hair and blur eyes…
The skin tone is called middle brown. Which brings up an interesting scientific tidbit: are you aware that all people are the same “color”? The color is called melanin, and the differing shades are what are what folks incorrectly call different colors. So much for bigotry.
Homeless? I don’t think that is what He was trying to say in Matthew 2:20, “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” NRSV
What Yeshua was trying to teach is that no one knows of their need of Him or acknowledge the evil that waits to destroy any and all who are outside of Yahweh’s Will. Also while He never owned a home on this world He has a home in the hearts and lives of true believers.
Community Organizer? By The Fathers standard but not by todays standard of protected class separatists. If only the so called “Community Organizers” were working as Yeshua did and taught but most are not even believers and therefore teach evil ideas. Ideas that divide, ideas that cause separation, ideas that destroy communities and those who live in them.
Anti sl_t-shaming? I don’t think so, the comment of “Go and sin no more” gives a clear message that to be a sl_t is not a good thing. Also the woman at the well was told about her past and not told to continue on in her lifestyle.
Why is the idea of sexual purity met with such virulent hatred? People, Yahweh gave us a sex and made it pleasurable but it is intended only within a marriage of one man and one woman. The law of man may allow two men or two women to “marry” but The Law of Yahweh doesn’t and it is The Law of Yahweh that really matters to those who see beyond this short life to eternity.
Would you like to know why divorce rates are as high as they are today? Sexual impurity is the biggest reason. Number one.
Why? Comparison. Dissatisfaction. When a sexually active person marries they naturally start to compare the person they married to all the others in their past and the next thing you know they start missing someone in their past. Something the other person did or did better. Sadly, lust is a major decider for sexually active people. Most people today want immediate satisfaction, they don’t want anything in the way of fulfilling their lust. Especially Yahweh’s law.
Yahweh’s Law is the way to a better life, a happier lifestyle and a better future. And that begins with sexual purity for both men and women. Imagine a world without abortion, reduced STD’s, much lower divorce rates. Much lower divorce rates mean stronger families, stronger families mean lower crime and a safer world.
Middle Eastern Jew, so what is the problem here?
Is the writer of this meme admitting to being an anti-Semite?
Hmm, I think we have looked at all the ways this humanistic view is so wrong.
If we want to change the world for the better why don’t we look to The Bible, the only source of real truths and solutions there is or ever has been.
Brothers and Sisters, stop thinking in the divisions man has created. Start thinking of others as more important than self.
Start looking at the world as Yahweh does and start really living Matthew 7:12 “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is The Law and the prophets.” NRSV
If you treat others the way you want to be treated where will the strife come from?
Can you see two people arguing “I hate you for being nice to me...” hmm, I don’t think so.
Strife comes from people thinking they are better or deserving of special treatment, but if you treat others well what do you think will happen?
Try it this week.
Be the friend someone needs.
Change your attitude about sharing.
Thank our heavenly Father for His providence and ask for His guidance.
Stay in prayer for those in need.
Think of others as being better. “Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
Eternity is a long time, try thinking like Yeshua.
May we pray as David prayed:

“May Yahweh be gracious to us and bless
us and make his face shine upon us, Selah”

Go with Yahweh this week.