So, what if God's revelation over all time has been unfolding--not because God has changed, but because humanity could only change/integrate/understand more about who God is over centuries. In other words, what if faith not only matures in an individual (developmental process), but also occurs over generations?
For example:
Just as parents teach and raise their children...simple commands come first. The parent may give explanations for various rules--but those are usually NOT understood by the child. How many times does a parent have to tell a toddler ambling toward a street "NO!!!" with a quick, but firm redirection. This one word "No!" at this point means: "DON'T GO OUT INTO THE STREET!!! They may even build a fence around the yard.
Just as parents teach and raise their children...simple commands come first. The parent may give explanations for various rules--but those are usually NOT understood by the child. How many times does a parent have to tell a toddler ambling toward a street "NO!!!" with a quick, but firm redirection. This one word "No!" at this point means: "DON'T GO OUT INTO THE STREET!!! They may even build a fence around the yard.
Then imagine a child's COMPLETE surprise then when a parent picks a child up or holds them by the hand and crosses a street with them!!! "What?" the child thinks, "I thought I wasn't supposed to go near that thing called a street..." Then a child learns about cars--and their danger...but wait, the child thinks, "We ride in one of those all the time...what is dangerous?" Then there are times when strange things are put at the end of the road and the family has a big party with all the neighbors in the MIDDLE OF THE STREET that is usually labeled dangerous! This must be really confusing!
Later the child learns, it's ok to go/cross a street by yourself--just when no cars are coming. As children mature--we even let them drive one of those dangerous cars! And THEN, maybe at some point, they may understand that they may even choose to go out in the street WHEN a car is
coming (!) to save someone else's life....
So, perhaps this is why the Ten Commandments (basically "DON'T GO OUT INTO THE
STREET") get boiled down over time, to simply "LOVE God and your neighbor." What if THAT is simply what God has been trying to get us to understand and live the entire time....not only in each individual life, but down through the eons of time.
coming (!) to save someone else's life....
So, perhaps this is why the Ten Commandments (basically "DON'T GO OUT INTO THE
STREET") get boiled down over time, to simply "LOVE God and your neighbor." What if THAT is simply what God has been trying to get us to understand and live the entire time....not only in each individual life, but down through the eons of time.
I think this may be what Paul the Apostle meant when he wrote to the church at Galatians who were trying to figure out if following the Jewish laws were required to be a follower of Jesus. Paul writes:
"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.....for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has ANY value. The ONLY thing that counts is FAITH expressing itself through LOVE." Galatians 3:24-25 and 5:6.
