Resty, do you even KNOW the Bible verses from which you try to quote & mangle?????????????
ALL: FR, lurkers...look at what this long-time Mormon FReeper mangler of the Word does here: She takes a positive rendering of jot & tittle in Matthew 5...and tries to make it a negative (note..."jot and tittle" comes from Jesus' reference below about the smallest letter/stroke of a pen in Hebrew):
18 For truly I tell you, 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. 19 Therefore ANYONE who sets aside ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE COMMANDS AND TEACHES OTHERS ACCORDINGLY will be called LEAST in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will CERTAINLY NOT enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:18-20)
Restornu, here this is about the ONLY time Jesus is "positive" about the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Why? Because outwardly the Pharisees stressed God's commandments. And yet with your negative attitude, you want to turn Jesus' words here into a negative.
ELSEWHERE Jesus was heartily negative about the Pharisees? Why? Primarily because of their inward hypocrisy...which he compared to being like unwashed cups & graveyards.
Jesus knew their inward nature? (Do you pretend to know mine?) Here in post #27, you said:
I cannot be responsible for how someone receives the message but I CAN be sure of my motives for posting and the tone in which I speak/write.
Do you pretend to know my inward motives? (Doesn't the Bible say ONLY God knows us on the inside -- 1 Sam. 16:7?)
Do you love to hear yourself pontificate?