Quote from vhehn:
why do you thumpers always insist on changing what your own holy book tells you?
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want eternal life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and `love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Vhehn!
I was wondering when you would come by, please let me finish the story found in Matthew chapter 19, the young man said, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus used this young man as an example, sadly he did not heed his masters call, because he loved his possessions, the gift more than the giver.
The Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment, He said it was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, the second was like the first, to love your neighbor as yourself--- all the laws of all the prophets are based on these two principles.
Man corrupts everything he tries to perfect through his own efforts, it's not the word that's in err vhehn, just our attempt to live it by our own means without the help of God.
The Pharisees of the old and new testament were what you would call the religious zealots of their time, their whole life was centered around keeping every letter of the mosaic law, down to the smallest detail.
They even made their own laws around the critical ones like a hedge, reasoning if they kept the smaller laws there was no way they could get close to breaking a big one. They went as far as tying themselves in their beds on the sabbath night so they could not roll over as that might be taken as working on the Sabbath, a strict no-no.
What did Jesus say about the Pharisees? He called them snakes, vipers and said if a persons righteousness did not surpass that of the Pharisees, you could not enter heaven . So how can I pass a person who so perfectly tries to keep the law?