The Dietary Laws

Paul mentions in Galatians that he rebuked Peter for keep the law and cooperating with the Judiazers(?sp).

 

Leviticus 19:19 (ASV)--

"Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. "

 

Galatians 2:11-12 (RSV)

"11. But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party"

Galatians 2:14-16

" But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" 15 We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, 16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified"

Here Paul rebukes Peter..

 

did God command Abraham to kill his son Issac?

 

The vision was used to teach Peter a lesson. God used food that once was unclean to teach a lesson about people who were once unclean. And when God told Peter to eat the food that used to be unclean, Peter corrected God on the matter. Are you implying he was right to correct God and disobey the command?

Michael

 

and did God actually really WANT Abraham to kill his son, Issac? or was God just teaching Abraham something?

Claudia

 

...and if wanted to convey a message to someone... such as to Peter, telling him not to regard the Gentiles as unclean anymore, what could you use as symbolism?

are not some of the parables Jesus told using symbolism?

 

I'm sorry I didn't catch this in time to reply to it in the post a minute ago, Claudia. But, yes, God did command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. However, that example differs from this in two key points:

1. God was commanding sacrifice, not murder. So God was not commanding sin, as you claim He was in Acts 10.

2. Abraham obeyed, or was about to, when God sent the ram and told him not to go through with it. Peter defied the command of God thrice in Acts 10 before learning his lesson.

God does not command what is sinful.

Michael

 

but still, Michael, it shows that sometimes God commands people to do something that He really didnt actually intend for them to follow through on.

 

So God was just using symbolism? How nice I guess now unbelievers can claim John 3:16 is nothing more than symbolism.

 

Michael,

Remember when Solomon commanded that the child be cut in half?

Did he really actually intend to have the person follow through on that?

Claudia

 

nate,

the point is that sometimes it is just symbolism and sometimes it isnt.

 

wouldnt it of been a pretty mean, cruel, sinful thing Solomon was asking, to actually cut this poor innocent kid in half?

 

and you know that great prayer of Solomon's asking not for riches but instead for GOD'S WISDOM to know how to handle situations and judge situations in the kingdom..

This wisdom of what Solomon commanded to be done came from God Himself.

 

and the woman says NO NO please dont cut the child in half... just as Peter said NO NO Lord I cannot do that.

Was the woman right?

 

Ok. Now, can you decisively say, from the passage, that this was the case with Peter? Moreover, that doesn't defeat the point that what God commanded of Abraham wasn't sin. You believe that what He commanded of Peter was.

First, the command came from Solomon, not God. Secondly, the command was intended to be defied. Can that ever be said of a command from God Himself?

So you're advocating telling God "No"?

Then Abraham would have disobeyed God's later command not to kill Isaac.

You have yet to directly answer two questions:

1. Was God commanding Peter to sin?
2. Was Peter right in defying the command of God?

Michael