Left-wing social media influencer, Ed Krassenstein, in a daily attempt to snare impressions, follows and views on his X (formerly Twitter) account, gave his audience and fans a little “lesson” on select parts of the Bible.
Let’s take a look at some of his points.
He starts out saying the Word of God seemingly approves of slavery, quoting Exodus 21:2-11 and Leviticus 25:44-46.
The owning of slaves was a common practice long before the Mosaic law and the Bible does not institute or end slavery, Mosaic law regulated it by giving instructions on the treatment of slaves- whether it be Hebrews with Hebrew slaves, Hebrews with Gentile slaves or Gentiles with Hebrew slaves, as pointed out in the above verses. It did not end slavery.
In the New Testament, it also did not demand that every slave owner immediately emancipate his slaves. Rather, the apostles gave instructions to slaves and their owners on godly behavior within that social system. (Eph. 6:9), (Col 4:1)
Condemnation of slavery did not come from Jesus himself. No reason. The effect of the gospel is that lives are changed, one by one, and those changed lives in turn bring transformation to entire families and cultures. Christianity was never designed to be a political movement, but, over time, it naturally affected political policy.
The seeds of the emancipation of slaves are in the Bible: (Gen 1:27), (1 Tim 1:8-10), (Philemon 1:16)
There is no approval of slavery, as Krassenstein states. Instead, hearts are changed through the Holy Spirit and people and society change.
We must remember, the effort to emancipate slaves in the US were largely led by Bible-believing Christians.
Krassenstein then goes on to discuss Child sacrifice and killing referencing Genesis 22: 1-19, where God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
This is a common criticism coming from critics of the Bible. However, it was a test of obedience and faith for Abraham and God stopped him from actually following through and provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice.
God’s tests prove and purify our faith. They cause us to seek Him and trust Him more. God’s test of Abraham allowed His child—and all the world—to see the reality of faith in action.
Krassenstein also goes into Matthew 19-24 saying Sorry Rich people, you probably aren't going to heaven according to Jesus.
Here Jesus is explaining that it is impossible for anyone to be saved on your own merits as many teach and the pride of men.
Jesus destroyed that notion that when rabbis of old would say wealth was seen as proof of God’s approval, it was commonly taught by the rabbis that rich people were blessed by God and were, therefore, the most likely candidates for heaven, by proclaiming that anyone can earn eternal life.
"With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God" (Matthew 19:26). Men are saved through God’s gifts of grace, mercy, and faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Nothing we do earns salvation for us. It is the poor in spirit who inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3), those who recognize their spiritual poverty and their utter inability to do anything to justify themselves to a holy God. The rich man so often is blind to his spiritual poverty because he is proud of his accomplishments and has contented himself with his wealth. He is as likely to humble himself before God as a camel is to crawl through the eye of a needle.
That’s a brief look at his tweet. One commenter said, Ed, your interpretations are taking these scriptures out of their historical and theological context, simplifying complex teachings into misleading soundbites. I know you can do better.
Can he?
It is impossible for an unbeliever to correctly interpret Scripture. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14).
We are all sinners and we all need to be saved.
The Bible declares that everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). Sin is rebellion against God. We all choose to actively do things that are wrong. Sin harms others, damages us, and, most importantly, dishonors God. The Bible also teaches that, because God is holy and just, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23) and eternal separation from God (Revelation 20:11–15).
In Acts 16:31, a man asked the apostle Paul how to be saved. Paul’s response was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
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