If someone said that to you in real life you would back the hell away without making eye contact.
Well that's a loose translation. Another one is 'if you are my friends, do as I do.' I mean if what he tells them gives them eternal life (if one subscribes), and they believe it, then it's not the weirdest thing to say. He just got done saying that what he does is based on what the father wants, so they should do as he does.
Of course if you don't believe it sounds off the walls, but if you do it makes sense in the context of the texts.
Boys boys, both of your imaginary friends are pretty.
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I mean, it's heretical. Blasphemy is a pretty specific thing and it's bad (in some teachings, unforgivable -- seems like a stretch, but that's the sort of gravity the word implies). Heretical just means it's outside the teachings of Christ, which is a much broader word. God's got all kinds of love for heretics (as he must, because at some point all of us were/are heretics and we all do heretical things all the time). The parable of the prodigal son is the best summary of how that all plays out.
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eh. And also, that's not something Paul dreamed up. And also again -- Luke wasn't an apostle, so he and Paul are pretty much on a level.
END OF THE DAY -- look we're saying the same thing. Only reason I jumped in with an argument was like.... it's not a "have to" situation, if you actually believe that Jesus is who he said he was, then that belief ought (naturally) to cause in that person a desire to do good things. If it doesn't, then it wasn't faith in the first place.
Yeah, I think we're pretty much agreed other than semantics, or delving into the Council of Nicea which is something I think we should not do. So, I getcha^^