So do you like Ikea? Next question. Do you like their instructions manuals? They are confusing, right? Well, people feel like that with NT letters too. When is the last time you greeted everyone at your church with a holy kiss? Oh, you haven't ever done that? Well, you are not following command in the New Testament then. People often feel like Christians cherry-pick what they obey and what they should not obey. I think they have a point and we need to sort through how to explain to people how the letters in the New Testament have wisdom for us to apply but at the same time, they were not written directly to us. Are the commands in the NT letters 'rules to follow' or maybe a better perspective is to see them as instructions according to our design? If God is remaking us to be the humans he always intended, maybe we need an instruction manual for help.
