"Reclaimed and recycled" or "new creatures"?

[ImaginaryDay2]

I receive daily meditations from Lutheran Hour Ministries in my email. Most of the time they're quite beneficial, but every once in a while there's a statement or an idea that just seems "off". The meditation today contained this statement:

Many people don't want to hear about their need for Jesus. Most certainly, evil doesn't want salvation to reach them, reclaim them, recycle, and inspire them (emphasis mine).
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20180812

As Christians, are we merely "reclaimed and recycled" or are we "new creatures" (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come)?

When I think of something being reclaimed and recycled, I often think of plastic bottles or re-purposed cardboard saying things like "this container is made from 75.86743% post-consumer waste". So in a Christian context, should that be/is that really an appropriate analogy to use?

Thoughts?

 

[Lamb]

When I hear reclaimed I think of something that was lost and then found.

When I hear recycle I think of something that was worthless and now is used for good (bearing fruit).

Those are my opinions though on those terms.

 

[NewCreation435]

We were lost and were found, but we are also new creations as you mentioned.

The idea of recycled is really not appropriate in my opinion

 

[TangledWeb]

I receive daily meditations from Lutheran Hour Ministries in my email. Most of the time they're quite beneficial, but every once in a while there's a statement or an idea that just seems "off". The meditation today contained this statement:

​

As Christians, are we merely "reclaimed and recycled" or are we "new creatures" (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come)?

When I think of something being reclaimed and recycled, I often think of plastic bottles or re-purposed cardboard saying things like "this container is made from 75.86743% post-consumer waste". So in a Christian context, should that be/is that really an appropriate analogy to use?

Thoughts?

A recycling process is merely conversion of something old into something new and is not too different from old wine skins into new even though the word does leave a bad taste in my mouth because who wants to think of man as being garbage used by God?

 

[TurtleHare]

I receive daily meditations from Lutheran Hour Ministries in my email. Most of the time they're quite beneficial, but every once in a while there's a statement or an idea that just seems "off". The meditation today contained this statement:

​

As Christians, are we merely "reclaimed and recycled" or are we "new creatures" (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come)?

When I think of something being reclaimed and recycled, I often think of plastic bottles or re-purposed cardboard saying things like "this container is made from 75.86743% post-consumer waste". So in a Christian context, should that be/is that really an appropriate analogy to use?

Thoughts?

Eh, you can't expect all analogies to fit perfectly but you gotta give him reps for creativity.

 

[Wilhemena]

I receive daily meditations from Lutheran Hour Ministries in my email. Most of the time they're quite beneficial, but every once in a while there's a statement or an idea that just seems "off". The meditation today contained this statement:

​

As Christians, are we merely "reclaimed and recycled" or are we "new creatures" (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come)?

When I think of something being reclaimed and recycled, I often think of plastic bottles or re-purposed cardboard saying things like "this container is made from 75.86743% post-consumer waste". So in a Christian context, should that be/is that really an appropriate analogy to use?

Thoughts?

I never do understand when pastors change the language for relevancy and don't use what is written out already for man to learn and as you say "new creatures" is clear enough for me. Is there a comments section where you can ask the pastor why he chose such wording?

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

When I hear reclaimed I think of something that was lost and then found.

When I hear recycle I think of something that was worthless and now is used for good (bearing fruit).

Those are my opinions though on those terms.

I'm sure that was the spirit behind the analogies. There are just times when I read the meditations when something is said that either seems 'off' or challenging - where I wonder if it's accurate or could have been said a better way. I think it's just how I am that I question a lot. That may not necessarily be a bad thing if it causes me to think and look into context. And that (imo) should be a goal for the reader, not to just take things at face value, but to really dig and apply them.

 

[Lamb]

I'm sure that was the spirit behind the analogies. There are just times when I read the meditations when something is said that either seems 'off' or challenging - where I wonder if it's accurate or could have been said a better way. I think it's just how I am that I question a lot. That may not necessarily be a bad thing if it causes me to think and look into context. And that (imo) should be a goal for the reader, not to just take things at face value, but to really dig and apply them.

That's good to question instead of following blindly. There are times when writers of articles and blogs are turning away from Lutheran beliefs and their new beliefs start seeping through! It does happen!!

 

[MoreCoffee]

I receive daily meditations from Lutheran Hour Ministries in my email. Most of the time they're quite beneficial, but every once in a while there's a statement or an idea that just seems "off". The meditation today contained this statement:

Many people don't want to hear about their need for Jesus. Most certainly, evil doesn't want salvation to reach them, reclaim them, recycle, and inspire them (emphasis mine).​

As Christians, are we merely "reclaimed and recycled"

The language of reclamation and recycling seems to fit the snow covered dung analogy that some say is a Lutheran characteristic teaching. Being repackaged while remaining more or less unchanged (maybe reprocessed as well as repackaged) seems to fit the picture. I am typing this tongue in cheek.

:smirk:

or are we "new creatures" (Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come)?

When I think of something being reclaimed and recycled, I often think of plastic bottles or re-purposed cardboard saying things like "this container is made from 75.86743% post-consumer waste". So in a Christian context, should that be/is that really an appropriate analogy to use?

Thoughts?

Recycled dung can almost smell sweet when applied as "natural fertiliser".

 

[Arsenios]

The language of reclamation and recycling seems to fit the snow covered dung analogy that some say is a Lutheran characteristic teaching. Being repackaged while remaining more or less unchanged (maybe reprocessed as well as repackaged) seems to fit the picture. I am typing this tongue in cheek.

:smirk:

Recycled dung can almost smell sweet when applied as "natural fertiliser".

Yikes!!

A.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Yikes!!

A.

:ange06:

 

[TurtleHare]

The language of reclamation and recycling seems to fit the snow covered dung analogy that some say is a Lutheran characteristic teaching. Being repackaged while remaining more or less unchanged (maybe reprocessed as well as repackaged) seems to fit the picture. I am typing this tongue in cheek.

:smirk:



Recycled dung can almost smell sweet when applied as "natural fertiliser".

The Reformation meant to change all that sweet smelling dung that the papists tried to sell as indulgences to the people (YIKES). hehe

 

[MoreCoffee]

The Reformation meant to change all that sweet smelling dung that the papists tried to sell as indulgences to the people (YIKES). hehe

Alas, all that managed to do was find new packaging, a pretty white snow cover, but the dung remained dung, unchanged.

 

[Lamb]

MC, do you know you cut down your own denomination by saying that? I know you didn't mean to. LOL

Time to get back to the actual topic.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Alas, all that managed to do was find new packaging, a pretty white snow cover, but the dung remained dung, unchanged.

MC, do you know you cut down your own denomination by saying that? I know you didn't mean to. LOL

Time to get back to the actual topic.

Thou shalt explain this unto me for verily I say unto thee I have no idea what thou meanest.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

The Reformation meant to change all that sweet smelling dung that the papists tried to sell as indulgences to the people (YIKES). hehe

 

[MoreCoffee]

The language of reclamation and recycling seems to fit the snow covered dung analogy that some say is a Lutheran characteristic teaching. Being repackaged while remaining more or less unchanged (maybe reprocessed as well as repackaged) seems to fit the picture. I am typing this tongue in cheek.

:smirk:



Recycled dung can almost smell sweet when applied as "natural fertiliser".

The Reformation meant to change all that sweet smelling dung that the papists tried to sell as indulgences to the people (YIKES). hehe

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The change of subject in brother TurtleHare's post - a change from the person (dung) covered by snow (Christ's righteousness) to doctrines (dung) covered by snow (unspecified doctrines from the 'reformers') went off topic, in my opinion, since doctrines can neither be "new creatures" nor "reclaimed and recycled [persons]" because doctrines are conceptions and ideas with no soul to be saved. But the alleged snow covered dung is intended to be a picture of a saved soul - albeit during its Earthly existence.