Christ's Commandments

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Re: Christ's Commandments

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1Cor 16:22 . . If anyone love not The Lord, let him be accursed.

There's nothing new in that command. It's been on the books every since the days of Moses.

"Hear, O Israel: Yhvh our God, Yhvh is one. Love Yhvh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut 6:4-5)

Failure to love Yhvh in those days was curse-worthy.

"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." (Deut 27:26)

One's love of Yhvh is evidenced by loyalty.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." (Deut 6:6)

That hasn't changed.

"If you love me, you will comply with what I command." (John 14:15)

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." (John 14:21)

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." (John 14:23-24)

Heaven is sometimes depicted as a mountain with many roads around the base heading towards the top. Well; classical Christianity accepts only one of those roads reaches the top; viz: the rest are dead-ends, loops, terraces, circles, and cul-de-sacs, i.e. no outlets and nowhere to go except back down the mountain.

Now picture hell as a huge pit, deep and wide, with many roads around the rim heading towards the bottom. Well; classical Christianity accepts that every one of those roads reaches the bottom; viz: there are no dead ends, no loops, no terraces, no circles, and no cul-de-sacs. In other words; people can get to hell any number of ways; but only one way to paradise.

Does a Muslim have to be a terrorist to be cursed? No; they only have to be a loyal follower of Muhammad ibn Abdullah instead of a loyal follower of Jesus Christ; same goes for Atheists, Nonreligious, Baha'i, Buddhists, Chinese Universalists, Confucianists, Jains, Kabbalah mystics, Shintoists, Spiritists, Taoists, Zoroastrians, Jews, Sikhs, and Hindus-- they're all on a road to hell: they're cursed and there is nothing to be gained in arguing about it.

How many people am I talking about? Well, as of mid 2014, worldwide there were:

550,000 Scientologists
1,500,000 Mormons
8,200,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
7,794,000 Baha'i
515,951,000 Buddhists
451,292,000 Chinese Folk Religionists
8,424,000 Confucianists
974,597,000 Hindus
5,567,000 Jains
14,142,000 Jews
1,673,590 Muslims
2,819,000 Shintoists
24,918,000 Sikhs
14,183,000 Spiritists
8,660,000 Taoists
196,000 Zoroastrians
828,594,000 Nonreligious
692,111,000 Agnostics
136,483,000 Atheists.

The grand total of just those categories alone is 5,369,071,000

If those figures are in the ball park, and if classical Christianity is the reality; then a minimum of at least 75% of the earth's 2014 population of 7.2 billion people didn't love The Lord.

NOTE: Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons are Christians, yes, but not in the classical sense.

Joseph Smith's movement is a spin-off; in other words: there's some classical Christianity in Mormonism, but comprises only a portion of Mormonism. The rest of it is extreme, to say the least.

Neither do Jehovah's Witnesses qualify as Christians in the classical sense. Charles Taze Russell's movement is a spin-off too. There's some classical Christianity in the Watchtower Society's doctrines, but comprises only a portion of Russell's doctrines; and his slant on it is very peculiar.

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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 2:5-10 . . The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

The cause for which Paul wrote that section was a guy in the Corinthian church sleeping with his stepmother (1Cor 5:1). Paul had commanded the Corinthians to not only hold the man's feet to the fire, but also to ostracize him.

Some time had passed since then, and the man was apparently regretting his actions, and broken off the illicit relationship with his kin, so it was time to let him back into the group. No doubt the humiliation of it all had a tremendous impact upon his attitude-- probably upon the congregation's too because at first their attitude wasn't all that good about it either. (cf. 1Cor 5:2)

Here in America scolding and ostracizing a church member would probably just make them indignant rather than repentant.

2Cor 2:9-11 . . If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven-- if there was anything to forgive --I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

One of the opposition's tactics is to create disunity in a church. Sure enough when that happens-- as when one portion of the congregation believes in judging and ostracizing while the other doesn't --people start taking sides and the church will end up divided into cliques and factions. According to the lord and master of New Testament Christianity, a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Paul mentioned that his extension of forgiveness was "in the sight of Christ". There exists some controversy as to the exact meaning but I think it's just saying that Paul's forgiveness of that man was done in accord with Christ's approval; to the end that the Corinthians all go along with it, i.e. stand together as one.

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[eleos]

The "1050" listed in your post are all wrapped up in Matthew 22

Jesus said:

38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus taught from the old testament and expounded on their precepts some of which are found in the "1050" you posted. They are not "new" teachings.

 

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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 5:20-21 . . We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

There's two different aspects to reconciliation. One is a criminal justice kind of reconciliation (Rom 5:6-11, Rom 6:3-11, 1John 2:2) and the other is a fellowship kind of reconciliation. (Gen 4:1-7, Gen 5:22-24, Gen 6:9, Gen 17:1, 1John 1:3-7)

For example, a man and his wife may not be speaking to each other; and sleeping in separate beds; but they're still married: they're just not getting along; in other words, they're out of fellowship with one another. It's God's wishes that His own walk with Him in fellowship while they're waiting for their departure; and the Corinthians weren't doing very well at it.

In order to restore diplomatic relations between themselves and their Father above, that congregation had to knuckle down and deal with sin in their midst in accordance with their master's wishes rather than their own. Compare Josh 7:2-26 where Yhvh's people couldn't win anymore battles until they first dealt with a sin in their midst.

It's ironic that a fully functioning Christian church like the one at Corinth was in need of reconciliation with God. How many Christian churches are just like that today? They pride themselves in being Spirit-filled congregations, yet their congregational attitude is completely out of touch with Christ. Yes, Christian congregations are oftentimes out of touch and need to come to their senses and reconnect or else they risk becoming like the church at Laodicea where the central figure of Christianity is depicted outside the building banging on the door trying to get someone's attention to let him in. (cf. Rev 3:14-22)

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 6:1-2 . . As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain; for He says: In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

Some of Christ's followers are sort of on hold as they look forward to God's patronage and providence after they die; but Paul says you can lay hold of those benefits now. In other words: the cross not only qualifies people for Heaven, but also for obtaining God's earthly patronage and providence. However, that earthly aspect of the plan of salvation comes with a string attached-- obedience.

"No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:1-7)

Nobody really wants to be a stick of ol' dried up yard debris, but that's what happens when Christ's followers go off-reservation and follow their own noses instead of walking in the light.

"When somebody loves me, they will obey my teaching; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:23-24)

In other words: according to the Father's testimony as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to fellowship: a Christian not obeying Christ has disassociated themselves from both Christ and his Father (2John 1:9). But they aren't lost; they're just lapsed.

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[Jacob]

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● John 14:21 . .Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

God's commands as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are covenanted commands, i.e. contractual. Christ's followers are not contracted with God to comply with those particular commands; and lucky them because Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69 specify a large number of curses for non compliance.

● Deut 27:26 . . Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.

Note the grammatical tense of that curse; it's present tense rather than future, indicating that the very moment a Jew breaks one of the covenanted commands he racks up a curse upon himself-- no delay and no waiting period; for example:

● Lev 19:11 . . You shall not deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

Every time a Jew is dishonest, he accrues a curse; for each offense. Lets say a Jew is dishonest ten times in a week. Well according to the covenant, his ten counts of dishonesty accrue ten curses; and those curses are contractual, i.e. God is obligated by the covenant to fulfil them lest He himself fall into breach of contract. Obviously then, serial dishonesty is pretty serious for people contracted with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Ergo: I do not recommend converting to Judaism lest one find themselves under a sword of Damocles hanging by a slender thread easily broken by just one lie.

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Shalom.

Today is Shlishli (Third) 12-26.

I am a Jew. What you are saying is untrue. I know that it is. That is why I am writing this to tell you.

Shalom.

Jacob

 

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Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 6:14-18 . . Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

. . . for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith The Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith The Lord Almighty.

That commandment clearly forbids intermarriage between Christians and non-Christians; e.g. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. Failure to comply with those instructions is not only grossly disobedient, but it's unwise and can have tragic results; for example:

"When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." (Gen 6:1-2)

If we assume that the "sons of God" were believers and the "daughters of men" were not; then it would appear that back in Noah's day, believing men threw caution to the wind and built themselves harems of unbelieving women. What happened to those believing men when it came time for the Flood? Well, for one thing; they had lost their piety.

"The Lord then said to Noah: Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation." (Gen 7:1)

None of the other sons of God in that day were righteous; hence they weren't invited aboard the ark. All of those men-- whose wives were chosen based solely upon sex appeal sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever --perished in the Flood right along with their infidel wives and children.

"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1Cor 10:11-12)

It is definitively not wise to make yourself one flesh with an unbelieving spouse. It's a proven tactic for watering down, compromising, and even extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num 31:7-16). Solomon found that out the hard way; but too late. (1Kgs 11 & 12)

In a mixed relationship-- one a born-again Christian and the other not --the born-again Christian will be forced to compromise their convictions in order to keep the relationship going. Compromise in the area of spiritual values is not a good thing for born-again Christians who wish to be Christ's followers. It will quickly cool their love for Christ and quite possibly result in The Lord calling them on the carpet for being tepid; which Webster's defines as lacking in passion, force, or zest, and/or marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction.

Most people want love, romance, companionship, and a family of their own. According to Gen 1:27-28, and Gen 2:21-24, those things are Divine blessings, they're perfectly normal, nothing to be ashamed of; nor is there anything intrinsically naughty or sinful about them. But a believer has to be self controlled, and not permit their base nature to make them lose their heads and ruin their chances for happiness.

Adult dating is where it starts. And adult dating isn't harmless. It leads to other things, and it leads into commitments and promises that are not easily reneged. The end result of adult dating is ultimately marriage and children (quite possibly illegitimate children). Whose religion will prevail in the marriage? Whose religion will be taught to the children? The believer's or the infidel's? And ultimately, who will get the children's souls-- God, or the Devil?

Some couples try to accommodate each other's beliefs by teaching their children the concepts of both ideologies. For example, a marriage between a Buddhist and a Christian. The children are given a choice between the Dharma and the Bible; and between Siddhartha Gautama and Christ. That may seem like a good idea, but it only creates confusion in the minds of the children. Why are mom and dad not in agreement? Whose ideology is right? Can both be right? Does it mean that one ideology is just as good as the next?

Teaching their children more than one system of beliefs and practices is out of the question for born-again, Bible-believing Christians because The Lord and Master of Christianity demands their exclusive devotion. It's always been that way; even for God's chosen people.

"Hear, O Israel: Yhvh our God: Yhvh is one. Love Yhvh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deut 6:4-5)

"One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that he had answered them well; asked him: What commandment is the foremost of all? Jesus answered: The foremost is "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:28-31)

I think there's a pretty good number of insubordinate Christians out there who are essentially heathens and don't know it. (1Sam 15:22-23)

So far I've only talked about marriage; but 2Cor 6:14-18 also targets ecumenism; which can be roughly defined as an ideology that believes everyone's a Christian if they say so. Okay, fine, everyone's a Christian if they say so; but do all believe in intelligent design? No. Is everyone in the same denomination? No. Do all believe that Christ's crucified body revived? No. Do all believe in a literal hell? No. Do all believe in something called once saved always saved, a.k.a. eternal security? No.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 7:1 . . Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of deference to God's wishes.

Webster's defines "deference" as affected and/or ingratiating regard for another's wants. Deference is the opposite of resistance, rebellion, defiance, indifference, and stubbornness.

Contaminations of one's body would include things like drug addiction, alcoholism, adultery, promiscuity, gluttony, eating blood, etc.

Contaminations of one's spirit likely refers to one's mind and so would include certain kinds of entertainment; i.e. books, music, art, and movies; viz: things that are seen with the eyes and/or heard with the ears.

The promises are those listed at 2Cor 6:14-18.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 8:11-15 . . If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written : He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.

That directive is an excellent passage for debunking the so-called Faith Promise; which is a popular scheme for tricking church members to pledge money they don't have while expecting God's providence will somehow provide it. That is not The Lord's wish. By means of Paul, The Lord says to give out of what you already have, not what you hope to have later; I mean: it is not His wish to copy ENRON's mark-to-market accounting practices and/or futures trading with pork bellies and soy beans.

2Cor 9:7 . . Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

I have yet to meet a pressured giver who was cheerful about it. What Paul is saying there is that The Lord would prefer you kept your money than give it out of reluctance and/or resentment. And that goes for anything else on your list of charities. If your heart isn't in it, scratch it off your list.

Church managers can be very creative when it comes to laying guilt trips on their congregations in order to con money out of them. One morning at a church I was attending some years ago, a flyer was distributed to all the Sunday school classes that pointed to the Israelites in Exodus 35:4-36:7 as an example of pious generosity.

But what the flyer didn't point out is that those very same Israelites worshipped a golden calf and indulged in pagan revelry while Moses was up on a mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, and also the very ones who refused to invade the promised land when God told them to; resulting in forty wasted years marching around in that awful Arabian desert till everybody over the age of twenty from the original crowd was dead except for just two guys: Joshua and Caleb. Those people were actually quite faithless. (Heb 3:17-19)

One of my all-time favorite scams is called Saving And Serving; which goes like this: The congregation is talked into loaning their church the money for an ambitious building program and promised to be paid monthly interest (a.k.a. points, a.k.a. vig) from the church's budget; which of course is funded by the congregation too. (chuckle) If that isn't the most sanctimonious Ponzi scheme ever!

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 10:7 . . If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reconsider that we belong to Christ just as much as he.

It's amazing that any Christian's ego would be so inflated as to think themselves holier than an apostle, however, there are some people out there with a pretty bad case of conceit who are up to it. I can just hear the sneer in their voices as they think to themselves: "What's so special about him? He puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else." That's the voice of one of the most destructive human passions there is: malicious rivalry. It got Abel murdered (1John 3:12) and it got Christ crucified. (Matt 27:15-18)

"And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words." (Mark 12:13)

Just look at that! The Lord's enemies actually stalked him, hoping he would slip up and say something they could use against him. Who were the "they" in that passage? None other than Judaism's religious elite.

"And as he taught them, he said: Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it 'a den of robbers. The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."

You know what kind of animal stalks? A predator. So people infected with malicious rivalry are nothing in the world but human wildlife: feral beasts." (Mark 11:17-18)

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 10:10-11 . . For some say: His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing. Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Next to gossip, I'd have to say that rumors are another very effective method for influencing how others think. As Hitler's propaganda minister once said: "Repeat a lie often enough, and in time the masses will accept it as true". Sad but true: word of mouth oftentimes enjoys more acceptance than the facts of a matter.

The people who made those comments about Paul apparently never met him for themselves. They were just going by hear-say and their own imagination. That's not love; no, that's malice. Real love is protective; it doesn't seek opportunities to hurt someone's feelings, undermine their credibility, malign their reputation, find fault, nor denigrate them solely to satisfy a blood lust for bringing people down.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 10:17-18 . . But, let him who boasts, boast in The Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom The Lord commends.

It's unfortunate that some of Christ's followers have reached the point where the only Bible teachers they will listen to anymore are those with a résumé of accolades like doctorate degrees, books published, and positions held; as if any of that validates their usefulness to God's purposes. One thing we should always remember is that just because somebody is published, or that somebody was educated in a seminary, doesn't make them eo ipso right.

Christians relying solely upon accredited sources are setting themselves up for disappointment since it is God's Spirit who selects and empowers His own teachers rather than colleges and seminaries.

"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually: as He wills." (1 Cor 12:1)

And sometimes the Spirit selects people to speak for God who seemingly have no business speaking for Him at all; for example:

"Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: And Yhvh took me as I followed the flock, and He said unto me: Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." (Amos 7:14-15)

Christ was a blue collar craftsman; a carpenter; which was a trade considered at the level of uneducated society in his day.

"Is not this the carpenter . . . and they were indignant." (Mark 6:3)

"Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying; How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" (John 7:14-15)

Peter was a commercial fishermen; another profession that required no education.

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated ignorant men, they marveled" (Acts 4:13)

It has been my experience that people who rely solely upon accredited sources do so because they have no choice; in other words; they're forced to because they lack the anointing described below.

"The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." (1John 2:26-27)

Christians need instruction; in fact instructors are a gift from Christ to his church (Eph 4:11-15). But instruction alone cannot condition a Christian's intuition to recognize the truth when they encounter it; viz: instruction alone cannot give a Christian a feel for the truth, nor can instruction alone break down a Christian's resistance to the truth. That's where the anointing comes into play. It assists Christians to recognize and to accept the truth when they encounter it; and assists them to sort it all out and make it click.

What that means is; The Lord's sheep should be able to recognize the truth and accept it whether it's coming from an accredited Th.D. or a common rank and file pew warmer; because the only person who can be safely trusted to know the right interpretation anyway is God's Spirit.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are absurd to him : neither can he comprehend them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1Cor 2:14)

What that's saying is that even if a non-anointed Christian should run across a genuine Spirit-endowed teacher, they won't listen to him, no, they will reject the Spirit-endowed teacher. They have to reject him because the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are absurd to him : neither can he comprehend them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I'm not saying there's something wrong with divinity school. I'm just saying that graduation from one doesn't eo ipso recommend somebody's spiritual competence since it's the Spirit's sovereign prerogative to select and empower the men whom God wishes to represent His son and that's why it isn't all that unusual for a man with his collar on backwards to have his head on backwards too.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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2Cor 13:5 . . Examine yourselves, whether you're in the faith; test your own selves. Don't you know of your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you're all reprobates?

The only proof-positive way for individuals to know for sure whether Christ is in them is by getting it from the horse's mouth.

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Rom 8:15)

The koiné Greek word for "testifies" means to corroborate; defined by Webster's as: to support or help prove (a statement, theory, etc.) by providing information or evidence.

This kind of support usually isn't public: it's private. In other words: it's one on one, spirit to spirit, heart to heart. Needless to say then, this kind of corroboration is supernatural rather than academic which is why Paul said to "test your own selves" because no one but you and God together can do this for you.

"The Lord knows those who are his" (2Tim 2:19)

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 1:8 . . But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

The koiné Greek word for "accursed" in that passage is anathema (an-ath' em-ah) which has to do with banishment and/or disassociation.

An application of this, within the epistle to Galatians, is 5:4 where it says:

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."

Whenever Paul spoke of "the law" he was usually referring to the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. So, in a nutshell; 1:8 and 5:4 are speaking of people who sincerely believe that it's necessary to comply with the Ten Commandments to get to heaven.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 5:1 . . Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The yoke of bondage about which Paul wrote is no doubt the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; which is described by Acts 15:10 as "neither our fathers, nor are we, able to bear"

If you're covenanted with God to be truthful as per Lev 19:11; then seeing as how the covenant is contractual; it obligates God to come down on you with a curse for breach of contract (Deut 27:26, Jer 11:3-4). He has to levy a curse against you or He himself would be in breach of contract. Maybe you're a bit unreliable at honoring your commitments; but I assure that God is 110% reliable at honoring His. A cursory review of the last 3,500 years of Jewish history easily bears that out.

To view a menu of curse options available to God; just feast your glims on Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69. I do not think it wise to yoke oneself to those curses.

FYI: There's basically two categories of commands in the Bible: binding commands and non-binding commands.

The commands in the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are binding commands; viz: Yhvh's people are under contract with God to comply with them; and He is under contract with His people to enforce them; which means that when Yhvh's people breach the contract by disobeying its commands; God is obligated to slam them with any and/or all of the covenanted curses listed at Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69.

Christ's commands, on the other hand, are non-binding commands; viz: Christians are not under contract with God to comply with them; nor is He under contract with Christians to enforce them. So when a Christian disobeys Christ's commands; God is under no obligation to slam them with a curse. They might get slammed with discipline; but never with a curse.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1)

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 5:2-3 . . Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

The koiné Greek word for "man" in the above passage is anthropos (anth' ro-pos) a common word in the New Testament for humans of either gender. The specific word for males is arrhen (ar'-hrane) and/or arsen (ar' sane).

Modern females undergo conversion to Judaism by means of a ritual bath called Mikveh; which, for them, is equivalent to male circumcision. The exact process by which females in the Old Testament underwent conversion-- e.g. Ruth --is unknown.

I think it safe to assume that the circumcision Paul warned against was a label that included not only the male kind but also by whatever means that females in his day underwent conversion to Judaism.

Seeing as how the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy doesn't specify a God-given procedure for female conversion to Judaism, then I'd guess that just about any design would be sufficient so long as the ritual is conducted by someone authorized to do so.

Gal 5:13a . . You, my brethren, were called to be free. But do not use your liberty to indulge the base nature;

Christians are sometimes accused of practicing a religion that gives people a license to steal, so to speak. Well; that is very true to a certain extent because Christians do have immunity from any, and all, of the curses that the Sinai covenant imposes on scofflaws as per Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69. However, God prefers that Christians not do whatever they want; but instead do whatever He wants, In other words: Christ's followers have liberty to steal but they don't have a license to steal. (Rom 6:1-13)

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 5:16 . . I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the base nature.

Some years ago, in a boatyard where I was employed on Shelter Island in San Diego, I was listening to a young Christian boast of his dedication to Christ. So I asked him: What about the command to walk in the Spirit? How are you doing with that one?

Well, the brash, pleased-with-himself youngster admitted he didn't even know what that meant, let alone how to do it. (chuckle) In regards to "dedication" Mr. Super Saint hadn't even got to first base yet. (judging by the fact that was on a third marriage last time I checked, I'd have to say he never did get the hang of it.)

Anyway, there's nothing mystical about this. Walking in the Spirit is just simply doing what God wants rather than letting your natural impulses and/or your own thinking control your conduct all the time.

For example: item #1 contains these words: "Abstain from food tainted by idols, from promiscuity, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood." When a Christian complies with those instructions; they're walking in the Spirit; but when they're ignoring those instructions and eating whatever they want and sleeping around without regard for God's feelings about it; then they're fulfilling the lusts of the base nature. It's just that simple.

Gal 5:25 . . Since we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 5:26 . . Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Webster's defines "conceit" as: excessive self-appreciation of one's own worth or virtue.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with having strong core values and/or believing in yourself, but if you should find yourself somewhat indignant and/or resentful when others don't believe in you, or when they think very little of your core values; then watch out because that's a symptom of conceit, and it will hinder you from obeying The Lord's orders in regard to getting along with fellow believers.

The koiné word for "envy" is phthoneo (fthon-eh'-o) which means: hostile toward a rival, or towards someone believed to enjoy an advantage. In other words; we're talking about a competitive spirit-- not the good-natured, friendly kind but a malicious kind of competitive spirit that resents others doing better than itself, or more popular than itself, or more recognized than itself, or more admired than itself; viz; it's all about self.

Rivalry is a very destructive passion. It got Abel slain by his own brother, and it got Christ slain by his own people. Rivalry makes otherwise sensible people behave contrary to their own better judgment, and gets them embroiled in oftentimes unnecessary vendettas; e.g. gender rivalry and racial rivalry. Now those two there are very destructive social influences.

If none of the above describes you; consider yourself fortunate.

The koiné word for "provoke" is prokaleomai (prok-al-eh'-om-ahee) which means to challenge; viz: to get in somebody's face in an obnoxious, assertive, confrontational manner; which is a kind of behavior that prevents people from deserving identification with God's kin.

"Blessed are the peaceable: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt 5:9)

Gal 6:1a . . Brethren, even if a someone is caught in the very act of any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;

The koiné Greek word for "trespass" is interesting. It can refer to willful misconduct and/or to unintentional misconduct. Seeing as how willful misconduct is dealt with harshly and summarily as per 1Cor 5:1-13 while in this situation gently, then I'd say Gal 6:1 is referring to unintentional misconduct; which doesn't merit a public flogging; but rather a quiet talk; and the more private the better in order to avoid embarrassing the unintentional offender.

Restoration does not apply to visitors; only to members on a church's roles; i.e. the congregation. The visitors' business is none of our business so don't go sticking your nose in it.

The Greek word for "restore" basically means to repair or adjust, viz: restoration applies to maladjusted Christians, i.e. the ones whose misconduct is habitual, and quite possibly detrimental to a church's overall health.

The restoration process is specifically the turf of "spiritual" Christians. In churches where people are conceited, assertive, confrontational, embroiled in petty rivalries, debating, quarrelling, and maybe even jostling for notoriety; the spiritual ones are obviously going to be as scarce as California Condors.

A spirit of gentleness precludes the use of bullying, intimidation, rage. yelling, demeaning comments, ugly remarks, brow beating, and such. Those kinds of behaviors aren't gentle, no, they're cruel.

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[WeberHome]

Re: Christ's Commandments

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Gal 6:1b . . each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.

The Greek word for "tempted" is somewhat ambiguous. It primarily means to test; but can also mean endeavor, scrutinize, entice, and/or discipline.

I think what the restorers are being cautioned against is going about a right thing in a wrong way so that they themselves wind up taken to task for conduct unbecoming. In some people's minds, the end justifies the means so long as it benefits the so-called greater good. But that's Machiavellian thinking rather than Christian thinking.

In other words: the restorers need to tread lightly because if they go after an alleged offender like a lynch mob; then they themselves should expect to be seen by others as a toxic menace and a threat to peace and cohesion.

Confronting somebody in a holier-than-thou attitude is unacceptable too. Just because someone has been taken in fault does not make the jury somehow superior human specimens.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Phil 2:3)
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[BoyStan]

Unfortunately many churches and Christians focus on the OT law commandments. rather all should focus on Christ new commandment. There is a huge difference between 'love your neighbour as yourself' and 'love one another as I have loved you'. The first is a rule for all the community which anyone can obey. The second is for Christ's disciples who only can obey through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit.