Christ's Law

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:25 . . Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his
neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

One's neighbor is not the same as one's brother; i.e. the former is an acquaintance,
the latter is kin.

Jews are required to be honest because dishonesty is prohibited by their law (Lev
19:11) whereas dishonesty is wrong for Christ's followers because the dishonesty of
one Christian causes outsiders to question the integrity of the whole.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:26a . . In your anger do not sin.

Anger isn't eo ipso evil. It's how one manages their anger that matters. Anger can
be a very useful tool when it's applied by somebody who knows what they're doing.
For example:

"When Jesus had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the
hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man: Stretch forth thine hand. And he
stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other." (Mark 3:5)

Everybody gets angry from time to time; just don't let it drive you to doing
something contrary to your better judgment, e.g. violence, profanity, malice,
cruelty, uncivil behavior, spite, ugly remarks, emotional outbursts, demeaning
comments, grudging, hysteria, shouting, shrieking, spraying spittle, slamming
doors and/or throwing things, etc.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:26-27 . . Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the
Devil.

The Greek word translated "wrath" indicates rage; defined by Webster's as violent
and uncontrolled anger.

People in that state of mind are susceptible to doing things, and saying things, that
they will very much regret later.

Apparently the Devil is quick to find uses for volcanic Christians, i.e. they become
what's known in the spy business as assets.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:28 . . He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing
something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with
those in need.

Isn't it just amazing that early Christian church members were active criminals?
Yes, right there in the Ephesian church were thieves. Ironically Paul didn't forbid
the Ephesian Christians to steal, no, of all things; he ordered them to stop; and not
only to stop stealing, but to stop stealing for a living!

You'd think church would be the one place on earth where you'd be safe from
crime, but not so. Back in the 1970's I sang bass in the choir of a monster Baptist
church in San Diego. The 90+ member choir met in a rehearsal room and the ladies
would all leave their purses in there when we moved out to be seated in the loft.
The room had a very sturdy door and was always securely locked when we left the
room.

Well, one Sunday morning when we returned to the room, that Fort Knox door and
its lock were smashed open and all the ladies' purses were rifled. No other door in
the hallway was damaged so the break-in wasn't random, viz: that burglary was an
inside job.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:29 . . Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good
and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

"helpful" is from a Greek word that basically means: to build up (as opposed to tearing
down).

"foul or abusive" is from a word that basically means: rotten, i.e. worthless (literally
or morally) viz: inappropriate.

The foul and abusive category no doubt includes not only profanity, but also biting
sarcasm, thoughtless remarks, demeaning comments, chafing, relentless fault
finding, sneering, ridicule, mean spirited rejoinders, mockery, and unnecessary
criticism.

FAQ: Why was it okay for Jesus and John the Baptist to sometimes speak to people
in an abusive manner?

REPLY: Special men of God-- e.g. prophets, priests, etc --operated under orders
differing from what's required of ordinary rank and file pew warmers. (e.g. John
3:34, John 8:26, John 8:28, John 12:49, and John 14:24)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Eph 4:30 . . Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption.

The Greek word translated "grieve" basically means: to distress; to make sad; for
example:

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the Earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that
He had made man on the Earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Gen 6:5-6)

And:

"But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them
as an enemy, and He fought against them." (Isa 63:10)

So then, we can safely conclude that the Holy Spirit of God is especially grieved
when one's conduct is unbecoming, and every intent of the thoughts of one's heart
are only secular and/or impious, i.e. evil continually.

The Greek word translated "redemption" means to ransom fully. In short, those
sealed with the Spirit have their salvation locked in; however, it won't be finalized
until they step into a new, immortal body; which is yet a future event (Rom 8:23
25). So then; the "day of redemption" could be said to be speaking of closure.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
Re: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God?"

People in the Old Testament weren't sealed with God's spirit so He was at liberty to
get away from them whenever their conduct became grossly unbecoming; hence
David's prayer in Psalm 51:11 which says:

"Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me."

Two notable examples of the Spirit's liberty to shun folks are king Saul (1Sam
16:14) and Samson (Judg 16:20)

But not so with Jesus' believing followers. The Spirit is stuck with them;

● John 14:16-17 . . And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but you know
him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

● Eph 1:13-14 . . In him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise.

So for the sake of the Spirit's peace of mind; I strongly urge minding our Ps & Qs.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 6:20 . . For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Christ's crucifixion and resurrection ransomed his followers from facing justice and
the second death in the scene depicted at Rev 20:11-15. That was a mighty big
favor, and I should think it earns him the right to expect a favor in return. All things
considered; conducting ourselves in ways that honor God is really not too much to
ask seeing as how it was He who donated His heir apparent's life to pay the price
for people's freedom. (1Pet 1:18-19)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:2 . . To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every
woman have her own husband.

The above is especially pertinent in 2022 America. Fornication is everywhere: on a
pandemic scale. It's in our music, in our schools, in the White House, in our offices,
on our televisions, in our movies, in our novels, and in our conversations. People
are even sleeping together on their very first dates.

Even Congressmen, Senators, and US Presidents are indulging in forbidden love. A
previous Governor in my State of Oregon was openly shacking up with a girlfriend.

According to the 2020 World Almanac and Book of Facts, there was a total of
3,855,500 live births in 2017. Of those, 1,534,000 were illegitimate (a.k.a. out of
wedlock) which means that nearly 40% of 2017's live births were the result of
immoral activity. Back in 1970, the ratio was only 10%.

This country is in a state of moral decadence, and steadily becoming more and
more like the ancient city of Pompeii just prior to its destruction by the volcanism of
Mt. Vesuvius.

It's important to note that 1Cor 7:2 makes it okay to marry for pleasure. My
childhood religion taught me that it's a sin to marry for any other reason except
procreation and that couples who decide to remain childless are living in sin. They
get that from Genesis 1:28 where it's says: "God blessed them; and God said to
them: Be fruitful and multiply". But that is clearly a blessing rather than a law; and
it's always best to regard blessings as benefits and/or empowerment unless clearly
indicated otherwise.

** The original purpose of marriage was neither pleasure nor procreation; it was
companionship. (Gen 2:18)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:3-4 . . Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and
likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not authority of her own
body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not authority of his
own body, but the wife.

What we're talking about in that verse is the principle of private property in
marriage that was established right from the get-go.

● Gen 2:23-24 . . And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and
they shall be one flesh.

There are no specific Hebrew words for "wife". The word for wife in that passage
comes from the very same word as woman-- 'ishshah. The possessive pronoun
"his" identifies an 'ishshah as somebody's wife. The same grammar works for
husbands too, for example:

● Gen 30:20 . . And Leah said: God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will
my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons.

The Hebrew word for "husband" in that verse is 'iysh which is a nondescript word
for males. The possessive pronoun "my" identifies a male as somebody's husband.

So Eve became Adam's woman; and Adam of course became Eve's man. They quite
literally owned each other: consequently they had a right to all that a conjugal
relationship with each other implies.
_

 

[Ladodgers6]

.
Hello;

There's been times during our 26+ years of internet forum activity when we
encountered people wanting to know what they're supposed to do now that they
decided to become a Christian.

Do what Christ commanded. Love God and your neighbor. In the Reformed Faith we have the third use of the Law which is, obeying God's Law which is a guide for Christian living. Also knowing that the curse of the Law as sinners has been removed by Christ. Now we can live for God! (Romans 6).

A mega Baptist church that we attended back in the decade of the 1970's had a
discipleship program that incorporated an outreach booklet called "The Four
Spiritual Laws" authored in 1952 by Campus Crusade for Christ founder Dr. Bill
Bright.

Those guidelines are helpful as far as they go, but they're pretty elementary and in
our opinion inadequate for taking Christ's believing followers to infinity and beyond,
so to speak.

Some years ago, just for the fun of it, we set out compiling a home-spun catalogue
of Christ's instructions from the new Testament that apply to all his followers
regardless of denominational affiliation. In time we realized that his instructions,
accompanied by a little commentary, would make a pretty good how-to handbook;
so here we are.

* We chose to start in the book of Acts because that's pretty much where Christ's
apostles began telling his believing followers what to do in accord with the Lord's
instructions per Matt 28:19-20.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

A Christian is an utterly free man, lord of all, subject to none.

A Christian is an utterly dutiful man, servant of all, subject to all.

Among the ancients, Aristotle stated the obvious about lords and servants: “If there is a lord, then there is (also) a servant. And if there is a servant, then there is also a lord.” Luther’s paradoxical teaching of Christian freedom, following Christ and St. Paul, joins lord and servant in one person. By faith alone, God sets a man utterly, completely, free in Christ. He is lord of all, subject to none. Love binds him as an utterly dutiful servant to the neighbor, subject to everyone. The paradox of Christian freedom then plays out in faith and love.

Luther sees all things in Christ, His person and work as He applies His saving effects to the Christian. Luther summarizes this tight connection of Christ and the Christian’s freedom in the introduction:

“…in I Cor. 9 [:19], ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,’ and in Rom. 13[:8], ‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another.’ Love by its very nature is ready to serve and be subject to him who is loved. So Christ, although He was Lord of all, was ‘born of woman, born under the law’ [Gal. 4:4], and therefore was at the same time a free man and servant, ‘in the form of God’ and ‘of a servant.’ [Phil. 2:6-7].”

As utterly free as Christ was, He also bound Himself under the law to serve His creatures and win their salvation. Christ’s salvific example becomes the form of Christian freedom.

Luther considers freedom first as it relates to the inner man. The inner man becomes righteous, free, and a pious Christian in Christ. The Word does it all. As Luther emphasizes:

“One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ, as Christ says in John 11[:25], ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live’; as John 8[:36], ‘So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed’; and Matt. 4[:4], ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

Luther specifies which Word he means: “The Word is the gospel of God concerning his Son, who was made flesh, suffered, rose from the dead, and was glorified through the Spirit who sanctifies.” What a comfort this Gospel brings with it! By faith alone the Christian receives all that Christ gives. “Faith alone is the saving and efficacious use of the Word of God, according to Rom. 10[:9]: ‘If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.'” A man is “justified by faith alone and not any works; for if it could be justified by anything else, it would not need the Word, and consequently it would not need faith.”​

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:5 . . Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time,
that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that
Satan not tempt you by means of your lack of self control.

I think it goes without saying that spouses have an inalienable right to expect their
need for companionship to be satisfied in marriage; and if one, or both, is feeling
lonely and/or marginalized at home, then they're being deprived their privileges
and will be vulnerable to unfaithfulness when someone comes along with whom
they click.

I heard a story some time ago about a rather conniving Christian woman who
wanted a divorce from her Christian husband; but seeing as how God only allows
death or adultery to dissolve the marital bond; she began deliberately avoiding her
husband in order to force him to think about finding an alternative; and when he
did; she proceeded to divorce him on the grounds of infidelity. That way, in her
mind's eye, she was the victim and he the villain. (chuckle) What people won't do
to circumvent the laws of God.
_

 

[Mr GLee]

.
● Acts 15:20a . . Abstain from food tainted by idols,

Here's the text of a common Christian prayer.

"Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy
bounty through Christ, Our Lord. Amen."

That prayer credits the providence of God for the nourishment on the table. Well; in
the old Roman world, they sometimes credited the providence of a pagan deity for
their nourishment. According to 1Cor 10:25-31; this is one of those don't ask
situations; we'll get to that.

● Acts 15:20b . . Abstain from promiscuity

Promiscuity typically refers to things like adultery, incest, shacking up, one night
stands, sleeping around, etc.

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual
immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is
holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God."
(1Thess 4:3-5)

● Acts 15:20c . . Abstain from the meat of strangled animals.

Strangulation is a slow, inhumane way to die. If you know that the meat you're
being served came from an animal that was choked to death, consider it food fit
only for barbarians. We want nothing to do with animal abuse.

● Acts 15:20d . . Abstain from blood

In other words: Christ's followers are forbidden to imbibe blood as a beverage.

There are cultures that poke holes in cows' necks in order to drink blood straight
out of the living animal utilizing its own blood pressure like a tap to fill their cups; a
rather ghastly thirst that might be okay for Edward Cullen's family but certainly not
for us.
_

Yes the spirtles lifeless blood must be poured out so it can return to the field of clay or dust

Those kind of law are ceremonial laws or shadows of the unseen true . They provide nothing to the believer. But are a sign to the unbelieving world in a hope they might be drawn to His living word .

Aaron's two Sons tried to add a sign to themselves (self edifying false pride) They were destroyed by the fiery judgement of God and the priestly garments not a hint of smoke. Sign for the world prophecy for the believe

No sign gifts I did it it proves it

We walk by the unseen eternal things of God not after the temporal dying what the eye see

Mark 7:18-20King James Version18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:8-9 . . Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to
stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,
for it is better to marry than to burn.

Paul said it's good to remain single; but he didn't say it's best.

The Greek word translated "burn" basically means to kindle, to ignite, to glow,
and/or to be inflamed. I seriously doubt Paul meant to convey the thought that the
believers who lacked self control at Corinth were in grave danger of the flames of
Hell since he had already assured them in 1Cor 6:9-11 that they were washed,
sanctified, and justified in the name of The Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul was one of those kinds of men with a very low-powered libido. But not
everyone is like him; nor is everyone cut out to live alone.

Webster's defines "celibacy" as (1) the state of not being married, (2) abstention
from sexual intercourse, and (3) abstention by vow from marriage. Celibacy then,
isn't limited to zero carnal activity; it includes zero marriage; even platonic unions.

Not long ago, a Catholic priest here in Oregon quit the priesthood after serving
more than 30 years in order to get married because he couldn't stand being alone
anymore. He wasn't especially looking to get naked with somebody, he just wanted
a companion; which is exactly how normal guys are designed.

"The Lord God said: It's not good for Adam to be solitary" (Gen 2:18)

The problem with a vow of celibacy is that although it may hinder a priest from
getting married, it does nothing to prevent him from pining for a female
companion. 1Cor 7:9 should suffice to silence the mouths of ascetics who preach
it's holy to abstain from every form of earthly pleasure; and also the mouths of
those who preach it's a sin to marry solely to obtain someone to sleep with.

NOTE: Typical wedding vows are unconditional, i.e. couples, as a rule, don't
promise to love each other in proportion to the amount of love they get from the
other. It would be educational for couples to review their vows now and again to
see just how conscientious they've been in complying with the unconditional
portions of their vows.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:10-11a . . Unto the married I command-- yet not I, but The Lord --let not
the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried,
or be reconciled to her husband.

Divorcing a spouse for any cause other than infidelity is unacceptable. (Mat 5:32)
However, separation is a different issue and is sometimes essential for the safety
and welfare of abused women.

"And let not the husband put away his wife." (1Cor 7:11b)

You know, we really can't expect a man to continue living with a woman who
routinely slams the poor guy with demeaning ridicule and denigrating remarks
and/or constantly rakes him over the coals with relentless fault-finding and cruel
sarcasm, and maybe even pours scalding water on her husband while he's sleeping
or burns his face with a steam iron.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:12-13 . . If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be
pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath
an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not
leave him.

It's not all that unusual for marriages to start off on common ground, and then
later on to become religiously divided; like for instance when one of the spouses
gets converted at a Luis Palau crusade, or both start out as Christians and one
switches over to Buddhism. As long as the situation doesn't cause intolerable
friction in the home, the couple should stay together.

"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is
sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they
are holy." (1Cor 7:14-15)

According to Matt 5:32 and Matt 19:9, divorce and remarriage are holy only if one
of the spouses has been unfaithful. So; if a believing spouse divorces their
unbelieving spouse solely on the grounds of religious differences, and remarries;
then as far as the New Testament is concerned, any children produced in the
second marriage will be illegitimate.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:15 . . But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is
not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

In this situation, Christians are neither required, nor encouraged, nor under even
the slightest obligation to attempt reconciliation; rather, "let him depart" strictly
forbids getting back together with the unbeliever.

The unbeliever's departure is a golden opportunity, to permanently escape a
difficult situation that Christ's followers would be foolish to let slip through their
fingers.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:15 . . But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A 1Cor 7:17 . . But as
God hath distributed to every man, as The Lord hath called every one, so let him
walk.

"distribution" is likely talking about spiritual gifts. All of Christ's believing followers
are supposed to have at least one.

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to
every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit, yada, yada, yada."
(1Cor 12:5-8)

The "call" likely includes the venue where each individual's gift is put to good use
for The Lord. I don't think we need to worry about how to find that venue; it'll find
us. Thing is, stay in your own zone; don't crash somebody else's party and/or stick
your nose into something that's none of your spiritual business, and quite possibly
out of your spiritual depth too.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

DELETED FOR CAUSE
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 7:18a . . Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become
uncircumcised.

It was of course impossible to literally reverse circumcision in Paul's day. However,
there did exist a procedure to ceremoniously reverse it. (cf. 1Maccabees 1:15)

● 1Cor 7:18b . . Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

The circumcision in question is ritual circumcision; specifically the initiation rite into
Judaism.

Paul's advice is very practical because when men undergo Judaism's circumcision
rite, they obligate themselves to comply with the covenant that Moses' people
agreed upon with God on oath per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

As a result; they put themselves in danger of God slamming them with the curses
for noncompliance listed at Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69. (cf. Gal
3:10)

All one has to do is research the last 3,500 years of the Jews' history, up to and
including the Holocaust, to see for themselves that God is serious about those
curses.

FAQ: If 1Cor 7:18b is a hard and fast rule, then why did Paul circumcise Timothy at
Acts 16:1-3?

REPLY: The procedure wasn't done to initiate Timothy into Judaism, but rather, so
that the Jews wouldn't make an issue of Paul associating with an uncircumcised
Gentile which, in their minds, would effectively invalidate his message.

A similar problem exists today among Christians fixated on a particular translation
of the Bible. They will not listen to a teacher, not even a Spirit empowered teacher,
unless he quotes from their favorite version. In their minds; all who use any other
version are heretics right from the get-go.
_