Christ's Instructions

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56) Rom 15:27 . . For if the Gentiles have shared in the Israelite's spiritual
blessings, they owe it to the Israelites to share with them their material
blessings.

Within the context of Rom 15:25-27, the Israelites to whom Paul refers are
not those who believe and practice Judaism; but those who believe Jesus
(a.k.a. Y'shua) is the Messiah.

It is unbecoming for Christians to support religions that undermine Christ;
especially when it's taken into consideration that 1Cor 16:22 requires
Christ's followers to regard the followers of religions opposed to his as
cursed.

NOTE: The Jews' original beliefs and practices were primarily biblical. By the
time of Jesus' day, their religion had become rabbinical, i.e. defined by the
Talmud; which incorporates the Bible but isn't strictly limited to it.
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57) Rom 16:17-18 . . I urge you, brothers, beware of those who cause
divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you
have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our
Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naïve people.

Naïve folk can be characterized as credulous, i.e. easily convinced by slight
or uncertain evidence, viz: non-critical thinkers.

"smooth talk" is the practice of sophistry; defined as a reason or an
argument that sounds correct but at its core is actually false; viz: subtly
deceptive reasoning or argumentation. Sophistry is typically rational,
reasonable, and sensible; but the thing to keep in mind is that faith believes
what's revealed to it rather than only what makes sense to it.

According to Eph 4:11-14 the very reason that Christ endows some of his
followers to speak for him is so that the rest of his followers may have
access to true premises upon which to build their faith and thus achieve the
unity for which he prayed at John 17:20-21.

NOTE: Rom 16:17-18 contains somewhat universal instructions because,
with a little adjustment here and there, they can be incorporated as
counseling for just about every ideology known to man, e.g. Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Baha'i, Protestant, Catholic, Democracy, Communism,
Socialism, etc. It's kind of humorous, in an ironic sort of way, that
everybody's ideology warns its adherents about the dangers of everybody
else's ideology.
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[laBonhomme]

What to do when you become a Christian? What I'm doing right now is carding up the Sermon on the Mount on three by five note cards in the Quixotic hope the someday I will memorize all three chapters in the Book of Matthew where it is found. I've read foundation specific by laws form a large number of social groups meeting in halls to hear a certain pastor before too, but there are a couple if problems with them, and one is that by the time the denomination expands enough that I got the pamphlet, it's usually three generations later and the author is deceased, also he will have lived at least a thousand miles if not more from me in a major metropolitan center that he became famous for evangelizing, and the local promoter is never the founding proprietor of the church who wrote the introit.

 

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58) 1Cor 1:10 . . I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and
thought.

Official belief systems-- e.g. the Nicene Creed and/or proprietary church
covenants and statements of faith --are very effective for achieving the unity
required by 1Cor 1:10; and should always be imposed upon new people
applying for membership in a local congregation. A church composed of a
variety of beliefs and practices isn't a unified church: it's a public square.

NOTE: I would have to say that after belief in God and His son, the next
thing that church members need to believe in is each other; and if they can't
believe in each other, then I really think they ought to disband. I'm not
kidding around about this; without trust and loyalty a church is just as
dysfunctional as any other maladjusted family.
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[laBonhomme]

58) 1Cor 1:10 . . I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and
thought.

Official belief systems-- e.g. the Nicene Creed and/or proprietary church
covenants and statements of faith --are very effective for achieving the unity
required by 1Cor 1:10; and should always be imposed upon new people
applying for membership in a local congregation. A church composed of a
variety of beliefs and practices isn't a unified church: it's a public square.

NOTE: I would have to say that after belief in God and His son, the next
thing that church members need to believe in is each other; and if they can't
believe in each other, then I really think they ought to disband. I'm not
kidding around about this; without trust and loyalty a church is just as
dysfunctional as any other maladjusted family.
_

The Nicene Creed? Wait, are you just kidding? I'm pretty sure I believe all that. If nothing else, at very least, the song "Creed" by Petra was good.

 

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59) 1Cor 1:26 . . Brethren, think of what you were when you were called.
Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential;
not many were of noble birth.

In other words; those among the elite who've been called, weren't called
because they're special. They were called because they're sinners no
different than the rest of us. It's that simple; and they should never forget
it.

● 1Cor 1:27-30 . . But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame
the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He
chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things
that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before
him.

● 1Cor 1:30-31 . . God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus.
For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself; he is the one who made
us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to
purchase our freedom.

NOTE: Were he able to exercise a free hand, no doubt the Devil would
make it impossible for anybody to be in Christ. However; that's not to be
because God's free will trumps the Devil's free will.
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60) 1Cor 3:9-11 . .We are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's
building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise
master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let
each man be careful how he builds upon it. (For no man can lay a foundation
other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.)

Most Christian endeavors at least begin with Christ at their core. That's a
good start. However, not all build something upon him that's eternally useful
to either him or his Father, e.g. political activism, faith healing, and tongues.
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61) 1Cor 3:18 . . If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this
age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise.

In our age, "wise" would pertain to people high up in finance, education,
science, art, computing, crafts, music, philosophy, politics, etc. Many of
those kinds of people are brilliant and utterly self-reliant.

Well; I can say from personal experience that above-average folks tend to
make very poor Sunday school students because their intelligence gets in
the way. If only they would leave their IQ at the door, even they themselves
would be the better for it because when it comes to spiritual discernment;
many of those egg heads are about as bright as an elementary school kid
just starting out in kindergartner in need of beginning right from square-one
and learning some basics; which for the wise, is very demeaning to say the
least.

But nobody arrives from the womb knowing everything; thus the instructions
from Jas 1:21 which say:

"Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your
souls."
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[laBonhomme]

~
61) 1Cor 3:18 . . If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this
age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise.

In our age, "wise" would pertain to people high up in finance, education,
science, art, computing, crafts, music, philosophy, politics, etc. Many of
those kinds of people are brilliant and utterly self-reliant.

Well; I can say from personal experience that above-average folks tend to
make very poor Sunday school students because their intelligence gets in
the way. If only they would leave their IQ at the door, even they themselves
would be the better for it because when it comes to spiritual discernment;
many of those egg heads are about as bright as an elementary school kid
just starting out in kindergartner in need of beginning right from square-one
and learning some basics; which for the wise, is very demeaning to say the
least.

But nobody arrives from the womb knowing everything; thus the instructions
from Jas 1:21 which say:

"Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your
souls."
_

Oh, that. The Stanford-Binet test for an "intelligence quotient" has been conclusively demonstrated to be worthless many times in the past and debunked thoroughly already, as it does not measure anything at all quantitative which can be reduced to a numerical ratio. Haven't you ever taken that test? It covers pattern recognition in geometry (that's abstract geometry without numbers) and pattern recognition on numbers (that's numbers without computation). Since all pattern recognition is the same, it's a false measurement, you can't compare pattern recognition to pattern recognition, it tautological (tautology is a fallacy).

Those psch-soch fools don't know the differences between numbers, measurement, geometry, and computation.

 

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62) 1Cor 3:19-21a . . For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As
the scriptures say; "God catches those who think they are wise in their own
cleverness." And again; "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they
are worthless." So don't take pride in following a particular leader.

Worldly leaders are everywhere. In music they're called influences; which is
a pretty good choice of words because the movers and shakers in this world
have a lot to do with shaping people's opinions. But unfortunately many of
those opinions are thoroughly inappropriate for Christ's followers; especially
the ones that motivate us to be grasping; roughly defined as desiring
material possessions urgently and excessively and often to the point of
ruthlessness.

Well; there's no need to be grasping-- instead be patient --because one day
some of us will be privileged beyond imagination.

● 1Cor 3:21b-23 . . Everything belongs to you: Paul and Apollos and Peter;
the whole world and life and death; the present and the future. Everything
belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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63) 1Cor 4:1 . . So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ, and
as those entrusted with the mysteries of God.

Big names like Mother Teresa, Charles Spurgeon, and Billy Graham are
practically sacred cows-- but Christian celebrities like those are only human
rather than divine; and be grateful you're not one of them because their
responsibility is proportional.

● Jas 3:1 . . Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,
because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (cf. 1Cor
3:9-15)
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64) 1Cor 4:5 . . Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till The Lord
comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and expose the
motives of men's hearts.

Human nature has a propensity to shower accolades on religious celebrities
without having all the facts.

For example: we now know from Mother Teresa's private letters-- made
public by Father Brian Kolodiejchuk's book "Mother Teresa / Come Be My
Light" --that Ms. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was a nun with so little personal
belief in God as to be an agnostic; and yet for decades everyone the world
over thought she was the cat's meow and the bee's knees: a veritable poster
child of piety in thought, word, and deed. It turns out Teresa was a
remarkable actor. Her public image bore no resemblance whatsoever to the
secret life of her inner being.

The Spirit's corroboration that comes to Christ's followers via Rom 8:16
never happened for Teresa. As a result, the remarkable nun came to the end
of her life wondering if there really is a God out there; and worried that if
perchance there is a God, He didn't want her in India to begin with; maybe
even didn't particularly like her, and might actually be quite intent upon
condemning her.

** To be honest: I just don't know how the Roman Church could proceed
with fast-tracking Mother Teresa to sainthood while fully aware of her
deplorable spiritual condition; unless she was just too widely admired, and
too big a global figure, not to.
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65) 1Cor 5:1-5 . . It is actually reported that there is immorality among you,
and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles,
that someone has his father's wife. And you have become arrogant, and
have not mourned instead, in order that the one who had done this deed
might be removed from your midst.

. . . For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have
already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In
the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in
spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one
to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the
day of The Lord Jesus.

Gentiles of course do sleep with their stepmothers on occasion; but the
world's practice of that kind of behavior is more an aberration than a
custom.

Well, the Corinthians were treating that man's behavior as if it were a norm,
i.e. they apparently felt that the man's conduct was trivial, undeserving of
either attention or criticism. They must have wondered why Paul was
reacting so badly rather than just "get over it". After all; it's none of his
business what goes on behind closed doors. Had he not heard of the right to
privacy? And besides, didn't the Lord say: "Let he who is without sin cast the
first stone."

Delivering someone to Satan for the destruction of the flesh just simply
means to cull them from the herd, so to speak. In other words: exclude
them from congregational activities; e.g. worship, Sunday school, and
prayer meetings. This is not as radical as totally breaking off contact with
someone; it's purpose is church discipline rather than the cruel social
disconnection practiced by Scientology and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
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66) 1Cor 5:6b . . Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole
lump of dough?

The first few chapters of the book of Revelation list several of Jesus'
complaints about the spiritual condition of specific churches. It's unlikely that
every member of those churches deserved criticism, but Jesus slammed the
churches as corporate bodies rather than individuals. So then if, and/or
when, those churches failed to correct their shortcomings; then the whole
church-- the good and the bad --was taken to task.

● 1Cor 5:7-13 . . Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump,
just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been
sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with
the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth.

. . . I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not
at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and
swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.

. . . But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if
he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or
a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I
to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the
church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man
from among yourselves.

That's a good argument against church expansion. The more a congregation
swells, the more difficult it is for the staff to gauge their people's spiritual
condition.

Churches can't be expected to police every soul that comes thru their doors,
but they should be expected to keep an eye on those they accept, and those
they keep, on their membership roles because the substandard members
have as much influence upon Jesus' evaluation of their operation as the
pious members.
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67) 1Cor 5:6a . .Your boasting is not good.

The Corinthian church was liberal in its attitudes about intimacy. That's no
surprise considering that particular city's culture in their day and age.

Then, as now, liberals tend to think of themselves as sophisticated and
progressive; and vastly superior to stodgy, inflexible conservatives.

NOTE: An article recently in the Epoch Times shares some of the secrets of a
former KGB agent whose standard plan for moving countries towards
communism includes demoralization. He said that Americans make the task
easy because they were, and are, corrupting themselves on their own; and
actually accomplishing the task much quicker than the KGB could even
dream.

America's moral decadence began gaining momentum with the counter
culture back in the 1960s -- it continues to this day and, sort of like the
expansion of the universe, is picking up speed instead of slowing down as
might be expected.
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68) 1Cor 6:1-6 . . If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it
before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not
know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world,
are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will
judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

. . .Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges
even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it
possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute
between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another-and
this in front of unbelievers!

Apparently some of the Christians in the church at Corinth let the Sermon
On The Mount go in one ear and out the other.

● Matt 5:39-40 . . But I say unto you: That ye resist not evil; but whosoever
shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any
man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak
also.

● Luke 12:57-59 . .Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you
are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to
him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you
over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will
not get out until you have paid the last penny.

The Lord began his teaching in Luke with the words "Why don't you judge
for yourselves what is right?" In other words; if someone threatens to take
you to court over a tort matter, and you know good and well he's in the
right; don't force him to go to law. Instead, admit to your wrong and settle
out of court. According to The Lord, it’s unrighteous to tie up the courts
when you know your own self that you are the one who's in the wrong.
There's just simply no righteous reason why Christian defendants and
plaintiffs can't be their own judge and jury in tort matters.

● 1Cor 6:7-8 . . Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because
ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye
not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and
defraud, and that your brethren.

The Greek word translated "defraud" is an ambiguous word with more than
one meaning, and more than one application. The meaning that seems
appropriate in this instance is "deprive".

It works like this: Were I to trip and fall because of a crack in the walk
leading up to the front door of the home of one of my kin; I wouldn't haul
them into court over it because we're related; viz: any injury I might incur
by tripping and falling because of a crack in their walk would be a family
matter rather than a legal matter; and they have a right to be treated by me
as family rather than foes. Were I to sue them for tripping and falling due to
a crack in their walk; I would be depriving them of the lenience that kin
have a right to expect from one another.

● 1John 3:14-16 . .We know that we have passed out of death into life,
because we love the brethren. . . We know love by this, that He laid down
His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

I think it's safe to say that if somebody is comfortable taking a fellow
Christian to court; then they certainly are not prepared to lay down their life
for the brethren.

It's sad to see relatives suing each other in court; but it happens all the
time. When the world does it; well, that's to be expected; but when
Christians sue each other; that's dysfunctional.
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69) 1Cor 6:18 . . Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without
the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

The Greek word for "fornication" is porneia (por-ni'-ah) which doesn't
especially mean pornography; it means harlotry; a term that Webster's
defines as sexual profligacy. Porneia would include things like prostitution
(a.k.a. trafficking) adultery, promiscuity, date sex, free love, shacking up,
one-night stands, swingers, wife swapping, and that sort of thing.

The command is not to walk away from fornication; but to run away from it
as if your very life depends upon putting distance between you and it. The
same Greek word is used at Matt 2:13 where an angel instructed Joseph to
flee into Egypt in order to save his little boy's life.

Fleeing is different than shunning. I think what we're talking about here are
the times when a golden opportunity comes along to mess around with
somebody who is absolutely irresistible. Some people would call that getting
lucky; but in God's estimation, it's getting stupid if you play along and see
what happens.

The phrase "sins against his own body" is sort of the same wording as at
1Cor 11:27 where it's said "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of The
Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and
blood of The Lord."

Some Christians construe 1Cor 11:27 as murder. Well if so, then sinning
against one's own body would be suicide. But actually, what we're talking
about here is gross contempt and disrespect, i.e. sacrilege. In other words;
Christian fornicators are treating their body like a chamber pot instead of a
holy vessel; and all the while dragging God's Spirit into situations that He
finds extremely unsavory.

● 1Cor 6:19 . . Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

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

They're also dragging Christ into shame and disgrace too.

● 1Cor 6:14-16 . . Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ
himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with an
harlot? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with an harlot is
one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." (cf. Gen
2:18-24)
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70) 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 ransom. (1Pet
1:18-19)
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71) 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 t'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)3
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72) 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.
_