(rather than submit to a lawsuit)
1. parallel 1 : the words of christ in matt 5
Mat 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A
TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'
Mat 5:39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Mat 5:40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him
have your coat also.
Mat 5:41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
Mat 5:42 "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him
who wants to borrow from you.
Mat 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'
Mat 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for
He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, and sends rain
on {the} righteous and {the} unrighteous.
Mat 5:46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Mat 5:47 "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing {than
others?} Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Mat 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
i have a hard time with this; it offends my sense of 'justice'. i really want
the wrong doer to understand that he/she is wrong and to feel sorry.
more recently, we had 4:9-13
4:9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned
to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.
4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you
are strong! You are distinguished, we are dishonored!
4:11 To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally
treated and without a roof over our heads.
4:12 We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused,
we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,
4:13 when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world's
dirt and scum, even now.
4:16 I encourage you, then, be imitators of me.
the principe for us to pursue : forgiveness
Matthew 6:12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.'
Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive
your transgressions.
matthew 19:23-35 - the unforgiving servant
final caveat
of course, there is a point where we have to take this through the cycle
mentioned in the previous chapter (matthew 18 discipline).
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of god
"do you not know"
paul is rebuking them (and perhaps warning them)
right and wrong determined by the will of god
note : though this may seem pedantic, this is worth talking about as it
is an issue hotly debated in the church right now (homosexuality)
christianity has absolute ethical requirements
1. the corinthians seem to have taken their christianity as a license
to liberty
there are several instances of gross immorality rebuked,and
several phrases paul seems to be responding to that indicate this.
2. our culture/thinking often makes ethics an internal issue
a. our ethics aren't determined by the golden rule alone
our culture (and it seeps into the church) wants right/wrong to be
determined by the golden rule alone. in other words, it's never offensive
to say that mean people are wrong.
however - the christian also has some other areas that are clearly wrong.
fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, etc...
why are these wrong?
because god said so; that is the only possible moral basis available.
but if it doesn't hurt anybody, how can it be wrong?
because god said so; why is it wrong to hurt someone? (because god said so)
consider the basis of the ot ethics
(there are few cases where god provides a basis, both
in the nt and the ot. but even those items back unto
the absolute principles of 'because god said so'.
exodus 20 - opening of the 10 commandments. "I am the lord"
leviticus - 20 times.
job - the end;
note : the phrase "i am the lord" is used over and over
to describe why god does things
it seems to be terribly important to have us recognize
that he is god. our obeyience to his commands show this (do
this because i am the lord).
yes.
this may be offensive; consider the study brooke gave on john that ended on
this discovery...
there are those who argue that the condemnation against homosexuality
is cultural
i know of no good reason to say so; also, the condemnation occurs many times
in the nt (and in the ot), none of which seem to be cultural.
further - is that any odder than disallowing extramarital sex? it is perfectly
reasonable to say that the bible does place sexual restrictions on the individual.
the gospel in a verse...
1. we were immoral and dirty; we needed washing, sanctification, and justification
we all were sinners
rom. 3:9 - 3:23
as sinners, we were the enemies of god and were under his 'wrath'
note the use of the words 'enemies' and 'wrath'...
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we
shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him.
Rom 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life.
col 1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds
as expressed through your evil deeds,
2. our salvation was a costly gift).
it was a gift given to us while we were still enemies of god under his wrath
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
the gift was costly
heb 10:10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
3. we are no longer considered sinful or guilty (no matter how bad the past is)
washed
sanctified :
justified :
three terms, one concept; paul emphasizes the result of our salvation.
our contrast between before and after is complete and stark...
we are left without mark from our previous position...