Christ's Commandments

Hizikyah · Dec 11, 2014

If the Law is different now (NO we do not sacrifice, we have already Sacrificed if we accept Messiah, and no there in no Levite, Messiah is High Priest, so none of those Laws are anyone's obligation but Yahshua)

why would Messiah say this?

Mattithyah 5:18, "For truly I say to you; Unless heaven and earth passes away, one yodh--the smallest of the letters--will in no way pass from the Law, until all things are perfected."

Luke 16:17, "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one yodh of the Law to fail."

and Paul; backed it up:

Mattithyah 22:37-40, "Yahshua said to him: You must love Yahweh your Father with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Romans 13:9-10, "For the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bring false testimony, You shall not covet, and all other commandments are summed up in these Laws; namely: You must love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Mattithyah 5:19, "Whosoever, therefore, will break one of the least of these Laws, and will teach men so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Yahweh; but whosoever will do and teach them, the same will be called great in the Kingdom of Yahweh."

and what does this mean?

Daniyl 7:25, "And he will speak great words against Yahweh, and will wear out; mentally attack to cause to fall away, the saints of Yahweh, and think to change times and Laws..."

WebersHome · Dec 12, 2014

Continued From Post #33

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20) Rom 12:11 . . Never be halfhearted in your work, but serve the Lord
enthusiastically.

Webster's defines 'halfhearted" as feeling or showing a lack of interest. The
koinë Greek word for "work" is spoude (spoo-day') which refers to
movement in regards to speed; viz: velocity. In other words; item #20 is
talking about dragging one's feet rather than getting with the program and
expediting whatever it is you're assigned to do.

21) Rom 12:12a . . Be glad for all God is planning for you.

Christians unsure of their afterlife destination cannot, in all honesty and a
good conscience, comply with item #21.

22) Rom 12:12b . . Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.

Patience is something every so-called mature adult is supposed to have but
relatively few seem able to produce. What we're talking about here is
"composure" which Webster's defines as calmness: especially of mind,
manner, or appearance.

Composure is pretty easy to maintain when nothing is bothering us; but not
so easy when we're upset, frightened, worried, nervous, angry, irritated,
annoyed, over-worked, dead tired, under pressure, stressed, chafed,
interrupted, ignored, cut off in traffic, in deep credit card debt, a sudden
death in the family, behind in your mortgage, your car payments and/or
your student loan; injured, life changing news like your job outsourced to
China or you've got cancer, involved in a school shooting, and/or your
spouse announces they've met someone and wants a divorce. People tend to
come unglued at times like that.

†. 1Pet 4:12 . . Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are
suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.

A "painful trial" can be likened to a process to which assayers subject samples
of gold to evaluate its worth as a precious metal. If somebody can maintain
their composure under the conditions I listed above, I'd have to say that
they are a high-value gold. As for the rest of us; we would no doubt benefit
from a dose of the fruit of the Spirit; hence the enjoinder to "always be prayerful"

†. Gal 5:22 . .The fruit of the Spirit is patience; et al.

23) Rom 12:13a . . Share with God's people who are in need.

"God's people" is a bit vague. I'm guessing it pertains to Jews. See Matt
25:31-46.

24) Rom 12:13b . . Practice hospitality.

Webster's defines hospitable as: (1) given to generous and cordial reception
of guests, (2) promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome, (3)
offering a pleasant or sustaining environment.

In other words; a hospitable person is civil, courteous, thoughtful, easy on
one's nerves, helpful, approachable, accommodating, and relaxing to be
with.

25) Rom 12:14 . . Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

The koiné Greek word for "persecute" is dioko (dee-o'-ko) which means to
pursue; viz: to hound. In other words; a persecuting personality is one
whose mission in life is to ruin somebody's day at every opportunity; and
they are pretty good at finding ways to do it. Christians are under orders to
remain calm with people like that, and continue to be hospitable too.

==================================

WebersHome · Dec 13, 2014

Continued From Post #42

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26) Rom 12:15 . .When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are
sad, share their sorrow.

When you're blue about something, the last thing you need is for somebody
to come along and tell you: Don't be that way; snap out of it! Well; it's not
too hard to figure out where their loyalties lie is it? If you know what a party
pooper is, then you know what a funeral pooper is-- they try to brighten up
a sad situation when what they really should do is bite their tongues and let
people grieve through their loss.

27) Rom 12:16a . . Live in harmony with each other.

It isn't necessary to be in 100% agreement with others on everything in
order to comply with that command. But it is necessary to make every effort
to avoid quarrels. For some people, every disagreement is an act of war to
be won at any cost. That's not harmony, that's hostility. It's far and away
better for Christians to be diplomatic that to be defensive.

†. 2Cor 12:19-20 . . For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as
I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that
there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander,
gossip, arrogance and disorder.

28) Rom 12:16b . . Don't be elitist, but willing to associate with people
below you.

One morning the owner of a boatyard where I was employed just happened
to be going east at the same time as I on a freeway in San Diego. I saw him
coming up on the left in my side mirror. I and my VW beetle were in the
middle lane and he and his Chevy pickup were in the fast lane. As the
boatyard owner came up alongside me, he kept his head turned to the left
as if he was intently looking at something alongside the highway as he went
past.

You know what was over there on the left side of the freeway? Nothing. It
was a 30-foot embankment of bare earth; an impenetrable wall of China. He
was deliberately averting his gaze so he wouldn't have to wave to me. And
guess what? Mr. Boatyard was on the board of a large Wesleyan church in
Spring Valley that he and I both attended on Sunday mornings.

In another incident, I went to a Church singles' group meeting in a private
home where everyone was seated on the floor chatting when I arrived. All
the really cool singles had gravitated together and left this rather geeky
fellow sitting all by himself with no one to talk to. Well; I wasn't all that cool
myself so I sat with the geek and as we conversed, I began to realize that in
spite of his appearance, he was actually a pretty bright guy; but he and I
were marginalized because the others didn't want to be seen with us

29) Rom 12:16c . . Don't be wise in your own conceit.

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

Conceit is uncivil, untrainable, and intolerable. It truly believes nobody
beneath its dignity could possibly have anything to tell that it doesn't already
know, and if it doesn't already know, then that's because the information
possessed by those beneath its dignity isn't worth knowing.

Those kinds of people will interrupt you right in the middle of your sentence
and begin talking about their own perspective as if your voice is nowhere to
be heard in the whole room. You know why they do that? Because they
sincerely believe that nothing you are in the midst of saying is nearly as
important as what they have to say. In other words: you, and your
thoughts, are both superfluous.

Conceited folk are generally very picky about their influences too; in other
words, even if somebody is a Spirit-gifted Bible teacher, but are neither
published, accredited, or properly educated, then forget it. That Spirit-gifted
somebody is eo ipso undeserving of conceit's intellectual attention right out
of the box.

Conceit is not only stuck on itself; but very critical of others too. I've seen it
to happen time and again that when a Spirit-gifted Bible teacher comes
across with a personality like Elijah's or John the Baptist's that conceit
summarily brushes them off as "unloving" no matter even if they speak as
the very voice of God. In other words; conceit disdains to be taught; rather,
conceit seeks to be accommodated.

==================================

oldthennew · Dec 13, 2014

NIV.
PHL.2:3.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

WH,
you make good and valid points here, and I think most of us can relate to the
being ignored-unacknowledged syndrome.

my wife and I have found that in many cases, the people who ignore you when you
are sharing or just sitting-in and loving, are in reality afraid and insecure, even
maybe a little intimated and just can't relate to you.
it's nothing to be offended by, actually it is grievous and heart wrenching,
it makes us love them more and of course we know what the scriptures say
about this:
the more we love, the less we are loved'.

we have grown to recognize our Father's many ways of refining,
and are thankful for them.

CRC · Dec 13, 2014

Pivotal commands of Christ for all Christians

John 13:34,35

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.”

Matthew 28:18-20
. 18 Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”

WebersHome · Dec 14, 2014

Continued From Post #43

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30) Rom 12:17a . . Never reciprocate evil with evil to anyone.

I've participated on nearly thirty Christian internet forums beginning in
1997, and one of the things I've noticed is that too many people wearing the
Christian label have forgotten all about turning the other cheek. Oh m' gosh
you wouldn't believe how ugly, spiteful, fault-finding, and vindictive
Christians can be when they put their minds to it!

31) Rom 12:17b . . Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

The koiné Greek word for "right" is a bit ambiguous. It can mean: honorable,
decent, sensible, mature, conforming to social norms of decency and
propriety, beautiful, virtuous, honest, having worth, fitting, and/or
appropriate. Those are all good qualities and should be practiced not only
inside church, but outside church too.

32) Rom 12:18 . . If possible, so far as it in your power, be at peace with all
men.

Assertive, defensive, fault-finding, imperious, judgmental, confrontational,
bossy, hard-nosed, implacable, moody, thin skinned, vindictive, spiteful
people are not going to heaven. Why? Because heaven is a place of peace
(Matt 5:9). Disagreeable people who fight at the drop of a hat simply don't
fit in heaven and besides, not only would they be a fish out of water; but it
wouldn't be fair to the others to let difficult people in to heaven where they
would surely turn it into the same kind of hell to live in that they've made
the earth.

33) Rom 12:19 . . Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave it to the
wrath of God, for it is written : Vengeance is mine, I will repay; testifies the
Lord.

The focus is upon one's "own" revenge; in other words: if the matter can't
be settled legally; let it go rather than take it upon yourself to be
prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. Those who seek justice outside the
justice system are no less criminals than the people they seek to punish.

34) Rom 12:20 . . If your personal enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is
thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his
head.

Way back when SURVIVOR was in its second or third season on television,
two of the women fell out of sorts and one vowed that even if the other were
lying in the street near death from thirst, she'd walk right past and not give
her so much as a drop of water. Bad form. Christians have to remain civil
and not permit detestable people to dictate the way they treat their fellow
men. It is far better for the Lord's people to exemplify humanitarian
principles rather than nurse a grudge.

35) Rom 12:21 . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

They say "fight fire with fire". Well, that might work in some circumstances;
but Christians should never permit themselves to fight evil with evil. Two
wrongs never make a right.

I just have to wonder-- in a land that prides itself in the principle of the
accused being assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law --why
Osama Bin Laden wasn't captured alive and given a fair trial before the
Obama administration executed him. I mean; after all; several of Germany's
big name war criminals were given fair trials; and so was Saddam Hussein,
wasn't he? Far from being "brought to justice" Mr. Bin Laden was
assassinated lynch-mob style. Thus, America overcame evil with evil; which
is a clear violation of the Lord's wishes as per Rom 12:21 and to think some
Americans actually pride themselves in being a so-called Christian nation.

==================================

phil112 · Dec 14, 2014

WebersHome said:

If you simply remember the two great ones you would have no need nor reason to remember everything you are presenting, now would you?

DiscipleDave · Dec 14, 2014

WebersHome said:

Jesus Christ's Commandments is this.

I John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23 And this is his commandment, (Pay attention here, the Word of God is about to tell us PLAINLY what HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE) That we should 1) believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and 2) love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Woe to anyone who believes HIS COMMANDMENTS are different than what the Word of God plainly teaches us what His Commandments are. Jesus Himself taught "A NEW COMMANDMENT I give unto you, LOVE ONE ANOTHER" Woe to this generation indeed.

^i^

gotime · Dec 14, 2014

Jason0047 said:

Hey mate,

Is it bondage to not kill?

what about not stealing is that bondage? is this a yoke too hard to carry?

when you see someone telling another Christian that they should not be committing adult and showing them from the bible. are they being judgemental? are they putting a yoke on them? are they trying to put them in bondage?

If a person refuses to take the name of the Lord in vain can they then not realize the faith and salvation of Christ?

I am sure you would answer no to all of these.

So the real issue here is the 4th commandment.

Yet do not most Christians keep Sunday, how is Sunday not bondage yet the Day God made Holy and set apart himself before sin entered the world bondage?

I mean really ponder this for a bit.

Why would Jesus die to get rid of a day out of his eternal law of love that He himself established before sin was an issue on earth?

The very reason for the 4th commandment was a reminder that God is the creator, did that change after Jesus died?

Did Moses create the Sabbath? Did Moses make the 7th day Holy and set it apart?

Did Moses write the 10 commandments on stone?

Did Moses speak them from the MT with power?

clearly no.

So if all 10 were written, spoken, made by God and all were before Sin then why would God do away with them?

In fact out of all 10 only 1 is specifically written in the bible directly as being before sin entered our world. that is the 4th the 1 everyone says does not matter any more.

Yet if one thinks it is clear that all the other 9 logically existed before also. before sin no one stole, killed etc. because the bible is clear that sin is breaking the law.

Now I know that you want to hold on to what you think some texts are saying. but we must see scripture as a whole. there are most surely laws that are now past when Jesus died. but not the ones that are eternal and pre sin. its the ones that pointed to Jesus.

Granted in Christ we don't need even the law on stone as it is now written in our hearts by faith and the power of the Grace of Christ that works in us. and if we have this Grace and this true faith that converts the soul then our fruit will be loving obedience to all 10 of Gods statements of love. If even one is missing we show that we do not have faith in his creative power.

There is no debate to be had my friend. It is unbiblical and illogical to do away with any of the 10. rather by faith we establish the law by the working of Gods Grace in us. its not about what we can or should do. Its about what God can do in us and what he has promised and has power to do by His Grace if we would just have faith.

gotime · Dec 14, 2014

phil112 said:

Many know the summery but not the content.

The fact that people do not live or know the content is evidence that they do not have or live the summery either.

JaumeJ · Dec 15, 2014

Take all contention on any given subject, including this thread, and ask the children.......They are closest to Jesus.

john832 · Dec 15, 2014

gotime said:

Seems to me that if Wall Street knew the content and lived it, the crash of 2008 would not have occurred.

WebersHome · Dec 15, 2014

phil112 said:

The two "great" commandments are just the tip of the iceberg. They may be
okay for marginal Christians, but the epistles are the place where Christ's
advanced followers get the meat of the iceberg.

†. 1Cor 14:37 . . If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let
him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord.

†. 1Ths 4:1-2 . .We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord
Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please
God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments
we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

================================

phil112 · Dec 15, 2014

WebersHome said:

Wrong. They contain all commandments. If you love God with all your heart, and your neighbors as yourself, you will fulfill everything God desires of you.
You are calling a whole lot of things commandments that the word of God doesn't.

WebersHome · Dec 15, 2014

phil112 said:

Is it impossible that you are the one who is wrong rather than me? Do you
honestly believe yourself infallible and speaking for God ex cathedra?

I highly recommend that you be a bit more circumspect with your choice of
words lest the hapless day arrives when you are forced to eat them.

†. Matt 12:36-37 . . I say to you, that every careless word that men shall
speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your
words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

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WebersHome · Dec 15, 2014

Continued From Post #46

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36) Rom 13:1-5 . . Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he
who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted,
and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

. . . For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do
wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do
what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you
good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for
nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the
wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only
because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

According to that passage, non Christians have the God-given right to
govern Christians by means of civil criminal justice systems. This has its
roots clear on back to the days of Noah.

†. Gen 9:4-6 . . And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I
will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I
will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the
blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has
God made man.

Rom 13:1-5 is a fair warning to Christians that should they break the law; to
expect neither favoritism nor immunity. So then, if you can't do the time,
then don't do the crime. And especially if a Christian should commit a capital
crime, to expect their head to roll just like any other capital criminal's head.

God has given mankind the right to play God in matters pertaining to
criminal justice; and any Christian who opposes mankind's right to play God,
is playing the Devil. God forbid!

Rom 13:1-5 covers petty crimes too like J-walking, illegal U-turns, feeding
parking meters, drifting through stop signs without coming to a complete
halt, exceeding the speed limit, unsafe lane changes, road rage, disturbing
the peace, et al. Christians really ought to be the most law-abiding people
on earth; but unfortunately, many are shamefully guilty of conduct
unbecoming.

37) Rom 13:6 . . Pay your taxes

While it's true that tax dollars often get wasted on fraud, graft, pork, bail
outs, ear marks, and such things; by and large taxes are essential if we're to
expect services like schools, parks, national defense, law enforcement, fire
protection, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, foster care, endowments,
reparations, Social Security, flood control, TANF, and the maintenance of
infrastructure, etc.

38) Rom 13:7 . . Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay
taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then
honor.

I don't particularly admire Barack Hussein Obama; but seeing as how God
requires Christians to address people in his position appropriately; then were
I to meet him, I would address him not as Barry, but as Mr. President.

39) Rom 13:8 . . Owe no man anything.

Some have construed item #39 to mean that it's a sin to have a mortgage, a
car payment, and/or a credit card balance. However, the koiné Greek word
for "owe" is opheilo (of-i'-lo) an ambiguous word with a number of
meanings, one of which is to fail in duty; viz: fail to meet your obligations.
In today's world; debt is pert near impossible to avoid; but debt is okay for
Christians just so long as they pay their bills on time and steer clear of
defaults and deficits. Christ is neither pleased nor honored when his
followers are known as deadbeats.

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WebersHome · Dec 16, 2014

Continued From Post #56

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40) Rom 13:12 . . Put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of
light.

Among the first things that God created for the cosmos was light (Gen 1:3).
He didn't have to create darkness because darkness as per Gen 1:2 was just
simply the default condition in the absence of light.

At that time, God made a distinct difference between light and darkness
(Gen 1:4). I think it is very notable that God labeled the light "good" but He
didn't label the darkness good.

I believe Gen 1:4 set the stage; in other words: from that point on in the
Bible darkness, as a figure of speech, always represents something harmful
and/or distasteful; while light, as a figure of speech, always represents
something tasteful and/or beneficial. So then we could label the deeds of
darkness as deeds unbecoming Christ's followers, and we could label the
armor of light as deeds befitting his followers. In other words: deeds
befitting Christ's followers are their first line of defense in a world gone mad
with evil.

41) Rom 13:13 . . Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and
drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and
envy.

In the beginning, God labeled the light "day" and the darkness He labeled
"night" (Gen 1:5) ergo: accordingly, day is good while night is bad. So then;
things done in the day are good things, while things done in the night are,
by default, bad things. Day and Night, and Darkness and Light, are
interesting figures of speech and can be seen in use at quite a few locations
in the Bible.

Webster's defines "envy" as painful or resentful awareness of an advantage
enjoyed by another, coupled with a desire to possess the same advantage.

Envy can be a good dog or a bad dog, and when it's a bad dog, it's the
combined meanness of a Pit Bull Terrier and a Rottweiler because envy fuels
some very bitter rivalries. Wanting to be equal with others is one thing, but
striving to be better than others is a horse of another color. Christians have
got to be careful of that. This isn't optional by the way; no: it's required.

What I find interesting about Christ's commandments is that his followers
have to be told how to "properly conduct" themselves; viz: they can't be
trusted to instinctively and/or intuitively know how.

42) Rom 13:14 . . .Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ

Clothing one's self with a personage was a colloquialism many years ago
which would correspond in our day to "emulation" which Webster's defines
as trying to be like someone or something you admire. They say that
imitation is the highest flattery. Well; if you'd like to flatter the Lord; adopt
his principles and put them into practice. In other words: become Christ's
understudy. You could do worse for a role model.

==================================

john832 · Dec 16, 2014

phil112 said:

They are a summary of the Ten Commandments...

Rom 13:9 For the commandments, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER," "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL," "YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," "YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." - NKJV

WebersHome · Dec 17, 2014

Continued From Post #57

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43) Rom 14:1 . . Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful
disputations.

A strong faith consists of the elements of knowledge, confidence, assurance,
and conviction. A weak faith can be defined as vacillating; viz: one that's not
all that sure whether something is wrong for a Christian; or even that
something is right; in other words, a weak faith lacks the elements of
knowledge, confidence, assurance, and conviction.

The koiné Greek word for "doubtful" is dialogismos (dee-al-og-is-mos') which
means: discussion; viz: debate.

The word for "disputations" is diakrisis (dee-ak'-ree-sis) which means:
judicial estimation.

When somebody begins a statement with the words "in my opinion" and/or
"well; I think" they are getting ready to give you their judicial estimation;
and since opinions are often subjective, biased, and arbitrary, rather than
objective, unbiased, and by-the-book; then opinions inevitably invite
debate; which, in matters of spiritual significance is strictly forbidden within
the context of the 14th chapter of Romans; because debatable matters are
not matters of doctrine; but rather; matters of conscience.

What we're talking about here are not black and white doctrines and
principles. Those are not open to debate. We're talking about gray areas.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" is black and white; while issues like video
games, music, fashions, foods, cosmetics, movies, self defense, gambling,
swim suits, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, fasting, religious art, crucifixes,
couture, and holy days of obligation are debatable. In regards to those
areas; let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind rather than
somebody else's mind. Those are things about which each has to decide for
themselves according to the dictates of their own conscience; and God forbid
they should impose their personal dictates upon others and thus become
dictatorial because that's playing God and usurping the Lord's sovereign
prerogative to make the rules for his own church.

44) Rom 14:2-4 . . One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but
another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats
everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does
not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has
accepted him.

If you sincerely believe that fast food, GMO, high fructose corn syrup, non
organic produce, processed foods, grain-fed beef, raw oysters, sushi, and/or
anything fried in lard is sinful; well; more power to you; but God forbid you
should condemn others who disagree because to my knowledge the Lord has
issued no hard and fast rules regulating Christian nourishment other than
those listed at Acts 15:19-20. So then; whether or not to eat grass-fed beef
or grain-fed beef is your call; although in my judicial estimation; you run a
much higher risk of contracting E.coli 0157-H7 by eating grain-fed beef. But
the choice to run that risk is yours alone; not mine. The important point to
note is that either way, God will accept one's diet just so long as they are
convinced in their own mind it's not a sinful diet.

==================================

WebersHome · Dec 18, 2014

Continued From Post #59

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45) Rom 14:5 . . One man considers one day more sacred than another;
another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced
in his own mind.

Common Christian holy days are the Lord's Day (Sunday), Solemnity of Mary
the Mother of God, the Epiphany, Solemnity of Saint Joseph Husband of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Ascension Trinity Sunday, Solemnity of Saints Peter
and Paul, Good Friday, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, All Saints,
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas), and the Sabbath. Some would
probably include Ash Wednesday.

If your denomination, or your church of choice, rules that days like the
above are sacred, then for you they are. Whether God himself really and
truly rules them as sacred is irrelevant. What matters is whether you are
convinced He does.

46) Rom 14:13a . .Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

Within the context of the 14th of Romans, "passing judgment" pertains to
condemning others for refusal to accept and/or comply with your gray-area
beliefs and practices.

47) Rom 14:13b . . Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling
block or obstacle in your brother's way.

The koiné Greek word translated "stumbling block" means a stub. For
example: one year I cut down a troublesome bush in my front yard and left
a bit of a stump sticking up out of the ground that later damaged my lawn
mower when I accidentally ran over it while cutting the grass; which had
grown tall enough to conceal the stump. In that respect, stumbling blocks
are hazards not easily detected. Within the context of the 14th of Romans, I
would equate stumbling blocks to the clever sophistry that silver-tongued
orators employ to persuade people to do things contrary to their convictions
and their conscience. In other words; there are people out there with the
skills to make a lie sound like the God's truth. (cf. Eph 4:11-14)

48) Rom 14:14-16 . . I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the
Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone
believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another Christian
is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't
let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be
condemned for doing something you know is alright.

You may believe that there is nothing wrong with eating non-Kosher foods;
but your dinner companion might feel very strongly about it. Well; sure, you
can get by with eating non-Kosher foods; but Rom 14:14-16 is saying don't.
In other words; it is Christ's wishes that you restrain yourself from eating
non-Kosher foods in front of your companion out of respect for their feelings
about it.

I would go so far as to say that rule applies to alcohol. If your dinner
companion is a recovering alcoholic, then for God's sake don't order drinks
at your table. It's not only thoughtless and offensive; but you might
inadvertently succeed in bumping your friend off the wagon.

49) Rom 14:19 . . Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to
peace and to mutual edification.

The koiné Greek word for "edification" is oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay') which is
a word related to the building trades; and in this instance would be related
to structural improvements like a new wing, or a bedroom, or another floor;
and in many instances adds square footage to an already-existing structure
and/or improves its appearance, its value, and it's utility. Edification then,
builds up instead of tearing down.

Webster's defines "peace" as a state in which there is no war or fighting; viz:
harmony and mutual concord.

†. 2Cor 12:19-20 . . For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as
I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that
there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander,
gossip, arrogance and disorder.

50) Rom 14:20-21 . . Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.
All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes
someone else to stumble.

The critters that God lists in Israel's covenanted law as unsuitable for food
aren't intrinsically unsuitable. They're only unsuitable for Israel because
that's how God wants it for His people. But outside the covenant; and for
everybody else: everything is suitable for food; all flora and all fauna.

†. Gen 9:3 . . Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I
gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

51) Rom 15:1-2 . . We may know that certain things make no difference,
but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be
considerate of the doubts and fears of those who believe certain things are
wrong.

God forbid that any of Christ's followers should talk their fellow Christians
into doing something that bothers their conscience because then both they
and the talker will be in the wrong even if he's right.

52) Rom 14:22a . . So whatever you personally believe in debatable areas
keep between yourself and God.

53) Rom 14:22b-23 . . Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by
what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats,
because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from
faith is sin.

In other words, it's possible to be wrong even when you're right because it's
a sin to forge ahead when one's conscience is not sure it's okay to do so.

I once knew a Christian who felt guilty just setting foot inside a Block Buster
video store. Was he silly for feeling that way? Not in his mind; and it's your
own personal moral compass that counts in gray areas. Some Christians
can't permit themselves to dine in a restaurant that serves alcohol; while
others see nothing wrong with it. If those two kinds of Christians should
perchance dine out together, it's the more sensitive conscience that
determines where to eat.

In other words; it makes good spiritual sense to avoid insisting upon your
freedoms and rights sometimes in order to prevent dragging your fellow
Christians into something that makes them feel guilty and/or
uncomfortable..

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