Walking With Christ

[Webers.Home]

.
• 1Cor 16:1-3 . . Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told
the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you
should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so
that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I
will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with
your gift to Jerusalem.

The "God's people" to whom Paul referred were Jewish Christians whose
church was located at Jerusalem. They were having it pretty rough in the
early days of Christianity.

Lest somebody should get the wrong idea, that wasn't a tithe. Christ left it
up to each individual in Corinth the amount that they felt like donating
towards the Jews' relief effort.

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

Tithes are not gifts; no, tithes are demanded rather than donated out of the
goodness of one's heart. I don't give the government my taxes; no, they
wrest them from me by force of law; viz: I pay taxes against my will, both
reluctantly and under compulsion; and I have absolutely no voice in the
percentage of my income that they take. When it comes to taxes: I am not
cheerful; no, I am grudging. Well; that is not Christian giving. No; Christians
have a faith that works by love, not by law. (Gal 5:6)

NOTE: It would be interesting to take a poll among America's churches just
to see, out of curiosity, how many have a program for assisting Jewish
Christians over in the modern State of Israel.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 1Cor 16:13a . . Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be men of
courage; be strong.

The Greek word translated "men of courage" is andrizomai (an-drid'-zom
ahee) which basically means to act manly; defined by Webster's as: (1)
having qualities generally associated with a man; viz: strength and virility,
and (2) appropriate in character to a man.

Well; we sure don't want the Christian women in church to become so-called
strong women; i.e. she-males. Masculinity is definitely not appropriate in
character to Christian women. We want them to stand firm in the faith in a
womanly way, viz: feminine rather than masculine.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 1Cor 16:14 . . Do everything in love.

The Greek word translated "love" in this instance is agape (ag-ah'-pay)
which doesn't necessarily indicate fondness or affection, but always indicates
benevolence; defined by Webster's as the disposition to do good, e.g.
generosity, charity, altruism, compassion, and sympathy, i.e. thoughtful,
cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, hospitable,
considerate, tactful, diplomatic, accommodating, cooperative, kind,
courteous, lenient, tolerant, patient, helpful, civil, and friendly, etc.

I would imagine that "everything" includes the business of managing a
Church in a loving manner.

If a church officer's management practices tend to be more Machiavellian
than Christian, then maybe he really ought to consider stepping down and
finding himself a seat in a pew rather than a chair on the board. I mean it;
this is not something to take lightly. 1Cor 16:14 isn't optional; it's
mandatory.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 1Cor 16:15-18 . .You know that the household of Stephanas were the first
converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the
saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who
joins in the work, and labors at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus
and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from
you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve
recognition.

Paul and his associates depended pretty heavily upon the hospitality of local
believers for accommodations and daily necessities. Congregations do well to
follow the examples of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus either by
opening their homes to missionaries or by funding their stay in a motel,
providing them with some pocket money, and possibly a rental car.
(Universal gift cards would be good too.)
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 1Cor 16:20 . . Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Kissing was a common form of greeting in the old world; and still is in the
Middle East and certain parts of Europe; but here in America-- a super-sized
racial/cultural/ethnic amalgam of customs from all over the globe --it's wise
to dispense your kisses with discretion. Some of us don't even like to be
hugged, let alone bussed; and if you should perchance try to make physical
contact with an autistic Christian, you're liable to cause them a panic attack;
so go easy on the touchy-feely stuff.

The people to whom Paul referred as "one another" are one's fellow born
again Christians. We're not required to be cozy with unbelievers. You can be
courteous to them, yes (cf. Matt 5:47) but reserve especially warm greetings
for your siblings; viz: those who've undergone a second birth as per John
1:12-13 and John 3:3-8, and thus share your adoption into God's home as
per Rom 8:15-17.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

One's love of The Lord is exemplified by loyalty.

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

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

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

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

How many people are we talking about? Well, according to my sources, as of
mid 2020 there were approximately:

50,000 . . . . . . . . Scientologists
16,500,000 . . . . .Mormons
8,200,000 . . . . . .Practicing Jehovah's Witnesses
8,531,000 . . . . . .Baha'i
545,584,000 . . . .Buddhists
468,411,000 . . . .Chinese Folk Religionists
8,606,000 . . . . . .Confucianists
269,498,000 . . . .Ethnic Religionists
1,062,595,000 . . .Hindus
6,135,000 . . . . . .Jains
14,779,000 . . . . .Jews
1,893,345,000 . . Muslims
64,549,000 . . . . .New Religionists
2,788,000 . . . . . .Shintoists
28,000,000 . . . . .Sikhs
14,851,000 . . . . .Spiritists
9,078,000 . . . . . .Taoists
1,757,433,000 . . .Non Religious/Atheists/Agnostics

The grand total of just those categories is 5,710,522,000

If those figures are in the ball park, and if classical Christianity is the truth;
then at least 74% of the 2020 world population of 7.8 billion people were on
a road to perdition; and no doubt some of those are people we know: our
friends, our loved ones. and our associates.

NOTE: Scientology, though not actually a religion, has an IRS tax status as
such.

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

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

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

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 2Cor 2:6-8 . . The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient
for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will
not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm
your love for him.

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

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

Here in America scolding and ostracizing a church member would probably
just make them resentful rather than repentant. (cf. Ps 51:17)

FAQ: Does 2Cor 2:5-10 support the Watchtower Society's shunning and
Scientology's disconnection?

A: Those organizations practice an extreme form of ostracizing that
oftentimes destroys friendship bonds, destroys family ties, and even
destroys marriage vows.

Christian ostracizing is pretty much limited to congregational functions, e.g.
worship, communion, prayer meetings, banquets, etc. Taking Paul to
extremes puts people in jeopardy of failing to comply with Christ's
instructions at Matt 5:44-48. (cf. 2Thess 3:14-15)
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 2Cor 2:10-11 . . If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have
forgiven-- if there was anything to forgive --I have forgiven in the sight of
Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not
unaware of his schemes.

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

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

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Webers.Home]

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

There's a saving relative to the sum of all fears,

Another relative to providence and support,

Another relative to regeneration,

Another relative to hope, and,

Another relative to resurrection.

When people fail to parse those aspects of the plan of salvation and discuss
them separately and distinctly, they inevitable embroil themselves in futile
debating that never gets to the bottom of anything.

The saving relative to the sum of all fears is of course obtained entirely thru
faith via the kindness and generosity of God, viz; it's a gift, totally free of
charge and no strings attached; no works required. In point of fact, it has to
be obtained that way or nobody would make it to safety when they passed
on-- all would be lost.

On the other hand; works are very key in the saving relative to providence
and support.

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

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

Anyway, the Corinthian congregation was in danger of losing out on God's
providence and support due to their leniency with sinful members in their
midst. Were that to continue, then they'd still be a Christian church alright,
but it would be a christless Christian assembly.

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and
do not live by the truth." (1John 1:6)

The Greek word for "fellowship" is koinonia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah) which
basically refers to partnership and/or participation.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

That commandment clearly forbids intermarriage between Christians and
non-Christians. Failure to comply is not only grossly disobedient, but it's
unwise and can have tragic results; for example:

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

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

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

None of the other sons of God in that day were righteous; hence they
weren't invited aboard the ark. All of those men-- whose women were
chosen based solely upon sensual allure sans any spiritual prudence
whatsoever --perished in the Flood right along with everybody else.

Another incident is located at Nehemiah 13:23-31; which led to the break-up
of homes. Were Nehemiah to do so in our day, the media would crucify him
for cruelty to children. But Nehemiah wasn't the one at fault. His people had
entered into illegal marriages; consequently their families became collateral
damage.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

Webster's defines "deference" as affected and/or ingratiating regard for
another's wishes. Deference is the opposite of resistance, rebellion, defiance,
indifference, stubbornness and/or doing things your own way.

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

Contaminations of the spirit likely refers to things that influence one's
thinking and/or have an effect upon the personality; for example: Critical
Race Theory, the political philosophies of Carl Marx, Mao Zedong, and
Vladimir Lenin, Planned Parenthood, Liberalism, LGBT Sex Education,
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, etc.

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

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• 2Cor 8:11-15 . . If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according
to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not
that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there
might be equality.

. . . At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in
turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it
is written: He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who
gathered little did not have too little.

» Beware clever sophistry spinning that passage to promote Socialism.

NOTE: "if the willingness is there" tells me that church officers should not
pressure and/or shame their people into sharing their wealth, viz: break
down their resistance; like talking people into buying cars and vacuum
cleaners, so to speak.

The directive is an excellent passage for debunking the so-called Faith
Promise; which is a popular scheme for conning church members into
pledging money they don't have while expecting God's providence will
somehow provide it.

That is not the Lord's way. By means of Paul, the Lord says to give out of
what you already have, not what you hope to have later; I mean: it is not
His wish to copy ENRON's mark-to-market accounting practices and/or
futures trading with pork bellies and soy beans. You could very well end up
donating money to your church that would've been better spent paying your
bills and providing your own support. This is especially critical when there's
people depending on you.

"If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his
household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (1Tim
5:8)
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

Towards what end is the giving spoken of in the New Testament? To finance
ambitious building programs? Well; Christians back then met in homes. Did
their contributions go towards obtaining more homes to meet in? No.

Within the context of the New Testament, giving in the early church was
charitable. It met needs rather than expenses; and those needs were
typically congregational rather than universal; viz: their charity went
towards those amongst themselves and/or other congregations that were
hungry, sick, injured, homeless, alone, helpless, missionaries, full-time
church officers, orphans, widows, abandoned, and/or oppressed, etc.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

It's amazing that any Christian's ego would be so inflated as to think
themselves holier than an apostle, however, there are some people out
there with a pretty bad case of conceit who are up to it.

I can just hear the sneer in their voices as they think to themselves: "What's
so special about him? He puts his pants on one leg at a time just like
everybody else." That's the voice of one of the most destructive human
passions there is: malicious rivalry. It got Abel murdered (1John 3:12) and it
got Christ crucified. (Matt 27:15-18)

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

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

"And as he taught them, he said: Is it not written: My house will be called a
house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers. The
chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a
way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed
at his teaching." (Mark 11:17-18)

"Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace
of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest
Jesus in some sly way and kill him. But not during the feast-- they said --or
there may be a riot among the people." (Matt 26:3-5)

You've got to wonder how it came about that holy men ordained to
represent God, and to speak for God, ever became so Machiavellian.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

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

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

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

Smokey the Bear says: Only you can prevent forest fires, whereas scripture
says: Only you can know whether Christ is in you.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

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

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

Whenever Paul spoke of "the law" he was usually referring to the covenant
that Moses' people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy. So, in a nutshell; the anathema clearly applies to people
who insist that it's necessary to comply with the Ten Commandments to get
to heaven, e.g. Acts 15:5.

More groups worthy of anathema are those who insist that Christ's crucified
dead body wasn't restored to life; for example Jehovah's Witnesses. Another
group is the Latter Day Saints-- a.k.a. Mormons --whose version of the
gospel is embellished with some very strange notions. And then there's
Muslims, whose holy book, the Koran, says that Jesus didn't even die on the
cross let alone undergo resurrection.

The JWs currently number around 8.7 million, the Mormons around 16.6
million, and the Muslims around 1.9 billion. That's a whopping minimum of
1,925,300,000 people that we should never, ever, trust are Christ's friends
and followers.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

A very serious problem with that covenant is that it allows no atonements
for willful disobedience.

"Anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes The
Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has
despised The Lord's word and broken His commands, that person must
surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him. (Num 15:30-31)

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

"If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying
expectation of judgment." (Heb 10:26-27)

The pronoun "we" in that passage refers to the author's fellow Jews whose
association with God is regulated by the first covenant, viz: the yoke of
bondage. Christ's followers don't associate with God by means of that
covenant; nor are they expected to.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

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

Modern females undergo conversion to Judaism by means of a ritual bath
called Mikveh; which, for them, is equivalent to male circumcision. The exact
process by which females in the Old Testament underwent conversion-- e.g.
Ruth --is unknown, but for certain, covenanted circumcision is specifically a
male requirement. (Gen 17:9-14)

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

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

The primary "value" of Christ that's lost by conversion to Judaism is access
to God via Jesus' high priesthood. Judaism's high priesthood gets no closer
to heaven's ear than the inner sanctum in the back of the Temple down here
on the ground; and even that's only once a year on Yom Kippur; whereas
Christ's high priesthood is seated in heaven at God's right hand 24/7/365;
which of course is far and away superior to Judaism's limited access to God.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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

Christ's followers are sometimes accused of practicing a religion that gives
people a license to steal, so to speak. Well; that is very true to a certain
extent because his followers do have immunity from any, and all, of the
curses that the Old Testament imposes on scofflaws per Lev 26:3-38,
Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69. However, God prefers that people dead
to Old Testament law not allow human nature be the dominant force in their
lives. (cf. Rom 6:1-13 and Col 3:1-17)
_