Reference: Ethics
Hastings
The present article will be confined to Biblical Ethics. As there is no systematic presentation of the subject, all that can be done is to gather from the Jewish and Christian writings the moral conceptions that were formed by historians, prophets, poets, apostles. The old history culminates in the story of the perfect One, the Lord Jesus Christ, from whom there issued a life of higher order and ampler range.
I. OT Ethics.
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Then Jesus was guided by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and nights, and after it he was famished. read more. And the tempter came up and said to him, "If you are God's son, tell these stones to turn into bread!" But he answered, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone is man to live, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God!' " Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the summit of the Temple, and said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says, " 'He will give his angels orders about you, And they will lift you up with their hands So that you may never strike your foot against a stone!' " Jesus said to him, "The Scripture also says, 'You shall not try the Lord your God.' " Again the devil took him to a very high mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and said to him, "I will give all this to you, if you will fall on your knees and do homage to me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For the Scripture says, 'You must do homage to the Lord your God, and worship him alone!' " Then the devil left him, and angels came and waited on him.
When he saw the crowds of people he went up on the mountain. There he seated himself, and when his disciples had come up to him,
When he saw the crowds of people he went up on the mountain. There he seated himself, and when his disciples had come up to him, he opened his lips to teach them. And he said,
he opened his lips to teach them. And he said, "Blessed are those who feel their spiritual need, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!
"Blessed are those who feel their spiritual need, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them! "Blessed are the mourners, for they will be consoled!
"Blessed are the mourners, for they will be consoled! "Blessed are the humble-minded, for they will possess the land!
"Blessed are the humble-minded, for they will possess the land! "Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for uprightness, for they will be satisfied!
"Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for uprightness, for they will be satisfied! "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy!
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy! "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God! "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons!
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons! "Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!
"Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!
"Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them! "Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account.
"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account. Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!
Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you! "You are the salt of the earth! But if salt loses its strength, how can it be made salt again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden underfoot. read more. You are the light of the world! A city that is built upon a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. Your light must burn in that way among men so that they will see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven. "Do not suppose that I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with them but to enforce them.
"You have heard that the men of old were told 'You shall not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will have to answer to the court.'
"You have heard that the men of old were told 'You shall not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will have to answer to the court.' But I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will have to answer to the court, and anyone who speaks contemptuously to his brother will have to answer to the great council, and anyone who says to his brother 'You cursed fool!' will have to answer for it in the fiery pit! read more. So when you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, leave your gift right there before the altar and go and make up with your brother; then come back and present your gift.
"You have heard that men were told 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
"You have heard that they were told, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist injury, but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too;
"But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.
so that your charity may be secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.
But when you pray, go into your own room, and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.
For if you forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will forgive you too. But if you do not forgive others when they offend you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you for your offenses.
so that no one may see that you are fasting, except your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret, will reward you.
"Everyone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it, will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew, and beat about that house, and it did not go down, for its foundations were on rock. read more. And anyone who listens to this teaching of mine and does not act upon it, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat about that house, and it went down, and its downfall was complete."
For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But I would have you know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home!"
No one who loves father or mother more than he loves me is worthy of me, and no one who loves son or daughter more than he loves me is worthy of me, and no one who will not take up his cross and follow me is worthy of me. read more. Whoever gains his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will gain it.
"I tell you, among men born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has ever appeared. And yet those who are of little importance in the Kingdom of Heaven are greater than he.
You brood of snakes! how can you, bad as you are, utter anything good? For the mouth says only what the heart is full of. A good man, out of the good he has accumulated, brings out things that are good, and a bad man, out of what he has accumulated that is bad, brings out things that are bad.
For I tell you, many prophets and upright men have longed to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it.
to fulfil what was said by the prophet, "I will open my mouth in figures, I will utter things that have been hidden since the creation."
He said to them, "Then remember that every scribe who has become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven must be like a householder who can supply from his storeroom new things as well as old."
For this reason the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king, who resolved to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he set about doing so, a man was brought in who owed him ten million dollars. read more. And as he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all he had, in payment of the debt. So the slave threw himself down before him and implored him, 'Give me time, and I will pay you all of it.' And his master's heart was touched, and he let the slave go and canceled the debt. But when the slave went out he met a fellow-slave of his who owed him twenty dollars, and he caught him by the throat and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow-slave threw himself down before him, and begged him, 'Give me time, and I will pay you.' But he refused and went and had him put in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went to their master and reported the whole matter to him. Then his master called him in and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I canceled all that debt of yours when you entreated me. Ought you not to have taken pity on your fellow-slave, as I did on you?' So his master in his anger handed him over to the jailers, until he should pay all he owed him. That is what my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts!"
They do everything they do to have men see it. They wear wide Scripture texts as charms, and they wear large tassels,
Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs! They look well on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead, and all that is unclean.
Then he will say to those at his left, 'Begone, you accursed people, to the everlasting fire destined for the devil and his angels! For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat, and when I was thirsty you gave me nothing to drink, read more. when I was a stranger, you did not invite me home, when I had no clothes, you did not supply me, when I was sick and in prison, you did not look after me.' Then they in their turn will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or in need of clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not wait upon you?' Then he will answer, 'I tell you, in so far as you failed to do it for one of these people who are humblest, you failed to do it for me.'
and teach them to observe all the commands that I have given you. I will always be with you, to the very close of the age."
And when the scribes who were of the Pharisees' party saw that he was eating with irreligious people and tax-collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax-collectors and irreligious people?" Jesus heard it, and said to them, "It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor. I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious."
No one sews a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old coat; or if he does, the patch tears away, the new from the old, and makes the hole worse than ever. And no one pours new wine into old wine-skins; or if he does, the wine bursts the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins too. New wine has to be put into fresh skins."
They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food without first giving their hands a ceremonial washing to purify them. For the Pharisees and all the Jews observe the rules handed down from their ancestors, and will not eat until they have washed their hands in a particular way, read more. and they will not eat anything from the market without first purifying it by sprinkling it, and they have a number of other observances which have come down to them, in the way of washing cups, pitchers, and basins. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not observe the rules handed down by our ancestors, but eat food without purifying their hands?" But he said to them, "It was about you hypocrites that Isaiah prophesied so finely, in the words, " 'This people honor me with their lips, Yet their hearts are far away from me. But their worship of me is all in vain, For the lessons they teach are but human precepts.' "You give up what God has commanded and hold fast to what men have handed down.
And he said to them, "Have not even you any understanding then? Do you not see that nothing that goes into a man from outside can pollute him, since it does not go into his heart but into his stomach and then is disposed of?" So he declared all food clean. read more. He went on to say, "It is what comes out of a man that pollutes him. For it is from inside, from men's hearts, that designs of evil come; immorality, stealing, murder, adultery,
For it is from inside, from men's hearts, that designs of evil come; immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, abusiveness, arrogance, folly??23 all these evils come from inside, and they pollute a man."
greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, abusiveness, arrogance, folly??23 all these evils come from inside, and they pollute a man."
Some Pharisees came up, and in order to test him asked him whether a man should be allowed to divorce his wife. But he answered, "What has Moses commanded you to do?" read more. They said, "Moses permits a man to divorce his wife by drawing up a written divorce-notice." But Jesus said to them, "It was on account of your perversity that he laid down that law for you. But from the beginning of the creation, 'God made them male and female. Therefore a man must leave his father and mother, and he and his wife must become one,' and so they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together man must not try to separate."
And they came up and said to him, "Master, we know that you tell the truth regardless of the consequences, for you are not guided by personal considerations, but teach the way of God with sincerity. Is it right to pay the poll tax to the emperor or not? Should we pay it, or refuse to pay it?" But he saw through their pretense, and said to them, "Why do you put me to such a test? Bring me a denarius to look at." read more. And they brought him one. He said to them, "Whose head and title is this?" And they told him, "The emperor's." And Jesus said, "Pay the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and pay God what belongs to God!" And they were astonished at him.
As the sun went down all who had friends sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and cured them.
And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him back to his mother.
Therefore, I tell you, her sins, many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the man with little to be forgiven loves me but little."
He said to another, "Follow me." But he said, "Let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you must go and spread the news of the Kingdom of God!"
Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes! But Tyre and Sidon will fare better than you at the Judgment! read more. And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead! Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever disregards you disregards me, and whoever disregards me disregards him who sent me."
Then an expert in the Law got up to test him and said, "Master, what must I do to make sure of eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What does the Law say? How does it read?" read more. He answered, " 'You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind,' and 'your neighbor as you do yourself.' " Jesus said to him, "You are right. Do that, and you will live." But he, wishing to justify his question, said, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers, and they stripped him and beat him and went off leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be going that way, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side of the road. And a Levite also came to the place, and when he saw him, he went by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon him, and when he saw him he pitied him, and he went up to him and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. And he put him on his own mule and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out a dollar and gave it to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend I will refund to you on my way back.' Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" He said, "The man who took pity on him." Jesus said to him, "Go and do so yourself!"
"If anyone comes to me without hating his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and his very life too, he cannot be a disciple of mine. For no one who does not take up his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.
"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep, and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go in search of the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders with joy, read more. and when he reaches home, he calls in his friends and neighbors, and says to them, 'Congratulate me, for I have found my lost sheep!' I tell you, in just that way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents, than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need any repentance.
And he said to them, "You are the men who parade your uprightness before people, but God knows your hearts. For what men consider great is detestable in the sight of God.
"There was once a rich man, who used to dress in purple and fine linen, and to live in luxury every day. And a beggar named Lazarus was put down at his gate covered with sores read more. and eager to satisfy his hunger with what was thrown away from the rich man's table. Why, the very dogs came and licked his sores. And it came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to the companionship of Abraham, and the rich man too died and was buried. And in Hades he looked up, tormented as he was, and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus beside him. And he called to him and said, 'Father Abraham! take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in torment, here in the flames!' And Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus had his misfortunes in his; and now he is being comforted here, while you are in anguish. Besides there is a great chasm set between you and us, so that those who want to go over from this side to you cannot, and they cannot cross from your side to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers; let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torture.' Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.' But he said, 'No! Father Abraham, but if someone will go to them from the dead, they will repent!' He answered, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!' "
"Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee stood up and uttered this prayer to himself: 'O God, I thank you that I am not like other men, greedy, dishonest, or adulterous, like that tax-collector. read more. I fast two days in the week; I pay tithes on everything I get.' But the tax-collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but struck his breast, and said, 'O God, have mercy on a sinner like me!' I tell you, it was he who went back to his house with God's approval, and not the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted."
But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Master, "See, Master! I will give half my property to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay him four times as much." Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today, for he too is a descendant of Abraham.
And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!"
And all the crowds that had collected for the sight, when they saw what happened, returned to the city beating their breasts.
Everything came into existence through him, and apart from him nothing came to be. It was by him that life came into existence, and that life was the light of mankind.
Jesus answered him, "I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born over again from above!"
Whatever owes its birth to the physical is physical, and whatever owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual.
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that no one who believes in him should be lost, but that they should all have eternal life.
No one who believes in him has to come up for judgment. Anyone who does not believe stands condemned already, for not believing in God's only Son.
But a time is coming??t is already here!??hen the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and sincerity, for the Father wants such worshipers.
That is why I said to you that you would die in the midst of your sins, for unless you believe that I am what I say, you will die in the midst of your sins."
So if the Son sets you free you will be really free.
Who among you can prove me guilty of sin? But if I tell you the truth, why do you refuse to believe me?
I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me,
You call me Teacher and Master, and you are right, for that is what I am.
I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must love one another.
And if I go and make it ready, I will come back and take you with me, so that you may be where I am.
In a little while the world will not see me any more, but you will still see me, because I shall live on, and you will live on too.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator. Any branch of mine that does not bear fruit he trims away, and he prunes every branch that bears fruit, to make it bear more. read more. You are pruned already because of the teaching that I have given you. You must remain united to me and I will remain united to you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains united to the vine, you cannot unless you remain united to me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Anyone who remains united to me, with me united to him, will be very fruitful, for you cannot do anything apart from me. Anyone who does not remain united to me is thrown away like a branch and withers up, and they gather them and throw them into the fire and burn them. If you remain united to me and my words remain in your hearts, ask for whatever you please and you shall have it. When you are very fruitful and show yourselves to be disciples of mine, my Father is honored. I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. You must retain my love. If you keep my commands you will retain my love, just as I have observed the Father's commands and retain his love.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. read more. If I had not done things before them that no one else ever did they would not be guilty of sin. But as it is, they have seen both me and my Father, and they have hated us both.
They will exclude you from their synagogues; why, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing religious service to God.
When he comes, he will bring conviction to the world about sin and uprightness and judgment;
When he comes, he will bring conviction to the world about sin and uprightness and judgment; about sin, as shown in their not believing in me;
I have told you all this, so that through me you may find peace. In the world you have trouble; but take courage! I have conquered the world."
I have done honor to you here on earth, by completing the work which you gave me to do.
Father, I wish to have those whom you have given me with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me, for you loved me before the creation of the world.
So they went out from before the council, glad that they had been thought worthy to bear disgrace for the sake of Jesus,
for it had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
After they had given their testimony and delivered the Lord's message, they went back to Jerusalem, telling the good news in many Samaritan villages on the way. But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south, by the road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza." (The town is now deserted.) read more. So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a member of the court of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, her chief treasurer, who had come up to Jerusalem to worship, and was on his way home. He was sitting in his car, reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and stay by that car." Philip ran up and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and he said to him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" "Why, how can I," he answered, "unless someone explains it to me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. This was the passage of Scripture that he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered, And just as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, He does not open his mouth. His sentence ended in his humiliation. Who will tell the story of his posterity? For his life is perished from the earth." "Tell me, of whom is the prophet speaking?" said the eunuch to Philip, "Of himself, or of someone else?" Then Philip began, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus. As they went on along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Here is some water! What is there to prevent my being baptized?" OMITTED TEXT So he ordered the car to stop, and Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord hurried Philip away, and the eunuch saw nothing more of him. Full of joy, he went on with his journey,
When Peter actually came in, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet and made obeisance to him. But Peter lifted him to his feet, and said, "Get up! I am only human myself."
Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to declare God's good news,
For the real Jew is not the man who is one outwardly, and the real circumcision is not something physical and external. The real Jew is the man who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, a spiritual, not a literal, thing. Such a man receives his praise not from men, but from God.
So as we have been made upright by faith, let us live in peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have been introduced through faith to the favor of God that we now enjoy, and let us glory in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Why, a man will hardly give his life for an upright person, though perhaps for a really good man some may be brave enough to die. But God proves his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us when we were still sinners.
We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am physical, sold into slavery to sin.
For the life-giving law of the Spirit through Christ Jesus has freed you from the Law of sin and death.
But you are not physical but spiritual, if God's Spirit has really taken possession of you; for unless a man has Christ's spirit, he does not belong to Christ.
For those whom he had marked out from the first he predestined to be made like his Son, so that he should be the eldest of many brothers;
But in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor their hierarchies nor the present nor the future read more. nor any supernatural forces either of height or depth will be able to separate us from the love God has shown in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Everyone must obey the authorities that are over him, for no authority can exist without the permission of God; the existing authorities have been established by him, so that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself in opposition to what God has ordained, and those who oppose him will bring down judgment upon themselves. read more. The man who does right has nothing to fear from the magistrates, as the wrongdoer has. If you want to have no fear of the authorities, do right, and they will commend you for it, for they are God's agents to do you good. But if you do wrong you may well be afraid, for they do not carry swords for nothing. They are God's servants, to execute his wrath upon wrongdoers. You must obey them, therefore, not only to escape God's wrath, but as a matter of principle, just as you pay your taxes; they are God's ministers, devoting themselves to this service. Pay them all what is due them??ribute to the man entitled to receive it, taxes to the man entitled to receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man entitled to it.
Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? It is for his own master to say whether he succeeds or fails; and he will succeed, for the Master can make him do so.
For it is not myself but Christ Jesus that I am proclaiming as Lord; I am only a slave of yours for Jesus' sake.
For we must all appear in our true characters before the tribunal of the Christ, each to be repaid with good or evil for the life he has lived in the body.
You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.
The things our physical nature does are clear enough??mmorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party-spirit, read more. envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you as I did before that people who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God. But what the Spirit produces is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
But what the Spirit produces is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law against such things!
gentleness, self-control. There is no law against such things!
But if a man is caught doing something wrong, brothers, you are spiritual, and you must set him right, in a spirit of gentleness. Think of yourself, for you may be tempted too. Bear one another's burdens, and in that way carry out the law of the Christ.
For everyone will have to carry his own load.
You also were dead because of the offenses and sins in the midst of which you once lived under the control of the present age of the world, and the master-spirit of the air, who is still at work among the disobedient. read more. We all lived among them once, indulging our physical cravings and obeying the impulses of our lower nature and its thoughts, and by nature we were doomed to God's wrath like other men. But God is so rich in mercy that because of the great love he had for us, he made us, dead as we were through our offenses, live again with the Christ. It is by his mercy that you have been saved. And he raised us with Christ, and through our union with Christ Jesus made us sit down with him in heaven, to show the incomparable wealth of his mercy throughout the ages to come by his goodness to us through Christ Jesus.
and through his human nature put an end to the feud between us, and abolished the Law with its rules and regulations, in order to make peace and create out of the two parties one new man by uniting them with himself,
The man who stole must not steal any more; he must work with his hands at honest toil instead, so as to have something to share with those who are in need. No bad word must ever pass your lips, but only words that are good and suited to improve the occasion, so that they will be a blessing to those who hear them.
You married women must subordinate yourselves to your husbands, as you do to the Lord,
You who are masters, too, must treat your slaves in the same way, and cease to threaten them, for you know that their Master and yours is in heaven, and that he will show no partiality.
For you have been granted the privilege not only of trusting in Christ but of suffering for him.
Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
So, my dear friends, as you have always been obedient, with reverence and awe make every effort to insure your salvation, not simply as though I were with you, but all the more because I am away. For it is God who in his good will is at work in your hearts, inspiring your will and your action.
Why, I count everything as loss compared with the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything, and think it rubbish, in order to gain Christ and be known to be united to him, with any uprightness I may have not based on law but coming through faith in Christ??he uprightness that comes from God through faith. read more. I want to know him in the power of resurrection, and to share his sufferings and even his death, in the hope of attaining resurrection from the dead. Not that I have secured it yet, or already reached perfection, but I am pressing on to see if I can capture it, because I have been captured by Jesus Christ. Brothers, I do not consider that I have captured it yet, only, forgetting what is behind me, and straining toward what lies ahead, I am pressing toward the goal, for the prize to which God through Christ Jesus calls us upward.
And in spreading the news of him, we warn everyone and teach everyone all our wisdom, in order to bring everyone to Christian perfection.
If, then, you have been raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand. Fix your thoughts on the things that are above, not on those that are on earth. read more. For you have died, and your life now lies hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our true life, shall make his appearance, then you also will appear glorified with him. So treat as dead your physical nature, as far as immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed are concerned; for it is really idolatry. It is on account of these things that God's anger is coming. And you once practiced them as others do, when you lived that old earthly life. But now you too must put them all aside??nger, rage, spite, rough, abusive talk??hese must be banished from your lips. You must not lie to one another. For you have stripped off your old self with its ways
As persons chosen by God, then, consecrated and dearly loved, you must clothe yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindness, humility, gentleness, forbearance. You must bear with one another and forgive one another, if anyone has reason to be offended with anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. read more. And over all these put on love, which completes them and fastens them all together. Let the ruling principle in your hearts be Christ's peace, for in becoming members of one body you have been called under its sway. And you must be thankful. Let the message of Christ live in your hearts in all its wealth of wisdom. Teach it to one another and train one another in it with thankfulness, with psalms, hymns, and sacred songs, and sing to God with all your hearts. And whatever you have to say or do, do it all as followers of the Lord Jesus, and offer your thanksgiving to God the Father through him. You married women must subordinate yourselves to your husbands, for that is your duty as Christians.
You who are masters must treat your slaves justly and fairly, and remember that you have a Master too, in heaven.
So also does Jesus who is called Justus. They are the only ones among the converts from Judaism who have worked with me for the reign of God who have proved a comfort to me.
But you must teach people the things that properly belong to wholesome teaching. Teach the older men to be temperate, serious, and sensible??en of vigorous faith, love, and steadfastness.
training us to renounce godless ways and worldly passions, and live serious, upright, and godly lives in this world,
training us to renounce godless ways and worldly passions, and live serious, upright, and godly lives in this world, while we wait for the fulfilment of our blessed hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. read more. He gave himself for us, to free us from all wickedness and purify for himself a people of his own, eager to do right.
how can we escape if we pay no attention to such a salvation as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and it was guaranteed to us by those who heard him,
For both he who purifies them and they who are purified spring from one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, and say, "I will tell your name to my brothers, In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise"; read more. and again "I will put my trust in God"; and again, "Here I am with the children that God has given me." Therefore since these children referred to have the same mortal nature, Jesus also shared it, like them, in order that by his death he might dethrone the lord of death, the devil, and free from their slavery men who had always lived in fear of death. For of course it was not angels but the descendants of Abraham that he came to help. And so he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might prove a compassionate high priest as well as one faithful in his service to God, in order to forgive the people's sins. For because he has himself been tempted in what he has suffered he is able to help others who are in trial.
For our high priest is not one who is incapable of sympathy with our weaknesses, but he has been tempted in every way just as we have, without committing any sin.
For it is impossible to arouse people to a fresh repentance when they have once for all come into the light and had a taste of the gift from heaven, and shared in the holy Spirit and felt the goodness of the word of God and the strong influences of the coming age, read more. and yet have fallen back, for they crucify the Son of God on their own account, and hold him up to contempt. Ground that drinks in frequent showers and produces vegetation that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated receives God's blessing. But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is thought worthless and almost cursed, and it will finally be burned.
stood the gold incense-altar and the chest that contained the agreement, entirely covered with gold, with the gold jar in it that held the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets containing the agreement;
by the new, living way which he has opened for us, through the curtain, that is, his physical nature,
For if we choose to go on sinning after we have so fully learned the truth, there is no sacrifice left to be offered for our sins,
But you must remember those early days when after you had received the light you had to go through a great struggle with persecution, sometimes being actually exposed as a public spectacle to insults and violence, and sometimes showing yourselves ready to share the lot of those in that condition. read more. For you showed sympathy with those who were in prison, and you put up with it cheerfully when your property was taken from you, for you knew that you had in yourselves a greater possession that was lasting.
But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God.
James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greeting to the twelve tribes that are scattered over the world.
Of his own accord he brought us into being through the message of truth, so that we might be a kind of first-fruits among his creatures.
A religious observance that is pure and stainless in the sight of God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their trouble, and keep one's self unstained by the world.
For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves those who are his children.
Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give him who is victorious some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble with a new name written on it which no one knows except the man who receives it.'
I will make him who is victorious a pillar in the temple of my God; he shall never go out of it again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God??he new Jerusalem, which is to come down out of heaven from my God??nd my new name.
Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the roll and open its seals, for you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought for God men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation,
they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
It was I, John, who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, to worship him. But he said to me, "You must not do that. I am only a fellow-slave of yours and of your brothers the prophets and the men who heed the words of this book. Worship God!