Exploring Christ's Spiritual Laws

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Heb 13:22 . . I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation,
for I have written to you briefly.

The epistle to Hebrews hardly seems "brief" but maybe in those days it
amounted to little more than a memo.

Christ's teachings as per the epistles are sometimes regarded as
recommendations; viz: as advice, rather than law. That's not the way his
thoughts are supposed to be taken; no, not at all. The writer of Hebrews
didn't say his word is a collection of suggestions, rather, as exhortation;
which Webster's defines as language intended to incite and encourage. In
other words: the teachings in Hebrews are meant to be taken seriously
rather than with a grain of salt; if you know what I mean.

Exhortation is taken from the Greek word paraklesis (par-ak'-lay-sis) which
is an ambiguous word that not only means exhortation, but also solace;
which Webster's defines as a source of relief and/or consolation; viz:
encouragement. In other words; the letter to Hebrews is for the reader's
own good; in more ways than just rules and laws.

It's interesting how various people perceive the Bible. Some see it as a
threat to human safety and dignity; while others see it as a source of
friendship and mentoring.

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being rescued
and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the
other, the fragrance of life." (2Cor 2:14-17)

The epistle of James is another like the epistle to Hebrews whose target
audience is the author's "brethren" viz: the twelve tribes of Israel; a.k.a. the
Diaspora (Jas 1:1). So then, the epistle is probably best interpreted from the
perspective of a Jewish Christian rather than that of a Gentile Christian.
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Jas 1:2-4 . . Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various
trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let
perseverance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.

It is so frustrating to open a package supposedly containing all the parts
needed to assemble a complicated device only to discover that some of the
pieces are missing. Well, a lot of Christians are like that. They might be
really good at church attendance, while at work committing theft by using
their employer's computers for personal purposes without authorization
and/or in the habit of breaking the law by J-walking and driving too fast,
drifting through STOP signs without bringing their vehicle to a complete halt;
and given to outbursts of road rage. That's not a complete Christian; no,
that's a half-baked Christian.

Not all tests of faith are intended for behavior modification; but rather, for
proof-testing. Take for example Abraham's test in the 22nd chapter of
Genesis; which he passed to God's 110% satisfaction.

Other testing is the kind that engineers do with things like machines, toys,
cribs, printers, flashlights, guns, tools, pumps, motors, cars, etc. Before
putting a new idea into production, they subject it to a series of tests to
determine if it will perform under the circumstances for which it is designed.
Nowadays, not all testing is destructive testing, but rather via computer
models. But the purpose is the same: to reveal any weaknesses in the
design and function of the part; which are then addressed and rectified.

"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the
silversmith" (Prov 25:4)
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Jas 1:5 . . If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Within the context of James' epistle, the phrase "any of you" pertains to the
recipients of his letter; viz: the Diaspora-- specifically those among the
Diaspora whose religion is Christianity. So then, the phrase "gives to all
men" has to be interpreted with that in mind; which means that "all men"
doesn't pertain to just any and all men on earth.

Jas 1:6-8 . . But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he
who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That
man should not think he will receive anything from The Lord : he is a
vacillating man, unstable in all he does.

Christians should never begin a prayer by saying "God; if you're out there".

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is" (Heb 11:6)

Note the words "impossible" and "must" in that verse. A vacillating Christian
who's not sure there's a God out there is an unbelieving Christian, and can
just forget a reply from the Bible's God-- the instant the words of a
vacillating prayer leaves somebody's lips it goes directly to the dead-letter
office.
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Jas 1:9 . . Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position;

According to 1Cor 1:26-29, relatively few prominent people make it to safety
when they cross over to the other side.

What is this "high position" that James wrote about? Well, I can think of no
higher position than being legal kin to the Bible's God and a family member
around the table in His own home. In my book, that beats an invitation to
the White House any day of the year.

The koiné Greek word for "glory" in Jas 1:9 is kauchaomai (kow-khah'-om
ahee) which means: to vaunt; which Webster's defines as: to make a vain
display of one's own worth or attainments; viz: to brag; to call attention to
with pride and often boastfully.
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Jas 1:10 . . but the rich should glory in that he is made low:

This verse, taken with Jas 1:9, appears to be taking a stand against
socio/economic strata, i.e. a caste system. In other words: nobody "in
Christ" is somehow better, cleaner, or holier than another because in Christ
all are one body rather than many bodies.

"Be of the same mind toward one another; not haughty, snobby, or
conceited; but identifying with the lowly." (Rom 12:16)

Identifying with the lowly entails standing shoulder to shoulder with them as
equals.
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Jas 1:13 . . No one who wants to do wrong should ever say: God is
tempting me. God cannot be tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts
anyone else to do wrong either.

Human nature has a dastardly propensity to blame others for its own faults.
A prime example is right in the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis.
Adam blamed the woman God gave him for his part in eating the forbidden
fruit (Gen 3:12) and Eve blamed the Devil for her part in the act (Gen 3:13).
It takes really big men and women to admit their culpability and say: The
buck stops here! No recriminations!

However, though God tempts no one to evil, He does put certain ones
through the ringer to see what they're made of-- even His own kin --to test
and/or prove their resilience to temptation; e.g. The Lord himself.

"Then was Jesus led up of The Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
Devil." (Matt 4:1)

"While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a
loud cry and tears, to the one who could protect him from death. And God
heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. So even though Jesus
was God's son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. (Heb 5:7
8)

In other words, a truly righteousness person retains their innocence in the
presence of temptation.

Criminals often gripe about entrapment when the cops catch them red
handed in a sting. But if the crooks were truly righteous, entrapment
wouldn't work on them.

Another popular excuse is enabling and/or product liability. For example
some folks insist it's God fault that Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden tree
because He put it in the garden where they could find it.

President Clinton was once asked in an interview why he messed around
with Monica Lewinski. He answered: Because I could. In other words: Ms
Lewinski wasn't a temptation; no, she was available, i.e. an opportunity.

And alcoholics blame their habit on genetic predilection.

I once heard it said that locks were invented to keep an honest man honest.
(chuckle) I think there's a lot of truth in that statement.

"Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires
lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So don't be misled, my
dear brothers and sisters." (Jas 1:14-16)
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Jas 1:19 . . Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger

I can't help but wonder how many Christian parents have children whom-- in
teaching them good manners --they taught that it's impolite to interrupt
when others are speaking, but yet allow themselves liberty to practice just
the opposite.

Anger per se isn't evil; I mean after all, The Lord himself wasn't immune to
anger (Mark 3:5). And neither is the Bible's God immune to anger. (Ex 4:14,
Num 11:1, Rom 1:18, Rom 2:8)

Non-sinful anger can be a valuable tool if it's administered intelligently.
However, human anger is often spontaneous, impulsive, unfair, unjustified,
inappropriate, irrational, unnecessary, controlling, violent, emotional,
petulant, selfish, and reactive.

"Man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (Jas
1:20)
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Jas 1:21 . .Therefore, get rid of all moral filth, and the evil that is so
prevalent; and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Christians are sometimes victims of a sort of knee-jerk reflex whenever they
encounter a word like "save". The koiné Greek word for it is sozo
(sode'-zo) which is an ambiguous word that can mean save, rescue, protect,
and/or spare.

Ambiguous words are not only a nuisance at times; but worse, they can be
misleading. James isn't talking about saving yourself from Hell and eternal
suffering by eliminating all moral filth and evil. No, that part of a believer's
association with God is past tense rather than future (John 5:24, Rom 6:3,
Rom 6:6, Gal 2:20, Col 3:3, 1Thes 1:10, 1Thes 5:9, 2Tim 1:9, Titus 3:5).

James is likely saying that piety can keep you out of trouble.

For example: people whose anger easily flares up are slaves to their anger
and enjoy far less peace than somebody whose anger is under control.

There's a guy up here in Oregon who founded a bread factory with his
brother that became very successful. You might know it as Dave's Killer
Bread. Well; Dave has rage issues. Dave's life was on easy street after his
parole; that is until he lost his temper and got in a bucket of trouble with law
enforcement.
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Jas 1:22 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do
what it says.

Some Christians need to hone-up on their spiritual grooming habits.

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man
who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently
into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not
forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he
does." (Jas 1:23-25)

NOTE: Jesus attached a really big blessing to compliance. (John 14:21-23)

I believe that "the perfect law that gives freedom" is the whole Bible from
cover to cover; as Paul said:

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction,
that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we
might have hope" (Rom 15:4).

He also told his friend Timothy that all Scripture is inspired by God, and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good work. (2Tim 3:16-17)

Back in those days "all Scripture" was pretty much limited to the Old
Testament. Today it includes the New Testament canon.

People who make a life-long habit of studying the Bible from cover to cover
for its spiritual content can't help but be improved by it a least a little bit.
The easiest, and the best way I know to do this is by listening to a ½ hour
program on radio called "Thru The Bible"; hosted by a now-deceased
minister named J.Vernon McGee.

His program takes five years to go through the entire Bible practically verse
by verse. The program loops; viz: when McGee gets to the end; the program
starts all over again. His method is pretty cool. When he gets done with an
Old Testament book, he starts one in the New Testament, and vice versa.
Program information is online at TTB.org
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Jas 2:1 . . My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ-- The
Lord of glory --with respect of persons.

The koiné Greek word for "respect of persons" is prosopolepsia (pros-o-pol
ape-see’-ah) which means: partiality.

Webster’s defines "partiality" as: partisan, prejudiced, biased, and/or
granting one person more value as a human being than another in regards
to particulars like age, race, gender, looks, size, education, intellect, bank
account, career, clothing, popularity, neighborhood, and social status.

"For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in flashy
clothing and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is low-income
and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat
to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there,
or else sit on the floor" --well, doesn’t this kind of discrimination show that
you are guided by wrong motives?" (Jas 2:2-4)

When I first began attending church as an adult back in the decade of the
1970's, my wardrobe consisted entirely of shirts and trousers that I bought
on the cheap at Value Village-- a popular second hand store on the west
coast the same as Salvation Army and Goodwill.

I never told anybody where I shopped, although I've no doubt that some of
the folk I encountered in church could tell that my fashions were a tad out of
date because there were some upper income people attending that looked a
whole lot nicer than me; but I figured: what the hay; I had as much right to
attend in my previously-owned clothing as they did in their untainted high
end threads. Some of them had gold watches too while I sported a simple
Timex with an imitation leather strap; and I drove an aging 1968 VW Beetle
that needed paint. You know, looking back on that era, I sometimes wonder
how many people avoided me without my knowing it because of all that.
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Jas 2:12 . . So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law
of liberty.

The law of liberty is different than the law of the covenant that Moses'
people agreed upon with God as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. That law is depicted in the New Testament as a law of
bondage rather than freedom. (Gal 5:1)

Within the context of James' epistle, the law of liberty-- a.k.a. Christ's law
(Rom 8:2) --judges Christians by how they treat other people in accord with
how Christ wants them to be treated in his name.

NOTE: There are Christians out there who are so uncivil, and so lacking the
milk of human kindness, that they would actually be doing Christ service by
not identifying themselves with him. Compare Mark 3:11-12 where Jesus
commanded some evil spirits to keep their mouth shut about his identity.
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Jas 3:1 . . Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you
realize that we will be judged more strictly.

I've seen people actually boast of leading a Sunday school class; as if the
position were an achievement. Let me warn those people about something.
If they accept a position to teach Sunday school for the prestige, their heart
is definitely in the wrong place; they are not fully aware of just how
frightening a responsibility it is to stand in for Christ and influence his sheep.
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Jas 3:13-18 . .Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter rivalry and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where rivalry and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of compassion and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The "seed whose fruit is righteousness" is oftentimes not sown in peace on internet forums; nor is it sown on internet forums by people who make peace. It's sown by flaming, competitive, assertive, confrontational people-- toxic, impulsive, mean-spirited personalities given to rejoinders, demeaning comments, recriminations and fault finding. And if there's a problem, it's never them; no, you are the problem, and for them; turning the other cheek is no longer in vogue.

Those kinds of people do not like to be wrong, nor can they even think of themselves as wrong, nor are they likely to admit when they're wrong because they're really not all that interested in the truth; but only in defending their version of the truth; viz: their truth is far more important to them than even the God's truth; and should you not accept their truth, then it's because you have no understanding and need to come to your senses. These people are neither wise nor gentle. They'll ride rough-shod over your feelings like a skate-boarder barreling through Autumn leaves on the sidewalk. It's just awful how little they care for the injuries their attitude and their choice of words cause others.

People who take it upon themselves to teach, preach, and/or discuss the Bible ought to be sensible, and they ought to exemplify the Gospel. They can't be doing it for the prestige, showing off, impressing their friends, and/or competing with a rival. They have to be honest and forthright. They have to have a heart, they have to be dedicated and reliable: they cannot be vacillating, they have to practice what they preach, and they cannot be sarcastic, obtuse, difficult, contrary, quarrelsome, snobby, pretentious, demeaning, domineering, despotic, assertive, confrontational, stubborn, pernicious, or pugnacious.

Christians that teach and/or discuss the Bible with others really ought to be someone they can trust, and someone with whom they may speak their minds without fear of reprisals instead of someone in whose presence everybody has to walk on egg shells all the time.
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Jas 4:7 . . So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will
shun you.

The Devil has the tactical advantage of being completely invisible, and no
more solid than the vacuum of space. So the human eye not only cannot see
the Devil, but human touch cannot feel him either. The Devil can't be
bumped into, he gives off no odor; he makes no sound, he takes up no
space.

The Devil rules in the world of men primarily by punching human nature's
buttons. There's your first clue in how to resist the Devil.

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the inclinations of the
flesh." (Gal 5:16-17)

Living by the Spirit isn't mysterious. All it really means is doing as God
wishes rather than permitting one's self to be manipulated by the impulses,
proclivities, predilections, and propensities of human nature. We can't stop
those forces of human nature from doing their thing any more than we can
stop our lungs from demanding we take breaths. But they can be suppressed
if one puts their mind to it.

"Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith." (1Pet 5:9)

The Devil has many allies, not only in the form of spirit beings, but also in
the form of ordinary human beings who agree with his ways without their
knowledge.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you
used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the
kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient." (Eph 2:1-2)

Among the disobedient are Christian teachers, preachers, and ordained
ministers (2Cor 11:14-5). It's fairly easy to avoid being hoodwinked by
cults; but not so easy to avoid being misled by bona fide Christian churches
and whatnot who are covertly working for the Devil. According to Eph 4:14,
they can be very convincing.

The point is: since we can't fight the Devil's kingdom on its own terms, then
the best defense is submission to God. Up to this point, I've listed a pretty
large number of Christ's commandments that, if complied with, will go a long
ways towards frustrating our No.1 adversary.
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Jas 4:8-10 . . Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be
tears for the wrong things you have done.

. . . Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of
laughter, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before The Lord
and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.
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Jas 4:11a . . Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.

The koiné Greek word for "speak evil" is katalaleo (kat-al-al-eh'-o) which
means: a traducer, a slanderer.

Webster's defines "slander" as: the utterance of false charges or
misrepresentations which defame and/or damage another's reputation
and/or a false and defamatory oral statement about a person; viz: libel.

Webster's defines "libel" as: 1) a written or oral defamatory statement or
representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression, and 2) a
statement or representation published without just cause and tending to
expose another to public contempt.

According to Webster's, a statement (or a photograph) need not be untrue
to qualify as libel. If the statement, and/or the photograph, is unnecessarily
denigrating and/or embarrassing to someone, though it be 100% true, then
it qualifies as libel.

There are some things we could say about others that, though true, aren't
necessary. For example, if you were to inadvertently see one of the ladies in
the office scratching an itch on her derriere; is it really necessary to go
blabbing about it all over the office? No; and in point of fact, to do so would
be libelous, not to mention possibly in violation of local labor laws banning
the fomentation of a hostile workplace; and these days, it could even be
construed as sexual misconduct. If that lady ever found out you were
blabbing about her derriere she might be so mortified as to make it difficult
for her to show up for work.

Some years ago when I was working as a welder/ship fitter in a family
owned boatyard on Shelter Island in San Diego, one of the boss' adolescent
sons came out on a skiff I was helping to construct. He remarked to one of
the men standing there, in my hearing, that I looked stupid.

Do I look stupid? Yes, I do. It's been a curse my entire life. If you were to
meet me, your first impression would be that I'm a lummox. Some people
look intelligent, and some people look just the opposite. I'm among the ones
who look just the opposite; and I was looking low-brow way before Weird Al
Yankovic came out with a rock parody in 1985 titled: "Dare To Be Stupid"

So then, what the boss' son said was true. But was it necessary? No; it was
thoroughly unnecessary, and in point of fact his thoughtless remark cut me
deeply; but what could I do? He was the boss' son. Anon, that boy grew up
to become one of worst cases of male vanity it has been my misfortune to
encounter in life. Though he came of a good family, the boss' son had the
nature of a churl; through and through.

"Words are weapons,
Sharper than knives."
The Devil Inside
Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence
INXS.
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There is only one law that followers of Christ are specifically asked to act upon, and that is love. The other laws stem from that, because the love of God is true, good, holy, just, and pure. In us it is a direct result of the Holy Spirit manifesting in us as believers in Christ. That's why you'll notice a lot of mature christians who have walked with the Lord for a long time naturally live out the "spiritual laws". Of course the devil will always try to twist and warp what "love" is to the world (As you'll see with LGTBQ). The pure love of God can not coexist with something that contains anything from man's fallen nature and be called his love. Remember the truth is always in the Bible. God is love, yes and he is also light so that means in him there is no darkness. NONE.

Hi FullyLoved, I agree, and so does the Bible For instance:


~Deut

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Jas 4:11b-12 . . He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother,
speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are
not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Someone is sure to jump to the conclusion that James is referring to Matt
7:1-5 but this has nothing to do with that. What we’re talking about here is
a kangaroo court which Webster’s defines as: (1) a mock court in which the
principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted, (2) a court
characterized by irresponsible, unauthorized, or irregular status or
procedures, and (3) judgment or punishment given outside of legal
procedure.

One way to speak evil of the law, and judge the law, is to misrepresent the
law by construing it to mean things it doesn't say in writing; in other words:
to overrule it and/or criticize the law as out of date.

When a group of beer buddies, and/or a coffee clutch of girl friends, get
together and rake somebody over the coals behind their back, those buddies
and girl friends are conducting a kangaroo court in which the evidence
presented is typically hear-say, feelings, thoughts, and impressions. I
believe the common colloquialism for that activity is "character
assassination."

Typically the accused is never informed of the trial, nor given an opportunity
to confront their accusers, nor are they granted the right to an appeal.
Sadly, yet all to commonly, once kangaroo courts reach a consensus, the
condemned person’s reputation among those kinds of “judges” is ruined
forever with no chance of repair.
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I should remind visitors-- though I'll likely be ignored--that this thread isn't a
forum; it's a blog. So I'd be very grateful if folks would kindly resist the urge
to abuse it as a venue for chit-chat, discussion, and/or debating.

Thank You.
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