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Heb 13:4 . . Let marriages be highly valued: and the bed kept unsoiled; for
God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

There's a popular song going around with these words:

You don't own me,
I'm not just one of your many toys.
You don't own me,
Don't say I can't go with other boys.

The lyrics of that song-- originally recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963 --depict
a defiant girl standing up to a possessive boyfriend. Well; those lyrics may
be true for temporary lovers; but are very contrary to God's thinking when it
comes to marriage.

There is no Hebrew word for either husband or wife in the Old Testament.
No, the English words for husband and wife are derived from the presence of
gender-sensitive possessive pronouns; viz: her and his.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)

The Hebrew word for "wife" in that passage is 'ishshah (ish-shaw') which just
simply indicates a female; regardless of age. The possessive pronoun "his"
makes the 'ishshah somebody's wife. i.e. his woman.

It's the same both ways:

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of
the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and
he did eat." (Gen 3:6)

The Hebrew word for "husband" in that verse is 'enowsh (en-oshe') which
just simply indicates a mortal; viz: a guy, a male; regardless of age. The
possessive pronoun "her" makes the 'enowsh somebody's husband, i.e. her
man.

So the principle of possession is a key element in marriage; ergo: adulterers
have no right to share their bodies with lovers outside marriage without (at
the bare minimum) their spouse's full knowledge and consent.

"The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does;
and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body,
but the wife." (1Cor 7:4)
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Heb 13:5a . . Let your conduct be without covetousness;

Not all covetousness is prohibited; for example 1Cor 12:31 where Christians
are exhorted to eagerly desire certain spiritual gifts.

The Greek word in this instance refers to avarice; defined by Webster's as
excessive, or insatiable, desire for wealth or gain; viz: greediness and
cupidity.

Were an avaricious person asked how much and/or how many it would take
to satisfy them; their answer would no doubt be "more" because it's in their
nature to grasp.
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Heb 13:5b . . and be content with such things as ye have.

Since the writer connected this directive with avarice, I would have to say
his focus in this verse is on moderation; defined by Webster's as reasonable
limits and/or average; viz: avoiding extremes.

"He himself has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may
boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can Man do to me?"
(Heb 13:5-6)

Well, I should think thwarted domestic oil production, extravagant Federal
spending, runaway inflation, politicized business practices, the cancel
culture, lock-downs, a foreign collusion hoax, election fraud, insane
immigration policies, falsified science, a compromised Food and Drug
Administration, a Gestapo-style FBI, outlawing perfectly safe and useful
medications, creeping Socialism, Critical Race Theory, suppressing second
opinions, denying treatment, mandatory inoculations with experimental
vaccines, and perpetual masking easily demonstrate that even if Man can't
hurt me, he can certainly make a nuisance of himself.

* I lost an appreciable amount from my retirement account back in 2008 when
the housing bubble burst, and the market crashed due to the bankruptcy of
Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, and AIG; thus proving The Lord's words that
thieves break in and steal (Matt 6:49-21) and some of those thieves are
managing banks and innocent people's investments!

However, in spite of all those threats to my safety and my peace of mind, I
still believe in providence; i.e. The Lord will get me through it all somehow;
and so far so far so good.
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Heb 13:7 . . Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

The "leaders" of that particular verse refer to the ones who captained Moses'
people over the centuries; e.g. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David.
Elijah, Ezra, and Nehemiah; and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Micah; et al.

There was once an advertisement for a beer on television that said, in so
many words: "You only go around once in life. So grab all the gusto you can
get." Well; Christ's believing followers should not be thinking like that. They
don't go around once; the real gusto is yet to come.
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Heb 13:9 . . Do not be carried away by strange and varied teachings; for it
is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace rather than foods, through
which those who were thus occupied were not benefited.

The words "carried away" weren't translated from Greek words. They're
arbitrary insertions; viz: they're words that a translating committee penciled
into the English text so as to make the passage say what they guessed it's
supposed to be saying. Arbitrary insertions are pretty common and nobody
seems to fear they might be adulterating the Bible; though they can be
misleading at times so caveat lector.

The word "strange" is translated from the Greek word xenos (xen'-os) which
essentially refers to someone or something with which Christians are
unfamiliar, i.e. not cozy.

For example; though most Christians are familiar with the dietary laws
contained in the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God, Christ's
followers are under no obligation to comply with them for the simple reason
that those laws are contractual. Well; Christians per se, are not contracted
with God to comply with those laws. Hence those dietary laws amount to
"strange" teachings; viz: they're unchristian.

Now, what I find curious about Heb 13:9 is the fact that the anointing
spoken of in 1John 2:26-27 is supposed to steer those who have it away
from deception while at the same time aligning them with the truth. So then,
that being the case, then it's clearly possible for those with the anointing to
ignore its guidance and buy into strange and varied teachings.

Another thing we should probably emphasize is that according to 1Thess
5:19, it's possible to quench the anointing's guidance; viz: snuff it out like
one would snuff a candle so that it no longer produces light to illuminate
one's path: and that's not a good thing.

"This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that
God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have
fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice
the truth." (1John 1:5-6)
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Heb 13:16 . . And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such
sacrifices God is pleased.

Doing good and sharing are bloodless sacrifices; and in point of fact are far
more likely to be accepted by God than the death of birds and beasts.

In the first chapter of the book of Isaiah, God lambasted Moses' people for
bringing all the correct, God-mandated sacrifices to the Temple. Why?
Because those sacrifices were insulting while His people were not only
crooks; but also lacking the milk of human kindness. The sacrifices that God
preferred over and above the Temple offerings were the below:

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause
of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." (Isa 1:17)

"For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than
burnt offerings." (Hos 6:6)

So "doing good" consists of doing what's right, and seeking kindness and
fairness across the board for everyone; including the disadvantaged and the
disenfranchised.

The US Federal Government has been notoriously negligent in doing good by
its chronic failure to honor its treaties with Native Americans. Not long ago I
read in my local paper about 50 years of Federal foot-dragging in respect to
honoring its commitment to provide tribes situated along the Columbia River
with fishing villages to replace the ones that were obliterated due to
construction of The Dalles dam. Well; God takes note of that sort of thing;
nobody is getting by with anything.
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Heb 13:17 . . Heed those who lead you, and submit to them; for they keep
watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this
with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Christianity is not a democracy. No; it is a theocracy with a monarch at its
head-- a monarch who regards dissent and disobedience as heresy and
insurrection.

"Has The Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying
the voice of The Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed
than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and
insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry." (1Sam 15:22-23)

If perchance Christ's believing followers should find themselves under church
leadership that they cannot-- in all good conscience --respect, follow, and
obey; and/or simply cannot give their whole-hearted, unreserved support;
then it's time to abandon ship and move on rather than remain and rack up
negative points against themselves that will most certainly erode their
reward when they stand before the King for their personal evaluation.
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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 letter to Hebrews doesn't seem brief to me, but according to the author
it's a concise version of his thoughts, i.e. it's to the point; free of elaboration
and/or unnecessary details.

Christ's teachings per the epistles are sometimes regarded as guidelines
rather than rules. 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)
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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.

"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." (Jas 1:6-8)

Christians should never begin a prayer by saying "God; if you're out there".
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Heb 11:6 . . Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is

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 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. At the very least, I think the Lord's people should
exult in their good fortune to be an insider.

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh 8:10)
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Jas 1:10 . . The rich should glory in that he is made low:

Jesus once remarked that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The rich generally get above-average respect from the world due to their
riches, but God isn't influenced by wealth. No, with God wealth gets no red
carpets, no comps, and no VIP preferences; everyone is a commoner.

When the rich come before God with hat in hand and their heads down low
instead of held up high, then they have done something worthy of an
attaboy because that is a really, really big accomplishment for pampered
folk accustomed to better receptions.
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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 she in turn blamed the Serpent for her part in the act.
(Gen 3:13)

Although God tempts no one to evil, He does put certain ones through the
ringer to see what they're made of-- even His own friends --to test and/or
prove their loyalty; e.g. Abraham (Gen 22:1-12) Jesus (Matt 4:1) the Jews.
(Ex 15:23-25)

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

Another popular excuse is enabling. 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, viz: product liability.

Former US 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;

Some folks have a really bad habit of responding to others' comments,
suggestions, and remarks without first hearing them all the way thru.

"It is folly and shame to him who answers a matter before he hears it."
(Prov 18:13)

* I can't help but wonder how many Christian parents teach their children
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 God immune to anger. (Ex 4:14, Num
11:1, Rom 1:18, Rom 2:8)

Anger can be a valuable tool if it's administered sparingly and 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 . .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.

"moral filth and evil" in this case pertains especially to the wrong kind of
anger; which only leads to more and more actions the likes of which The
Lord cannot approve.

Christians are sometimes victims of a sort of knee-jerk reflex whenever they
encounter a word like "save". The 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". 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).

People whose anger easily flares up are slaves to their anger and enjoy far
less peace than somebody whose anger is under control: thus peaceable
souls succumb to temptation with much less frequency than angry ones. In
other words; the "save" we're looking at here is the kind that spares you the
difficulties that folks with anger issues often find themselves entangled.

"A quick-tempered man does foolish things" (Prov 14:17)
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Jas 1:22 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.

I think what he's getting at in that verse is a self-induced false impression of
ourselves, i.e. delusion; which in psychology is defined as a persistent false
belief regarding one's self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to
the contrary, viz: a conscious refusal to accept facts and/or reality.

"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, cf. John 14:21-23)
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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 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 similar to 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
at church avoided me without my knowing it because my appearance and
my vehicle offended their sensibilities.
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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 per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. That law is depicted in the New Testament as a law of
bondage rather than freedom. (Gal 5:1)

A law of bondage makes iron-clad demands and stipulates penalties for non
compliance. A law of liberty requests your willing cooperation rather than
demanding obedience against your will. A law of liberty allows for dissent
and conscientious objection, whereas a law of bondage is often intolerant
of both.

In a nutshell; non compliance with the law of bondage endangers one's self
with any one of the curses listed at Lev 26:14-39, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut
28:15-68 whereas non compliance with the law of liberty doesn't.

Anyway: within the context of James' epistle, the law of liberty-- i.e. the
liberator's law (Rom 8:2) --judges Christians by their treatment of other
people in accord with how Christ wants them to be treated in his name.

* There are Christians out there who are so uncivil, so militant, so
uncompromising, so implacable, so irritable, 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 no doubt there will be some very embarrassed Christians when the day
arrives it's discovered they propagated heresy and didn't know it simply
because they were presumptuous instead of Spirit-enabled.

"Are all teachers?" (1Cor 12:29)

No, not all are teachers. Only some are teachers and the rest of Christ's
believing followers are supposed to be students, i.e. disciples.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith" (Eph 4:11-13)

So don't put yourself at risk unless you know for sure what you're doing.
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