Christ's Law

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● Heb 13:5b . . and be content with such things as ye have.

Since the writer connected this instruction 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.

But the thing is: Man isn't permitted to be a nuisance to us without their nefarious
intentions first clearing with God because even the Devil himself can't get to us
without first clearing with God. (e.g. Job 1:6-2:7, John 19:11, Luke 22:31) So it's
possible that some us are going to be very surprised to discover the quantity of ill
fortune that would've befallen us had not God blocked it.
_
 
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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, and 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 a Greek word that basically pertains to
someone or something with which Christians are unfamiliar, i.e. are uncomfortable.

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.
_
 
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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)

Also:

"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.

The word "exhortation" is taken from an ambiguous Greek word that also means
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)
_
 
.
● 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" because
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.
_
 
.
● Jas 1:9 . . Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position;

I can think of no higher position for commoners than as legal kin in God's family
circle.

"When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons.

. . And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
hearts, crying out: Abba! Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."(Gal 4:4-7)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." (Eph 1:3-5)

In my book, that beats an invitation to the White House any day of the year.

The Greek word translated "glory" basically 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)

NOTE: Abba is an Aramaic word for father but not as an ordinary noun; it's a filial
vocative. For example:

When my son points me out to one of his friends at the mall and says: That's my
dad over there. then his use of "dad" simply indicates how he and I are related. But
when he shouts: Hey dad, I'm over here! then his use of "dad" is a filial vocative
because he's addressing me personally to get my attention-- same noun; different
sense.
_
 
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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 financial power,
but God isn't influenced by wealth. No, with God wealth gets no red carpets, no
comps, and no VIP accommodations.

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 with
Him that is a really, really big accomplishment for elite types 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 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 demonstrate their
loyalty, e.g. Abraham (Gen 22:1-12) Job (Job 1:6-22) the Jews (Ex 15:23-25) and
Jesus. (Matt 4:1)

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 was naughty
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.

● Jas 1:14-16 . .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.
_
 
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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" pertains to all-around badness, i.e. depravity and malignity.

Christians are sometimes victims of a sort of knee-jerk reflex whenever they
encounter a word like "save". The Greek word for it is somewhat ambiguous and
can mean not only save, but also rescue, protect, and/or spare. Well; they say an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So putting James' words into practice
will go a long ways towards keeping one's self from falling prey to preventable
troubles.
_
 
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● Jas 1:22 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says.

Reading the Bible, listening to preachers, and taking notes is a good start but the
information only serves to prime one's walk.

"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)
_
 
.
● 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 translated "respect of persons" basically 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
a thrift store.

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.
_
 
.
● 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 an honor system instead of the legal system imposed by 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. 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 can endanger 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, i.e. he didn't need the likes of them advertising who
he was and/or what he was all about.
_
 
.
● 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. For that reason I routinely advise
Christians on internet forums to avoid telling people they're wrong lest the hapless
day arrive when the self-assured expert is forced to eat their words.

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

No, not all are teachers; nor do that many need to be. 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)
_
 
.
● 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, scolding,
recriminations and fault finding. And if there's a problem, it's never them; no, you
are the problem, and as 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, militant, 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.
_
 
.
● 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 can't see the Devil, but
human touch can't 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.

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

Living by the Spirit isn't mysterious. All it really means is doing as God expects
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.

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

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 unaware.

There are numbers of folks out there for whom the dark side is a serious problem;
and they are not easily rescued by quarrelsome Christians for whom every
disagreement is an act of war to be won at any cost; no matter how trivial.

● 2Tim 2:24-26 . . .The Lord's servant must not strive; but be gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, patient: in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that
they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive
by him at his will.

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 Christ's kingdom which, if complied with, will go a
long ways towards frustrating our adversary's attempts to degrade the quality
and/or effectiveness of our spiritual condition.
_
 
.
● 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; then His opinion of you will be greatly improved.

That seems to be targeting pretense, i.e. passing one's self off as a card-carrying
Christian while having little to no concern about putting Christianity's principles into
practice. In other words: not just regular sinners, rather, career sinners; Christians
for whom non compliance with Christ's expectations is a way of life.

"How can you believe if you accept approval from one another, yet make no effort
to obtain the approval that comes from the only God?" (John 5:44)
_
 

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