Christ's Law

[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:6-7 . . Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: The
people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.

The Bible doesn't provide much detail at Ex 32:1-6 as to what went on in camp
while Moses was up on the mountain. But one thing we know for sure is that there
was a golden calf; and the "eat and drink" to which the apostle refers was a ritual
where people sacrificed to the calf and afterwards consumed the sacrifice as an act
of communion with it; as a sort of unlicensed Passover celebration:

The Hebrew word translated "play" in Ex 32:6 is somewhat ambiguous but it's the
same word at Gen 26:8 where Isaac's conduct with his wife Rebecca strongly
suggests something more than merely athletics. In other words: the play going on
in Ex 32:6 could very well have been a full-on cult orgy; and probably was.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:8 . . Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and
fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

That event took place at Num 25:1-9. The fornication he's talking about wasn't
believers with believers. It was believers with unbelievers. In other words; Christ's
followers need to avoid getting romantic with unbelievers lest unbelievers lead his
followers down the primrose path into something shameful and very unbecoming.

"Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character." (1Cor 15:33)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:9 . .We should not test The Lord, as some of them did-- and were slain
by snakes.

That event took place at Num 21:5-9.

The obvious lesson is that it's risky to complain about the quality, the quantity, the
nature, and/or the absence of God's providence.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:10 . . And do not grumble, as some of them did-- and were killed by
the destroying angel.

That incident took place at Num 14:2-38. The "grumbling" grew into a pretty large
anti-God protest. Anon it became violent and within a hair's breadth of culminating
in Joshua's and Caleb's assassination. That was a very grave moment in Israel's
history.

Anyway, Moses' people were of the opinion that God had led them out of the frying
pan into the fire by assigning them an impossible task; one that would result in
everybody's deaths had they attempted to obey His orders; viz: a suicide mission.
Joshua and Caleb tried to convince them it wasn't a suicide mission; and that with
God on their side; they would not only survive; but easily succeed. They refused to
listen; and thus became resolutely insubordinate.

Now; the obvious fatal error in their thinking was simply a lack of belief that God
would assist them to conquer the land. In point of fact, they didn't believe God was
able to in spite of all His amazing displays of supernatural power in rescuing them
from Egyptian slavery; and that's what made their unbelief all the more
inexcusable. Most of us today have never seen God in action; we've only heard tell
of His exploits; but Moses' people were eyewitnesses.

Putting this in a modern context:

New Christians are often led to believe that accepting Christ will improve their
mood and remedy their circumstances. Well; apparently somebody neglected to tell
them that they would first have to knuckle down and live a life pleasing to both God
and Christ. (John 14:23, John 15:11, Rom 12:1-2)

I'm sure you can see how easy it would be for a new Christian to become
disillusioned, disappointed, and somewhat bitter at being seemingly tricked into
trusting something that turns out to be too good to be true-- then they get to
complaining that a number of Christ's commandments are too difficult; nobody can
keep them so what's the point in even trying.

Well; that complaint is reasonable, I'll admit; but it's also insubordinate; and
worse; it's contagious. If they want to give up trying to comply with The Lord's
expectation; fine, just so long as they don't kindle large-scale rebellion in the ranks
that results in taking an entire congregation down with them.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:11-12 . .These things happened to them as examples and were written
down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you
think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

The Old Testament has given Christians a tremendous advantage. It tells them
what sells with God's people and what doesn't, so to speak.

Communism, cultural revolutions, book burning, and Islamic fanatics etc, have thus
far failed to eradicate the Bible; which is very fortunate because without a
knowledge of His people's history, God's modern-day followers would find it very
easy to repeat their mistakes.

Moths that circle too close to the flame sometimes end up scorching their wings.
That's an old proverb that pretty much echoes Paul's warning. Christians should
never think that their favored position in Christ's body somehow insulates them
from God's oversight.

The substandard compliance of Moses' people with God's expectations didn't bring
about their return to Egypt; no, "once saved always saved" applied to their rescue
from Egypt just as it applies to our rescue from sin and its ultimate consequences.
However, their conduct did cause them to "fall" that is: fall out of favor with God.

That's a risk even for Christ's followers whose destiny in heaven is a sure thing;
iron clad and set in concrete. The good shepherd's sheep will never again be in
danger of eternal suffering; but they are always in danger of losing out on the
benefits of providence due to conduct unbecoming.

"If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept
my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:10)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:14 . .Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

There's that word "flee" again; which in many of its applications in the New
Testament means to run for your life.

There's more to idolatry than just bowing and/or praying to sculptures, shrines, and
paintings. It's possible to be an idolater without even being especially religious.

"Don't be greedy for the good things of this life; for that is idolatry." (Col 3:5)

Greed then, is one of the characteristics of an idolater. In other words: idolatry is
both a personality disorder and a religious issue. Even atheists qualify as idolaters if
they have a greedy personality; e.g. Wall Street's investment bankers and
commodities traders. Their "golden calf" is capital gains

It's okay to want the good things in life: after all; God has given us richly all things
to enjoy (1Tim 6:17). It's the insatiable desire for good things that makes people
idolaters; in other words avarice; which is never content; no, avarice always wants
more, more, more, more, and then some. Nowhere is that more rampant than
corporate practices that walk over the dead bodies of their employees if that's what
it takes for a better quarterly report.

I'm not exaggerating. Made-in-China outlet WALMART used to take out life
insurance policies on its employees-- not for the families; but for itself. In other
words; it named itself the beneficiary so that when an employee died, the big-box
chain recovered some of the wages and benefits they had to pay the employee
while they were on the job.

The policies are called COLI-- corporate-owned life insurance. But they're better
known in the insurance industry as "dead peasant" and/or "dead janitor" policies.
WALMART isn't the only big business doing this sort of thing. An attorney for the
Hartford Life Insurance Co. estimates that one fourth of the Fortune 500 companies
have them; which cover the lives of between 5 million and 6 million workers.

COLI policies seem to me a ghoulish way to make a buck; but then it shouldn't
surprise us that idolaters have no soul to speak of seeing as how they revere
profitability rather than God.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:24 . . Nobody should seek only his own good, but also the good of
others.

That's not saying it's wrong to seek your own good; just wrong to seek it at the
expense of another's good; viz: selfish ambition might be an acceptable modus
operandi in professional sports, politics, and big business; but it's totally
unacceptable in one's association with fellow believers for whom Christ died.

And there's nothing new in that; I mean after all; it's just another way of
expressing the so-called golden rule; which states: "All things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." (Matt 7:12)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:25-26 . . Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions
of conscience, for the earth is The Lord's, and everything in it.

(The human conscience has an intrinsic inclination to feel guilty where no real guilt
exists; which is no doubt due to the forbidden fruit incident depicted in the 3rd
chapter of Genesis.)

One of the Greek words translated "lord" in the New Testament is despotes (des
pot'-ace) from which we get our English word despot; defined by Webster's as a
ruler with absolute power and authority.

A percentage of the meat sold by vendors in Corinth was either blessed by, and/or
dedicated to, pagan deities. Paul instructed his friends to avoid asking which was
which since it doesn't matter to God if the foods Christians ingest are religiously
tainted without their knowledge: and since it's The Lord's earth, then if He says it's
okay; then it's okay; but again, only if we're unaware of the meat's religious
significance; so don't awaken a sleeping tiger.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:27-29 . . If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat
whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone
says to you "This has been offered in sacrifice" then do not eat it, both for the sake
of the man who told you and for conscience' sake-- the other man's conscience, I
mean, not yours.

If we go ahead and dine in someone's home knowing in advance the food is either
dedicated to, or blessed by, a pagan deity, or that when they say grace around the
table it will be to a god other than our own, or to a sacred personage that we do
not accept; then our host is quite possibly going to come to the conclusion that his
religion is just as valid as ours if we don't decline.

But please, when declining; be kind, gentle, thoughtful, tactful, and diplomatic
about it, i.e. considerate of the other person's feelings about their religion just as
we wish for them to be considerate of ours; especially here in the USA where
religious tolerance is normally regarded as good manners, i.e. civil.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Cor 10:31 . . So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God.

One of the meanings of the Greek word for glory is "honor" which in this case can
be defined as conducting one's self in a manner that's thoughtful of the principles
and moral values of someone admired and/or held in high esteem; for example:

"Be followers of God, as beloved children." (Eph 5:1)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:8a . . If your gift is to encourage others, then do so.

Developing children benefit from encouragement in a big way. Thoughtless adults
can destroy a young child's fragile spirit by criticizing them all the time and never
once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote of confidence.

A very charming example of this was acted out in an old movie wherein Spencer
Tracey played Thomas Edison. In a scene, he tasked a young boy with carrying his
freshly completed prototype of an electric light bulb upstairs to the lab for testing.
The boy stumbled on the stairs, and the bulb was ruined.

So Tracey made another and tasked the same boy with taking it upstairs again.
Tracy's assistants protested that the boy dropped one bulb already; but Tracey
handed him the precious prototype and said: He won't drop this one. And the boy
didn't because Tracey believed in that kid.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up somebody's
resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing, then watch for
opportunities to do so. It has to be honest though because leaving people with a
false impression of themselves is all the same as treachery, and sets them up for
disappointment.

"Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet." (Prov 29:5)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:8b . . If you have money, share it generously.

"generously" is translated from a Greek word basically meaning simplicity, which
can be construed as innocence and/or naivete. In other words; sharing one's wealth
without expecting reciprocity and/or gaining an advantage. To the pragmatic mind,
that kind of generosity is a poor investment, i.e. it's like throwing money out the
window.

For example: contributions to a political candidate's campaign fund typically aren't
motivated by generosity, whereas contributions to a charitable agency like
Samaritan's Purse and/or a local rescue mission are because folks benefiting from
those contributions are so powerless, and so disadvantaged, that there's nothing
worthwhile to be gained by offering them assistance.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:8c . . If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility
seriously.

A natural aptitude for church management doesn't count. It has to be God-given;
that is: a legitimate Spirit-endowed ability. (cf. Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:4-11, 1Cor
12:27-30)

There are far too many people sitting on church boards merely because they're a
success in business. Well; if your church is a commercial enterprise; then maybe
you should think about finding another one.

God-given leadership ability is spoken of as a "responsibility". In other words; it
should never be taken as an achievement. I just hate it when City, State, and
Federal government officials celebrate their positions as something they won as if
taking the gold in a spelling bee and/or a gymnastic event.

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He that ruleth over men
must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2Sam 23:3)

Too many of the men and women in power do not rule in the fear of God; and
rather than morally upright with their fellow man's best interests at heart, they are
often Machiavellian instead.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:8d . . If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

This particular gift relates to sympathy and compassion; which are emotions, i.e.
feelings.

Well; the problem is: we have very little, if any, control over those kinds of
feelings; and I think we too often resent people for touching our soft spot and
tugging at our heart strings, a.k.a. pushing our buttons.

The ability to show kindness is referred to as a gift. I think most folks, given the
option, would prefer the gift of tongues over the gift of kindness because the one is
merely a skill whereas the other makes us sensitive to need; which at times can be
both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on
him, how can the love of God be in them?" (1John 3:17)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:9a . . Don't just pretend that you love others.

The Greek word translated "love" basically pertains to benevolence rather than
affection and/or fondness.

Benevolence is defined as acts of kindness and/or generosity.

Pretense is defined as fiction, make-believe, and/or simulation.

Anyway, talk is cheap and, like it's said: Put your money where your mouth is, i.e.
if we sincerely believe that benevolence is a Christian virtue, then we ought to
practice it for real rather than merely giving it our vote of approval.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:9b . . Hate what is evil.

Hating evil is second nature to God-fearing people; or at least it should be.

"You who love The Lord: hate evil." (Ps 97:10)

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless
and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." (Job 1:1)

"The fear of The Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the
perverted mouth, I hate." (Prov 8:13)

I think it's fair to say that when somebody hates the same things that God hates,
and loves the same things that God loves; the two of them have the makings of a
meaningful rapport: defined by Webster's as a friendly, harmonious relationship--
especially a relationship characterized by agreement, mutual understanding, or
empathy that makes communication possible and/or easy.

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord appeared to him and said: I am
God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless." (Gen 17:1)

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

NOTE: Lukewarm is a state between love and hate; for example Rev 3:14-16 where
The Lord expresses his disgust with certain folks' lack of interest relative to his
preferences, viz: they're neither compliant nor non compliant: they just don't care.
He'd much rather those folks take a stand one way or the other rather than be so
cotton-pickin' indifferent.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:9c . . Cling to what is good.

Good in the world of humanity is typically relative and flexible. For example there
was a time when it was good science to question vaccines for their effectiveness
and their side effects and/or suggest alternative treatments. That kind of science
became evil during the Covid crisis.

The Greek word translated "cling" speaks of adherence; and it's pretty much the
same meaning as the Hebrew word in Gen 2:24 relative to a man and his wife
where it's assumed from Gen 2:18 that clinging infers support and dependence.

The thing is: for safety's sake, it's very important for Christians to find out what
God thinks is good rather than going with the flow of one's culture. (Rom 12:2,
1John 3:22)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:10a . . Love each other with genuine affection

The Greek word translated "love" basically refers to fraternal feelings; which goes
beyond things like courtesy, kindness, consideration, and charity, etc. Those things
exhibit civility which is a non affectionate love; in other words: being nice to people
without necessarily liking them isn't the love we're looking at here.

Rom 12:10a is not an easy command to obey because it requires the emotions of
fondness and affection, i.e. actually liking one's fellow Christians as opposed to only
being nice to them.

Real affection is easy to imitate, but not so easy to duplicate. Going through the
motions is just not the same as feeling the feelings.

** There are people in this world who, by nature, are affection-challenged. They
can't even feel anything for their own children, let alone other people. For them,
parenting is a nightmare rather than a dream come true. Their children are a
burden rather than a blessing. Children ruin those parents' lives instead of
brightening them up and making their lives more worth the living.

However, affection-challenged people aren't defective beyond repair because
Christianity isn't entirely a do-it-yourself religion; it's also a supernatural religion;
viz; part of the plan of salvation is regeneration.

"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit, who
lives in you." (Rom 8:11)

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day
by day." (2Cor 4:16)

A heads up to affection-challenged people: fraternal love is inconvenient. It will
make you a better human being, but it will also make you pretty uncomfortable at
times too because this love gets into your gut and makes you emotional, sensitive,
compassionate, and sympathetic.
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:10b . . Honor others above yourselves.

Christians infected with narcissistic personality disorder will find that rule difficult, if
not impossible, to obey. NPD is a mental condition characterized by a grandiose
sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, exploitive behavior in
relationships, and a lack of empathy.

Narcissistic people are by nature insufferably arrogant, self-absorbed, indifferent,
and insensitive. They see nothing wrong with their behavior, nor are they attuned
to its impact on others. Were you to confront narcissistic folk with your concerns
about their attitude; be prepared for a counterattack because they'll no doubt
become indignant and defensive; possibly accusing you of selfishness, jealousy,
overreaction, hysteria, and unloving behavior. You see; they're never the problem:
you are.

As I was watching a recent series on the National Geographic channel about
geniuses; it became readily apparent to me that people in the genius category
crave recognition. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso are two very good examples.
Their contributions to art and science were secondary to their ambitions for
greatness. I wouldn't say that all geniuses are like that of course, but apparently
the desire for greatness is not uncommon among the gifted genre.

I should think that most alpha achievers would have trouble complying with Rom
12:10b too. I mean. why be a winner if not to feel superior? The alpha achiever's
motto is: It's not enough to succeed: everyone else must fail.

Feelings of value are important to everyone's sense of well being, but the narcissist
and the alpha achiever sincerely believe only themselves to be of any real value. In
their mind's eye, those inferior to themselves are of little worth, i.e. expendable
and/or a dime a dozen. (cf. Est 6:6, Matt 27:26, Mark 12:38 39, and 3John 1:9)
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[Olde Tymer]

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● Rom 12:11a . . Be not slothful in business; fervent in spirit

According to its use in Matt 25:26-27, the Greek word for "slothful" indicates failure
to honor one's fiduciary responsibilities.

In other words: when people have put their trust in you, in whatever capacity or
circumstance: do not disappoint them, nor (God forbid) make lame excuses for
failing to deliver on your commitments.

"fervent in spirit" sort of means on fire-- i.e. earnestly dedicated and/or committed
--which is just the opposite of half-hearted, lukewarm and/or stone-walling and
procrastination.
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