Bible Study Christ's Rules & Guidelines

[for_his_glory]

We are justified by the obedience of faith.


There is no other way to be justified.


But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Romans 16:26


It’s starts by obeying the Gospel, and it ends by walking according to the Spirit, which is also called obeying the truth.




JLB

Yes, obedient to faith through grace as we allow our faith to grow in the knowledge of Christ will we then learn to be obedient to His commands.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

[JLB]

IMO, I don't like using the word rules or regulations as it makes God sound like a ruling tyrant.

Laws, commandments, statutes and precepts are what He calls them.




JLB

 

[JLB]

Yes, obedient to faith through grace as we allow our faith to grow in the knowledge of Christ will we then learn to be obedient to His commands.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

The obedience of faith, is the principle of faith:

It’s how faith is made complete, and able to function, to produce the intended divine result of salvation, healing, justification or righteousness...



JLB

 

[JLB]

.
Acts 15:20 . . Abstain from promiscuity

Promiscuity typically refers to things like adultery, incest, shacking up, one night stands, sleeping around; viz: consensual forms of sexual immorality.

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God." (1Thess 4:3-5)
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Great thread topic brother.


I look forward to some good discussion from you and others in this thread.



JLB

 

[Dant02]

.
Rom 12:2 . . Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Christianity, when taken seriously, can't help but radically change the way, the what, and the how we think about things in this life and in the next.

Personal Bible reading is a good place to begin with Rom 12:2; however, the will of God isn't meant to be self-taught; it's meant to be instructed by teachers empowered by God for that specific purpose. (Rom 12:4-8, 1Cor 12:1-30)

"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"

According to that passage, the goal of God-given teaching is unity. Well, when Christians come together with differing perspectives-- debating and engaging in perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of anything --we're in danger of becoming divided and taking sides as rivals and intolerant bigots instead of unified. Like it's said: Too many cooks spoil the soup.

Sermons and Sunday school classes are Christianity's traditional sources of teaching. But there's radio programs too, e.g. Thru The Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. These days with radio, television, and the internet; God-given, Spirit-enabled teaching is wide-spread and readily available.

In centuries gone past, it was necessary to go where Christ's teachers were in order to hear them speak. Nowadays, they come to speak right where we are by means of electronic gadgets.
_

 

[JLB]

Personal Bible reading is a good place to begin with Rom 12:2; however, the will of God isn't meant to be self-taught; it's meant to be instructed by teachers empowered by God for that specific purpose. (Rom 12:4-8, 1Cor 12:1-30)

Not self taught, but taught by the Spirit; by the Lord Himself.


Of course we need to be discipled by Godly leadership, but we also must not rely on others to give what only the Lord Himself can impart.


Every child must first be fed by His parents, but the day will come when He should learn to feed himself.


The promise of the New Covenant is that the Lord will teach His people.


“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

• No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,

Again, there is a balance to all things, however we should be about studying to show ourselves approved.





JLB

 

[JLB]

According to that passage, the goal of God-given teaching is unity. Well, when Christians come together with differing perspectives-- debating and engaging in perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of anything --we're in danger of becoming divided and taking sides as rivals and intolerant bigots instead of unified. Like it's said: Too many cooks spoil the soup.

Too many cooks teaching from different “cook books”.


There is one cook book, and it’s called the doctrine of Christ.




JLB

 

[Nathan12]

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers...

Yes, these spiritual gifts are given for (a) helping the saints to mature as Christians ("the perfecting of the saints"), (b) equipping the saints to fulfill their ministries ("for the work of the ministry") and (c) the building up the church into a unified body demonstrating the love of Christ ("unto the edifying of itself in love"). Christ's ultimate goal through the giving of these gifts is that there be (a) unity of the faith within the church and (b) Christians prevented from being blown about by every wind of doctrine (spiritual stability).

Several things should be noted in this regard as per the New Testament:
1. These gifts must be within the context of a local church and must be encouraged in that context.
2. The spiritual gifts of apostles and prophets were limited to the Apostolic Age, and now we have the benefit of both apostles and prophets within the Bible.
3. Since the elders must "feed the flock and take oversight thereof" they must also have and use the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers effectively. This is not the same as having academic qualifications.
4. These gifts must be exercised according to the "measure" or "proportion" of faith that is given to those who have been called. So these men must know that they have been called for that service and serve in faith.
5. There must be a plurality of elders who are the shepherds and overseers, not a one-man ministry as we generally see. And their qualifications are clearly stated.
6. Women are not allowed to take the position of pastors and elders, nor preach and teach within the assembly, nor take authority over the church.

It will be evident from general observation that far too many churches have abandoned this New Testament pattern, and follow their own ideas about the way churches are constituted and ministered. We also have a few individuals out there claiming to be apostles and prophets today, and leading people astray.

 

[GodsGrace]

.
Acts 15:20a . . Abstain from food tainted by idols,

Here's the text of a common Christian prayer:

"Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ, Our Lord. Amen."

That prayer credits the providence of God for the nourishment on the table. Well; in the old Roman world, they sometimes credited the providence of a pagan deity for their nourishment. According to 1Cor 10:25-31, this is one of those don't ask situations; we'll get to that.
_

I believe Paul said it was permissible to eat any food.
Correct?

 

[GodsGrace]

.
Acts 15:20 . . Abstain from promiscuity

Promiscuity typically refers to things like adultery, incest, shacking up, one night stands, sleeping around; viz: consensual forms of sexual immorality.

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God." (1Thess 4:3-5)
_

The above would save a lot of young people from a lot of hurt.
Unfortunately, our young are not taught to respect their bodies and not even their soul or spirit. I believe the public school system has ruined our children.

 

[GodsGrace]

.
Rom 6:11 . . Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

"dead to sin" in this case doesn't mean Christ's sheep can't, won't, and/or don't sin (cf. 1John 1:8-10). It means that sin can no longer give God cause to slam them with the sum of all fears.

Rom 5:12-21 explains, in so many words; that Christ's believing followers are accounted as having gone to the cross with him similar to accounting them as having tasted the forbidden fruit with Adam. This principle is at the very core of Christianity's plan of salvation so it's important to get it.

In a nutshell: When Jesus went to the cross; he died for the sins of the world from first to last. That being the case, then when his believing followers went to the cross with him, they died for their sins from first to last. As a result: when the books are opened as per Rev 20:11-15, there will be nothing on record with which to charge them.

Rom 6:11 is an order, and Christ's believing followers are expected to obey it.

FYI: I can't speak for others of course, but my posts are systematic, beginning in the book of Acts and culminating in the book of Revelation.

This topic takes time; roughly 14 months. So, check in often because-- health and circumstances permitting --I'll do my best to post a bit of Christ's rules and/or guidelines every day including week-ends and holidays.

BTW: I've conducted this topic on several forums in the past. The last one that I completed in April of 2019 has thus far attracted 15,294 views, which tells me there's a lot of people out there in cyberspace who really want this.
_

This sounds too much to me like OSAS..... which means that once someone is saved, they could live however they want to and still be saved.

What you've written makes it sound just like that.
Jesus went to the cross...when we become born again all our sins are forgiven- PREVIOUS to this event. But then we are required to obey God and to follow His commandments.

I hear too many these days proclaim that they are not "UNDER THE LAW".

 

[GodsGrace]

.
Rom 6:12-13 . . Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

If I'm understanding John 5:24-25 correctly; Jesus spoke of a non-physical resurrection that his believing followers undergo in this life-- now --before they pass on.

It's a pretty good resurrection too because it doesn't rejuvenate ordinary life, rather; it's a step up to eternal life-- a superior kind of life that brings with it a change from human nature to divine nature. (2Pet 1:4)

Anyway, the point is: Christ's non-physically resurrected followers really should make an effort to walk as insiders who live in heaven rather than outsiders on their way to the other place. Political theorists like Niccolò Machiavelli would not recommend Christ's way of life of course because in this world, situation ethics are better; viz: the end justifies the means so long as the end, no matter how obtained, benefits the so-called greater good.

Well; to my knowledge, Machiavellian thinking doesn't fly in heaven so it's best for those "brought from death to life" to avoid it.
_

It sounds like you're speaking about belonging to the Kingdomof God. In Mathew 4:17 Jesus said: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand".

Repent: Change your direction.

 

[GodsGrace]

.
Rom 12:1 . . Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The Greek word for "sacrifice" technically refers to a victim; but it's not always applied that way. For example speaking well of God, doing good, and sharing are legitimate sacrifices. (Heb 13:15-16)

The sacrifice required by Rom 12:1 is a living sacrifice rather than deceased so Christ's followers don't have to martyr themselves in order to fulfill it; but their bodies do have to be holy in order to be accepted; which means avoiding things that defile their bodies like indecency, promiscuity, adultery, and LGBT stuff.

The Bible calls those avoidances "reasonable". In other words: Is it asking too much of Christ's followers to keep themselves pure?
_

To me present yourself a living sacrifice means that we are to do everything for the sake of God's will for us. Whatever we do we do for God.
Colossians 3:17

Making breakfast for children could be a work for God.
Driving someone to shopping could be a work for God.
Everything we do is like a living sacrifice for God.

 

[Christ_empowered]

The above would save a lot of young people from a lot of hurt.
Unfortunately, our young are not taught to respect their bodies and not even their soul or spirit. I believe the public school system has ruined our children.

hi. i wish i hadn't been subjected to the public school system. mine was...just another under-performing, not terrible well-funded, 0 tolerance (for most students...) place where...

some were deemed 'good enough' and had a great time...others were 'just another...' and had the average experience...

and others were labeled as 'losers' and 'probably wind up in prison' from a young age, and treated accordingly.

my experience was rough, because i was labeled a 'loser,' but i was in honors and my sat scores were higher than the 'cool kids,' but i was not considered 'good enough' and...blah blah blah. i managed to get out in 3 years instead of 4.

on a more general note, Sociologists have long considered schools (especially, but not only, the public schools) 'agents of socialization...' is another place where society teaches people how to act, what to believe, etc.

things were rough for me when i was in school...now, things are so rough, parents all over are complaining, except in the 'good schools' with more $$$ and such...

they seem to be doing OK, as one would expect. blah.

 

[Nathan12]

This sounds too much to me like OSAS..... which means that once someone is saved, they could live however they want to and still be saved.

That is a general misunderstanding, but according to Scripture it would mean that they were not truly saved.

TITUS 2
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

 

[Christ_empowered]

thanks for that, Nathan12. growing up in The Southland--where everybody got saved around 11-13 and almost no one seemed to be much changed as a result--I think it is probably time to rediscover the concept of 'genuine conversion.'

 

[GodsGrace]

hi. i wish i hadn't been subjected to the public school system. mine was...just another under-performing, not terrible well-funded, 0 tolerance (for most students...) place where...

some were deemed 'good enough' and had a great time...others were 'just another...' and had the average experience...

and others were labeled as 'losers' and 'probably wind up in prison' from a young age, and treated accordingly.

my experience was rough, because i was labeled a 'loser,' but i was in honors and my sat scores were higher than the 'cool kids,' but i was not considered 'good enough' and...blah blah blah. i managed to get out in 3 years instead of 4.

on a more general note, Sociologists have long considered schools (especially, but not only, the public schools) 'agents of socialization...' is another place where society teaches people how to act, what to believe, etc.

things were rough for me when i was in school...now, things are so rough, parents all over are complaining, except in the 'good schools' with more $$$ and such...

they seem to be doing OK, as one would expect. blah.

Yeah, but I'll be the "rich" schools teach harmful things to kids.
Most of us knew 30-40 years ago that teaching kids about "biology" would do them no good. Some things come naturally and don't require learning. Let's not go there...

 

[GodsGrace]

That is a general misunderstanding, but according to Scripture it would mean that they were not truly saved.

TITUS 2
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I agree with you.
It's others that don't.
As to them not being truly saved...
The problem is that they THINK they are.
We can't really discuss this beyond here....

 

[Christ_empowered]

Yeah, but I'll be the "rich" schools teach harmful things to kids.
Most of us knew 30-40 years ago that teaching kids about "biology" would do them no good. Some things come naturally and don't require learning. Let's not go there...

i mean...with 1 nearby district, in particular, the differences were -incredible-. the way the teachers treated the students, the AP opportunities, etc. of course...

my experience at that school probably would have been even worse, honestly. i heard stories, later, of how harsh they were on the poor and working class students, even on some from parts of the middle-class, and...

wow. just...wow. the term 'class warfare' comes to mind, it was so vicious.

and, honestly...if one accepts the "agent of socialization" concept, it makes sense. 'life isn't fair sometimes' springs to mind. see...

the kids from my hs mostly went on to be working class, some are in the middle class. there's far less room for error, for misbehavior, in the working class and even in the middle class than in the upper classes, so...

maybe that's what 0 tolerance was about? 'welcome to the real world,' i guess. i dunno. i just think...

especially now, and in the years to come...Christians who are able to homeschool might want to seriously consider it, that or perhaps a carefully selected private, Christian school (if possible).

 

[GodsGrace]

i mean...with 1 nearby district, in particular, the differences were -incredible-. the way the teachers treated the students, the AP opportunities, etc. of course...

my experience at that school probably would have been even worse, honestly. i heard stories, later, of how harsh they were on the poor and working class students, even on some from parts of the middle-class, and...

wow. just...wow. the term 'class warfare' comes to mind, it was so vicious.

and, honestly...if one accepts the "agent of socialization" concept, it makes sense. 'life isn't fair sometimes' springs to mind. see...

the kids from my hs mostly went on to be working class, some are in the middle class. there's far less room for error, for misbehavior, in the working class and even in the middle class than in the upper classes, so...

maybe that's what 0 tolerance was about? 'welcome to the real world,' i guess. i dunno. i just think...

especially now, and in the years to come...Christians who are able to homeschool might want to seriously consider it, that or perhaps a carefully selected private, Christian school (if possible).

The schools in Queens were good.
I just didn't like my kids learning some stuff they were teaching.
They went to Catholic schools from the 1st grade thru to high school. My son had picked a catholic university too, but he stopped going after a couple of years because he had found a good job. (He did finish and got a degree later on).

I'm not even talking about how kids get treated. I had a high school teacher that used to verbally abuse kids.

I don't like what they teach ... incl college.
I think it's harmful....