Introduction-Of God and Man



Christian: What Does it Mean?By Ethan VanAernamDedicationTo my best friend, Garrett Oppel, thank you for keeping me sharp.Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17To my wife Lindsey, thank you for encouraging me to continue to grow in my faith.Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12To the pastors, teachers, and mentors that have equipped me for the faith: Mike Mura, Howard Lawler, Dr. Dave Earley, Todd Terpstra, Janine Guadagno, Barrett Johnson, David Anderson.All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17Introduction-Of God and ManEvery Christian, whether a new believer or a seasoned one, should desire a deeper relationship with God. We have likely heard the term “relationship with Christ,” but do we really know what that means? The problem is that no one really tries to explain it. It’s not that they try to avoid telling people, but more that it is difficult to put into plain terms. This book seeks to give a satisfying answer.Picture several relationships you have with other people. Specifically think about good relationships, ones that are growing and in which you enjoy a closeness with the person. Think about what makes those relationships work. We likely talk to them often. We might confide things to them and share secrets. Those closest to us help us when we are going through hard times and when we succeed. We joke, we laugh, we cry. They see the good and the bad and they stay. They may even correct us when we need it. When we really draw close to family or friends we want to make them happy. We think about what they desire or need and try to do it. In a relationship, the more we love someone the less we make it about ourselves. We seek to learn more about them and spend as much time as we can with them. Are there relationships like this in your own life? These are the marks of a good relationship, and they apply in our relationship to God. In any earthly relationship we will often be disappointed. We all have relationships where we were hurt. Some have had traumatic experiences that we cannot even grasp. It is all too easy to let these relationships affect how we view God. Parents can be abusive, friends may abandon, and siblings may simply walk away. However, God will not walk away. He is perfect. He will not abuse or abandon, but instead pursues us even when we seek our own sinful desires. He loves us more than any person ever can.There are a couple of characteristics of God we must consider. God is personal, seeking to talk to us and grow us, but He is also holy. God holds all power, knows all things, and is everywhere. When we dwell on the person of God we ought to be awe struck by His majesty. This is the God who made everything and sustains all things. The Old Testament captured many moments where men came into the presence of God and each time they felt their own weakness. The glory, power and character ought to bring us to reverent worship of God. This is what makes a relationship with God so amazing. The God who created all things, sustains all things, holds all power and knowledge, and is everywhere has chosen to make Himself personally know to weak people who are prone to fail. He is perfect while we struggle endlessly, and yet He wants to be in a relationship with us. Few of us like relationships where we give more than we receive, and yet God gives everything and we can give nothing, and He seeks relationship with us. This knowledge should blow our minds! At the very least, it should move us to praise God.We many be tempted to think, ‘How can I do the same kind of stuff with God that I do with a person?’ There is dangerous assumption there, as if because God is not a physical human being there is no way to interact with Him. That is false. We interact with God all the time and forget He is not stuck up in heaven. At times God can feel distant and we often feel as if He is not there, but that is our attitude and not fact. Often, it is our own unconfessed sin that comes between us and God. God is always there and always ready to be close to us, but often we are not engaging Him. Like any relationship, it is easy to blame the other person, unlike any other relation though God is perfect and the blame rests squarely on us. There are many ways we interact with God, and we must be conscious of them so that we can improve them. That is how any relationship grows.The first thing we think of when talking about a good relationship is likely communication. Then, unsurprisingly when we think about God we take a pause to try and see how that really works with Him. Obviously, we do not sit across a table from God and hold a conversation, but does that mean we do not communicate? Can God talk to us? Yes. How? Through the Bible, through circumstances, and through others. The Bible is God’s word to all people and as such reading it the same as hearing God speak. In the same way, when we listen to teachers and preachers present the word of God we are also hearing. God speaks to us, and we need to listen to Him. Listening involves reading His words and applying what God has asked us to.The truth is that God speaks far more abundantly than any of us realizes. The problem is that we often do not listen. We do not take the time to listen to God, or worse we try to lie to God, pretending that we can keep secrets from Him. The worry and noise of a busy world drowns out much of what God says. Yet, if we slow down and focus that still small voice grows into a resounding shout that we cannot ignore. God talks to us every day, we must discipline ourselves to hear it. ‘Ok,’ we might think, ‘God can talk to us, but can we really talk to Him?’ The simple truth is that we can talk to Him, and we do this through prayer. In prayer, we talk to God and believe it or not He listens. He hears all we say (see 1 John 5:14). For most people, prayer seems like a request list that never gets an answer. It needs to be noted that God does answer our prayers, but sometimes the answer is no. When we pray for something and it does not happen that is God telling us no, or just not right now. They are not unheard or unanswered. A second point needs to be brought up as well. There is far more to prayer than just requests. Paul points this out in Ephesians 6:18 “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request.” He has 2 categories, every type of prayer and requests. Looking at Jesus’ life we see some different prayers. He often thanked the Father and in His last moments before He was arrested He poured out His heart and mind. God is like that close friend we talked about earlier. We can tell Him anything and honestly we should tell him everything. I often pour out all that is on my heart and present it to God. It is after such prayer that I feel God’s peace. This is the peace Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:6-7 and nothing compares to it. Prayer can often be difficult, but the good news is there are many resources that can help. Look at the resource list at the back for more details.Hopefully we believe that we can communicate with God, and that He communicates to us. However, there is another part to prayer. Another thing we pointed out in good relationships was time spent together. Prayer is spending time in God’s presence. Through Jesus we have access to the Father and we sit in His presence. Again, if we love someone we seek to spend time with them. The more we come to know and love God the more we will want to pray. I am not saying we will magically begin praying all the time and never get distracted. I love prayer and yet I often get distracted by something and before I know it I am going to bed and have not prayed. Things always come up, but just like we would make time for a spouse or loved one, we must also make time for God. We need to make that time, keep that time, and protect that time intentionally. If we do not we will become burnt out, anxious, and stressed. By the way this is personal experience talking and it really is not a fun place to be, trust me. Every time I have let my prayer life be interrupted, or thought I was too busy to pray, things always got worse. The less I pray the more I fear the future. The less I pray the more angry and agitated I become. Without prayer, I become a far worse person. God works on my heart and faith when I pray.We have seen that we talk with God, we spend time with God, that leaves only one more thing that is natural and necessary to good relationships, seeking to serve the other person. Think about close family, friends or a significant other. When we really care, we tend to help them clean, or buy them gifts, or help them in other ways. We look for things we can do that will make them happy. No longer is it just about us, but about that other person as well. If we are said to love God, then shouldn’t we look to do what will make Him happy? What is it that makes God happy? 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.” God desires our love and attention and if we love the things of this world we do not really love God. John has more to say in 3:23-24, “Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us.” When we keep God’s commands we show that we love God, because we care about what He desires. We must realize that we were made to be in relationship with God. As we draw close to Him we begin to share in His glory. We cannot be in this kind of relationship with God without desire to play the part He has for us. Are you at that point? Are you experiencing God’s love and glory? Or are you unsure? If this is the case, then I urge you to take a deep look at yourself through the words in this book, but don’t stop there, also seek God in pray and ask Him to reveal your heart.Chapter 1-I AM THAT I AMWe cannot hope to understand what it means to be a Christian if we do not know who God is. We cannot figure out God on our own, He is beyond us. God had to reveal Himself to us which He does through His word. His ultimate revelation was coming as a man, God with us. Many people will tell you that we cannot know God, and in a sense that is true. But thanks be to God that He revealed Himself. No other religion has this. In no other religion can you know your God, know what He desires, and have a relationship with Him.If we want to know God we must read His whole word, it is all about Him. Even as complex as all of this is, God summarizes all that He is in one name. In Exodus 3 Moses asks who is sending him and God answers I AM WHO I AM. What does that mean? What He is saying can almost be heard like this, I am God. Who are you, I am me. That doesn’t sound like answer to us does it? If I say I am Ethan, you will go yes but who is Ethan? That is not the case with God. Sinclair Ferguson explains this well. He points out that our attributes, or our character, is separate from our essence or being. What does that mean? Well I can be loving, but suffer some evil and become bitter instead. My character has changed, but not my essence. I am still Ethan. They are two separate things for us, but not for God. God’s character is His essence. God does not have goodness, he is goodness. God does not have holiness, He is holiness. Like Ferguson I could go through the laundry list of the attributes of God saying the same thing on all of them. God is God. That is what is meant here. By definition the being who can be called God must possess all these things. By definition God is goodness and holiness. By definition God is all powerful, all knowing, all present. All of the attributes of God are necessary to be God. If even one is missing, then that is not God. So when God says I am God He is saying all these things. The complexity of God is put into one simple truth, God is God. Just by saying He is God we know just who He is. We know His character and His power. Books upon books have been written about God, about His attributes, and all of them can be concisely summarized as God is God. And since God is God He deserves our worship, our obedience, and our devotion. The church exists by God, for God. There is no greater motivation or reason than this. That is the name of our God, the sweet name that is so simple and yet infinitely complex.We cannot know what a Christian is if we do not know who God is. By nature of being God He deserves all worship, praise, and honor. We have no standing before Him and He does not owe us anything. It would be fair and just to leave us in our sin, it is what we deserve. And yet, God’s love and mercy prompt Him to act, not because He needed to, but because He choose to. He took our sin and died for it. Jesus was separated from the Father, and bore all our sin and took the full wrath they deserved. How can we look on God and not be filled with wonder and love? This ought to shake us to our core every time we think about it. Jesus made us right with God and by His blood we are declared not guilty. What could deserve more love and praise than this? God is our Father, He has adopted us, and we have the privilege of a relationship with Him, hallelujah and amen. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who loves God and does His will.This chapter merely skims the truth of God. We know God more as we read His word and draw near to Him in prayer. This chapter is small, but absolutely crucial to understanding the rest of the book. We can be tempted to rush along and fell we know who God is but fight that temptation. Read these words again and dwell on our God. Chapter 2-Who We AreI wanted to start this chapter by clarifying who I am writing for. This whole book is written to those who claim Christ in at least some way. If you are not a believer I will take a moment to apologize. Much of what is in this book may be confusing or seemingly irrelevant for you. There are plenty of good books to give you the arguments for God based on evidence external from the Bible, one of which is Making Sense of God, by Timothy Keller. If you have absolutely no belief in God then I would suggest starting there, as it is much better for this purpose. You can also check the resource list in the back of the book for more books to read as well. My purpose in writing this book is to inform new believers, and those who claim Christ about what God desires of us. That being said, the first place we need to start is identity. This is not what we think we are, or what society thinks we are, but what God tells us we are.If we truly want to know what God thinks of us and who He says we are, then we must turn to the Bible. It is important to understand that God does not view us as sinners any longer. This does not mean that we never sin, only that sin is no longer our identity. In John 3:17-18 we are told that if we believe in Him we are not condemned. Not only are we no longer condemned, but Romans 5:1 tells us that we are at peace with God. Along with these two facts we are also told that we live in Jesus (John 6:53-58). We are alive in Jesus because He has given us the truth, and that truth has set us free (John 8:31-32). We are no longer condemned and now live through Jesus. We have become the dwelling place of God (John 14:15-18, 23 indwelt by God, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Colossians 2:10 tells us we are filled with Christ. All of this is made possible because we are no longer the same, but we are new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20). Since we are created in Christ, made alive through Him, and dwelt in by the Holy Spirit, then we will follow and obey Jesus. John 10:4-5 says that we will follow his voice.How does all this happen? How is it that our sins are removed from us? We all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the sin brings death (Romans 6:23). God is God, and He is holy. Holy means that He cannot let any sin in His presence. Therefore, the only way to fix our problem is to remove sin. Then we are told that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Someone had to pay the price in blood, but not just anyone. Throughout the Old Testament in the laws God gave Israel there is a universal call for unblemished animals. This foreshadowed the one to come. Only a perfect life could pay the price for all of our sins (individually and collectively). Jesus came and lived in perfect righteousness and then died to pay for our sins. This is what we call atonement. The amazing part is that not only does Jesus pay for our sin, but then He gives us His righteousness. Through this we are restored to God as when He looks at us He no longer sees our sin but instead sees Jesus’s perfect righteousness. This is the only way for sinful people to be restored to the holy God.Jesus also told us how the world would know that we are Christians. John 13:34-35 tells us that we are to be known for our love. This was not just to those inside the church, but outside the church as well. The world is also supposed to know us by our unity as stated in Galatians 3:27-28. All of this flows natural into Paul’s analogy of the church as a body. In 1 Corinthians 12:27 Paul talks of unity by talking about the parts of the body. Just as the hand needs the arm and shoulder to do much of anything, so do we need others to truly be the church. Likewise, just as no one can hate their own body and yet take care of it. A body must be unified and this unity is held together and taken care of by love. This is who we are called to be by Jesus Himself. The sad truth is we often fall short of this, but that does not mean we should placidly accept it. We must work where we are to make these qualities true. If we truly believe in and follow God then we will work to make them true.Why are we supposed to love each other and be unified? What is it that is supposed to overcome every difference and call us into fellowship? The answer again come from how Jesus defines us. In John 12:36 He calls us sons of the light. Since we are sons of the light John 12:46 tells us we are no longer in darkness. Instead of being lost and hidden in the darkness we have been brought to the light. Now we are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Not only are we hidden in Him, but through Him we become sons and daughters. John 1:12, 1 John 3:1-3, and Romans 8:16-17 tell us we are children of God. Therefore, we are no longer strangers from one another, but family. We are all sons and daughters of God Himself. This is our identity, and as such we should naturally love each other and be unified. Jesus does not stop there though. He tells us that not only are we children of God, but that we are also valued by Him. Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are His workmanship, made for good works. Did you hear that? We are God’s works of art. Can you even grasp what kind of compliment that statement is? Not only that, but we are also told in Matthew 6:26 that we are valuable to God and that He takes care of us. With such statements it should be no surprise that we are to be content, in little or in much, because we have God (Philippians 4:11-13).We have been called children, have been called to be unified and been told that we are no longer condemned. All greats things, but there is something else important. Not only are we children, but we are loved. John 16:27 tells us that God loves us. In other words, we are not neglected children who feel halfhearted affections, but beloved children who are tended by their Father, disciplining when He needs to, but only out of concern for our wellbeing. God is the perfect loving Father and He desires us the best for us. That does not mean that we get everything that we want, nor that we never run into difficulties. Jesus told us that we would suffer for His name. We are also told in John 15:18 that the world hates us, as it hated Jesus. They will hate us because we are no longer of this world, but now belong to the kingdom of God. That is why they hated Jesus, because He was not of the world and because He testified against their sin. We should not be surprised when we suffer in Jesus name.My own life is proof of this. I have been called by God to be a pastor and I grow closer to Him each day. However, I also have barely enough to get by and often run into difficulties. For 3 years I searched for where God wanted me, for a ministry in the church doing what I was called to do, and nothing came up. I am not saying I am super holy or that I have earned God’s favor. However, I am saying that even when God calls you into ministry there will be difficulties. God did not instantly fix all my problems and give me a well-paying job. I struggled and even today I continue to struggle, but God has taught me through all of it. I would not change my circumstances because I can look back and see how God used them to shape me. The same could and should be said about all who follow Jesus.Still there is more. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of our identity is found in 1 Peter 2. As we read through it we see in verse 9 that we are a royal priesthood. Is your mind blown yet? We are children, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and a royal priesthood. Each and every one of us, not just a few. It goes on to call us the people of God in verse 10. This echoes Paul’s language in Philippians 3:20 where he tells us we are citizens of heaven. As such Paul reminds us that we are not live by the flesh and the sin that is common to it, but to live by the Spirit He gives us, focused on what will please Him. Jesus reminds the devil in Matthew 4:4 that we are supposed to live on God’s word. His word is the food of our spirits, the very thing that tells us about God and shows us what He desires of us. The sad truth is many who call themselves Christians are spiritually starved, barely reading parts of the Bible and many who have never read the whole Bible. As we saw we are called a royal priesthood. As a royal priesthood there are things expected of all of us. For instance we are all called to be witnesses for God (Matthew 5:13-16). We are also called to do good in the face of bad (Matthew 5:38-42 and 43-48). However, when we do good things we are not to seek praise for it (Matthew 6:1-4). In fact we are to seek to be humble (Matthew 23:8-12). Ministry, as in service to God, is something that is expected of anyone who says they belong to Jesus. We are called to serve with passion (Romans 12:11). This does not mean you have to quit your job and go to seminary, but it does mean you are to live like Jesus would if He had your job, your community, and your circle of friends. That is why we are also called to be ambassadors. We bear God’s name and our actions reflect Him. In 1 Corinthians Paul is trying to make this very point, as the actions of the Corinthians were causing shame on the name of Christ. The Corinthians were living in sexual immorality, divided over leaders, and even suing each other in court. Let me give an illustration to help think through this. Many of us did sports at one time or another and some of you still do. Picture this, you are playing whatever sport you choose and you notice someone. This person is mean, they boast about how good they are and yell at everyone else for their flaws. If they lose they storm off the field without congratulating the other team. All of us have probably seen some one like this. We call them a bad sport right? When we see them we cannot help but think, who taught you to be like this? If the whole team on the other hand is acting like this what is our conclusion? We are going to look at the coach and blame him or her. After all, these are his or her responsibility right? That is what happens when we live in sin. The Corinthians were doing this with their lawsuits and sexual sin. The world looked at them and mocked God because they looked just like the world. We are called to love each other in a radicle way, to be so unified in Christ that we can overcome any difference. The world ought to look at us and wonder how these people can possibly get along with one another. They should see just how different we are by God’s strength. That kind of witness brings glory to God and draws others to Him. That is our purpose as God’s people, as the body of Christ. Because He first loved us we love Him, we love one another, and we love even our enemies, all to the glory of God. We exist for God’s glory and God’s work. By nature of who we are we reflect Christ. If we live like the world and have no love, then we bring disgrace on God, but when we live as God desires and love those around us in the proper sense of love, then we truly reflect who God is and bring glory to His name.We were dead in our sins, but Jesus paid the price. When we believe Him we are given the truth and that truth sets us free. It sets us free from condemnation and makes us alive in Jesus. The Holy Spirit now dwells in us and we are a new creation. This newness and Spirit must draw us into great unity and love, by which the world will know us. We are the body of Jesus, the children of God. In turn Jesus loves us, seeing us as valuable and providing for our needs. The world will hate us, but God loves us and has made us a royal priesthood. We serve Him out of love, represent Him in our actions, and try to reach others. This is what a Christian is. This is who God tells us we are, and who He expects us to be. Remember this as you continue to read.Chapter 3-Faith, Works, and God’s CallIf I were to ask you to define a Christian, what would be your response? Would you say they are someone who does good works? Would you they are someone who goes to church? Would you they are someone who confesses Jesus as Lord? Would you they are someone who obeys God’s word? There are plenty of answers that can come up to this question, but they are only a part of the true answer. What if I told you to be a Christian meant to be a little Christ? What does that mean? It means you do your best to act like Jesus would and through it the world sees Jesus in you. You see, doing good works, obeying God, going to church, confessing Jesus as Lord and many other things are all part of follow Jesus. Jesus told his followers what was expected of them in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.” To follow Him is to deny ourselves and instead do what He desires.There are a lot of people that seem to get this confused. They view it like a free banking requirement list. As long as you do one of the following you will be saved, but that's not the truth. You see if you are truly following Christ and truly know Him it will change everything. You will not just pick one, because Jesus will be working on you daily to push you to strive to do His will. You cannot pick only one and be a Christian anymore than you could pick one part of your job to do and expect to still be employed. You are called to all of it, not part. You cannot be saved if you do not know Jesus, and if you are not willing to follow Jesus than you do not know Him (1 John 2:3-6). Faith and works play a role in this, but they often get confused.Chances are you have heard about the debate between works and faith. If you have not, do not feel bad, you really have not missed anything important. This debate is primarily a misunderstanding. The debate is over salvation. There are many who know salvation is by faith alone. However, there are passages that talk about faith and works. The problem is that people have taken it to mean works are required for salvation. In response, some who know it is by faith have gone to an extreme to combat it and will not even talk about works. My goal in this chapter is to show how faith and works play into a relationship with God. At the back of this book are several tables with verses. I will not use every verse as we talk about faith and works, but the table is there to show you every reference I found organized by the subject it talks about. Let us first establish what has often been said, that faith is the basis of salvation not works. Romans 3:27-31 talks about works and faith (the works it mentions are connected to the law of Moses seen in the books of Exodus and Leviticus). He shows through a long argument throughout the first eleven chapters that we are justified by faith not works. It is summed up in Romans 3:28 “For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” There is no argument about the basis of salvation, but there comes another part to Paul’s argument. Starting in chapter 12 Paul transitions using the word therefore. Anytime you see the word therefore you have to ask, ‘what is it there for?’ I will try not to get too technical, but in this case therefore serves as a connector and transition from the first eleven chapters to the last five chapters. Paul first makes His argument for faith over the works of the law, but then finishes the argument talking about the huge grace God has shown us. Then he uses the word therefore. From there he goes into the second focus of the book, telling people how they should act and behave as children of God. What he is saying is literally ‘since we are saved by faith and have been given this astounding grace from God then it needs to impact us and change us, pushing us to do what God tells us we should.’ Paul says that in faith we believe in God and He gives salvation, and that because of that grace we should be changed and desire to behave as God wants us to. Romans is not the only place this is seen. Galatians is another book that deals largely with faith and works. After arguing for his authority in the first chapter and a half, Paul presents an argument nearly identical to the one in Romans. Again, he points out the law (and works) cannot save a person and that due to our own inability to follow the law we are condemned by it. However, Jesus died and justified us by faith. The main point can be summarized by Galatians 3:2 “I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?” Similar to Romans Paul finishes his argument for faith and he moves on to a secondary point. Paul points out the freedom of Christ and then asks the Galatians what has stopped them from obeying the truth. From there he uses another transitioning statement, ‘I say then,’ and then goes on to list behaviors and practices that they should be doing. This functions the same way as the therefore in Romans, connecting the first and second half of the letter. Again, he says, ‘We are saved by faith through God’s grace and as a result we ought to behave as He asks us to.’ Again, we have the logical result. Saving faith ought to change our lives in such a way that we desire to live as God wants us to.This attitude of living a life that is worthy of the saving grace God has given us is an element that occurs in more places than just Galatians and Romans, appearing in six other letters of Paul. In fact, Paul tells his readers to walk worthy of the gospel they were called by in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Ephesians 4:17-5:5, Philippians 1:27-28, Colossians 1:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12, and Titus 3:1-7. What is the point of bring all these up? Simple, to show you that Paul, the biggest advocate of faith and grace, nearly always put a second argument in those same letters about how that grace and faith ought to push us to do good works. He did not divorce faith from good works, only pointed out that it is not the works that save us. He was concerned with Christian’s works as it showed their trust in the gospel. Likewise, we cannot afford to separate the two, but must remember that works are not the cause of salvation.Next we move into the book of James. Most people seem to think James is at odds with Romans and Galatians, but the truth is that it only adds to the point. James argument can be summed up in James 2:17, “In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.” People take these verses to mean that you are saved by works not faith, or works and faith. However, this is not the case. James makes his point clear in 2:19 when he says “You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.” James is saying that if you have ‘faith,’ and yet your life has not changed from it, it is a dead faith. The point he makes is that if you truly have faith in God, in a real relationship with God, then it must change your life. Paul says something similar is Titus 1:15-16, “To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.” Works are the evidence that you truly have faith. If your ‘faith’ does not impact your life, then what good is it?This is likewise confirmed in other books of the New Testament. 1 John 2:3 reads, “This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.” Similarly 5:2 says, “This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.” In case you think this is just John then look at the words of Jesus. Matthew 7:15-20 reads:“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.”How do you know if a teacher or leader is truly of God? By their fruit, or as we now call it, works. The point is still true for all believers. If you look at the chart in the back, you can see the many verses that say the same thing. Jesus evens says “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. The one who doesn’t love Me will not keep My words. The word that you hear is not Mine but is from the Father who sent Me.” Faith is what brings salvation, but can you truly say you have faith if you do not desire to follow God’s words? This becomes more apparent when we look at 1 Peter 1:2 which tells us that we are set apart by the Holy Spirit so that we will obey God. You cannot separate faith and obedience.We now see the issue that lay at the heart of these passages, love for God. The point of faith is not just to say you believe there is a God in control, but to be in relationship with Him. Jesus died on the cross not only to bring forgiveness, but to restore our relationship with God. Everything we strive to do must be done in that light, remembering it is a relationship. If we love God we will do what He wants us to do. God asks us to do these things because He desires to see us grow and thrive. He wants to see us desiring good and doing the things that please Him. When we seek our own ends, we are left bankrupt, feeling hollow and unsatisfied, but in following God we have His peace and satisfaction. We show our love and faith through obedience to God.Scripture is clear about the place of good works in our lives. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Did you catch that? We are not saved by good works, but we are made for good works. It does not get much clearer than that.If we have accepted this then we must do as God asks. Will we fail from time to time? Yes, but that is to be expected. However, we are not to continue in sin. If you continue in sin without concern, then you are showing an unrepentant heart. This just means that you show you do not love God. On the other hand, if you stumble, but ask forgiveness and continue to pursue God and deny sin. This is the attitude of repentance. If you are repentant of sin God is faithful to forgive and will strengthen you to stand against temptation. The only time it becomes a problem is when you stop trying to fight. This will be covered more in a later chapter.I hope that this chapter has given you a better picture of the Christian life and its focus on loving God. If you have, you will likely do what God desires of you. But how do you learn what God desires of you? That is what I will address in the rest of this book. I want everyone to see the commands of God and strive to obey them, but I am only human. I may miss something in scripture. I encourage you to read this book and apply it, but I also encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. To know God, you must know and apply His word. To apply His word, you must read it. Spend time every day reading God’s word and seeking to apply it, and pray to God each day for the strength to carry it out. The two most effective things you can do is to read your Bible and pray daily. Lastly, I just want to leave you with Jesus own words in Luke 6:46-49:Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!Chapter 4-Truth and Spiritual BlindnessI have said it already, but I will keep repeating myself throughout this book. God is the only authority for our actions. The Bible is God’s revealed word to us. The prophets in the Old Testament received their words from God and He preserved those words until today. After them the apostles had direct revelation from Jesus and the Holy Spirit and penned what would become the New Testament. After the apostles died however, direct revelation from God no longer came to man. Seeing as we do not receive direct revelation any more, the only source of God’s words is the Bible as a whole. I cannot stress this point enough. There is no other authority for Christians that is equal or above it.The world tells everyone that the Bible is nothing but an interesting mythology, a fictional book that is exaggerated and inaccurate. Each year more and more biblical scholars try to erode the authority of the Bible, but their arguments are based mostly in opinion. There is plenty of evidence for the accuracy of the Bible, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. The time and space needed to review all the facts are beyond the purpose of this book. If you would like to read more on it, then check out the resource book list at the end of this book. For now, I will give you one evidence of the accuracy and authority of the Bible. I have mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls several times. Chances are you may have heard of them, but let me give a brief description. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of Old Testament books, such as Isaiah, that were found hidden in a cave by Bedouin shepherds in 1947. These documents were tested and were dated to sometime before 200 B.C. When compared with today’s biblical texts it was found that there were few differences between them and that those differences that were found did not alter the message of the text. This showed that the Old Testament, as we have it today, has come over 2,000 years without having its message altered.That’s great, you may say, but how does it prove its authority? You see one of the first books they went through was the book of Isaiah, which holds many of the Messianic prophesies. Again, when compared with current texts, there was no major altering. What does this prove? It proves that the prophesies that Jesus fulfilled had been stated before His birth. The biggest critique leveled against Jesus and the Bible is that those prophesies were written after the fact, and therefore were not truly prophesy (because, as they try to argue, we cannot know the future). These scrolls are definitive proof that Jesus is God and that those prophesies were given long before anyone could have known what was going to happen. Jesus Himself confirmed the validity of the Old Testament. It is not just a myth nor was it written after the fact. The Bible is real, and that means every word in it is real.Of course, this was something Paul already knew. Scripture itself attests to its own authority. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” What was Scripture to Paul? It was the Old Testament as the New Testament had not been collected or even fully written yet. However, Peter tells us that Paul’s letters were on par with Scripture. Look at 2 Peter 3:15-16:Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.The Scriptures include the Old and New Testaments, and both are able to equip us. They are not just myths, they are truth.Scripture is clear about its own power and uses. Romans 15:4 says “For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.” The Bible was written for our instruction and we benefit from it. Hebrews 4:12 says For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.The Bible exposes everything, penetrating even the deepest darkness. Nothing we do, think, or say is hidden. Scripture shows us every dark corner of our own hearts. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” Those who are called to preach the word are expected to do so accurately. Preachers and teachers that twist Scripture will be held accountable. Lastly, look at James 1:21-22 “Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We are called to learn the word, which penetrates every hidden place, and to apply it in our lives. It is the authority all of us must seek and learn from. If you are a Christian, there can be no doubt for that.The evidence I gave is only a small part of the whole, and long books can tell you much more. Smarter men then I continue to study and find evidence for biblical authority. So why is it that so many Christians believe that there is no evidence? That the bible may not be authoritative? The scholars and experts that fight against the Bible do not acknowledge any of the evidence that has been discovered and documented. They simply say the same thing, ‘there is no evidence,’ and people believe them because of their degrees or their authority. Why? 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us” In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 1 John 2:11 adds that, “the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” As Romans 1:21-23 says they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. John tells us throughout 1 John that man seeks only darkness. Paul tells us the truth of the matter, saying in 2 Timothy 4:3 that people will chose to believe only what justifies their own desires. They cannot believe in Jesus and in fact hate Him. John 7:7 tells us “The world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it—that its deeds are evil.” You see, they cannot accept Jesus or the Bible because, if they did, it would mean they would have to admit that they are sinful and in need of help. It would mean they would have to submit to that authority and give up all the wrong things they want to continue doing. That is what it means to truly be a Christian. You must submit yourself to Jesus and His word, and not continue the things that are contrary to Jesus. Chances are though, you know someone who claims to be a Christian and does not live out Jesus words. They likely act worse than some secular friends you know. This is something I have heard and seen too often. These people who claim the title of Christian and then proceed to bring blame and blaspheme on Jesus name. They cause many to stumble, and it breaks my heart. Why are they like this? Why does Jesus not change their lives? It is because they do not know Him or love Him. They are still blind, and worse, they think they are safe. To be saved, to truly be a Christian, is to love God and man, and as we have seen loving God means we desire to do what He wants us to do.I know the Bible is not the most desirable thing for many people to read, but I also know it should be. I did not read the entire Bible until I was in my senior year of high school. I had come to Christ years before that but had only then read through the whole Bible. There are confusing passages and hard truths, and even long genealogies, but the Bible is much more than that. It is living and active. I started reading and the more I read the easier it got. The more I read the more I learned about God. Soon the Bible truly came alive to me, speaking to me about God and His desires for us. God has spoken into my life through the Bible. I try to read through the Bible every year now, and even after reading the whole Bible ten times, I still find things I have missed. As Christians, we must love this book because it is God’s word. It is life. It takes effort and time to develop this love, but it is worth it. We need to pray that God would put a love for His word in our hearts as we cannot develop this love without Him. The sad truth is that there are many who claim to be Christians but do not love God’s word.People today often call the Bible God’s words, but they don’t treat it as such. The common opinion among many, including some who claim to be Christians, is that the Bible is merely human. Human beings sought to understand God and make “progress” in every age. The result in their estimation is that the Bible is a collection of good observations, but it needs to be improved if we want to continue in progress. This approach looks at the Bible and says we have the right to determine what is and is not applicable today. Can faith be built on this approach?The question has to be where we derive our authority from. Is scripture God's Word, or is it merely man's word? If it is just man's word then we can treat it as we wish, except what we will, and reject what we do not like. This is what many desire, thinking it will leave us free to decide what we want to do, but the opposite is true. If this is merely man's word then we have no guidance, no assurance, and absolutely no idea how to be saved. In short it leaves us stranded with no way home. When it comes to the Bible it is vital that we view it as God's word. If it does not stand as His authoritative revelation then we have nothing. If we can look at parts of the Bible and decide whether or not they should be followed, then we have no revelation from God and no certainty. Everything becomes guesswork and we can have no assurance.Still, what does it mean that the Bible is God’s word? It means just what it says, these are the literal words of God and as such they carry His authority. God is necessarily above us, we saw that in the last chapter. Therefore, if God says something it stands above anything we say. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who submits him/herself to God’s Word. This view of Scripture is attested to throughout the Bible. Peter and many of the New Testament authors talk about Scripture, look at 1 Peter 1:22-2:5:1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly, 23 because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.We are purified by God’s word and because of that we can truly love one another. Through God’s words, the gospel itself, we are born again as children of God. What is the difference between the words of God and the words of people? All things made by people perish, but God’s word endures forever. We see today that even in the face of murderous persecution, constant secular lies, and a growing disdain of God’s word by the entire world, His word still stands. Every age has had a different attack on God’s word and every age said it would die out and go away, yet here is it is and here we are. That is because God’s word is active and it changes those who receive it. We praise God and acceptably worship Him because of His word. When Satan cannot stop God’s word he tries to distort it, which we see happened even in the apostles day. Peter talks about the 2nd coming of Christ and then reflects on Scripture, look at 2 Peter 3:16-17:16 He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. First notice that Peter is putting Paul’s words on par with the Old Testament, but second notice what is happening. There are false teachers who are twisting God’s word. We see this today. People take Jesus words about loving others and reaching out to sinners and twist it to say that we should accept people as they are and that sin is not a problem. This ignores the context and facts in Scripture. They come to the Bible with their own thoughts and desires and then try to make the Bible say what they want to hear. Paul knew this too and warned Timothy against it. He knew people would only want to hear what would make them happy or approve of their sin, but that is not the purpose of God’s word. Look at 2 Timothy 3:13-17:3:13 Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, 15 and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.Paul warns all of us through the Holy Spirit that deceivers are only going to get worse. We have seen that and continue to see it. From those who try to use the Bible to justify sin, to those who use it to try and promise health and wealth here and now, the perversion of Scripture continues at a horrifying speed. Yet, despite their efforts God’s word still stands. We are freed from their deception when we read God’s word. They can try to edit and hide much of what the Bible says, but if we read it for ourselves, we will see it. God’s word is living, as we read it cuts into our souls and expose our thoughts and sins to us. Paul tells us here what it does. First it teaches. We come to Scripture and we read about God, about Jesus, about salvation, and about so many things. We learn from this; we are taught by Scripture. At the same time, the word rebukes and corrects us. It shows us what sin is and exposes our own faults and failures. Then it trains us in righteousness, it trains our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions to seek after God. All of this serves to equip us to do the work of God. Do you see how vital God’s word is for Christians? We must love and cherish this word, studying it and defending it. That is what God has called me to especially as a pastor. I love God’s word; I hope you see that throughout this book. I come to Scripture by God’s grace not to justify myself or my desires, but to learn about God and submit myself to Him. Scripture is the only way for us to know about God, it is His self-revelation to us. Jesus tells us it is sufficient for belief. When giving the parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus shows the suffering of the rich man after death as he realizes he is separated from God. Then the rich man makes a request, look at Luke 16:27-31:Luke 16:27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”Do you see what Jesus is saying? The rich man like the world thinks that if God would just give a sign, like a dead man rising again, then people would believe. The irony is that Jesus did rise from the dead and they still didn’t believe, as Jesus says here. This was true of Jesus entire ministry. Crowds of people followed and saw miracle after miracle, and yet every time Jesus spoke they asked for another sign. When he had just feed 4,000 with one boys’ lunch and begins to reveal Himself as the Messiah, the people ask for a sign. They had just witnessed one! Jesus’ point is clear, if they do not believe God’s word then they won’t believe with a sign, even with one raising from the dead. The word of God is sufficient for our needs. We all might love to see a miracle, but it is not necessary because we have God’s word. The world may claim they would believe if a sign was done, but we know that no matter what evidence is thrust in their face they will continue to live in sin. By God’s grace not Christians. We read His words and we are drawn to Him. We believe what He tells us and we praise Him for it. And as we read we are changed by these words.The word of God is most precious. It is God telling who He is and what He desires of us. The secular world says things like truth cannot be known. Some believe there is a god but not that we can know anything about him. That would be horrible. To illustrate this imagine you have a job. They hire you and they are supposed to tell you what they want you to do and how. When the first day comes you ask your boss what he expects of you and he simply says, just do it. No instruction, no expectation, just a blank statement. You go out and you do what you think needs to be done in the way you think it should be done, but your boss comes and yells at you. Why? Because you didn’t do it the way he wanted you to. How were you to know since he wouldn’t tell you? Yet, even though He did not tell you the standard was still there. Some of you have jobs like this or have had jobs like this and you know the frustration. If it is true that we cannot know about God then we are doomed to fail. But, if God has revealed Himself, if He has made His way known and given it to us, then we are saved.I want you to take a moment and steel yourself for this next chapter. There are verses that will challenge you and they will likely be painful, because the chances are that many of you reading this book are not obeying God. If that is, you I pray you would not stop reading this book. It will hurt, but it is necessary for your soul. Hebrews 11:12 testifies, “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” The Bible also tells us that God rebukes those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). I have learned this firsthand The pain of these experiences are still with me, but so is the realization of what God accomplished in my life through it. Please trust me, as I have been here. Do not stop now, you must keep digging into God’s word, allow it to expose your deeds and thoughts, and allow Jesus to change you. The word of God is the active sword that cuts deep and brings change, but you have to read it first. You have to truly believe in its authority. You have to truly know Jesus. Do you love God’s word by seeking to live it out? Please do not deceive yourself. Be honest and let the word of God penetrate your life.Chapter 5-For the Love of GodPerhaps the most overlooked of the ten commandments are the first four commandments. It is interesting when you look at the ten commandments you can see two unique divisions. The first four commands talk about God and the last six commands talk about man. That is why when the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greats command was, He answered in Matthew 22:37-40:He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”Do you see what Jesus is saying? Every command throughout scripture hangs on two overarching commands, love God and love people. Society is great at telling people to love other people, but almost no one really talks about loving God, and yet, as we have just read it is one of two cornerstones for every command.The love of God is absolutely necessary for Christians. To be honest, there is nothing as important, because if you love God you will do the rest. That has been my biggest point so far and I will continue to bring it up. There are many things we can do, but if we do all the righteous works in the world, but do not love God it is of no use to us. Take a moment and read 1 Corinthians 13, as the whole chapter talks about this. Not just love toward God, but also love toward people. We will get to the love of people in a later chapter.What does it mean to love God? As we have discussed part of that is knowing His character. The Bible has much to say on this and gives a good picture of His character. The problem is that people often latch on to one of the characteristics of God and ignore the rest. Who is God? He is merciful, just, loving, holy, mediator, compassionate, peace, redeemer, faithful, gracious, and sovereign. He is even more than these, but I cannot even capture all His qualities here.There is a need to balance all the characteristics of God. For example, we know God is merciful. He forgives our sins and cleanses us from so many faults. God is also just and requires punishment for sin. We cannot take God’s mercy and use it as tool to force God to accept all people who will not give up their sin. His mercy is given freely, it is not deserved and it is not a right of people. We deserve nothing but death, but God gave us life. You may be asking “how can God balance the justice that should be poured out on us with the mercy He has shown us?” That is what is so important about the cross. As a just God, He could not just let us off with no one paying the price. Therefore, to save people, God payed the price. Jesus came to Earth, lived in perfect obedience and died to take away the sins of all people. All they need to do is call on God, repent, and love Him. God’s justice was fulfilled in the perfect life of Jesus and in His death. The price of justice was paid, and God can show mercy freely to us because justice has been satisfied. Justice and mercy are two central characteristics of God and we cannot emphasis one over the other. This leads into another characteristic of God, redeemer. As the one who balanced mercy and justice providing a way for salvation, God is the author of redemption. He provided the way no one else could. Through this God is also the mediator. Jesus is the mediator between us and the Father. That is why we can pray directly to the Lord and sit in His presence. This is how God has made a way for relationship with Him.Perhaps the least talked about and understood characteristic of God is His holiness. God is holy, completely righteous and good. To be holy is to be set apart. God is far above any man and is set apart from everything. He is the incarnation of goodness and perfection. Holiness is a quality we cannot fully understand as we are limited in our understanding. God is what we call transcendent, which really just means He is set above us. As the perfection of holiness and goodness, He cannot tolerate sin in His presence. That is another reason the cross was needed. Now that we have Jesus and have trusted in Him God no longer sees our sin because the blood of Jesus has cleansed us of our sins. Through Jesus’ righteousness we can now go into God’s presence in prayer and after death.The cross is a prime example of God’s love and compassion. Mankind had more than shown its unworthiness and need for punishment. God would have been wholly right to destroy us, but He did not. Why? Why did He send Jesus to die and take all our sin? Because of the important characteristic of His love. Along with that is His compassion. He saw our predicament and because of His compassion and love was set into doing something about it. The cross is what we would call mercy, or God keeping from us what we do deserve. On the flip side of His love and compassion is a quality we call grace. Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve. You may be wondering why two terms, but it is because they convey two things. God keeps us from the punishment we have rightly earned (mercy) but He also gives us His gifts, things we could not earn (grace). God blesses us with a relationship with Him and grows us spiritually. He guides and directs us and is always there for us. That is His grace.A connecting point is God’s faithfulness. He is always faithful to those He makes promises to. The Israelites showed this throughout history. It is shown even more so by the numerous and disgusting sins they constantly flung in God’s face. They stubbornly denied Him at every turn and yet he gave them hundreds of years to repent before finally bringing an end to it. However, even then He preserved a remnant and kept all His covenants. As Paul puts it in 2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” Even when we break our promises to Him, He still holds true.The next character of God is one people do not appreciate or likely even believe. Part of God is His peace. People tend to think of God as nothing but fire and death, but that is not the case. In fact, He strove to bring Israel to the promise land and give them peace and rest, but they rebelled continually and had limited peace. God brought peace to all of us through Jesus and the death on the cross. We are no longer in hostility toward God, but at peace with Him.Lastly, I would like to point out God’s sovereignty. This is a thorny issue for some, mostly because of a feud between two theological stand points, but at the same time most people agree God is sovereign. But what does that mean? The short answer is it means God is in control. Everything that has happened or ever will happen is all under the control of God. People tend to use this to blame God for their sins or their problems. Some theologians will tell you that you really have no choices, you only can do what God directs. However, this misses a point. They argue this because they cannot see any way to reconcile God’s ability to have control of all things with the concept that man can act freely. If man acts freely, then how can God be sovereign? The irony is that this view actually limits God’s control and power. In our minds, there is no way that people can be free and God still be sovereign, but that does not mean we are right. God is not limited by our understanding. He has such control that He still can guide everything that will happen in the face of man’s choices. Let that sink in for a moment. How much power and control would you need to be able to take the free actions of others and still make a plan work exactly as you had conceived it? Anyone who has led a group project will tell you it is impossible, and yet God does it daily and has done it daily since time began. That is the sovereignty of God.It is important to note that this is just a sampling of the attributes of God. I do not want to take the time to try and list everything I can, and the truth is in my limited understanding as a human being I would likely miss some and misrepresent others. These characteristics are clear and seen in the Bible time and again. The few we have covered will help you to know more about God and grown into a deeper relationship with Him.God calls for our love and our devotion, and He has every right to do so. He calls us to have no other God but Him. This should not be hard, as there is no God but Him. Still, many struggle with this. Some actually worship gods they believe to be real, but many more worship a distortion of God. For some, it is the idea that all people go to heaven, for others that man does not need salvation, but in all cases, these are distortions of who God is and tailor made to what people think God ought to be, what they want Him to be. We must not do this. We must worship God for who He truly is and not try to twist His character to meet our desires. God is not who we want Him to be, because we are sinful and imperfect. We cannot desire a perfect God on our own.God also calls us not to make images of things created. This echoes what Paul says at the beginning of Romans. Men knew God, but exchange the truth for a lie and worshiped the created, not the creator. So many people marvel at things like the mountains and canyons and yet forget that they came from God. In the same way, others worship concepts like wealth and power and put them above God. The idea of putting anything in this life above God is idolatry. There can be nothing more important than God because everything comes from God.God must be respected and not treated flippantly. This is reflected in the third commandment as God tells us not to use His name in vain. We do not treat God with the respect that He deserves. The Bible often talks about fearing the Lord and this is what it means. God is not common, He is holy. He must be treated as holy and to use His name in vain or for false teaching is beyond wrong and disrespectful. When we use God’s name so casually we disrespect God. We do not take the holiness of God seriously.Along with treating God’s name with respect is the idea of treating the Lord’s Day with respect. The Sabbath is a day of rest that God had declared for Israel, but it is still applicable today. We spend so much time seeking after the things of this world and trying to seize things for ourselves. God offers a day of rest, a day focused on Him and spent in His presence without seeking other things. We need rest. God knows we need rest.God desires us to love and honor Him. This is the focus of the first four commandments and why Jesus sums up the law as loving God and loving man. This is highlighted in 1 Samuel 15:22. When Samuel is talking to Saul about sacrifices he had made in disobedience to God Samuel says, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” God is pleased more by obedience then by anything else. We show our love through obedience. This is not just found in the Old Testament either. Jesus echoes these words in Luke 6:46 saying “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?”. Not only in that context, but also in John 14:23 were he clearly states it, saying “Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’” He did not mix words or beat around the bush. Jesus stated it clear, if we love Him we will obey Him. There is no in-between.Perhaps the most extensive treatment of this is found throughout the book of 1 John. I highly recommend you read the whole thing, and do so in one sitting. When you do, you see the pattern John lays out. The whole book can be simplified into 3 verses, 2:4-6, “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ yet doesn't keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.” If you do not follow the commands God has given then you are not a Christian. It may shock people, but that is the case. More pointedly, these are not just my words or thoughts, it is what Scripture clearly says. To love God is to obey His word. To know God is to obey His word. To be a Christian is to love God. These are clear, biblical principles.There is another point to be made here. Our obedience shows our heart. It also reflects on God. When we call ourselves Christians and yet act like the world, we dishonor God’s name and bring blaspheme and scorn on Him. When we take the name Christian we become an ambassador, a representative of God Himself. Those who take this name and live in complete defiance of His commands have done great damage against God’s name. God takes His name and His holiness seriously. We cannot be so disrespectful and willingly defiant and still truly believe that we are genuine believers. Our actions show our heart. Will we fall and sin even as a Christian? Yes, but the difference lies in the heart. When we fall, confess our sin, ask for forgiveness, and truly believe our actions were wrong then we demonstrate repentance. It is an acknowledgement that we are wrong and that we desire to never do those actions again. Too many people claim God’s name and live in open defiance and scorn of His commands. We may fail to live up to His commands, but we will still be forgiven as we seek God for forgiveness. They do not believe what they do is wrong and this is only worsened by the fact that they truly believe they are Christians. I shudder to think of the judgement that will come, because as God has said, “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much.” (Luke 12:48) The Bible is clear, God is not mocked and He knows who are His. They can fool the world and maybe even themselves, but God knows the heart (Jeremiah 17:10).On the off chance you have read this and are looking for an example, look no further. The whole Old Testament gives us the example of the nation of Israel. God took them from one man and built them into a nation. He freed them by His power and might from Egypt. In return, they rebelled against God constantly and Moses had to intercede on their behalf. After Moses, they followed God for a time and under Joshua they took the land and the promises, but it would not last. Once Joshua and the elders died they rebelled again. God punished them and they cried out for salvation, and so began the cycle of the judges. Eventually they clamored for a king and rejected God once more. The first few kings were in sharp contrast of one another and while David lived the people sought God. When Solomon took the throne he started well, but his many wives tempted him from God and thus began the decay of the monarchy. The kings for the most part led Israel further from God, until it was finally too much. However, even as he punished and exiled them, He protected a remnant and after 70 years brought them back to the promise land. God never forgot His love for the Israelites, though they abandoned Him many times. They knew God, knew all He had done, knew He would watch over them, and yet they never did what He asked. The result was near total destruction.How is this an example? Israel represented God as they were His nation, but they blasphemed His name with their actions. They showed through their actions that they despised God. They knew what they were supposed to do and yet did what they should not, and rejoiced in it! They thought just being God’s people was enough, that they did not need to do anything else. This caused God to bring judgment upon them. Look at all that happened. If God did that to His chosen nation because of their disobedience, how much more you and I? It is not enough to know God exists. We must show our love through obedience. If we are truly saved we will want to do all we can out of love for God. This is central. Everything else we talk about is rooted in loving God. If you read this chapter and do not believe what it says, then there is no point continuing. Good works without a love for God will get you nothing. Likewise saying you belong to God while you ignore His commands will get you nothing. Believe in God and love Him by obeying His commands. That is what it means to be a Christian.We are to live our lives for God out of the love we have for Him. Paul knew this and in Romans 12:1-2 he says:Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.We are called to live our lives for God as a sacrifice before Him. Not only that, but we are supposed to clear our mind on the things of the world. Our culture tries to fill us with its ideals and we are constantly being hit with their message again and again. In contrast we are supposed to be reading God’s word so that we will not give in to the message that culture gives us, but instead allow our thoughts and habits to be transformed by God. Make no mistake, we cannot fill ourselves with the world and with God as they are constantly at odds with each other. Please, rise to that expectation or on the Day of Judgment you will be sent away. Jesus says this in Matthew 25:31-46, saying that those who do not help others will not be let into heaven. Likewise, He says in Matthew 7:21-23 that those who do great works but do not know Him and love Him will be sent away as well. I cannot tell you how serious this is and I wish I could make you feel the urgency of what Jesus is saying. Before you move on please read these words of Jesus.Matthew 25:31-46: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ 40 “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ 41 Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take Me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of Me.’ 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”Matthew 7:21-23: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’Chapter 6-Repent and be SavedWe are starting to get a clear picture of what God expects. We have talked about obeying Him and keeping from sin, but as many of us know there are times that Christians fall short and sin. So how can this be? If they truly love God they should not sin, and if they sin they do not love God, right? Well, there is another important point we need to talk about. There are 2 reactions to sin that show where our heart truly is. They are known as repentant and unrepentant. What does that mean? Well repent means to turn away from something and go the opposite way of it. So, if you repent of lying, you acknowledge that it is wrong and take steps to move away from it. You may fail and lie again, but if you keep seeking to turn from it and acknowledge it is wrong you are repentant. On the other hand, if you lie and do not acknowledge it is wrong and do not try to stop then you are unrepentant. You do not care that it is wrong, in fact you seek to justify why it is right and will not listen to Scripture or to God but instead continue to lie freely. To be unrepentant is to continue in sin, believing that there is nothing wrong with doing so.Many people believe that claiming to be a Christian is all they need to do to be saved. This was the same attitude the Israelites had throughout the Old Testament. Even in Jesus’ time this attitude was wide spread. Look at Matthew 3:7-10: When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.They thought they would be safe just because they were children of Abraham, but John the Baptist made it clear that names meant nothing. The irony is that this had already been proven in the past. Isaiah 42:24 says “Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord? Have we not sinned against Him? They were not willing to walk in His ways, and they would not listen to His instruction.” They had already experienced the complete destruction of their nation because of their rebellion and sin and yet they would not believe that they needed to change their actions. Then Jesus came and they held this view once again. Look at John 8:39-47:“Our father is Abraham!” they replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! You’re doing what your father does.” “We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on My own, but He sent Me. Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to My word. You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don’t you believe Me? The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”The one who does not listen to God is not a believer. They were so focused on their name that they stopped listening or acting on God’s words.There are too many of us that hold this same view. If we are not careful we treat being a Christian like joining a country club, we pay our dues, but otherwise nothing is required of us. Or we believe if we go to church and pay our tithe then we are saved. None of this addresses the heart, none of this shows love toward God. The thought is we can continue in all manner of sins as long as we go to church and pay our dues. This was the same attitude the Israelites had about the temple in Jerusalem, and likewise it is just as wrong. The first sermon recorded in the early church came from Peter on the day of Pentecost to the Israelites. As he drew to an end he said, “But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets—that His Messiah would suffer—He has fulfilled in this way. Therefore, repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:18) Repentance was the conclusion of the sermon, and this formula would be repeated again and again.Paul also talks about repentance when he writes to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 7:9 he says, “Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.” Paul’s last letter had rebuked them over sin in their church and they had felt the pain of it. Paul rejoiced, not that he hurt them, but that their grief lead to repentance. You see repentance is not just saying it was wrong, it is taking action to get away from it. Repentance is anguish over your own sin that leads to action. That church in Corinth removed the man in sin and sought forgiveness. That is the heart of repentance. Jesus says the same thing in Revelation 2:5, “Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” They were to do the works they once did as part of their repentance.There is another principle to take away here, and that has to do with how the church is to respond to unrepentant sin. Let’s look back at 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. Remember, we touched on 2 Corinthians and the grief that lead to repentance. That grief came from Paul’s confrontation with them here, 1 Corinthians 5:9-11: I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.This was the command given to them to deal with the man who was living in unrepentant sin. They followed it and sent him out. Eventually he repented and Paul told them to forgive him in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11. Take a moment to think about that. Most people try to dismiss the idea of separating from sinful believers because they do not read what the Bible says. Paul makes it clear, it is not sinful unbelievers that we are to separate from. In fact, that would be impossible! We are here to reach sinners and draw them to God. But, inside the church it is different. Those who claim the name of Jesus are required to live a life that pleases God. Remember, God takes His holiness seriously and as Christians we represent His name. We cannot tolerate unrepentant sin in His body, the church.For many this is a bitter pill to swallow. The idea that if a believer lives in unrepentant sin we are to push them away. It is hard for us to accept this, but it does not make it wrong. This is not man’s idea, it did not originate with Paul. This came from Jesus. Look at Matthew 18:15-17:“If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you.”Jesus tells us that we are to confront brothers and sisters in sin out of love and seek to lead them to repentance. He also tells us that if they will not repent they must be dismissed from the church. There are two main purposes for that. First is to protect the name of Jesus in the church that the world may see Him. Paul brings this up in Romans 2:21-24:you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.If we live in sin we blaspheme God’s name among the unbelieving. The whole purpose of the church is to glorify God and reach the lost, but if we let our people live in sin we instead blaspheme God and repel unbelievers. This is happening in many churches today and the world as a whole is looking at those churches and blaspheming God because of their actions. They say there cannot be a God because of our actions. Unrepentant sin in the church causes the world to doubt God because a church in unrepentant sin is no different than the world. We must take God’s name seriously and remember our actions represent Him.I had a friend growing up, who was a Christian. Both of us were at the same Christian school and both of us had a similar experience. The school was full of Christian teachers, but nearly devoid of Christians. Both of us were bullied, abused, and neglected. We experienced this pain from people who claimed to be Christian. I was able to see the truth, they were not Christians. My friend could not find that distinction. She became embittered against our classmates, and through that she became embittered toward Christianity. She left the faith, and since then I always carry the reminder of how different my own life could have been, if not for God’s grace. Where Christians live in unrepentant sin, Satan is hard at work and far too successful.The other reason for removing unrepentant sin from the church is actually twofold. It is for the benefit of the sinner and the church. Look at 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.” This is talking about that same man who was engaged in sexual sin. Paul told them to hand him over to Satan, but why? Look at the verses. They were to turn him over in the hopes that through it he would return to God. By letting him stay in the church they would have accepted his sin and he would not be pressured to change. Only when he saw the full ramifications of his sin did he finally turned away from it.This was not just for his benefit, but also for the benefit of the church he was sent out of. As a body, we need to remember that when one part suffers, we all suffer. We also must remember we are still human and can be tempted by sin. Look at Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.” We are still open to temptation, which is why correction must be done with gentleness and caution, so that we will not fall into the same sins. Paul further explains this to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:19-25 as relating to elders in the church. Paul requires at least 2 witness to convict an Elder, but if that is met then the Elder is brought before the congregation for church discipline. Why? As leaders they are examples to the whole church. They are held to a higher standard and when they sin it has to be addressed as they are an example, in this case an example of the consequence and pain of sin. Still, there is a process for restoration and this is the goal of all discipline. It is not to inflict suffering out of vengeance, it is to draw the person back to God.Sin is something that we should not even toy with as when we do we usually fall. That is why Paul told the Romans to make no provision for the flesh, but to instead put on Jesus Christ. (Romans 13:14) Sin is something that cannot be tolerated in the body of Christ. If we sin we must repent and seek God. If we do not repent then we must be removed so that we do not bring ridicule to God’s name and so that we may be turned back to Him. If we persist in unrepentant sin we must not be allowed to return. That is the difference of repentance and unrepentance. God knows if you are repentant or unrepentant. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.” God searches our hearts and He knows our intentions. He will treat us as we deserve. As you continue to read I want you to hold everything you have read in mind. We are now going to go into the individual commands found in the Bible. We need to obey these commands, but not out of some moralistic goodness, or works based righteousness. We do it because we love God, believe in the authority of His word, have faith that He has changed our lives, and have repented and continue to repent when we sin. Without this background the next few chapters will be nothing but heartless commands to display an outward righteousness, nothing but an act to fool the world and make ourselves feel better. Please do not forget the background as you read God’s commands and turn to the bible and read it yourself. These are not my commands, these are the clear commands and guidelines of God as found in His word. If we love God we will obey His words. However, to obey His words we must first learn what they are. Chapter 7-The ObviousChances are there are several commands of God you already know. In fact, most unbelievers are familiar with them as well. They are mostly found in the Ten Commandments. This includes commands like, do not murder and do not steal. Chances are you knew these and that you likely agreed that they were bad. You may have even kept yourself from doing any of them, but please do not just dismiss this chapter. Read through it and think about what is said.First, we have do not murder. This is brought up at least eight times in the New Testament and is affirmed by Jesus. This is pretty obvious, but I will explain. The idea of murder biblically was a premeditated attack. In fact, in the Old Testament if someone accidently killed another person they could run to a city of refuge to be protected. However, if the attack was intentional then God demanded that the one who took life be put to death. This was done because all people are made in God’s image and anyone (including animals in the Old Testament) who would dare to take the life of one of these made in the image of God had to be put to death. That is how seriously God views human life. However, there is a further point to this command. Jesus tells us that being angry with others is just as much a sin as murder. 1 John 3:15 comments on this as well, saying to hate a brother is to be a murderer. There is more to anger, but that will be touched on later. Just remember that hating your brother or sister is the root of murder, as such it too is sin.Second is the command to not steal. This one is also repeated by Jesus and is stated eight times in the New Testament. Again, nothing particularly ground breaking here and we all know what this means. However, there are things we have justified in our minds as ok even though it is in fact theft. The biggest example is the downloading of movies and music for free off sketchy websites. Theft simply is taking something that does not belong to you, or that you have not paid for. Music and movies belong to those who make them and when we download them off of a pirated website without paying we have committed theft. This is displeasing to God and is a sin. Be careful of what you do and remember that no matter how you try to justify it, theft is theft. Likewise, trying to trick others out of their money or possessions is also stealing. We are commanded not to swindle or defraud anyone in 1 Corinthians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 6:10 and Mark 10:19. The third command is really part of a larger command, sexual purity. We will talk about the fine details of sexual purity later, so for now I will focus on adultery, a sexual sin that is well recognized by most people. Adultery is the act of sexual intercourse with someone you are not married to. This is a sin readily acknowledged by most of society. It is the act of going behind your spouse’s back and having sex with someone else. Even our society still holds this as wrong and I hope they continue to do so.Another command that comes up is often dismissed because we feel it no longer is a problem. The Bible tells us about idolatry and food sacrificed to idols. This is brought up in detail by Paul in 1 Corinthians. Idols were literally little carvings, meant to be gods, that people would bow down to and worship. The Bible is against this and the subject is found throughout the entire Bible. Now a days we look at it and think, ‘well of course I’m not going to worship fake gods, that would be silly.’ There is more to it than that. Idolatry is the idea of elevating anything above God. There are plenty of things that become idols, not because we believe them to be God, but because we treat them as more important. In fact, this is the root of many sins. Colossians 3:5 says to avoid greed which Paul says is idolatry. We value money more than God. Sometimes we value self-praise more than God. We would rather be comfortable than to actually step out and do what God desires. Our actions, our time, and our attitude worship things other than God. We do not have time to pray, or we do not have money to give, or we simply do not want to do as He asks. This shows we value things more than God. This is idolatry and must be watched out for.The last of the more obvious commands is not to take part in sorcery. This one has been the subject of debate for a while now. I am not going to go extreme with this one, but I am going to explain practically what it means. There are many things that have to do with magic now. Everything from games, to book, to movies. I do not see anything wrong with these. The problem I see is when people try to practice it. This comes in to play with things like tarot cards and Ouija boards. People literally try to see the future or summon spirits and that is wrong. It is a fine line between both categories, but for most if you simply look at what you are doing and why it is not too hard to figure out if you are truly taking part in sorcery. Make no mistake, these things come from the Devil and he uses them to snare people, just as he uses all sin. The sad part is there are many more people willing to believe in spirits than there is who are willing to believe in the true God who has revealed Himself through scripture. Be on guard against this.I am sure that for most of these you looked at them and thought “Yep, I know those, and I obey most of those.” Mankind, being made in the image of God, has an innate sense of right and wrong. Most people do not murder or give false witness. Likewise many people believe they do not lie or steal, but many do these two but justify it to themselves. Adultery used to be fairly limited, but the sex crazed society we live in has made it worse than ever and now many marriages end on an affair. The point being you likely knew these, likely agreed with them, and likely tried not to do them. For some of you it has almost become a point of pride. However, I have to ask one question, how are your thoughts? Jesus talks about things like murder and adultery, and here is what He says in Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Also, “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus takes a direct shot at our hiding place, the mind. He looked at people like the Pharisees who were outwardly righteous and knew that their thoughts were not pure. So, as He continued to teach He decided to teach on thoughts. Jesus points out that to think about doing it is to do it. If you hate someone and will not forgive them you will come under judgement. If you see a woman and think about having sex with her it is the same as adultery. Your thoughts are an overflow of your heart. If you dwell on sin you reveal how it is still in your heart. Paul tells us to take every thought captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and to not be captive to the world, but to renew our minds (Romans 12:2).The point to take here is that just because a command is obvious does not mean we should skip over it. Just because we do not indulge it outwardly does not mean it is not in our thoughts. We must do as Paul says and take each thought captive and that we must not be stuck in this world. It is important to watch our thoughts and submit them to God. We must pray and read God’s word that we will renew our mind and learn what God desires of us.Chapter 8-Unto the Least of TheseThere are many commands that fit in this chapter, in the generic sense. Loving and taking care of others is the root of much of what we do. Jesus says this when He says the law and the prophets is summed up with love God and love man (Matthew 22:34-40). However, those commands will be covered in other chapters in better detail. So, what is the point of this chapter? It can best be summed up as love and hospitality. What do I mean by that? Simple, the commands covered here talk about taking care of people in need and sharing what you have with others. It is the idea of putting others first and helping people you see in need.Let’s start this chapter by talking about love. We have talked about loving God, but there are some points that bear repeating. First, look at the very verse we just talked about, Matthew 22:37-38: He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.” Loving God is defined by Jesus as the most important command. Let that sink in for a second. There are plenty of commands in scripture and we will cover them, but this is more important than any of the others. 1 Corinthians 13 talks about love and tells the reader that even if you have everything else, without love you are bankrupt and have done no good. Before you try to work on anything else in this book you must first love God. That is why I put the first five chapters in this book, because without that there is no point or hope to these commands.This is a very personal point for me. For the longest time, I lived in a world of works, devoid of emotion toward God. I did not see real change in my life. I tried to do more and more good works, but they did not change me. I finally came to understand that works were not enough. I learned and accepted that God loved me and that I had to learn to love Him. When I finally started to love God, my life changed. I began to truly love others and do good works out of a desire for God, and not just as a desire for myself. Many of us fall into this same trap. We often feel like our relationship with God should be purely business, unencumbered by emotion. The problem should be obvious. Relationships are inherently emotional. What you may not realize is that through this kind of attitude we are trying to earn salvation. We are the prodigal son. We have left and squandered all we had. We realize the depth of the problem and so we crawl back to the Father to be a hired hand, to try and earn His mercy. But when we try this with God, it does not work. Like the Father in the story He runs to us, clothes us, and makes us sons. He does not wait for us to work out our own salvation, but freely gives us all we need. We cannot earn redemption, but we need to love God for it. You may think I am harping just a little much on this point. It is an understandable thought, but I am not writing anything original here. Throughout the entire Bible God continually tells the people that they must love Him. Jesus Himself repeats it. Perhaps you may see it better illustrated in an actual church. Let’s say this church is really good at obeying God. They are known for solid teaching and have even weeded out several false teachers. They endure suffering and ill-treatment and yet persist in God’s commands. However, for all of this, they have forgotten to truly love God. They are doing many things and yet they are not really in love with God. What do you think Jesus would say to them? Well, you do not have to wonder. This example was an actual church addressed in the Bible. The church is found at Ephesus, or modern-day Turkey, and besides having a whole letter addressed to them, they are mentioned in 1 and 2 Timothy and in the beginning of Revelations. The description you just read is the description Jesus uses to address this church. In Revelations 2:4-5 we get Jesus’ words to this church: “But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Without a proper love for God their influence would be removed. Jesus Himself would pull their influence. This should not surprise us, as Jesus said that all people would know us by our love, not our actions (John 13:34-35).There is a place for actions in loving God. John repeatedly points out in 1 John that if we do not do as God expects of us then we do not love God. Jesus Himself says this in John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.” I have said it before, but I will say it again, can you truly say you love God when you do not do what He asks? I know, I am hammering this point a lot, but it is because of its importance that I felt it should be brought up again and it will likely make appearances in other chapters as well. It must be the basis for all that we do.Going back to Jesus words in Matthew 22:34-40 we have another major point, love man. You see verses 39-40 tell us this: “The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Do you see that? The entire commands and laws of God rest on these points! So, what does it mean to love man?The only reason we can love is because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.” We only know how to truly love because of His example. God is love, its part of His character. We are fallen, and without God, even our most loving action has a self-gratifying motive. So, what kind of love are we supposed to have?First, we are told to pursue brotherly love. This is love of those in the church that builds up unity and witnesses about God. In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Paul talks to the Thessalonians saying: “About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more.” They were known for their love and yet Paul encouraged them to continue even more. Paul also talks about love in Romans 12:9-10, pointing out that love cannot be hypocritical. He also tells us to honor one another. We are to treat the brothers and sisters in the church like family, because they are our family. All of us are family through Christ, the family He bought with His own blood. This is important, but this is not where love ends. We are not called to just love those in the church or those who love us in return. Look at Luke 6:27-36:But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.We are called to love all people, even those that are actively seeking to hurt us. It is not just those in the church, but those outside the church as well. I know there are some reading this book that feel we should separate ourselves from sinners, or even believe it is a biblical command, but look over what the Bible is saying. In Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus tells us He came for the lost and the sinner, to redeem them to God. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 Paul tells us that we are to associate with unbelievers, but that we must separate from anyone who claims to be a Christian and yet lives in sin. Ephesians 5:7 helps to clarify this, telling us that we must not be partners in others disobedience to God. We can always talk to sinners, but we must not join them in their sin. God is clear in telling us to flee from temptation (2 Timothy 2:22) and to separate from anything that can cause us to sin (Matthew 18:9). We are called to be very careful when dealing with any kind of sin (Galatians 6:1) so that we will not fall into it. Obviously, it is not good to be near anything that may tempt us to sin, and so we must be careful how we reach out to lost people, but we are still called to be among sinners to guide them to Jesus. Therefore, loving man does not just mean those in the church, but also those outside of the church. We must love them in spite of their sin, but we must not join them in sin.Well that was a bit of a lengthy way of telling you the obvious: we must love God and we must love mankind. We see in God that love is demonstrated by action. It is the same for man. If we love man we will do something about it. Obviously, if you love man you will tell them about Jesus, because they need forgiveness. This is the greatest thing you can do for anyone, but it must not stop there. You must not tell people the gospel, and then promptly ignore their needs. Look at 1 John 3:17-18 “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.” We are called to provide for those in need.Among those that are poor and in need God highlights widows and orphans throughout the Old and New Testaments. James 1:27 says: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” God puts special emphasis on these two groups because they are the most vulnerable of all people. We have so many widows and orphans today, not to mention mothers who have been abandoned to raise children on their own. We are commanded to help these people. We are also commanded to be hospitable to all. Hebrews 13:2 says: “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.” We are called to share what we have with others, to welcome them into our homes. We must seek to care for others and share willingly. As Paul says, we may welcome angels without knowing.Jesus adds some more detail to this list in Matthew 25:36. You may remember this is the passage where Jesus sends away people who claimed to be Christians, but did not take care of others. Jesus covers the points above in this passage, but also three more. Jesus talks about giving clothing to those who do not have it, to take care of those who are sick, and to visit those in prison. These are three more things that fall under loving man. We are commanded to clothes those that need clothes. We are also commanded to take care of those who are sick and dying. Lastly, we are commanded to visit people in prison. Are we doing these things? If not, we must! God has told us to do so. I know, it is often uncomfortable, and I still struggle with this, but we cannot argue against the fact that we must do it, and do it out of love and compassion.Along with all of these things we are also commanded not to show favoritism. James 2:1-11 tells us that we are not to treat anyone better than others. We are not to give special privileges or special honors to those we think deserve it, but to treat all people with the same love and respect. This is a huge struggle in churches who often give preference to politicians, famous preachers, or wealthy members. We must not do this. We must show the same love and respect to the poor man from the street as we do the man who has given much money to the church.Speaking of poor brothers, we have the last point in this chapter, taking care of brothers and sisters in the church who are in need. In Romans 12:13 Paul says: “Share with the saints in their needs.” The book of Acts shows how the early church gave their money and possessions to help those that were in need. They did not leave a brother or sister in need, and we are still called to do that today. Take care of those in need and show them the love of Jesus.I feel like I do not need to say much more on this. Jesus has told us that everything we do for anyone else is as if we have done it for Him, and if we do not it is as though we ignored Jesus Himself. If we do not love man and act on that love, then we are not truly of Christ. If that is the case then we will be sent away from Him. That is the worst thing that can happen! We must love God and others, and we must do this through our words and actions.Chapter 9-Marriage and SexEvery book I have ever read that had a chapter with sex in the title has opened up by guessing the reader likely skipped ahead to get to that chapter. Normally, at least for them, this is not a problem so long as you go back later. However, those of you that have read in order know that is not the way to read this book. You see before anyone gets to the commands they need to first read about what it means to love God and be in a relationship with Him. If you have skipped to this chapter, please go back and learn more of God first. For the rest of you who went in order let us continue, remembering what you already learned.I have chosen to start with marriage before we talk about sex, because marriage is correct context for sex. So, before we look at the myriad of wrong sexuality we must first look at the right way. Marriage has become a hotly debated topic, particularly in America. Popular opinion and social attitude have caused several drastic and damaging changes. The first is the attitude that marriage is end of your life and must be avoided. This opinion has only gotten stronger with the increase in sex before marriage. Why bother getting married when you are already getting what you want without any responsibility, right? Wrong. Marriage is the only correct context for sex. There is no debate on the Bible’s stance on this issue.The second dramatic shift has come to the definition of marriage. This is the most socially motivated shift and a source of much conflict between the world and the church. It has also been a dividing point for many churches, causing a lot of damage. However, the question most people ask is whether or not it is right from man’s point of view, not from God’s point of view. They determine if it is humanly right and then they bend God’s words and twist them to defend their point. We cannot do this. You have read the section about the Bible and you know that only false teachers seek to twist scripture to justify their positions. We must take scripture as it is and not try to explain away the commands and views we do not like. You take the Bible as wholly authoritative, or not at all.So, how does God define marriage? Go all the way back to the beginning. Genesis 2:20-25: The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.This is literally the first marriage. God has created all things and here we see Him create marriage. From the beginning God ordained it to be one man and one woman. They are to leave their families and be united together. God said this before the concept of a family had even been realized. There is no other context given for marriage, here or elsewhere. Therefore, we see God made marriage, but how are we to react toward it? Look at Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.” We are called to respect it and not defile it. What does that mean? No sex outside of marriage. Spouses must only have sex with each other. Sex with anyone other than your spouse is what we most commonly called adultery. Marriages must not fall into this sin or it will destroy them.There are two sides to a marriage, the man and the woman. The Bible has clear passages that talk to both husbands and wives. First, let’s look at the verses related to husbands. Ephesians 5:25-30 gives the husband the hardest duty he will ever have. Husbands are commanded to love their wives like Jesus loves the church, willing to give their life (not just die for, but live your life) for their good. Paul gives an analogy, comparing the unity of marriage as one body. His point is that mistreating your wife hurts you as much as hitting your own body. Husbands must take care of their wives like they would take care of themselves.Another verse that speaks to the husband is 1 Peter 3:7. It reads: “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” I am not going to open the can of worms on what weaker nature means. We do not truly know, and it is not the point of the passage. The point is that husbands are to be understanding of their wives needs and differences. They are not to treat them as subordinates or as below them, but to honor them as co-heirs of God. This was completely counter cultural in its time. The interesting part here is that if a husband fails to be understanding and honoring of his wife his prays will be hindered. The husband’s relationship with his wife directly affects his relationship to God and vice versa. Husbands have a high responsibility with dire consequences for ignoring it.We have seen what is commanded of husbands, but what about wives? Well to find that we will double back to both chapters we just talked about. First, let’s go back to Ephesians 5:22-24: “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. As the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.” The main point here is a word no one likes to hear, submission. This is a hard word to swallow, but this is not the only place we find it. James 4:7 tells all believers to submit to God. Even more so, Ephesians 5:21 tells all of us to submit to each other. Submission is not limited to wives only. Also, the wife is told to be submissive to her husband, not to be submissive to everyone (all though as part of all believers the last two verses we talked about apply to her as well). The husband must submit to God and love his wife like Jesus loves the church. In turn, the wife submits to the husband and to God. So you see, in a godly marriage the wife submits to the husband who in turn submits everything to God. When a marriage works this way there is no abuse or dominance. For the second part, we must go back to 1 Peter 3:1-2. Again, this verse talks about submission, and again right before it is a section of verses that tell us to be submitted to God. However, there is some more detail here. Peter calls for wives to be submissive even to unbelieving spouses, in the hopes that their life will draw their husbands to Christ. Paul calls for similar action in 1 Corinthians 7:7-24 telling everyone to remain where they were when they were saved. They are not to leave unbelieving spouse in the hopes that their conduct will win them to God. It is important to note that this passage is not saying believers can marry unbelievers, only that if you were already married when you were saved that you must stay in that marriage. Believers are still not to marry unbelievers as Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 that we must not be yoked with unbelievers (and marriage is a form of yoke).Let me give you a peak into a real marriage, mine. My wife and I are both believers, have been for some time. When we were going to be married we seriously considered what these verses meant. We have tried our best to apply them. I daily submit myself to God, but there are times I struggle. In the times where I have not been fully submitted I have seen how it hurt my marriage. When I submit to God it makes a world of difference. When I love God, I love my wife. God shows me my own selfishness and sinful pride and strengthens me to give it up for my bride. Marriage is arguably the best situation in which God works on our character. On the flipside, my wife is submissive to my decisions. Here is where you may have the wrong idea. She does not just sit there going, ‘yes sir,” without questioning or putting in her two cents. We debate and she puts in her opinions and we even fight! (yes people in godly marriages still have fights) However, at the end of the day she gives me the final choice. She trusts me to make a good decision. On my side there is another thing to remember. Every time I make a decision, I will be held accountable for it before God. The weight of that should make every man pause and evaluate his decisions. The position of leadership comes with the added accountability to God.We have seen in Scripture what a godly marriage looks like and we have seen that we should not seek to leave our spouse. Still, I am sure many of you still believe that divorce still ought to be allowed. There are always reasons given, justifications for this action. I am not here to tell people that they must endure an abusive spouse or anything like that, but I am here to show you what scripture says. We have already seen Paul tell us to stay in the situation we were saved in. He tells us this so that we will be a witness to our unbelieving spouse, but there is more to it as well. As we looked at the passages talking about the husband you should have noticed the direct comparison to Jesus and the church. Marriage is a reflection of that and we need to remember that we are representing God. Jesus spoke on marriage Himself in Matthew 19:1-12 with His final conclusion being that no man should try to separate a marriage as it is established by God. The only case He gives for divorce is adultery, but even then, we should still seek forgiveness and reconciliation. No part of this is easy. Jesus’ own disciples respond to this in verse 10 saying, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry!” God knows the challenge and difficulty, but like anything else we face He gives us the strength to go through it. I personally do not think it means you must continue to live with a spouse that is truly putting your life in danger, but as long as they are alive you should not marry anyone else.This next topic is one I do not believe anyone in the early church would ever have thought to address, gender identity. Today it is a hot topic and is even validated by our culture. The biggest reason from this trend this the relatively modern idea that there are no absolute truths. Without that kind of truth it becomes nothing but a free for all of competing ideas, none of which have to make sense in light of known truth, because people claim there no longer is truth. Naturally this found its way into the very question of identity, specifically gender. However, though the world has been quick to say there are no absolute truths (ironically that sentence is an absolute truth because it claims with certainty that there cannot be absolute truths) the Bible has never ceased being true. As a Christian our number one question has to be, what does the Bible say? The Bible does not specifically address gender identity, but that should hardly be surprising giving how recent a trend the gender debate is. However, the Bible is very clear and consistent in its definition of male and female. First, Genesis 1:27 tells us that God made humans male and female. Then Genesis 2:1-25 gives us the account of the creation of woman and the purpose of the two genders. From there this would be reinforced throughout the Bible. Never is there any grounds given for a “3rd identity option” or for being able to choose a different gender. Jesus Himself confirms what scripture says, quoting it in Matthew 19:4-6. At this point many will argue that their “true” identity is not the same as their biological gender. Again, the Bible does not support this. The Bible tells us that the human heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), and rather than giving into to who we think we ought to be, we are called to submit ourselves to who God has made us to be. Matthew 16:24 tells us to deny ourselves and follow Christ. Part of following Christ is renewing our minds through the Holy Spirit and the study of Scripture (Romans 12:2). Part of this command is to no longer walk as we once did (Ephesians 4:17-18). Ultimately, we need to remember that God assigns gender, and to question that is to say that God got it wrong. We are not told to obey our hearts and desires, but to put them to death and seek what God desires. This is good news for us, as our desires can never be fulfilled apart from God. If we seek to alter our identity, seek to follow our desires in full, we will never be truly happy. This goes for anything that fights for our identity, including things like work and family. They cannot fulfill you and apart from God they will never truly satisfy you. You will wander from thing to thing hoping to be filled, but left empty. Trust the one who knows you better than yourself, the one who can satisfy you like nothing else. In short, put your identity fully in God and stop trying to make other things fill that void.We will continue to look at the unmarried. In 1 Corinthians 7:7-9 Paul tells us that he wishes all people would remain unmarried, but he also says that those who struggle with sexual sin should be married. This is repeated in 1 Corinthians 7:25-31. Marriage is a responsibility and Paul’s point here is that if you do not have a wife to take care of then you can focus more on God. It is important to note Paul does not say this as a command, only as a suggestion.Another point that comes up is modesty. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 that women should be modest and righteous. Good works ought to be their source of beauty and not wealth or worldly things. Modesty means different things to different people, but the main point is that you should not be a source of stumbling to others. This is a main point of Christianity that we will explore later, but for now look at it in this context. The way you dress, how revealing or provocative it may be, could cause others to lust. Jesus own words tell us it is better to be thrown into the sea with a bolder attached to you than to cause a brother or sister to stumble. That is not to say that others are free of responsibility, as we saw they will be held accountable for their thoughts.The next three points really blend together. As you know from above adultery is a sin. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 that spouses must not deprive each other of sexual relations so they can fight temptation. 1 Corinthians 6:9 is clear that all who practice adultery and any other form of sexual immorality will not have eternal life. Sexual immorality is a vague term that seems to encompass all forms of sexual expression that happen outside of marriage, or before marriage. Revelations 2:20-23 gives Jesus own words of judgement to a woman in the church of Thyatira, saying that she and all who participate in her sin will be thrown on to the sick bed. It is literally a death sentence. Likewise, we have promiscuity. It comes up as often as sexual immorality or any other sexual sin. To be promiscuous is to have sex with others when you are not married. This is the most common form of sexual sin and in today’s culture if you have not had premarital sex you are treated like a fool and are mocked. Galatians 5:19 rightly calls this an act of the flesh and those who practice it are far from God.On a similar note, we are commanded not to be enslaved to sensuality in Ephesians 4:17-19. Paul points out how seeking fleshly desires cause people to be darkened to the truth. The pursuit of pleasure rapidly squeezes God out of our lives. It is an addiction. Like all addictions, we will give up everything to continue it. That is why we are told to avoid being enslaved to sensuality as it will lead us away from God.We have reached the last command in Scripture specifically related to marriage or sex. If culture is any indicator this will cause many to shut this book and walk away. I want you to understand this is a clear command of scripture. This is not something dreamed up by man and those who try to explain it away are only twisting scripture to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Every verse I will present will specifically speak against homosexuality. Many try to say that it is an improper translation, but if you look at their arguments you can see that they argue against the vast majority of evidence that define the Greek and instead focus on an obscure meaning that is almost never applied to that word. When redefining the word fails they instead argue that in biblical times there were no loving same sex relationships which is why the biblical authors say it. Others just try to discredit the passages all together. The truth is the Bible is either wholly inspired or not at all. The authors chose the same word used in the Greek translation of Old Testament books. It literally means to have sexual relations with someone of the same sex as if they were actually someone of the opposite sex. No matter how you try to manipulate scripture the meaning is plain, homosexuality. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says: Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.Look at the passage. It clearly points out homosexuality. It does this in context of other sexual sin. If it were truly just the immoral practice of abusive homosexuality they would have no need to include that detail. Nowhere in the Bible ever even hints at homosexuality being anything but a sin before God. This same kind of phrasing is used in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 as well. I have heard many people try to discount these verses, but the book of Romans clearly addresses homosexuality. Romans 1:24-28 says: Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error. And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong.There is no doubt what Paul is saying here. Mankind was given evidence of God and chose not to worship him. Therefore, God let them have their sexual impurities and evil desires. They indulged in degrading lusts. In plain words, it tells us that they gave up natural sexual relations so that they could indulge in homosexuality, which God condemns. There is no confusion here. The words are clear and so is the point. This was not written by me or others, but by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God inspired and preserved these words to hand them to us even now.If that is still not enough, then we must look at Jesus’ own words. Jesus outlined and defined marriage by quoting Genesis. He is clear when He states in Mark 10:1-12 that God made male and female with the purpose of unity in marriage. He does not say that God made marriage for any other circumstances. There is no room in Jesus’ words to try and justify homosexuality, in a loving relationship or not. That is not God’s design and as such it is not right.The point is that biblically homosexuality is a sin. It is no worse or better than any other sin, but it is a sin. If you read the Bible and do not believe this than you might as well throw out the whole thing. You cannot pick and choose which parts of the Bible you like. If you cannot accept this, then you should not hold to the Bible at all. You either take all of it as God’s word or none of it. It is the truth, and the truth often offends, but Jesus’ tells us that those who are not offended are blessed. If you are looking for a more detailed accounting then there are plenty of books for you to read, but a detailed examination of the evidence is not the point of this book. The bible is not a secret puzzle to be figured out, but the plain words of God. We do get it confused sometimes, but even a child can read the Bible and understand it. I am not trying to be argumentative or offensive, I am merely trying to communicate what the Bible says. I want nothing more than to fulfill the commands God has given, and so I speak the truth, but I seek to do so with grace and not fury. I know my words may not come across that way, and if so I do ask your forgiveness. Again, my intent is not angry condemnation, but I must speak the truth. Too many people treat homosexuality as a worse sin, but it is no different than the many other sins that people ignore or even justify. Christians must stand on the truth, but in love. Chapter 10-Actions Expected of UsPerhaps the best place to start is with the one command people seem to begrudge the most, giving. Nobody likes the money talk, and perhaps that is because it generally only comes up when the church needs a new building, or simply because we do not like to let go of our money. Therein lies the problem with how we think about things. In our minds it is our money, but is that right? Look at Romans 11:33-36:Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.Be honest with yourself, what does this passage say? Everything is from God. ‘But wait,’ you say, ‘God didn’t make money and I am the one who works for it!’ Ok, why are you able to work? Who has given you strength and wisdom to get things done? Who brought the whole world into existence in the first place? The world and everything in it belongs to God and we need to accept that.Seeing as everything belongs to God it is only reasonable that God should be given everything. In Matthew 22:21 some Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking about taxes and ended up getting a lesson instead. Jesus told them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” We are told by Jesus to give God what belongs to God. He could ask for all we have, but He generally does not. Each of us should give what we can to God. The bigger point is that most of us can give more. Giving is not just limited to God, but it should be our first priority. We will look more at giving later. For now, there is another part to think on first.Another command related to money relates more to debt. The Bible tell us we are not to owe anything to anyone. Mark 12:17 says, “Jesus told them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.” Not only here, but also Romans 13:8, “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” It is clear in both passages, we are not to owe anything, including money. This means we should seek to live in a way that we pay our debts.When it comes to money though, there is one deep, underlying sin that causes the majority of the trouble, greed. Greed, as you likely know, is the desire for more and more regardless of if you need it or not, as well as an inability to let it go. This is contrary to scripture. Philippians 4:12-13 says: I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.The key to living in this world is contentment. Paul was content in plenty and in little because God strengthened him. We all know the trials of poverty, even if we do not experience it. However, riches are far more dangerous and often ignored. Look at Mark 10:17-27:As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”It is exceedingly difficult for the wealthy to be saved, and yet it is often what we desire. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.” Having God is a treasure that far exceeds any wealth. We are made to choose, to serve God or to serve a desire for money. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve God and money. Money is not evil in and of itself, it is the love of money that is evil. When we love money more than God, we betray Him. Judas, one of the twelve, loved money, and as a result betrayed God for money. We must fight greed. Colossians 3:5 tells us to put greed to death. Kill greed, and be content in God.This next command is one people think of as more of a suggestion. It is odd that many churches no longer expect this of believers, but make no mistake it is a command. We are not asked, but told to do good works. That is, after all, a major point of this book and the Bible. There are even commands telling us how to do good works. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:1-4 not to do good works for praise, but because God wants us to. Our works are evidence of the true condition of our spiritual lives. Titus 1:16 says, “They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.” Our works show if we love Jesus or just ourselves and Jesus says this many times throughout the gospels, talking about identifying people by their fruits (good works, he uses the illustration of a tree). Of course, there are those that think if they do not do good or bad works that they are not sinning, but look at James 4:17: “So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.” James is talking about faith and good works when he says this. Guess what, you now know you are commanded to good works (and you know all the commands you have read in this book), if you do not do what the Bible asks, what you know it is telling you, then you sin against God. The next point was touched on earlier, but will be expanded here. Christians are commanded to obedience. First and foremost, we are to obey God. Acts 4:19-22 tells us to obey God before we obey men. Therefore, if a person ever tells us to directly violate God’s commands, we are called to obey God and not them. However, this is generally not the case. Paul and Jesus talk about obeying authority. In Romans 13:1-7 talks about authority, and in verses 1 and 2 we are told:“Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.”Did you really read those words? Not only is authority from God, they are given authority by Him to punish wrong doing. Do not hear me wrong, not all government is righteous or holy, but all government is God given. The Romans were not good to Christians, and yet the early Christians were commanded to obey them in every way that did not violate God’s commands. We must respect the authority over us, and obey at all times unless it goes against God. In America, particularly, we have lost the idea of respecting authority. It is not just the government we rebel against, but our own parents. Of all the authority, we are called to obey, parents are second only to God. Ephesians 6:1-4 tells us to obey parents, quoting from the Old Testament commandment, which tells us it is the first command with a promise. The promise is that life will go better if we do. That does not mean we will be rich or avoid suffering, merely pointing out that those who listen to their parents are generally better off. Obviously, this is not true of all parents, but we are commanded to obey none the less. Again, the only time we can disobey authority, especially parents, is if it goes directly against God. Perhaps another of the less known commands is the responsibility to work. Paul brings this up, saying in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12: “In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: ‘If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.’” Paul himself made sure he was the example of this, working to earn and provide for himself. We are not called to be lazy or let others provide for us, but we are commanded to work and provide, not only for ourselves, but those in need. When we can work and earn our own income, we must.The next command is specifically for slaves, but it is applicable to all employment as well. Ephesians 6:5-9 says:Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.We are commanded to do all our work as if we are doing it for God, not for people. We are to do this with a good attitude. I know there is controversy over slavery so here are a few quick points. First, all though the Bible talks about slavery it does not endorse it. Secondly, even though it does not endorse it, the Bible does tell us to stay where we are. This is the next command we will look at. At the same time, the book of Philemon implies that believers ought to release their slaves, although it does not command it. Lastly, slavery in biblical times was not what we picture, the American slave trade of the 1600-1800’s. Slavery was a method of paying off debt and generally the masters of these slaves were much more accommodating. If you want to study this in more depth just flip over to the book list at the back of this book. The point of these passages is that we must work for others as if we were working for God Himself, which means doing our best.The next command comes as no surprise, staying where you are. We talked about that in the last section, but what does that mean? Look at 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, “Let each of you remain in the situation in which he was called.” Here Paul is actually talking about marriage, but he expands it to other things as well. Slaves should not try to free themselves, people married to unbelievers must remain married to them, and others must stay where they are as well. These are places for us to minister and places God has allowed us to be. No one said it would be easy, and God may remove you on His own, but we should not seek to leave on our own. Another relatively unknown command comes up related to God’s will and stewardship. We see this command in James 4:13-16:Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.This passage contains strong words about making plans. This verse is not saying do not make plans, or wait for God to make your plans first. The verse is telling us that we must submit our plans to God. In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus tells us the parable of the rich farmer who was going to live out his days in luxury, but God took his life that very night. This is directly in line with Proverbs 27:1 which tells us not to boast in tomorrow. Paul is a great example of making plans, but also submitting those plans to God. In Acts 16:6-10 Paul planned on going to Asia, but the Holy Spirit stopped him and redirected him to Macedonia. Not only that, but in Acts 18:19-21 Paul tells the Ephesians that he will be back to see them again, if the Lord wills it. This is how we are to treat plans. There is nothing wrong with planning, in fact you could argue based on stewardship that we ought to make plans. However, when we try to set our plans in stone and do not leave room for God to redirect us, then we sin. We are trying to control things on our own rather than submitting to God. So what should we do? We should make our plans to the best of our ability, keeping in mind God may change them and that if He does that we accept it. Everything we do needs to be submitted to God.Next we come to one that is well known, but frankly is mostly ignored. Getting drunk is a sin. There are not many people that would disagree with this, and yet there are so many people who say they are Christians and constantly get drunk. Ephesians 5:18 tells us not to get drunk, but to be filled with the spirit. Likewise, Romans 13:13 says walk in the light and not in drunkenness and carousing. Hear me out, I am not saying that drinking is a sin. Alcohol is used in the Bible for purifying water and curing stomach ulcers. However, the Bible is clear that drinking in excess, to the point of drunkenness, is wrong. It also is clear that if drinking will cause others to stumble, then as brothers and sisters in Christ it is our obligation to not drink. Alcohol is a dangerous temptation and whether it tempts you or not, it can cause others to fall.Perhaps one of the most avoided and ignored commands is that against gluttony. Many people will either laugh at this sin or they flare up at the mention of it. The question we need to ask is what is gluttony, and what does the Bible say. Urban dictionary defines it as “Over indulgence in anything; most often associated with food. It is also the excessive wasting of food/items and withholding from those who need it.” So what would we label as gluttony? Is someone who is overweight automatically a glutton? Well, no. There people with real medical conditions or other valid reasons for excessive weight who do not over indulge on food. Likewise, is someone who is skinny safe from gluttony? Well, no. A skinny person may be able to eat a dozen doughnuts without getting fat, but that is an over indulgence. Gluttony is not as easy to judge as we would like it to be. Many people who are at healthy weight are still gluttons. We need to examine our actions and determine if we are over eating, or if it is just a medical condition. Most people already know if their habits reflect gluttony or not, so all that is left is to ask what the Bible say. Though the Bible does talk about gluttony (Ezekiel 16:49) it is not usually direct. However, the Bible does speak to it. 1 Corinthians 6:12 tells us that we have the right to do what we want, but that we should not be enslaved to it. Likewise Romans 13:14 tells us to make no room for fleshly temptation. Philippians 3:19 accuses people of making their stomach their god. Then there is the fact that we are supposed to take care of our bodies as they are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). However, these are not the only verses. We are told often to have self-control (2Timothy 3:1-9 condemns those with no self-control and 1 Corinthians 7:5 tells us that we are tempted by our lack of self-control). We are told it is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and that this fruit is evidence of our maturity. So let’s recap. We are allowed to do what we want, but we must not be a slave to food. We need self-control as it is a fruit and evidence of the spirit working in our lives. To over indulge in food is sin, just as over indulging in anything is sin.We return to one that again is obvious. We are commanded not to lie, but we are also call not to be deceptive. This is something we have covered, but I included it again because it relates to the commands that come next, and because we do not often think about many of the deceptive things we do or say. James tells us that believers should be known for telling the truth. James 5:12 says, “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no,’ so that you won’t fall under judgment.” The point being, we should be known for such honesty that people automatically take us at our word. No need for oaths or promises, just say the word and they know we will do it. In Acts 5:1-11 we see two believers lie to the Holy Spirit. We also see that lying to the Spirit lead to death. We cannot lie to God, and He takes that so seriously that He punished them for it. Lastly, Colossians 3:9-10 tells us, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices.” I do not think this could be any plainer.Along with that we get a whole bunch of commands on our speech. Matthew 12:36-37 says, “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” To be honest, that scares me. How many times, in anger or other emotions, have we said something so wrong or stupid. The thought of answering for every word is never a comforting thought. We need to take this seriously. Ephesians 5:4 tells us, “Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.” We must not participate in crude or sexual jokes, which is most of what our culture does. It is very hard to talk to secular friends without this coming up, but how do you respond? We must not join in. James reminds us that the tongue is wicked. James 3:3-12 tells us the tongue is untamable and full of evil. We curse men and praise God with the same organ! We must guard our words. No more cursing, no more crude jokes, instead build each other up.Last is a command that many of us probably never think about. In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus tells His disciples not to make oaths. This is said with the goal being to avoid breaking our word to God, and it is still applicable today. How often do we promise God to do something? Do not make promises, but just go and do.Well you made it through a long list of actions and I honestly hope you will go through them again sometime and really compare them to your life to see if you are doing them. We must measure ourselves by God’s commands and strive to meet that measurement. This is never an enjoyable practice, but it is necessary. As you measure and find areas you struggle, immediately stop and pray about it. Remember if we want success we need God’s help.Chapter 11-Attitudes Expected of UsThe last chapter went over the actual actions we are to do (or not do), but this chapter switches gears. The commands here are more thoughts or attitudes than actual actions, but they are still commands. These are harder to apply, because to really obey them, we have to change ourselves beyond our actions. Pray that God will help you to see what you must work on and help you to do it.The first attitude we are to have is peace. Peace encompasses several different things, but the first is to be without conflict with others. Romans 12:18 tells us, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” As long as it is in our control, we must live at peace. In the same way Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-42 that although the people had been taught an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, He commanded them not to resist their enemies, to turn the other cheek. Revenge belongs to God, we are to be at peace and not seek vengeance.There is a second part to peace. It is not just being at peace with others. The other aspect of peace has to do with worry and anxiety. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” We are commanded not to worry, but to bring all our concerns to God. We are to go to Him in prayer and give Him our worries. We will talk more about prayer in the next chapter. The point being we are not to worry. Jesus tells us this as well in Matthew 6:25-34, telling us how God cares for the fields and the birds, and even more so for us.Another attitude we are to have is gentleness. In Philippians 4:5 Paul tells us, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” Gentleness is repeated many times throughout the New Testament and is part of many other behaviors. We are told that if we correct people, it must be with gentleness. We are told to take care of believers who struggle with gentleness. We must be gentle and compassionate, as Jesus was gentle.The next is truly the root of most of the sins and mistakes we make, pride. Pride is a terrible temptation, always leading to sin. Satan fell because of his pride, and man sinned against God in the garden because of their pride. Pride desires to put ourselves first. In Romans 12:3 Paul tells us not to think too highly of ourselves. We must remember our need for God and not be over confident in our own abilities. Moreover, we need to think of others before we think of ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” We are commanded to consider others more important than ourselves and seek to take care of them. At the same time, we are warned against self-reliance. Revelations 3:15-20 shows this by telling of the self-reliance and pride of the church in Sardis. They felt they had all they needed, but Jesus warned them to turn from all of it and depend on Him. We all must depend on God.Related to the issue of pride is the abuse of power. Power is a temptation that seizes all of us. No matter how little we feel it affects us, the desire for power and influence subtly influences us. Jesus talked about this as well, saying in Matthew 20:25-28:Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”The people then, like the people now, lorded their power over others. Jesus calls us to instead take the place of the servant. We are to put others first. This is a hard thing to do, perhaps the hardest. However, this is what is means to love. Love seeks to use power to reach people, but ambition seeks to use people to achieve power. Jesus is our ultimate example. He came to us in weakness and was despised, but He truly impacted people and truly loved them. Often the more power we gain the more we hurt others around us in the pursuit of power, but the weaker we are the more people we truly reach through love. It is another paradox of Christianity, one that is so hard for us, but all the more necessary because of the difficulty. We must live in weakness and depend on God’s power, not our own.A more difficult attitude for most of us is patience. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Paul tells us to be patient with everyone. Not only patience with others, but also with circumstances. Romans 12:12 tells us, “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” We are to be patient in affliction, enduring for Jesus. All of us have had our patience tested (maybe right before you got to this section) and we know how hard patience is. We need God to give us strength to have any patience at all. That does not excuse us when we lack patience.The flipside of patience is anger and hate. This is one attitude that we are commanded not to have. In Ephesians 4:26-27 it says, “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.” There is righteous anger, anger toward injustice or abuse, but most of us suffer from unjustified anger. The devil uses anger to tempt us to mistreat others or hurt them. Anger is a dangerous fire. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.” We are to remove the anger, bitterness, and malice from ourselves. A hard task for sure. Try to remember in anger what God has told us, and pray for strength.The next attitude is one warned against in the ten commandments, envy. We are told in Romans 13:9 to not covet and in Romans 13:13 to have no quarreling or jealousy. We are not to desire what others have. This is a stones throw from stealing. 1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.” Along with hate and malice, we are commanded to remove any envy.The last attitude that comes up is one that is often misrepresented, and that is judgement. The first thing we need to know comes up in John 7:24 where we are told not to judge by outward appearance. Many people will take this verse and others to imply we are never to judge others, but that is not what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 says:It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even judge myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. So don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.First Paul warns the Corinthians against judging before they know all the facts. He also shifts their priorities, from fear of man’s judgment, to fear of God’s judgement. In the next chapter Paul clarifies his statement. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, “For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.” We are commanded to judge those within the church. In the case of the Corinthians Paul was telling them to judge a man who was living in unrepentant sin. They had the evidence and the man even admitted it. It is a command of God that we judge those who are part of the church who are living in open, unrepentant sin. The problem is we generally judge the world, which Paul says is not our job, instead of judging those in the church. This attitude must change. We must continue to go to God in prayer and through Scripture so that He can renew our minds as Romans 12:1-2 points out.Chapter 12-What God Expects of Our SpiritUp to this point the commands we have covered have primarily to do with physical world. However, there are many commands to do with the spiritual realm, as in God’s presence. God has given each of us a soul and He paid the ultimate price to ensure our soul could be with Him for eternity. He also has given us the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. God dwells in us. As such, there are things God commands of our spirits as well.The primary responsibility for us is prayer. We are to pray for ourselves and others, pray to communicate with God. The early church demonstrated the necessity and power of prayer. In Acts 1:14 we are told, “They all were continually united in prayer.” Unity is a command we will cover later, but right now focus on how we are to be unified. Prayer is a big part of unity in the church. Prayer draws us together through our Father, and unites us in a common goal. We are called to seek God in prayer and depend on Him for everything.Unity is only one part of prayer. Another part is persistence. Romans 12:12 tells us to, “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” Jesus Himself agrees with this, telling us to ask continually, but there is more to prayer than just asking. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us that in prayer we are “casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” In prayer, we give our concerns to God. We have peace knowing God will take care of us. 1 John 5:14-15 we are told we have confidence in God answering prayer. It is important to know that God does answer all prayers, but often He does not answer the way we think He should. I will give you a personal example. I have been praying about ministry for the last three years about many opportunities, waiting for God to open an opportunity. Time after time God answered my prayer by shutting the door. Finally, God provided an opportunity, one far better than what I had tried to get on my own. The point being, there are times God says no because there is something else He wants to give you. We need to remember that God knows what we need far better than we do. Prayer is not just limited to ourselves, or even the church. In fact, 1 Timothy 2:1-6 tells us to pray for rulers’ salvation. We are to pray for our leaders and for people in general. Pray for salvation for them.Another responsibility we have is faith. Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Do we take that seriously? For that matter, what is faith? In Hebrews 11:1 we are told, “faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:3 in Romans 1:17 saying “The righteous will live by faith.” How do we get faith? Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” We hear about Christ and all He has done and as we hear about what He has done for us we have faith in Him.Some people have a lot of faith, and yet others seem to struggle. Romans 14:1 commands us to, “Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.” We must be aware of others faith and not cause it to fail. Paul was concerned with protecting people’s faith. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 he tells the Corinthians, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.” Faith must be based on God Himself and not on anything of man. Faith is found in the message of Jesus and only lives on if it is based on Him. He is what we are to have faith in. However, as important as faith is Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:2 faith without love is nothing. We must have love and faith. Another practice we are to take seriously is fasting. This is one that has all but disappeared in modern day, at least among Americans. However, Jesus gave instructions about fasting to His disciples. Why would He do that if He did not expect them to fast? In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus tells the disciples to fast in secret. Though there were times this was not followed, like in the early church. In Acts 14:23 the church set apart leaders with prayer and fasting. In this case the fasting was a group effort and so it was known, but it was not for attention like the leaders Jesus was denouncing. Fasting is expected of us. It shows that we value God above food and everything else. Jesus tells us that doing God’s will is also food for us (John 4:34). We need to fast, to seek God, to draw strength from Him.The next responsibility has been touched on before, but because of its importance it will be elaborated here. We are commanded to stand firm on God’s word. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 says “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote.” At the same time 1 Timothy 4:6, 11 says “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed…Command and teach these things.” The bible is to be commanded and taught, and we must hold on to it. Hebrews 12:25 warns us saying, “See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven.” We must not reject those who preach God’s word. At the same time, we must do what Scripture tells us. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It must be put into practice.The biggest problem comes from those who twist scripture and use it in ways they are not supposed to. 2 Peter 3:16 warns us about this when talking of Paul’s letters, saying, “He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.” We must not stand for leaders or anyone else who take scripture out of context and try to use it to justify sin.We must talk next about evangelism and discipleship. These two are inseparable. The truth is, most people who would call themselves Christians are neither evangelizing nor discipling. Most believe that is the pastor’s ‘job,’ not theirs. After all that’s what they pay him for right? Wrong. We give money to God because it is God’s and He deserves it. The pastor gets part of that money because God commands that they should make their living on the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). Make no mistake, evangelizing and discipleship are commands. Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20 both tell the same event, Jesus telling His apostles to go make disciples. This is a command for the whole church, not just the apostles. Paul emphasizes the need for this in Romans 10:14-17 pointing out that without someone going with God’s word, how will anyone hear the gospel? Paul puts that burden on all of us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 saying that we are God’s ambassadors. Some will try to argue that only some people are supposed to evangelize, using Ephesians 4:11-13 which says some people are given to the church as evangelists. However, it is important to note that this leaves out context. All people are still called to evangelize, whether or not they are gifted at. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always have a reason for the hope within us. Jesus Himself tells us in Luke 12:11-12 that God will give us words. It is not dependent on our skill. Jesus is also clear that He expects us to tell others about Him, saying in Luke 12:18 that we need to acknowledge God and He will acknowledge us. We have a burden to tell others about Jesus. We are also called to pray for more people to evangelize. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus tells us to ask for more workers for evangelism. We are the light and salt to the world (Matthew 5:13-16) and we are called in John 15:8 and numerous other places to produce fruit (including witnessing and making disciples). For some there is the worry of what we will have to give up to do this, but Jesus comforts us saying in Mark 10:29-30 that what we give up here for His sake we gain in heaven.Evangelism is not where it ends. Going back to Matthew 28:19-20, we are told not just to go, but to go and make disciples. Making disciples is another command. How do you disciple? Paul comments on this in 2 Timothy 2:2 “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” We are commanded to disciple others. Paul goes further, admonishing Timothy to teach men who will teach others, who will then teach others. Those we disciple must also go and make disciples. Jesus modeled this for us with His own disciples, who then went out and started the church on Pentecost. John 12:26 tells us that if we serve Jesus we must follow Jesus. That means doing as He did, going to the hurt and broken, and raising others up to know and love God. In fact, John 14:21 tells us that Jesus will make Himself known to those who love Him. If we have loved Jesus then we have come to know Him, and if we know Him then we are to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul tells us to follow His example as he follows Christ. Likewise in Philippians 3:17 Paul tells us to walk according to good examples. This all flows from remembering what Romans 14:7-8 says, that live or die we are the Lords, and that we live for God’s will (1 Peter 4:2). We are called in general to think of others (Philippians 2:4) and to stir others up to love (Hebrews 10:24-25), and this goes for discipleship as well. All of this fits into how we are supposed to worship God. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul tells us we are to be a living sacrifice. That means we use our lives for what God desires of us, not just what we want to do. This is what we are all called to do. Another underlying feature of all we are commanded to do is to live in a way that proclaims God. Jesus says this in Matthew 16:24-25: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” Many of us worry about what will happen to us or if our needs will be met. In Luke 12:22-34 Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about their needs as God provides for them. Then in verses 31-34 He says:But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.God knows our needs and He is faithful to provide. We are commanded to give our lives, and everything else, to God.Living for God has a note of sacrifice to it. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” We are to be a living sacrifice for God. Our love for Him ought to motivate us to do everything we can to proclaim His name. That is contrary to much of what the world tells us. It was a problem in Paul’s day as well. In 2 Timothy 3:5 he talks about such people saying, “holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.” They held an idea of God, but they gave no power or authority to it. This was also a problem in the church at Ephesus. In Revelations 2:4-5 Jesus talks to them saying:But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.They had forgotten that they were to love God first. God tells them to repent from this and to do the works they first did. We are called to love God and to live our lives as a witness for Him.Another practice we are called to avoid is hypocrisy. In Matthew 23:1-39 Jesus points out the great hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day, pointing out how they did all they did for the respect and praise of men. In contrast He tells His disciples, and us, not to act like them. Romans 12:9 tells us to love without hypocrisy. Our actions and our love must be genuine, not just an act to bring praise. Like the last command we must not lose the love of God.The next practice has to do with our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 talks about this, saying:Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.We are commanded to dwell on good things. To dwell on what is commendable, morally excellent, praiseworthy, lovely, pure, just, honorable, and true. How often do we fail this? What are our thoughts? How many times do we dwell on bad thoughts or indulge in inappropriate shows or songs? We must limit our exposure to these things, and instead focus on the commendable things. It is hard, but true. There is much that we watch, read and listen to that we likely should not.Perhaps the hardest practice for us to apply is that of suffering. Suffering is something we seek to avoid, but the Bible does not tell us to do so. 2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” We are called to share in the suffering of Jesus. When we suffer, however, it must be for God and not for our own wrong doing. 1 Peter 3:17 says, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” Not only are we to share in the suffering, but we are to bless those responsible. Romans 12:14 tells us to, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” In America, it is very hard to grasp this point, seeing as we have such wealth and few needs. However, there will be suffering and persecution, be it minor or not, and we must share in it and bless those who hurt us. Along with suffering, we are commanded to endure. God calls us to push through suffering, failing, and other problems to continue in faith and obedience to Him. James 1:2-4, 12 talks about this, saying:Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance…Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.We will be tested and purified by the suffering and other adversity in this life. We are to endure and push through with God’s strength. Paul touches on this as well when he is talking to the Philippians. In Philippians 3:12-14 he tells them to forget what is behind them and press on toward God, reaching for Him. Life will bring trouble and pain, but we are called to share in that suffering and endure.Another practice we are to do is to be thankful and worship God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul tells us we must, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We are to rejoice all the time and to give thanks for all we have. This is God’s will. Colossians 3:17 says nearly the same thing, to do everything in God’s name, thanking and praising Him. Likewise, Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We must praise God and thank Him all the time.We also have instruction when it comes to temptation. Romans 13:14 tells us, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Too often we fall into sin because we make plans to sin. How often is there something we did not get rid of, or did not try to remove, that cause us to stumble into sin? Jesus tells us it would be better to pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin, than to go to hell for sinning. We need to remove everything that tempts us to sin. This is part of dwelling on good thoughts. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 reminds us:So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.We must be careful not to fall. Temptation is normal, and experienced by all people, but we must be on our guard against it. The best part of this passage is the assurance it gives us. When that temptation comes God is faithful to provide a way out. I can tell you from personal experience that is true. There have been times where I was deeply tempted and someone randomly came to visit. Or I was on the computer, but the internet went out. There were other times too, when God provided an interruption and I could have walked away, but I did not. He is faithful to give a way out, but we have to take it.It is important to know where temptation and sin come from. There are some people that believe God tempts, but that is not the case. Look at James 1:13-15:No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.Temptation comes from our own desires. We want it! We want it more than God and so we wander after it and as we fulfill our evil desires we lead ourselves into death. James tells us in James 4:7, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We must be submitted to God if ever want to overcome temptation. Desire God above all else and cry out to Him for help, He will provide a way out.There is one last practice that must be avoided, and that is irreverence toward God. Irreverence is essentially disrespect and mockery. The Bible is clear in telling us that God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7) and we must be careful that we do not treat God as common. In 2 Timothy 2:16-19 false teachers were departing from the truth with irreverent speech toward God. 2 Peter 2:2 tells us that, “Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them.” Maligned is also translated as slandered or blasphemed. The point being that twisting scriptures is irreverence toward God. Perhaps a scarier thought comes in connection to the Holy Spirit. In Luke 12:10 Jesus tells us, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” He forgives our foolish words against Him, but anything people say against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. We must watch our speech and our walk, so that we will not bring mocking on God.Chapter 13-Gifts and ServiceThese next commands really have to do with the gifts God has given us, and how we are to serve His body, the church. There are many gifts, and you likely will not have all of them, but we need to know about all of them. Each of us must use our gifts to build up our fellow believers and encourage the church.Teaching is one of the gifts talked about often. It is rather self-explanatory, a gifting in the ability to help others learn more, in this case particularly about God. There is a flipside to it as well. We are warned throughout the Bible to be on our guard against false teaching. In Matthew 24:4-14, 23-27 Jesus talks about the end times and what will happen. In 23-27 He says:If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note: I have told you in advance. So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.He tells us that false prophets will come to deceive us. Some of you may remember this, but there was a man named Harold Camping that predicted that Jesus would come back on October 26th 2013, but He did not. He is a perfect example of a false prophet. We have to be on guard against this. This is nothing new either, even in the earliest days of the church false teachers were emerging. 2 Peter 3:16-17 talks about this, saying:He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position.Paul knew of this false teaching and constantly fought against it. When talking to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 he says:For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.False teachers will come and succeed because they will tell the people exactly what they want to hear. Now why does that sound familiar? Chances are you know of a couple of false teachers even today. There are many preachers that are telling their congregations that God just wants us to be wealthy and happy, but as we already have seen God has called us to share in suffering. False teachers twist scripture by taking it out of context. The only way we will recognize this is if we are constantly reading our Bibles for ourselves. We need to know what the Bible says! These false teachers will try to get us. In Jude 1:3-4 we see he wrote because he wanted them to stand firm on the truth, because there were those who were actively trying to deceive them. This is real and it is dangerous. We need to test everything people say, and the only thing to test it with is scripture. However, we cannot test it with scripture if we do not know scripture. Read God’s word and learn it or we will be deceived.On a similar note, we are called to use our gifts to build up the body and must avoid causing others to stumble. We have touched on this several times in the book, but I cannot emphasize it enough. In Mark 9:42-43 Jesus says that those who lead others away from the truth would be better off being thrown into the sea with a heavy stone around their neck. That is a harsh picture and ought to show us how seriously God takes this. In Romans 14:1-15:1 Paul gives a lengthy treatment of the subject, saying that although we are free to do as we want, we must not use this freedom in any way that may hurt or cause others to stumble. Peter talks about this as well in 1 Peter 2:15-16 saying, “For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.” Our freedom must be used for good and we need to be careful not to cause others to stumble.Another gift God has given the church is leaders. God has selected leaders and commanded them to be much different than those in the world. Look at Matthew 20:25-28:It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.Leaders are servants of all. We are called to put ourselves last and seek the good of others. This is radically different than the world. Paul demonstrated this to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 we see Paul’s example, not burdening the Corinthians, but seeking their good. He preached God’s word to them and did not ask for money or provision so he would not hamper them. Leaders also have a very specific charge to teach the truth of God. In Titus 2:1, 15 it says, “But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching…Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” Likewise, Hebrews 13:7 tells us to, “remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.” We are to learn from their words and their examples. We must apply what they teach us and imitate them as they imitate Christ.This next gift is one that does not show up all that often any more, speaking in tongues. There is a raging debate over whether or not the gift of tongues continues to this day and there are two major errors. First, some discount the gift of tongues as a sign of false teachers and deceivers. This is not true, throughout the New Testament the gift of tongues was a sign that proceeded the gospel. It may not happen much around us, but there are parts of the world it still does, advancing the gospel. On the flipside, there are those that say unless you speak in tongues you do not have the Holy Spirit. This is completely against scripture, which teaches that tongues is a gift given to some, not all, just like every other gifting. I am not going to debate the practicality of tongues in America or whether it truly still happens. I am only going to tell you what the Bible says about tongues, because it is part of God’s word and is therefore important.The majority of what we are told about tongues comes up in 1 Corinthians 14:6-33 where Paul gives all the requirements and methods for exercising this gift in the church. We know that tongues must never be spoken unless someone else can translate what is being said (this rule is broken by most churches that practice tongues today). We also know they are not to just interrupt teaching or other things, but must do it in an orderly way. Paul goes on giving the method for tongues, and when he finishes he makes a point many ignore. He tells us that the gift of tongues is good, but not of much benefit to the church body. He prefers people to teach the bible and God’s commands over any show of other languages. These are things to keep in mind, regardless of what side of the fence you are on.Finally, we will end by taking a look at gifts and services in general. One of the more detailed verses on this comes in 1 Corinthians 12:4-31. Gifts are detailed and examined. We are going to look at 7-11 specifically, which says: A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.First it outlines the gifts of teaching and preaching, followed by faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpreting tongues. Most of these have been covered so I will not elaborate on them here. The point is that there are many gifts and each person is given different ones. The question is what we are to do with them, which is answered in 1 Peter 4:10-11:Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.Here we are commanded to use our gifts to serve others. We are to be a good steward (essentially a responsible worker) of the gifts God has given to us. When we speak, or serve, or do anything, it is to be by God’s strength and gifting, so that we give Him the glory. We are gifted to be able to help others and through it all, to glorify God.Chapter 14-Commands as Part of the ChurchUp to this point, most of the commands we have covered are primarily done individually. We are moving into section of commands that are primarily applied by the church as a whole. Many of these you cannot do on your own, but only in a group of believers. Make no mistake though, we must do these commands, and if our church is not obeying them, we must confront them and will need to find a new body if they refuse to obey scripture.Perhaps one of the clearest commands is also one of the most grumbled about commands, rewarding elders and teachers. Many people are protective of their money and many more feel their pastor makes too much any way. To be fair I can think of several churches where the members are near poverty but the pastor has his own jet. I know the frustration and the anger of that, but hear me out. It is true there are some rich pastors, but the vast majority of pastors make barely enough to get by. Many even work a second job. We have this odd idea that all pastors are well off, and that is far from reality. I have had several people comment to me as I was going through seminary that there was good money in pastoring. That is false. Only an idiot goes into a pastorate thinking he will make good money. We do not serve God for money, but as flesh and blood with families of our own we do have needs. In 1 Corinthians 9:14 Paul tells us that, “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.” There is no doubt what this verse means. Pastors and elders who preach God’s word, including missionaries and other ministries outside of the pastor’s office, are to be paid to do it. Likewise, Jesus tells us in Luke 10:7, “Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t move from house to house.” I cannot tell you how many times I have watch people try to raise support to be a missionary or something similar and see the responses people give. The worst I have heard is that they feel as if they are paying us to do nothing, so why should they just give us money when they had to earn it. It frustrates me to no end. All of us are called to make disciples, but we do not want to, and worse, we do not want to support others who do. The only scenario worse than that are the people who then try to control their pastor because they are paying his pay check. Make no mistake, when we give to the church we are giving to God. That is not our money, just God’s which we are giving back. God then provides for the pastor. We are not paying the pastor, he is not our employee, and he should do as God directs before he listens to us. Be very careful with money and with how you treat those called to ministry.The next command is without a doubt the least pleasant thing for a church to do, correcting a brother or sister. This is never fun, but it is necessary and good for both them and us. James 5:19-20 says, “My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” We need people who are willing to confront us if we fall into sin, and we must be willing to do the same for others. It is not some show of authority or session to belittle someone, it is the love of brothers and sisters, trying to keep them from sin. Above even that, it is God’s command to protect the church and His holiness. We are God’s body and bride. We are called to be a light to the world and to be holy as He is holy, and that means removing unrepentant sinners. If they are living in sin without any regret and without admitting it is wrong, then they must be removed to keep the church pure. In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus gives the process for confronting a brother or sister in sin, going to them in private, then with witnesses, and then, if they still do not repent, before the entire church. If they are unrepentant still, we are told to remove them from the church. Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Paul affirms what Jesus has said, telling the Corinthians to remove the man who was in sin from the church body. This was a real example and at first the Corinthians did not want to remove this man. Paul had to confront them over it and finally they sent him out. Do you know what happened? The man eventually repented and in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Paul tells them to restore the man to the church. This is what we are called to do. We must stand on God’s word, correct brothers and sisters that falling away from God, and if they do not listen the church as a whole must remove them in the hope that they will repent and to keep the church pure. As difficult as this command is, it is by and large one of the most important for the church.Another command for the church is fellowship. We are commanded to come together and have community. I have heard far too many people claim they do not need the church, that their ‘christianity’ grows just fine by themselves. But that is not what scripture says at all. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” We are not to neglect gathering together. We are no longer living just for us. By Jesus blood and the Holy Spirit we now have brothers and sisters, united by the love of Jesus for the works He prepared for us. We are called to love our brothers and sisters, but if you love them why won’t you come together with them? You cannot love God and not love believers, John says this throughout 1 John pointing out that anyone who says this is a liar who does not have the truth on God in them. Fellowship and community must not be neglected.The church is also told how to behave toward others. The Bible talks about young and old, men and women, elders and deacons. 1 Corinthians 4:6 says:Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.We are not to show favoritism. Specifically, in this verse we are not to prefer one leader to another. Paul’s point was stop praising me or Apollos, because it was God who deserved the praise. This kind of useless bickering continues today. For some of us it would read I am for John MacArthur, or I am for Francis Chan. Do not misunderstand, they are amazing men of God and we should have respect for them, but ultimately they are just giving us God’s words and all of us should be shouting I am for God. Leaders point us toward what is truly important, God. Godly leaders are appalled when we elevate them into a spot meant only for God. Another behavior we are to have is submission. Ephesians 5:21 tells us, “submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.” Did you catch that? We are to submit to each other. All of us. This is not just women to men, or slaves to masters, or any other submission we think of. We are literally commanded to submit to each other, and so we must.Not only are we to submit to each other, we are also to encourage each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.” At the same time leaders and masters are called to care for those that help or serve them. Philemon 1:8-22 talks about caring for those who serve under you, remembering that God is over both of you. All of this plays into unity as well.There is also a dynamic between the young and the old. This is something we have seemingly lost in modern days. Look as Titus 2:2-7:Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.The older men and women are to be worthy of respect and teach what is good. They are also to teach the younger men and women, pushing them to purity and good conduct so that God will not be slandered. If you are younger then I simply challenge you to do what scripture says and submit and learn from the older. If you are the older I simply challenge you to teach the younger and be respectable, as scripture says.The next one has been touched on several times in this book, unity. Unity through fellowship and love is a distinct feature of the church that witnesses to the difference God makes. Romans 12:16 commands us to, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” We are to be in harmony, or at peace with each other. We are also called to avoid division as illustrated in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 by the Corinthians who were divided over leaders. Paul lays it out in more detail in Ephesians 4:1-6:Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.We are to live worthy of our calling, bearing with each other in love, and keep the unity brought through the Holy Spirit. Love should lead to unity, as Colossians 3:14 says, “Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” We are bonded by the love we have for Jesus, and the love God grows in us toward others. That kind of unity is the best witness the church has, and it can reach many people in the world.One action we are warned against is legal disputes. This was an issue that came up in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Paul confronts the Corinthians, pointing out the problem with lawsuits among believers. The foolishness of going to a secular judge to make a decision between two believers brings mocking on God’s name. Paul points out it would be better to be wronged by your brother than to bring that kind of mocking on God’s name.The last two commands are things we practice often in the church, symbols of God’s sacrifice and redemption. The first is the Lord’s Supper, first started by Jesus with His disciples. We are to continue this symbol of remembrance, but as sinful humans things do not always go right. In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Paul talks about the Lord’s Supper and a problem that had arisen in the church. To cap off his comments he says in 27-32: So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.Too many people take the Lord’s Supper without thinking about what it truly means. Paul points out the need to examine ourselves before eating it. How often do we take the time to think about our sins and faults, and seek reconciliation? Take time and do not take the Lord’s Supper lightly.After the Lord’s Supper, we have baptism. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands His disciples to go make disciples, and to baptize them. Colossians 2:12 says, “you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” 1 Peter 3:21 tells us that baptism is a response to God. We are commanded to be baptized, a demonstration of the change that has occurred in our lives. We join Christ in death and are raise to new life. Lastly, 1 Corinthians 12:13 explains that we have been baptized into one body, continuing the theme of unity and how it is accomplished. If you have not been baptized you should stop to ask why. If you really are a Christians and you have not been baptized, then you should be baptized as soon as possible.Chapter 15-Am I Saved?This last chapter is not about more commands, but rather it is a point for us to stop and reflect on our lives. You have just read the commands found in the New Testament and hopefully as you read you compared that to your life. You may have come away with a couple of things you need to change, or you know there a few areas you struggle with that you must continue to press on with. However, there is another conclusion that some reading this book may come to. We have talked about loving God and how the Bible tells us that if we love Him we will obey Him. Perhaps you read some of these commands and did not feel like you should obey them and perhaps that is because you do not love God. What I am saying is that you may have reached the end of this book and realized you really are not a Christian. I wanted to put this chapter in so that those who have realized this and want to change would have a chance to reflect on their lives and put change into motion.So where do we start? First, we need to remember what Jesus did for us, and have a continual awe of it. Look at Isaiah 53:3-6:He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.God confined Himself to a human body. He was despised and rejected, and to this day still is rejected by many. Why did He put up with all of this suffering? He took it to pay for our sin, our rebellion, our evil. He died to restore our relationship, to cleanse us of our deep sin.That is the uniqueness of the gospel. No other religion states that God came to earth and let Himself be killed by those He created. Everyone tries to say all religions are the same, but you will not find another sacrifice like Jesus’. Paul gives a great summary in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Everything that happened had been preordained, and on top of that had been revealed in the Old Testament long before Jesus came.We have such difficulty grasping the extent of our evil. The law given to the Israelites was never meant to save, but reveal the need for a savior. We were unable to keep the law and so Jesus had to come and die, fulfilling perfect love and justice that we may be granted mercy. As it says in Galatians 3:13-14: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.He took our curse and bore our sin into death. There is no greater sacrifice. We are called to imitate that. Philippians 2:5-8 says: Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.He became obedient to the point of excruciating and painful death, and we are called to have that same obedience. God desires us to obey Him, and He knows that we will be much better off if we do. This is not some one-sided arbitrary list of things He wants us to do, but a guide line to help us no get tangled in our own evil. Moreover, Jesus came and fulfilled all the laws and commands to save us. He paid a price no one could and yet we cannot even follow the small commands He asks of us.Do you understand how sinful we are? Our natural inclination toward evil? All of us seek things other than God, and yet He still seeks us. Look at Colossians 2:13-14:And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.The debt of our sin was nailed to the cross by Jesus death. He took all guilt, all sin, and all punishment that the law may be fulfilled and so that we could have a right relationship with Him.Jesus was not just God. He did not breeze through life with no challenges. This was not a cheat code to make things easy. He suffered all that we suffer. This is confirmed in Hebrews 2:14-17:Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.Jesus shared in everything we experience. He knows our suffering, not just knows of it, but remembers how it feels. That is why He is able to make atonement, to forgive our sins and draw us to God. Please do not just blast through this section. The gospel is something we all take for granted, but right now just read these passages again. Take a moment to reflect on Jesus suffering and the astounding cost He paid so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. If that does not move you, then chances are that you are not really a Christian.There should be only one response to such a sacrifice, love. We must love God. In Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment and in 37-40 He replies:He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”Everything we do is rooted in a love for God. We are only able to love because God first loved us. In John 15:9-10 Jesus tells us, “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” If we love Him we will keep His commands, there is not in-between. However, we also must not simply do good works without love of God. This is seen in Revelations 2:4-5 with Jesus’ charge, “But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” We must love God and out of that love must come obedience. It cannot be one or the other, but must be both. They are inseparable.Can we really say we love God if we choose not to obey Him? John 14:23-24 tells us, “Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.’” Similarly, Paul says in Titus 1:15-16:To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.Many claim to know and love God, and yet there actions show it is a lie. There are far too many Christians that read God’s word and do not apply it. James 1:22-25 tells us that we are not just to hear God’s words, but to act on them. We cannot read the commands of God and do nothing with it. 1 John 5:2-4 confirms this, saying:This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.Hear these words! We are responsible for what we know and we are supposed to know the Bible. There is no excuse, if we love God we must obey God.I have said it before and will say it again, the Bible is clear on this. There are two clear passages detailing what will happen.Matthew 25:31-46:When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’ Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.Matthew 7:21-23:Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’Are you saved? Do you really love God? If you look at your life and come to the conclusion that you do not, then you have to ask what you are going to do about it. Do you want to love God? Take time to pray to God, repent of disobedience and lack of love. Pray for strength to follow His commands. In all things, do as God as commanded and when you fail ask forgiveness immediately. Love God by loving His word and applying it. There is nothing more important.Chances are some of you will make this decision or rededicate your life. If you have, know I am praying for you and I am glad. This is a great time. If you are wondering what to do next, then here are some quick steps. First, if you are not in a church, or are in an unbiblical church, then you need to find a good church. In that environment, continue to apply the commands of scripture and when questions arise, or you need advice ask your pastor to help you. You can always visit us at New Hope Community Church. If nothing else I am always willing to help as I can, just email me at ewvanaernam@. Please do not walk away from this book without taking action. God bless.Table of Verses by Topic and Chapter LINK Excel.Sheet.12 "C:\\Users\\Ethan\\Documents\\Marathon Ministries\\Books\\Commands.xlsx" Sheet1!R1C1:R975C2 \a \f 4 \h \* MERGEFORMAT Chapter 2-Who We AreIdentityMatthew 4:4 living on God’s wordMatthew 5:4-12 paradox identityMatthew 5:9 sons of the lightMatthew 5:13-16 witnesses for JesusMatthew 5:38-48 do good in the face of badMatthew 6:1-8, 16-18 do not do good for praiseMatthew 6:26 valuable to God/taken care of by GodMatthew 7:21-23 ministry is not identity, we must know GodMatthew 23:8-12 humilityMark 4:21-25 witnesses for JesusLuke 4:4 living on God’s wordLuke 6:20-26 paradox identityLuke 6:27-36 do good in the face of badLuke 8:16-18 witnesses for JesusLuke 11:33-36 witnesses for JesusLuke 12:4-7 valuable to God/taken care of by GodJohn 1:12 children of GodJohn 3:17-18 if we believe in Him we are not condemnedJohn 5:24 if we believe in Him we are not condemnedJohn 6:26-27 living on God’s wordJohn 6:53-58 We live in JesusJohn 8:31-32 set free by truthJohn 10:4-5 We will follow his voiceJohn 12:36 sons of the lightJohn 12:46 no longer in darknessJohn 13:34-35 we are to be known for our loveJohn 14:15-18, 23Jesus gives us the Holy SpiritJohn 15:18 the world hates usJohn 16:27 God loves usJohn 20:29 blessed for believing without seeingRomans 5:1 at peace with GodRomans 6:6 set free by truthRomans 8:1 if we believe in Him we are not condemnedRomans 8:9 not in the flesh but in the spiritRomans 8:14-15 sons of the lightRomans 8:16-17 children of God1 Corinthians 6:19-20 indwelt by God1 Corinthians 12:27 part of the body of Christ2 Corinthians 5:17 New creation in ChristGalatians 2:20 New creation in ChristGalatians 3:26 sons of the lightGalatians 3:27-28 united in ChristEphesians 1:5-8 sons of the lightEphesians 2:10 His workmanship made for good worksPhilippians 3:20 citizens of heavenPhilippians 4:11-13 content with what we havePhilippians 4:19 valuable to God/taken care of by GodColossians 2:10 filled with ChristColossians3:3 hidden in Christ1 Peter 2:9 a royal priesthood1 Peter 2:10 the people of God1 John 3:1-3 children of GodChapter 3-Faith, Works, and God's CallFaith Works and LoveMatthew 7:15-20know a tree by its fruitLuke 6:46-49obey JesusRomans 3:27-31faith and works2 Corinthians 4:1-6walk worthy of the gospelEphesians 4:17-5:5walk worthy of the gospelPhilippians 1:27-28walk worthy of the gospelColossians 1:9-10walk worthy of the gospel2 Thessalonians 1:11-12walk worthy of the gospelTitus 1:15-16their works show they don't know GodTitus 3:1-7walk worthy of the gospel1 Peter 1:1-2set apart for obedience1 John 2:3-6we know Him if we obey His commands1 John 5:2-4loving God is obedienceChapter 4-Truth and Spiritual BlindnessGod's Word/TruthMatthew 7:6pearls to swineMatthew 13:51-53be a student of Scripture refresh your mindMark 7:6-7man made lawsJohn 7:7the world hates Jesus testimonyRomans 1:21-23truth exchanged for a lieRomans 15:4encouragement through scripture2 Corinthians 4:4the devil blinds people to scriptureEphesians 4:14-16truth in love to mature the body1 Thessalonians 2:13God's word2 Thessalonians 2:15stand firm on what the Bible says1 Timothy 1:9-11everything contrary to sound teaching1 Timothy 4:6, 11pointing out God's commands is good1 Timothy 4:7-8myths and superstition2 Timothy 1:13-14hold on to the truth2 Timothy 2:15need for correct teaching2 Timothy 3:16-17God's word is useful for maturity2 Timothy 4:3people will listen to what they want to hearTitus 2:1, 15leaders telling the truth in loveHebrews 4:12-13scripture pierces all thingsHebrews 10:23do not waver hold the confessionHebrews 11:12discipline brings goodHebrews 12:25do not reject the one speakingJames 1:21-22be doers of the word not hearers1 Peter 1:22-23obey the truth purify self to love brothers1 Peter 1:24-25God's word1 Peter 3:15-17answer for hope2 Peter 3:16twisting of scripture1 John 3:18love with truth and action2 John 1:4keep God's commandsChapter 5-For the Love of GodLoving God1 Samuel 15:22God delights in obedienceMatthew 22:34-40love Him with all your mindMark 12:29-31love Him with all your mindLuke 6:46-49obey JesusLuke 12:48much required of those with muchLuke 10:27love Him with all your mindJohn 14:15if you love Jesus obey HimJohn 14:21-24those who love obey HimJohn 15:9-10remain in my love by obedienceJohn 17:24-26God's love in us2 Timothy 2:13if we are faithless He is faithful1 John 2:3-6we have His love if we follow Him1 John 4:19we love because He first loved1 John 5:2-3loving God is obedience2 John 1:5-6walk in loveJude 1:21keep in love with GodRevelations 2:4-5God as first loveFinal Judgement on Faith and LoveMatthew 7:21-23action is not enough without loveMatthew 25:31-46love for God displayed by actionChapter 6-Repent and be SavedRepentMatthew 3:7-10what does not produce good fruit will be destroyedMatthew 18:15-17warn your brother, forgive if he repentsJohn 8:39-47if you are truly in God you will listen to HimActs 3:18call to repentanceRomans 2:21-24teachers must do what they preach and not shame GodRomans 13:14put on Jesus, make no plans for the flesh1 Corinthians 5:4-5remove unrepentant believers1 Corinthians 5:9-11do not associate with believers living in sin2 Corinthians 2:5-11forgive the repentant brother2 Corinthians 7:9rejoice over repentanceGalatians 6:1spiritual people must restore fallen brothers with careRevelation 2:5repent and do the good works you used to doChapter 7-The ObviousMurderMatthew 5:21-26murder connected to angerMatthew 15:19no murderMatthew 19:18no murderMark 10:19no murderLuke 18:20no murderRomans 13:9no murder1 Timothy 1:9murders rejected by God1 John 3:15everyone who hates his brother is dead and a murdererTheftMatthew 15:19theft is wrongMatthew 19:18no stealMark 10:19no steal or defraudLuke 18:20no stealRomans 13:9no steal1 Corinthians 5:11swindling1 Corinthians 6:10swindlingEphesians 4:28do not stealIdolsActs 15:20meat sacrificed to idols1 Corinthians 5:10-11idolatry in the world1 Corinthians 6:9idolatry will not inherit heaven1 Corinthians 8:1-13food to idols1 Corinthians 10:7do not practice idolatry1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1warning against idolatryGalatians 5:20idolatry is a work of the fleshEphesians 5:5idolatry will not inherit heaven1 Peter 4:3idolatry1 John 5:21guard against idolsRevelations 2:20idolatrySorcery?Galatians 5:20no sorceryNote: although it only specifically comes up once in the New Testament it is talked about in other places and throughout the Old TestamentChapter 8-Unto the Least of TheseHospitalityMatthew 25:35feed the hungryMatthew 25:35give water to thirstyMatthew 25:35hospitality to allMatthew 25:36clotheMatthew 25:36care for the sickMatthew 25:36visit those in prisonMatthew 25:31-46as if to Jesus1 Thessalonians 5:14comfort and help the weakHebrews 13:2show hospitalityJames 1:27orphans and widowsJames 2:1-11no favoritismJames 2:15-17provide for those in need1 Peter 4:9hospitable1 John 3:17provide for those in needRomans 12:13share with saints in need be hospitableRomans 12:15rejoice and mourn with othersActs 4:32-37share and unity1 Timothy 5:3-16widowsLoveMatthew 5:43-48love allMatthew 19:19love neighborMatthew 22:37-40love GodMatthew 22:39-49love your neighborLuke 6:27-36love your enemiesLuke 10:26-37love your neighborJohn 13:34-35love each other, witness for ChristJohn 14:15if you love Jesus obey HimJohn 15:12-14love each otherJohn 15:17love one anotherRomans 12:9love without hypocrisyRomans 12:10family affectionRomans 13:8-10love one another1 Corinthians 13:1-10the importance of love1 Corinthians 14:1pursue loveGalatians 5:22love fruit of the spiritEphesians 4:14-16truth in love to mature the bodyEphesians 4:32compassionColossians 3:12compassion1 Thessalonians 4:9-12love, live at peace1 Thessalonians 5:15pursue good for one another2 Timothy 3:3unloving2 Timothy 3:16-17God's wordTitus 2:1, 15leaders telling the truth in lovePhilemon 1:8-22forgiveness, love toward brothersHebrews 10:24be concerned about others promoting love and good worksHebrews 12:15no bitternessHebrews 13:1-2brotherly love1 Peter 1:22-23obey the truth purify self to love brothers1 Peter 3:8love the believers1 Peter 4:8love one another1 John 3:10do what is right especially loving your brother1 John 3:18love with truth and action1 John 3:23love the brothers1 John 4:7-12love others1 John 4:19we love because He first loved1 John 5:2obey and love God2 John 1:5-6walk in loveJude 1:21keep in love with GodRevelations 2:4-5God as first loveRevelations 2:19love othersAssociating with SinnersMatthew 9:9-13came for sinners1 Corinthians 5:9-10ok associate with nonbelievers2 Corinthians 6:14-18do not be yoked to unbelieversEphesians 5:7do not partners with sinnersChapter 9-Marriage and SexMarriageGenesis 2:20-25marriageMatthew 5:31-32marriageMatthew 19:1-9marriageMark 10:5-12marriageLuke 16:18marriage1 Corinthians 7:1-7marriage1 Corinthians 7:7-9unmarried or widowed1 Corinthians 7:10-16unbelieving spouse1 Corinthians 7:17-24staying in the situation of life where you recieved God's call1 Corinthians 7:25-31virgins1 Corinthians 7:39-40husbands and wives bound together2 Corinthians 6:14-18do not be yoked to unbelieversEphesians 5:21Submit to each otherEphesians 5:22-33marriageColossians 3:18-19marriage1 Timothy 4:3-5abstinenceHebrews 13:4marriage respected no adultery1 Peter 3:1-2wives submit1 Peter 3:7husbands live understanding of wife or prayer hinderedGender IdentityGenesis 1:27 God made them male and femaleGenesis 2:1-25 account of the creation of man and woman and marriageJeremiah 17:9 the heart is deceitfulMatthew 16:24 deny ourselvesMatthew 19:4-6 Jesus confirms that God made us male and femaleRomans 12:2 renew your mindEphesians 4:17-18 walk in a new waySexual SinMatthew 5:27-29sexual immortalityMatthew 15:19no adulteryMatthew 15:19sexual immortalityMatthew 19:18no adulteryMark 10:19no adulteryLuke 18:20no adulteryActs 15:20sexual immortalityRomans 1:24-28homosexualityRomans 13:9no adulteryRomans 13:13no promiscuity/sexual impurity1 Corinthians 5:1-13sexual immortality1 Corinthians 6:9adultery, sexual immorality, homosexuality1 Corinthians 6:12-20sexual sin1 Corinthians 10:8sexual immortalityGalatians 5:19promiscuity, sexual immoralityEphesians 4:17-19don't live enslaved to sensualityEphesians 5:3sexual immortalityColossians 3:5sexual immorality1 Thessalonians 4:3-8sexual immorality1 Timothy 1:9-10sexual immorality including homosexuality1 Timothy 2:9-10modesty and righteousness2 Timothy 3:4lovers of pleasure not God1 Peter 4:3orgies (sexual sin)Jude 1:7sexual immortalityRevelations 2:20-23sexual immortalityChapter 10-Actions Expected of UsGive to GodMatthew 22:21give to God what is God'sMark 12:17give to God what is God'sLuke 20:25give to God what is God'sDon't Owe AnythingMark 12:17give to whom they belongLuke 20:25give all their dueRomans 13:8don't owe anyone anythingGreedMatthew 6:24greedMatthew 10:8money not our motiveMatthew 19:16-26greedMark 10:19-25greedLuke 12:15greedLuke 18:18-27greed1 Corinthians 5:11greed1 Corinthians 6:10greedGalatians 6:6share all good things with your teacherEphesians 5:3greedPhilippians 4:12-13contentmentColossians 3:5greed, evil desires1 Timothy 6:3-10greed1 Timothy 6:17-19riches2 Timothy 3:2greed2 Peter 2:3greed2 Peter 2:14greedHebrews 13:5free of love for money contentmentHebrews 13:16do what is good shareJames 1:9-11richesJames 5:1-5greedRevelations 3:17-18richesGood WorksMatthew 6:1-4do not practice good for praiseJohn 15:5-8remain in God produce fruit2 Corinthians 11:15destiny according to worksGalatians 6:7-10continue to do good worksTitus 1:15-16profess to know God but action says otherwiseTitus 3:1ready for good worksTitus 3:14do good worksHebrews 13:16do what is good shareHebrews 13:20-21equipped for good workJames 4:17if you know you should do it and don't you sin1 Peter 3:3-6get beauty from works and obedience1 Peter 3:13-14be committed to good1 John 3:18love with truth and action1 John 3:10do what is right especially loving your brother1 John 3:18love with truth and actionObey AuthorityLuke 6:46obey JesusActs 4:19-22obey God not manRomans 13:1-7obey authorityEphesians 5:6disobedienceEphesians 6:1-4children and parentsPhilippians 2:12-13obeyColossians 3:20-21Parents and childrenTitus 3:1submissive to rulersHebrews 13:17obey leaders1 Peter 1:22-23obey the truth purify self to love brothers1 Peter 2:13-14obey authority1 Peter 3:3-6get beauty from works and obedience1 Peter 5:5young subject to old2 Peter 2:10despise authority1 John 5:2obey and love GodJude 1:8reject authorityParentsMatthew 15:3-6honor your parentsMatthew 19:19honor parentsMark 7:10honor your parentsMark 10:19honor parentsLuke 18:29honor parentsEphesians 6:1-4children and parentsColossians 3:20-21Parents and children1 Timothy 1:9dishonor parents2 Timothy 3:2disobedient to parentsNeed to Work2 Thessalonians 3:7-12responsibility to workSlavesEphesians 6:5-9slaves and mastersColossians 3:22slaves and mastersColossians 4:1slaves and masters1 Timothy 6:1-2slaves and mastersTitus 2:9-10slaves and masters1 Peter 2:18-21slaves submit endure suffering like JesusStaying Where You Are1 Corinthians 7:17-24staying in the situation of life where you received God's callSubmitting Your Plans to GodProverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrowLuke 12:13-21 Parable of the rich farmerActs 16:6-10 The Holy Spirit redirects PaulActs 18:19-21 Paul would be back if God willsJames 4:13-16 Do not make plans without leaving room for GodDrunkennessRomans 13:13no drunkenness1 Corinthians 5:11no drunkenness1 Corinthians 6:10no drunkennessGalatians 5:21no drunkennessEphesians 5:18do not get drunk1 Peter 4:3no drunkennessGluttonyEzekiel 16:49Sodom’s sinRomans 13:14make no room for the flesh1 Corinthians 6:12I have the right to do anything but I won’t be mastered by it1 Corinthians 6:19-20 temple for the Holy SpiritPhilippians 3:19their stomach is their godTitus 1:12lazy CretansSelf-control1 Corinthians 7:5temptation from a lack of self-controlGalatians 5:22-23fruit of the spirit2 Timothy 3:1-9people will be without self-controlLies/DeceptionMatthew 15:19false testimonyMatthew 19:18false witnessMark 10:19no false witnessLuke 18:20no false witnessActs 5:1-11don't lie to the holy spiritEphesians 4:25do not lieEphesians 4:31slanderColossians 3:9-10do not lie1 Timothy 1:9-10liars2 Timothy 3:3slandersTitus 3:2do not slander or fightJames 5:12let your yes be yes and your no be no1 Peter 2:1deceit slander1 Peter 3:10-11keep from deceit2 Peter 2:3deception2 Peter 2:13deception1 John 2:22those who deny Jesus are liarsBad TalkMatthew 12:36-37account for every careless word1 Corinthians 5:11verbal abusive1 Corinthians 6:10verbal abusive1 Corinthians 10:10complainersEphesians 4:29no unwholesome talkEphesians 5:4bad languageEphesians 5:4coarse inappropriate jokesPhilippians 2:14-15do everything without complainingColossians 3:8bad speechColossians 4:6gracious speech2 Timothy 2:16-19irreverent empty speechJames 1:26control your tongueJames 3:3-12control the tongueJames 5:9don't complain against each other.1 Peter 2:1deceit slanderJude 1:16discontentment and grumblingJude 1:16arrogant wordsOathsMatthew 5:33-37no oathsChapter 11-Attitudes Expected of UsPeaceMatthew 5:38-42pay back evil with goodMatthew 6:25-34don't worryRomans 12:17, 19-20do not repay evil for evilRomans 12:18live at peace with all if possibleGalatians 5:22peacePhilippians 4:6-7don't be anxious turn to prayer1 Thessalonians 4:9-12love, live at peaceHebrews 12:14peace with everyone1 Peter 3:9don't pay back evil for evil1 Peter 3:11seek peace2 Peter 3:14be at peace with GodGentlenessGalatians 5:23gentlenessPhilippians 4:5gentleness known to allColossians 3:12gentleness1 Timothy 6:11gentlenessTitus 3:2be kind, showing gentlenessJames 3:13gentlenessHumilityMatthew 18:4humilityLuke 14:11humilityRomans 12:3don't think highly of yourselfRomans 12:10show each other honorRomans 12:16be humble1 Corinthians 9:1-23leaders, the right heart and humilityGalatians 5:20self ambitionGalatians 5:26conceitedPhilippians 2:3-4do nothing out of selfishness but be humble and put others firstColossians 3:12humility2 Timothy 3:2prideHebrews 10:24be concerned about others promoting love and good worksJames 3:14-18ambitionJames 4:10humble yourself1 Peter 3:8humble1 Peter 5:5-6humilityJude 1:16walk in their desires/arrogant wordsRevelations 3:15-20self reliancePatienceRomans 12:12patient in afflictionGalatians 5:22patienceColossians 3:12patience1 Thessalonians 5:14be patientAnger and HateRomans 13:13no quarrels or jealouslyGalatians 5:20dissention, hate, and angerGalatians 5:26provokingEphesians 4:26-27be angry without sinning and do not give the devil a foot holdEphesians 4:31bitterness and angerColossians 3:8anger and malice1 Timothy 2:8no anger2 Timothy 2:23-24no quarrelingTitus 3:2do not slander or fightTitus 3:3hating one anotherJames 1:19-21so to anger1 Peter 2:1malice1 John 2:9-11do not hate your brothers1 John 3:15everyone who hates his brother is dead and a murdererEnvyRomans 13:9no covetRomans 13:13no quarrels or jealouslyGalatians 5:20jealousyGalatians 5:21envyGalatians 5:26envy1 Peter 2:1envyJudgementJohn 7:24judge righteousness not appearance1 Corinthians 4:3-5don't judge prematurely1 Corinthians 5:12-13judge among yourselvesChapter 12-What God Expects of Our SpiritPrayerMatthew 6:5-15prayerMatthew 26:40-41prayerActs 1:14united in prayerRomans 12:12persistent in prayerEphesians 3:14-19Paul's prayer for the EphesiansEphesians 6:18prayPhilippians 1:9-11Paul's prayer for the PhilippiansPhilippians 4:6-7don't be anxious turn to prayerColossians 4:2prayer1 Thessalonians 3:12-13Paul's prayer1 Thessalonians 5:17pray1 Timothy 2:1-6prayer1 Timothy 2:8prayerJames 1:5-8prayer for wisdomJames 5:13-18pray1 Peter 4:7prayer1 Peter 5:7cast care on God1 John 5:14-15prayer1 John 5:16-17pray for brothers in sinJude 1:20pray in the spiritFaithMatthew 17:20a little faith does muchMark 16:16believeLuke 17:6a little faith does muchJohn 3:16saving faithRomans 1:17righteous live by faithRomans 10:17faith comes by hearingRomans 14:1accept those weak in faithRomans 15:13trust in the spirit giving hope1 Corinthians 2:5faith not from man's words but on God's power1 Corinthians 13:2faith without love is useless2 Corinthians 5:7live by faith not sightGalatians 2:15-16faith savesGalatians 3:11-12righteous live by faithGalatians 3:22-26faith and not the lawGalatians 5:20-22faithEphesians 2:8saving faithEphesians 6:16faith is a sheild1 Timothy 6:11faith and righteousnessHebrews 10:22faith brings assuranceHebrews 11:1assurance of what we have not seenHebrews 12:2Jesus perfects our faithJames 1:3trials test faith1 Peter 1:21faith through Jesus1 John 5:3-5believeRevelations 2:19faithFastingMatthew 6:16-18fastingActs 13:2fasting before leadership appointmentsActs 14:23fasting before leadership appointmentsGod's Word/TruthMatthew 7:6pearls to swineMatthew 13:51-53be a student of Scripture refresh your mindMark 7:6-7man made lawsJohn 7:7the world hates Jesus testimonyRomans 1:21-23truth exchanged for a lieRomans 15:4encouragement through scripture2 Corinthians 4:4the devil blinds people to scriptureEphesians 4:14-16truth in love to mature the body1 Thessalonians 2:13God's word2 Thessalonians 2:15stand firm on what the Bible says1 Timothy 1:9-11everything contrary to sound teaching1 Timothy 4:6, 11pointing out God's commands is good1 Timothy 4:7-8myths and superstition2 Timothy 1:13-14hold on to the truth2 Timothy 2:15need for correct teaching2 Timothy 3:16-17God's word is useful for maturity2 Timothy 4:3people will listen to what they want to hearTitus 2:1, 15leaders telling the truth in loveHebrews 4:12-13scripture pierces all thingsHebrews 10:23do not waver hold the confessionHebrews 11:12discipline brings goodHebrews 12:25do not reject the one speakingJames 1:21-22be doers of the word not hearers1 Peter 1:22-23obey the truth purify self to love brothers1 Peter 1:24-25God's word1 Peter 3:15-17answer for hope2 Peter 3:16twisting of scripture1 John 3:18love with truth and action2 John 1:4keep God's commandsEvangelismMatthew 5:13-16 light and saltMatthew 9:37-38 ask for more workers for evangelismMatthew 10:16-20sent out to witness to all people and endure sufferingMatthew 10:40-42any who welcome God's people are blessed/leadersMatthew 28:19-20 Go make disciplesMark 10:29-30 what we give up here for evangelism we gain in heavenMark 16:15 Go make disciplesLuke 9:3-7evangelismLuke 12:11-12 God will give us wordsLuke 12:18 acknowledge God and He will acknowledge youJohn 15:8 produce fruit (including witnessing and making disciples)Acts 1:6-7great commissionRomans 10:14-17 messengers to carry the good news2 Corinthians 5:20 God’s ambassadorsEphesians 4:11-13some as evangelists1 Peter 3:15 reason for the hope withinDiscipleshipMatthew 28:19-20 God make disciplesMark 16:15-18evangelism and discipleshipJohn 12:26 if we serve God we must follow GodJohn 14:21 Jesus will make Himself known to those who love HimActs 1:6-7great commissionActs 20:28 watch after the flockRomans 12:1-2 being a living sacrificeRomans 14:7-8 live or die we are the lords1 Corinthians 11:1 imitate Jesus1 Cor. 12:4-11, 27-31 gifts of the SpiritEphesians 4:11-13 some as evangelistsEphesians 5:1-2 imitate JesusPhilippians 2:4 think of othersPhilippians 3:17 walk according to good examplesHebrews 10:24-25 stir others up to loveHebrews 13:17 leaders watch and take care you the soul2 Timothy 2:2teach others who will teach others1 Peter 4:2 live for God’s willLiving for GodMatthew 10:32-34acknowledge God before manMatthew 12:36-37account for every careless wordMatthew 16:24-25give your life to follow JesusMatthew 22:21give to God what is GodMark 8:34-38take up your crossLuke 4:12don't test GodLuke 6:46obey JesusLuke 12:8-9acknowledge God before manLuke 12:22-34depend on God so His will firstJohn 4:34-38harvestJohn 13:34-35love each other, witness for ChristJohn 14:15if you love Jesus obey HimJohn 15:5-8remain in God produce fruitActs 4:19-22obey God not manActs 5:1-11don't lie to the holy spiritRomans 12:1-2living sacrificeRomans 12:21do not be conquered by evil but conquer it by good1 Corinthians 9:23-27running by the rules1 Corinthians 10:9don't test Jesus1 Corinthians 10:31all for God's glory1 Corinthians 10:32-33try not to offend that you may reach people1 Corinthians 11:1imitate Christ2 Corinthians 4walk worthy of gospel2 Corinthians 5:6-10walk by faith pleasing God2 Corinthians 5:11-15living for God2 Corinthians 5:18-21ambassadors2 Corinthians 6:3-10do not bring blame to the ministryGalatians 5:25follow the spiritGalatians 6:12-15boast in JesusEphesians 4:1live a life worthy of the callingEphesians 4:22-24put off the flesh and its desires and seek GodEphesians 4:30do not grieve the Holy SpiritEphesians 5:1-2walk in ChristEphesians 5:8-10find out what pleases GodEphesians 5:11-13do not participate in evil, expose itEphesians 5:15-16live wisely making the most of the timeEphesians 5:17do not be foolish, but understand God's wordEphesians 5:18-20be filled with the Spirit praising GodPhilippians 1:27-30walk worthy of the gospel, suffer for JesusPhilippians 4:9practice what you learnColossians 3:15let Jesus control your heartColossians 3:17do everything in Jesus name, giving thanksColossians 3:22-25do everything as is for the LordColossians 4:5make the most of the time acting wise1 Thessalonians 4:1-2continue to walk in God's ways1 Thessalonians 5:19-22let the Spirit guide you2 Thessalonians 1:11-12worthy of His calling to bring glory2 Thessalonians 2:11-12condemnation for those who enjoy unrighteousness2 Timothy 3:3no love for things that are good2 Timothy 3:4lovers of pleasure not God2 Timothy 3:5holding a form of godliness without giving it powerTitus 2:11-14deny worldly lust and seek GodJames 4:4-7friend of world enemy of GodJames 4:7submit to GodJames 4:8draw near GodJames 4:13-16if God wills1 Peter 1:13hope in Jesus1 Peter 1:14-16don't be conformed to flesh be holy1 Peter 1:17conduct ourselves God judges1 Peter 2:12good conduct among unbelievers that they will praise God1 Peter 2:15-17good conduct to silence fools. don't use freedom to cover evil1 Peter 5:10Jesus strengthens2 Peter 1:5faith with goodness2 Peter 1:5goodness with knowledge2 Peter 1:6knowledge with self control2 Peter 1:6self control with endurance2 Peter 1:6endurance with godliness2 Peter 1:7godliness with brother affection2 Peter 1:7affection with love2 Peter 1:8these keep you fruitful in Christ2 Peter 3:11-12be holy eagerly wait for God's return2 Peter 3:18grow in God1 John 2:6-7walk like Jesus1 John 2:15-17do not love the things of the world1 John 2:22those who deny Jesus are liars1 John 3:23believe in Jesus1 John 5:2obey and love God2 John 1:4keep God's commands2 John 1:8-9watch your walkJude 1:21keep in love with GodRevelations 2:4-5God as first loveRevelations 3:19God rebukesHypocrisyMatthew 7:1-5hypocrisyMatthew 23:1-39hypocritical leadersLuke 6:41-42hypocrisyRomans 12:9love without hypocrisyHebrews 5:11-14spiritual immaturity1 Peter 2:1hypocrisyThoughtsRomans 12:2let Jesus renew your mind2 Corinthians 10:5every thought captive to JesusEphesians 4:22-24put off the former ways and renew your mindPhilippians 4:8think on good thingsColossians 2:2dwell on things aboveSufferingMatthew 10:16-20sent out to witness to all people and endure sufferingRomans 12:14bless those that persecute you2 Timothy 2:3share in Jesus suffering2 Timothy 3:12-15persecutionHebrews 12:7-11sufferingHebrews 13:3remember those suffering1 Peter 3:17suffer for good not evil1 Peter 4:12-16, 19suffer for God1 Peter 4:15don't suffer due to evil1 Peter 5:9sufferingRevelations 2:8-10suffering and affectionRevelations 2:13sufferingEnduranceMatthew 10:16-20sent out to witness to all people and endure sufferingPhilippians 3:12-14press on1 Timothy 6:11enduranceJames 1:2-4, 12endure trials1 Peter 4:1-3have Jesus resolve to resist the flesh to the point of sufferingRevelations 2:3enduranceRevelations 2:19enduranceRevelations 3:8-10enduranceBe Thankful/worshipLuke 4:8worship GodRomans 12:12rejoice in hopeEphesians 5:4give thanksPhilippians 4:4rejoice in the LordColossians 3:15Be thankfulColossians 3:17do everything in Jesus name, giving thanks1 Thessalonians 5:16always rejoice1 Thessalonians 5:18give thanks2 Timothy 3:2ungratefulHebrews 13:15praise GodTemptation/DevilMatthew 15:19evil thoughtsRomans 12:9detest evil cling to goodRomans 13:14do not plan to satisfy the flesh1 Corinthians 10:12-14flee temptationGalatians 5:23self controlGalatians 5:21carousing2 Timothy 2:22flee youthful passions2 Timothy 3:3no self controlHebrews 3:12-15do not be deceive by sinHebrews 12:1-2throw off anything that tanglesJames 1:13-15sins come from our desiresJames 4:1-3our own desiresJames 4:7resist the devil1 Peter 2:11abstain from flesh desire1 Peter 4:3unrestrained behavior1 Peter 4:3evil desires1 Peter 4:3-5wild living1 Peter 5:8-9resist the devil2 Peter 2:7tormented by sin2 Peter 2:10desires of the flesh2 Peter 2:13carousingIrreverence to GodMatthew 15:19blasphemeLuke 12:10blasphemy against the Holy Spirit2 Timothy 2:16-19irreverent empty speech2 Timothy 3:2blaspheme2 Peter 2:2bring blasphemy on God2 Peter 2:10blasphemy without fearJude 1:8-10blasphemyChapter 13-Gifts and ServiceFalse TeachingMatthew 7:15-23false teachersMatthew 24:4-14, 23-27don't be deceived by false teachersGalatians 4:12-16have I become your enemy by telling the truthGalatians 5:7-12false teachers punishedPhilippians 1:15-18false teachers2 Thessalonians 3:6-15do not associate with false believers1 Timothy 1:3-11false teaching1 Timothy 6:3-10false teachers1 Timothy 6:20-21false teaching2 Timothy 2:14false teachers2 Timothy 3:1-9false teachers2 Timothy 4:3-5false teachingTitus 1:13-14false teachingHebrews 13:9false teaching2 Peter 1:20-2:22false teachers2 Peter 3:16twisting of scripture2 Peter 3:17be on guard against false teaching1 John 4:1-3false teachers2 John 1:10-11don't tolerate false teachersJude 1:3-4defend the faith against false believersRevelations 2:2, 6false teachersRevelations 2:14-16false teachingRevelations 2:20-24false teacherRevelations 3:1-5false believersOthers to StumbleMatthew 18:6causing others to stumbleMark 9:42-43don't cause others to stumbleRomans 14:1-15:1don't cause others to stumble1 Peter 2:15-17good conduct to silence fools. don't use freedom to cover evilLeadersMatthew 10:8money not our motiveMatthew 20:25-28do not lord leadership over peopleMark 6:10-11leadersLuke 11:52woe to bad leaders1 Corinthians 1:10-17need for unity, leaders1 Corinthians 4:1-4leaders1 Corinthians 4:6no favoritism for one leader1 Corinthians 9:1-23leaders, the right heart and humilityGalatians 6:6share all good things with your teacherEphesians 4:11-13God gave pastors to equip saints and build unityColossians 3:16teach the message and praise God for it1 Thessalonians 5:12-13respect God's leaders1 Timothy 2:11-15controversy, but women no authority over men1 Timothy 3:1-13deacons and elders1 Timothy 4:6, 11pointing out God's commands is good1 Timothy 4:12be an example, don't let youth be disregarded1 Timothy 4:11-5:2leaders1 Timothy 5:17-25elders2 Timothy 2:15leaders2 Timothy 2:23-26leaders2 Timothy 4:1-5leaders2 Timothy 4:12young LeadersTitus 1:5-9eldersTitus 2:1, 15leaders telling the truth in loveTitus 3:8-11leaders teachingHebrews 12:25do not reject the one speakingHebrews 13:7remember your leader and immitateJames 3:1-2teachers1 Peter 5:1-4leaders3 John 1:4leaders3 John 1:6-8support those who preach the message3 John 1:9-10bad leadership3 John 1:11imitate good not evilTongues1 Corinthians 14:6-33speaking in tonguesGifts and ServiceMark 9:35serve othersRomans 12:11serve God1 Corinthians 12:4-31unity and using your giftsGalatians 5:13-15serve others, love others1 Peter 4:10-11serve others using gifts to glorify GodRevelations 2:19serviceChapter 14-Commands as Part of the ChurchPaying EldersLuke 10:7worker deserves his wages1 Corinthians 9:14earn pay by the gospelGalatians 6:6share all good things with the teacher1 Timothy 5:17-18worker deserves his wagesChurch DisciplineMatthew 18:15-20rebuke brothers and forgive repentanceLuke 17:3-4rebuke brothers and forgive repentanceRomans 16:17-18divisive people1 Corinthians 5:1-13keep the church pure2 Corinthians 2:5-11restore a brotherGalatians 6:1-5correct sinners and carry each others burdensEphesians 4:32forgiveColossians 3:13accept and forgive each other1 Thessalonians 5:14warn those who are irresponsible1 Timothy 5:19-25dealing with accusations and sin in EldersTitus 3:10-11reject divisive peopleJames 5:19-20turn brothers from sin1 John 1:7-2:2confess sin1 John 5:16-17pray for brothers in sinFellowshipMatthew 10:40-42any who welcome God's people are blessed/leaders1 Corinthians 5:1-13don't associate if sinning believersRomans 12:16be in agreement2 Thessalonians 3:6-15do not associate with false believersHebrews 10:25fellowshipBehavior Toward Others1 Corinthians 4:6no favoritism for one leaderEphesians 5:21submit to each other1 Thessalonians 5:11encourage and build each other upTitus 2:2-8how young and old should actPhilemon 1:8-22forgiveness, love toward brothersJude 1:22-23have mercy on doubtersUnityActs 4:32-37share and unityRomans 12:16be in agreementRomans 15:2-7unity1 Corinthians 1:10-17need for unity, leaders1 Corinthians 11:17-34unity and the Lord's supper1 Corinthians 12:4-31unity and using your giftsEphesians 4:2-6peace and unity in the bodyPhilippians 2:1-2unity in ChristColossians 3:14love for unityJude 1:19disunityLegal Disputes1 Corinthians 6:1-8no legal disputesLord's SupperMatthew 26:26-30Jesus starts the Lord's supperJohn 6:53-54eat my flesh and drink my blood1 Corinthians 10:15-17we share the flesh and blood of Jesus1 Corinthians 11:17-34unity and the Lord's supperBaptismMatthew 28:19Make disciples and baptize them1 Corinthians 12:13we are all baptized into one bodyRomans 6:3-4buried in His death raised to new lifeGalatians 3:27because you have been baptized you put on ChristColossians 2:12buried in His death raised to new life1 Peter 3:21baptism is a response to GodChapter 15-Am I Saved?The GospelIsaiah 53:4-6afflicted for usRomans 3:23all sinned1 Corinthians 15:3-4death, burial, resurrectionGalatians 3:13-14He became the curse for usEphesians 2:4-5made alive by ChristPhilippians 2:6-8Jesus obedient to deathColossians 1:19-20Jesus blood reconcilesColossians 2:13-14debt nailed to the crossTitus 3:4-7saved by mercyHebrews 2:14-17perfect sacrifice for our sin1 Peter 2:22-25healed by His woundsLoving GodMatthew 22:34-40love Him with all your mindMark 12:29-31love Him with all your mindLuke 10:27love Him with all your mindJohn 14:15if you love Jesus obey HimJohn 14:21-24those who love obey HimJohn 15:9-10remain in my love by obedienceJohn 17:24-26God's love in us1 John 4:19we love because He first loved1 John 5:2-3loving God is obedience2 John 1:5-6walk in loveJude 1:21keep in love with GodRevelations 2:4-5God as first loveObedienceMatthew 7:15-20know a tree by it's fruitLuke 6:46-49obey JesusJohn 14:15if you love Jesus obey HimJohn 14:21-24those who love obey HimJohn 15:9-10remain in my love by obedienceActs 4:19-22obey God not manRomans 1:5faith and obedienceRomans 3:27-31faith and works2 Corinthians 4:1-6walk worthy of the gospel2 Corinthians 10:5all thoughts obedient to ChristEphesians 4:17-5:5walk worthy of the gospelPhilippians 1:27-28walk worthy of the gospelColossians 1:9-10walk worthy of the gospel1 Thessalonians 1:11-12walk worthy of the gospelTitus 1:15-16their works show they don't know GodTitus 3:1-7walk worthy of the gospelJames 1:22-25hear and obeyJames 2:14-26faith and works1 Peter 1:1-2set apart for obedience1 Peter 1:14-16obediently be holy1 Peter 1:22-23obey the truth purify self to love brothers1 John 2:3-6we know Him if we obey His commands1 John 5:2-4loving God is obedience2 John 1:5-6walk in love, obeying GodFinal Judgement on Faith and LoveMatthew 7:21-23action is not enough without loveMatthew 25:31-46love for God displayed by actionAdditional ResourcesPrayerPraying the Bible-Donald WhitneyPrayer-Dave EarleyThe Power of a Praying Kid-Stormie OmartianThe Power of a Praying Parent-Stormie OmartianPrayer-Timothy KellerPrayer-Phillip YanceyChristian LivingSpiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life-Donald WhitneyThe Passion of Jesus Christ-John PiperDying to Live-Clayton KingWhy?-Vernon BrewerLiving Out the Mind of Christ-Ben GutierrezA Grief Observed-C.S. Lewis Renovations of the Heart-Dallas WillardThe Pursuit of God-AW TozerGood and Beautiful God-James Byran SmithCelebration of Discipline-Richard FosterGods at War-Kyle IdlemanThe Life You've Always Wanted-John OrtbergDon’t Waste Your Life-John PiperApologeticsThe Case for Christ-Lee Strobel Mere Christianity-C.S. Lewis The Great Divorce-C.S. LewisMaking Sense of God-Timothy KellerReasons for God-Timothy Keller What’s Your Worldview?-James N. AndersonSurprised by Joy-C.S. LewisRelational Apologetics-Michael SherrardThe Case for Faith-Lee StrobelThe Case for a Creator-Lee StrobelScienceUnraveling the Origins Controversy-David DewittEvolution of a Creationist-Jobe MartinMan Does Not Stand Alone-MorrisonRefuting Evolution-SarfatiTheologyThe Risen Jesus and Future Hope-Gary HabermasWhat is the Gospel?-Greg GilbertWhat is Biblical Theology?-James Hamilton Jr. Knowing God by J.I. PackerHumble Orthodoxy-Joshua HarrisFaith Alone-R.C. SproulTheology of the Reformers-Timothy GeorgeChurch HistoryThe Legacy of Sovereign Joy-John PiperThe Hidden Smile of God-John PiperThe Roots of Endurance-John PiperContending for All-John PiperFilling Up the Afflictions of Christ-John PiperChurch History: an Essential Guide-Jutso GonzalezYoung Men/WomenThe Youngman’s Guide to Awesomeness-Barrett Johnson (Men)Do Hard Things-Alex & Brett HarrisOrdering Your Private World-Gordon McDonaldSacred Search-Gary ThomasThis Changes Everything-Jaquelle CroweLiving in the Light-John PiperStepping Heavenward-Elizabeth Payson PrentissMarriageSacred Marriage-Gary ThomasChoosing to Cheat-Andy Stanley What Radical Husbands Do-Regi CampbellGrace Filled Marriage-Tim KimmelThe Exemplary Husband-Stuart ScottThe Complete Husband-Lou PrioloThe Meaning of Marriage-Timothy KellerEvangelismEvangelism Is-Earley and WheelerAfter Three-Ben GutierrezMinistryMinistry Is-Earley and GutierrezThe Next Story-Tim ChalliesDiscipling-Mark DeverWhy Church Matters-Joshua HarrisRadical-David PlattLeadershipThe Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make-FinzelOn Being a Leader for God-Warren WiersbeLeadership as an Identity-Crawford LorittsScriptureThe Most Misused Verses in the Bible-Eric Bargerhuff Journey into God’s Word-Duvall and Hays The Story of Scripture-Robert Plummer ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download