Moral Rules 1 part 3/7

That each one must confirm his own profession by his own works.

The very works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me.

If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me;

But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works,

that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed,

but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in afflictions, and so forth.

That one must not profane the holy things by mixing them with things for common use

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all who sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves;

My house shall be called a house of prayer;

but you have made it a den of robbers.

What, do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God, and put to shame those who have nothing? But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, that you may not come together for judgment.

That what has been dedicated to God must be honored as holy, so long as God's will is kept concerning it

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I would have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

That one must not spend on others what has been set apart for those devoted to God, except perhaps from the surplus

Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race, and she asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Let the children first be filled;

for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.

But she answered and said to him,

yet even the little dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.

That one must render to each what is due, with a grateful spirit

And they asked him, saying,

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? But perceiving their craftiness, he said to them,

Whose image and inscription does it have? And they answered and said,

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Owe no one anything, except to love one another.

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea;

Woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

But rather judge this: that no one put a stumbling block or occasion of falling in his brother's way.

That everything opposed to the will of the Lord is a stumbling block

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying,

God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you.

But he turned and said to Peter,

for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.

That one must decline even a deed or word permitted by Scripture, whenever others are built up thereby toward sin in the like manner,

or their zeal for good things is cut off.

Now concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we for him;

and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.

But not all have this knowledge.

But some, being accustomed until now to the idol, eat it as a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

But food does not commend us to God.

For neither if we eat are we the better;

nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

But take heed lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

For if anyone sees you, who have knowledge, reclining at table in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, being weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? And the weak brother, for whom Christ died, perishes because of your knowledge. And thus, sinning against the brothers and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to lead about a sister as a wife, as also the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who have no right to refrain from working? Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock? And so forth.

That, in order not to cause anyone to stumble, one must do even what is not strictly obligatory

And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said,

Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax? He said,

And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying,

What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their own sons, or from others? Peter said to him,

Then the sons are free.

But so that we may not cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up;

and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater;

take that, and give it to them for me and for you.

That regarding the Lord's will, even if some are offended, one must show unyielding boldness

Not what goes into the mouth defiles the man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man.

Then his disciples came and said to him,

Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? But he answered and said,

Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

they are blind guides of the blind.

And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit.

Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.

From this time many of his disciples went back, and no longer walked with him.

Jesus therefore said to the twelve,

Do you also want to go away? [To the Corinthians]

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

That each one, according to his own measure, must set before others a pattern of good things. [Chapter]

Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.

For I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit;

so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

That those who, seeing in someone the fruit of the Holy Spirit preserving everywhere the uniformity of true piety, and yet do not attribute it to the Holy Spirit but ascribe it to the adversary, blaspheme against the Holy Spirit itself.

Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and mute; and he healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

And all the crowds were amazed, and said:

This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them:

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men.

And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him;

but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the age to come.

That those who keep the pattern of the Lord's teaching must be received with all diligence and honor, to the glory of the Lord himself;

but he who neither hears nor receives is condemned.

He who receives you receives me;

and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

And whoever does not receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

He who receives whomever I send receives me;

and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

But I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier, but your apostle and minister to my need,

Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold such men in honor;

That readiness according to one's ability, even if it be in the smallest things, is acceptable to God, even if it comes from women.

And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

And looking up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.

And he saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites, and he said:

Truly I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all of them;

For all these have put into the gifts of God out of their abundance;

but this woman, out of her poverty, has put in all the livelihood that she had.

...of the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly ointment, and poured it on his head as he reclined at table.

But when his disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying:

To what purpose is this waste of the ointment? For this could have been sold for a great price, and given to the poor.

But Jesus, knowing this, said to them:

Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for me.

And when she was baptized, and her household, she urged us, saying:

If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.

That the Christian must also make his reception of the brethren free from disturbance and rather simple.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon's brother, said to him:

There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish;

but what are these for so many? But Jesus said:

Make the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in the place.

So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks, distributed them to those who were seated;

and likewise also of the fish, as much as they wanted.

And a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat down at the feet of Jesus and listened to his word.

But Martha was distracted with much serving.

Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.

But Jesus answered and said to her:

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;

but few things are needed, or only one;

and Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.

That one must not be easily turned aside, but steadfast in the faith, and unmoved from the good things that are in the Lord.

But he who was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived;

for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,

I marvel that you are turning away so quickly from him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel;

That one must not tolerate those who teach otherwise, even if they disguise themselves so as to deceive, or under the pretext of testing those who are unsteady.

Take heed that no one deceives you.

For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ';

Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk about in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the chief places at feasts;

who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.

These will receive greater condemnation.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we preached to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again:

If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed.

That whatever causes offense must be cut off, even if it seems to be something most intimate and most necessary.

Woe to that man through whom the offense comes!

And if your foot or your hand causes you to stumble, cut them off and cast them from you.

It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, than having two feet or two hands to be cast into the eternal fire.

And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you.

That one must spare those who are weaker in the faith, and lead them up through diligent care to perfection;

and to spare them, evidently, without overlooking a commandment of God.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice through to victory;

and in his name will the Gentiles hope.

Now receive the one who is weak in faith.

Even if a man should be overtaken in some trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, watching yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

That one must not think that the Lord came to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them and to add what is more perfect.

Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets;

I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.

Do we then nullify the law through faith? Certainly not!

That, just as the law forbids base actions, so the Gospel forbids the very hidden passions of the soul.

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not murder;

and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, everyone who is angry with his brother without cause…

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;

but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not the letter; his praise is not from men, but from God.

That, just as the law requires the partial, so the Gospel requires the whole in each of the things rightly accomplished.

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.

That it is impossible for those to be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven who do not show a righteousness according to the Gospel greater than that of the law.

For I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

If anyone else thinks to have confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, these I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God.

That the yoke of Christ is good, and his burden light, giving rest to those who receive it;

but all things foreign to the teaching of the Gospel are heavy and burdensome.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

That it is impossible for those to be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven who do not imitate the equal esteem that children show one another.

Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

That one who desires to be deemed worthy of greater glory in the kingdom of heaven must love what is lowly and last in this present life.

Whoever therefore humbles himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.

And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory, but in humility count one another as more excellent than yourselves.

That, by comparison with the diligence maintained in lesser matters, we are required to have earnestness in greater matters.

Does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound, behold, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the Sabbath? And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart.

There was in a certain city a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying,

Give me justice against my adversary.

And for a while he was unwilling.

But afterward he said within himself,

Even though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wear me out.

Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

Will not God grant justice to his elect, who cry out to him day and night? (To Timothy)

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of everyday life, that he may please the one who enlisted him.

And if anyone also competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

That, by comparison with those who out of faith have shown fear in lesser matters, and out of earnest desire have shown diligence, those found contemptuous or negligent in greater matters incur a more severe condemnation.

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them;

because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

That one must not despise the greater matters while showing zeal for the lesser.

but rather, while attending first to the greater commandments, one should accomplish the lesser along with them.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, and mercy, and faith.

These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Blind guides, who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

That one must not lay up treasure for oneself on earth, but in heaven;

and what is the manner of laying up treasure in heaven.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal;

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.

Sell your possessions, and give alms.

Make for yourselves purses that do not wear out;

an unfailing treasure in the heavens.

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

to be ready to share, generous, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

That one must be merciful and generous;

for those who are not such stand accused.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Give to everyone who asks of you.

Without natural affection, unmerciful — who, though they knew the righteous decree of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death...

To be generous, ready to share.

That whatever anyone has in excess of what is necessary for life, he is a debtor to bestow it in well-doing upon him that is in want, according to the commandment of the Lord, who has also given us what we have.

He who has two tunics, let him share with him who has none;

and he who has food, let him do likewise.

For what do you have that you did not receive? (To the Corinthians)

Your abundance for their lack;

that their abundance also may become a supply for your lack, so that there may be equality, as it is written:

and he who gathered little had no lack.

That one must not be rich, but poor, according to the word of the Lord.

Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all evils, which some, coveting after, have strayed from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

That one must not take thought to abound in the things needed for life;

nor be zealous about satiety, nor about luxury;

but to be pure from every kind of covetousness and self-adornment.

Take heed, and beware of all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses.

That they adorn themselves not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly apparel;

Having food and covering, with these we shall be content.

That one must not be anxious for one's own need, nor set one's hope on what is prepared for the present life, but commit what concerns oneself to God.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

and your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of much more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit to his stature? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;

not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Do not therefore be anxious, saying,

'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Do not therefore be anxious about tomorrow;

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The land of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he reasoned within himself, saying:

'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to gather my crops?' And he said,

'I will tear down my barns and build greater ones, and there I will gather all my grain and my goods;'

'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years;'

'take your rest, eat, drink, be merry' — and so forth.

Charge those who are rich in this present age not to be high-minded, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.

That one must take thought and be concerned for the need of the brethren, according to the will of the Lord.

For I was hungry, and you gave me food;

I was thirsty, and you gave me drink;

I was a stranger, and you took me in;

naked, and you clothed me;

I was sick, and you visited me;

I was in prison, and you came to me.

Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

Jesus then, lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great crowd was coming to him, says to Philip,

'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' — and so forth.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also must do.

On the first day of the week, let each of you set something aside, storing up as he may prosper;

so that when I come, there will be no collections then.

That one who is able, by working, must share with those who have need.

For he who does not wish to work was judged not worthy even of eating.

The worker is worthy of his food.

I have shown you all things, that by laboring thus we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord, that he himself said:

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Let him who steals steal no more;

but rather let him labor, working what is good with his hands, that he may have something to share with him who has need.

When we were with you, this we commanded you: that if anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.

That one ought not to go to law, not even concerning those very things which are wrapped about the body for its necessary covering.

To him who strikes you on the right cheek, offer the other also;

and from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.

Give to everyone who asks of you;

and from him who takes what is yours, do not demand it back.

Does any of you, having a matter against another, dare to go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? And, a little further on:

That one must not fight, or avenge oneself;

but with all men, if possible, to be at peace, according to the commandment of the Lord.

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say to you, do not resist the evil one;

but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, and so forth

Have love among yourselves, but also be at peace with one another

Repaying no one evil for evil, but taking thought for what is honorable in the sight of all men

If possible, so far as it depends on you, living peaceably with all men;

not avenging yourselves, beloved;

That one must not retaliate against the one who does wrong, not even for the sake of avenging another who has been wronged

Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him

And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear

Put your sword back into its place;

for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword

And he sent messengers before his face;

and going, they entered a village of the Samaritans, in order to make preparations for him

And they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem