Moral Rules 1 part 4/7

And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said,

Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, as Elijah also did? But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village

That one must also bring others together into the peace that is in Christ

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God

My peace I give to you

That one must first correct oneself in whatever fault, and only then accuse another

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother,

Let me take the speck out of your eye,

when behold, there is a log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye

For in that by which you judge another, you condemn yourself;

for you who judge practice the same things

And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth upon those who practice such things

But do you reckon this, O man, you who judge those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? RULE 52

That one ought not to be indifferent toward those who sin, but ought to grieve and mourn over them

And as he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying,

Would that you, even you, had known, even on this day, the things that make for your peace;

but now they are hidden from your eyes

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles:

that a certain man has his father's wife

And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be removed from among you

lest, when I come again to you, my God should humble me, and I should mourn over many of those who have sinned before and have not repented

That one must not be complacent toward those who sin

But if your brother sins, rebuke him;

And take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even expose them

...to receive them, for no other reason than to call them back to repentance, in whatever manner may be possible without sin

And behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining at table with Jesus and his disciples

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples,

Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick

But go and learn what this is:

I desire mercy, and not sacrifice

For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to him to hear him

And the scribes and the Pharisees grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them

So he spoke this parable to them, saying,

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? and so forth

But if anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that man, and do not associate with him, that he may be ashamed

And do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother

But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—all of you

Sufficient for such a one is this punishment inflicted by the majority;

so that, on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive sorrow

That one must turn away from those who, after every manner of care for them has been fulfilled, persist in their own wickedness

If your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother;

but if he does not listen, take with you one or two others, that every word may be established on the mouth of two or three witnesses

And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;

and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector

RULE 53. That the Christian must not bear grudges, but must forgive from the heart those who have sinned against him

For if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses;

but if you forgive men their trespasses, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you

That one must not judge one another concerning things that have been permitted by Scripture

Judge not, that you be not judged

For with the judgment with which you judge, you will be judged,

Judge not, and you will not be judged;

condemn not, and you will not be condemned

One believes he may eat all things, while the one who is weak eats vegetables

Let not the one who eats despise the one who does not eat, and let not the one who does not eat judge the one who eats

For God has received him.

Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls;

for God is able to make him stand.

For one judges one day above another, while another judges every day alike; let each be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He who regards the day, regards it unto the Lord;

and he who does not regard the day, unto the Lord he does not regard it.

And he who eats, eats unto the Lord;

and he who does not eat, unto the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Let us therefore no longer judge one another.

Let no one therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things to come.

That one must not be in doubt concerning things permitted by Scripture.

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats;

for whatever is not of faith is sin.

If you died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as though still living in the world, do you submit to its decrees: "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch"—

all of which are destined to perish with use, according to the commandments and teachings of men.

That one must not judge concerning things that are unclear.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts;

and then each one's praise will come to him from God.

That one must not judge with partiality.

If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

That one must not condemn anyone without first, in his presence, having examined carefully the matters concerning him, even if there are many who accuse.

JOHN. Nicodemus says to them—he who had come to him by night, being one of them:

"Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?" ACTS.

Now as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying:

"There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, concerning whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him;

that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man, before the accused has his accusers face to face, and receives opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge.

That one must know and confess that the grace of every good thing, and even the endurance of the sufferings for Christ's sake, come from God.

A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.

And what do you have that you did not receive? TO THE EPHESIANS.

For by grace you have been saved, through faith;

not of works, lest anyone should boast.

And this is from God: that it has been granted to you, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same struggle, and so forth.

That one must not keep silent about the benefits of God, but give thanks for them.

Now the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might be with him;

but Jesus sent him away, saying:

"Return to your house, and declare how great things God has done for you."

And he went away through the whole city, proclaiming how great things Jesus had done for him.

And as he entered a certain village, ten leprous men met him, who stood at a distance,

and they lifted up their voice, saying:

"Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

"Go, show yourselves to the priests."

And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.

But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a loud voice,

and fell on his face at his feet, giving him thanks;

But Jesus answering said:

"Were not the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?"

But by the grace of God I am what I am.

Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving,

That one must persevere in prayers and vigils.

"Ask, and it shall be given you;

knock, and it shall be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives;

and to him who knocks it will be opened," and so forth.

And he told them also a parable, to show that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart, saying:

"There was a judge in a certain city," and the rest.

"But take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly;

for as a snare it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Watch therefore, praying at all times, that you may be counted worthy to escape all the things that are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.

That even concerning the things needed daily for the body, one must first give thanks to God, and then partake.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he gave thanks, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples;

And having said this, and taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and having broken it, began to eat.

Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.

That one must not babble in praying, asking for perishable things unworthy of the Lord.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do;

for your heavenly Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

And do not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink;

for the nations of the world seek after all these things.

But your Father knows that you need these things.

How one must pray, and in what disposition of soul.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; and so forth.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.

When you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone.

I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing.

That one must pray for one another, and for those who are leaders in the word of truth.

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to have you, to sift you as wheat;

but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.

Praying at every season in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and for me, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Finally, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as it is with you.

That one must pray also for enemies.

Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven.

That a man must not pray or prophesy with his head covered, nor a woman uncovered.

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ;

and the head of a woman is the man;

Every man praying or prophesying with something on his head dishonors his head.

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head; and so forth.

...in their own right actions, and to despise the rest.

And he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised the rest:

Two men went up into the temple to pray;

the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself:

God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week;

I give tithes of all that I possess.

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven;

but was beating his breast, saying:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other;

for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled;

and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

That one must not think that the gift of God is to be acquired by money or by any other device.

Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying:

But Peter said to him:

May your silver perish with you, because you thought to obtain the gift of God with money.

You have neither part nor lot in this matter;

for your heart is not right before God.

Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.

That according to the proportion of faith, gifts are given to each by God for what is profitable.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy, let it be according to the proportion of faith;

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable:

For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom;

and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

to another faith, by the same Spirit;

and to another, gifts of healings;

to another the distinguishing of spirits;

That one who freely receives the grace of God must freely give it, and not trade on it for his own pleasures.

Heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons;

Freely you have received, freely give.

Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor copper for your belts.

Silver and gold I do not have;

but what I have, this I give you:

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

And taking him by the right hand, he raised him up.

For neither at any time did we come with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—

nor seeking glory from men, either from you or from others,

but we were gentle among you,

as a nursing mother cherishes her own children, so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own souls, because you had become dear to us.

That he who receives the first gift from God with gratitude, and diligently works it for the glory of God, is deemed worthy of other gifts also;

but he who is not such a one has even the gift he already had taken away, and is not deemed worthy of the gift prepared for him, and is handed over to punishment.

And the disciples came and said to him:

...of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance;

but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled,

For it is just as when a man, going on a journey, called his own servants and delivered to them his possessions;

and to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and immediately he went on his journey.

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

Likewise also he who had gained two talents gained two more.

For to everyone who has, more will be given;

but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness;

there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

RULE 59. That the Christian must not be affected by glory from men, nor cling to excessive honor, but must also correct those who so honor him, or think more highly of him than they ought.

And behold, one came up and said to him,

Why do you call me good? No one is good except One, that is, God.

How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the only God? — LUKE

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces.

For we never resorted to words of flattery, as you know, nor to a pretext for greed—God is witness—

nor seeking glory from men, neither from you nor from others,

Now as Peter was entering, Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him.

But Peter raised him up, saying,

For I too am only a man.

Now on an appointed day, Herod, having put on royal apparel, and having sat upon his throne, made an oration to them.

The voice of a god, and not of a man!

And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give the glory to God;

and being eaten by worms, he expired.

That, since the gifts of the Spirit are various, and neither can one person receive them all, nor can all receive the same one, each must with sober-mindedness and thankfulness abide in what has been given to him, and all must be in harmony with one another in the love of Christ, as members in a body;

so that the one who is inferior in gifts should not despair of himself in comparison with the one who excels, nor indeed should the greater despise the lesser.

For those who are divided and factious are worthy of dissolution.

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste;

and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,

that they all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,

that they also may be one in us.

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul, and not one of them said that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone who is among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded—

each according to the measure of faith God has apportioned to him.

for all the members do not have the same function;

so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another;

and having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, and so on.

Now I appeal to you through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you;

but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body;

for indeed by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and so on.

that you all be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one soul, thinking the one thing, doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind counting one another as more excellent than yourselves;

each not looking to his own things, but each also to the things of others.

That one must not despise those who work together with the grace of the Lord, looking only to their lowly condition.

For in these especially God is well pleased.

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.

Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said,

Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many of noble birth were called;

but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame the wise;

and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the strong;

and God chose the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should boast before God.

That those who have believed in God and been baptized must immediately prepare themselves for trials, even from their own household, unto death.

For the one who has not so prepared himself, when circumstance suddenly overtakes him, is easily shaken.

And Jesus, having been baptized, went up immediately from the water;

and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him;

And behold, a voice from the heavens, saying,

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

Be therefore wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.

But beware of men,

for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you;

and brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child;

and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake;

but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

These things I have spoken to you, that you may not be made to stumble.

They will put you out of the synagogues;

But an hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is offering service to God.

And these things they will do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor me, and so forth.

But those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; yet these have no root, who believe for a time and in time of trial fall away.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning our affliction that came upon us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;

but we ourselves have had within ourselves the sentence of death, that we might not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

That one must not throw oneself into trials before the time of God's permission, but must also pray not to fall into temptation.

Our Father, who art in the heavens, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

And after these things Jesus went about in Galilee;

for he did not wish to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.

Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles, was near.

His brothers therefore said to him,

Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see the works that you do.

For no one does anything in secret while seeking himself to be known openly.

If you do these things, show yourself to the world.

For not even his brothers believed in him.

Jesus therefore said to them,

My time is not yet at hand;

but your time is always ready.

The world cannot hate you;

but it hates me, because I testify concerning it that its works are evil.

Go up yourselves to the feast;

I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.

Having said these things to them, he remained in Galilee.

But when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

Rise and pray, that you may not fall into temptation.

That one must, as occasion allows, withdraw from those who plot against him; yet, if permitted to fall into a trial, seek the outcome that enables endurance, and ask for the will of God through prayer.

When they persecute you in this city, flee to the next.

Then the Pharisees took counsel against him, going out, how they might destroy him.

But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there.

From that day on, therefore, they took counsel together to kill him.

Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews.

And kneeling down, he prayed, saying,

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me;

nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man;

but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

That the Christian must, in trials, for each thing brought against him, call to mind what is said in the God-inspired Scripture pertaining to the matter at hand, and thus both keep himself unharmed and bring the adversaries to nothing.

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.

And the tempter came to him and said,

If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.

It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds through the mouth of God, and so forth.

That the Christian must not fear, nor be anxious in adverse circumstances, being unsettled from confidence in God;

but must be of good courage, since the Lord is present, ordering what concerns him, strengthening him in every respect, and the Holy Spirit teaching him, even to the answer he is to give to his adversaries.

Do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul;

but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you should answer, or what you should say;

for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you must say.

And a great windstorm arose;

and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that it was already filling up.

And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

And they woke him and said to him,