Moral Rules 1 part 2/7

That he who has been chastened for his former sins, and has been deemed worthy of forgiveness, if he sins again, prepares for himself a judgment of wrath worse than the former

See, you have become well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you

That, when some have fallen under the judgment of God's wrath, the rest must be instructed by fearing

Now there were present at that very time some who reported to him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices

And Jesus answered and said to them:

but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish

Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them—do you think that they were more guilty than all the people who dwell in Jerusalem? No, I tell you;

but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish

And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last

And great fear came upon all who heard these things

Nor grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer

Now these things happened to them as types [examples];

and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come

That one is often, on account of pre-existing impiety, handed over even to the very works of wickedness for punishment

And even as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not fitting

Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved, therefore God sends them a working of error, that they should believe the lie

That it is not the multitude of sinners that moves God, but the one who is pleasing to him, whether it be a man or a woman

Truly I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, so that a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow

For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink;

for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them;

But God was not well pleased with most of them;

for they were struck down in the wilderness

That every contradiction, even if it arises from a friendly and reverent disposition, alienates the one who contradicts from the Lord;

but every word of the Lord must be received with full assurance

And he began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded

Then he came to Simon Peter, and that one said to him:

Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him:

What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know after these things.

You shall never wash my feet, forever.

If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.

That one must not follow the traditions of men so as to set aside the commandment of God.

Then the Pharisees and the scribes question him:

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far removed from me.

In vain do they worship me, teaching as their teachings the precepts of men.

For leaving aside the commandment of God, you hold fast the tradition of men.

That one must keep, without any omission, all that has been handed down by the Lord through the Gospel and the apostles.

Go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you.

And both were righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

The one who hears you hears me;

and the one who rejects you rejects me.

So then, brothers, stand firm, and hold fast the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or by letter, as delivered through us.

That one must not approve one's own will above the will of the Lord;

but in every matter to seek and do the will of God.

For I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

And kneeling down, he prayed, saying:

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

yet not my will, but yours, be done.

Among whom we also all once lived, in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of our thoughts;

and we were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

That one must always be watchful, and ready in eagerness for the good works of God, knowing the peril of delay.

Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning;

and be like men waiting for their master, for when he will return from the wedding;

so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him at once.

Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.

Truly I say to you, that he will gird himself, and have them recline at table, and will come and serve them.

And if he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and finds it so, blessed are those servants.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

You too, then, be ready, because the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect, and so forth.

But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you;

for you yourselves know exactly that the day of the Lord comes just as a thief in the night.

That one must consider every season fitting for eagerness in the things that please God.

I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day.

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

That one must not mix together things that do not belong together, but must recognize the proper time of each thing done or said.

Then the disciples of John come to him, saying:

...the bridegroom... And then they will fast, in those days.

So then, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman;

Stand fast, therefore, in the freedom with which Christ has set us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of slavery.

That one must not, hoping in the achievements of others, neglect one's own affairs.

Therefore bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not presume to say within yourselves:

That those who live together with those who please God gain nothing, if they do not set right their own disposition, even though outwardly they preserve a resemblance to them.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be compared to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were wise, and the five were foolish.

The foolish, taking their lamps, did not take oil with them;

but the wise took oil in their vessels along with their lamps.

To which, a little later, he adds concerning the foolish:

Afterward the other virgins also come, saying:

Lord, Lord, open to us.

In that night there will be two on one bed;

one will be taken, and the other will be left.

one will be taken, and the other will be left.

And answering they say to him:

Where, Lord? And he said to them:

Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered.

That one must, recognizing from the marks declared to us by Scripture what the present time is, order one's own affairs accordingly, conjecturing from this.

But learn the parable from the fig tree.

When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

So also you, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors.

When you see the cloud rising from the west, at once you say, A shower is coming;

And when a south wind blows, you say, There will be scorching heat;

Hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the earth and of the sky, but how is it that you do not discern this present time? — To the Corinthians

The time is henceforth shortened, so that those who have wives may be as though they had none;

and those who weep, as though they wept not;

and those who rejoice, as though they rejoiced not;

and those who buy, as though they possessed not;

and those who use the world, as though not engrossed in it;

for the outward form of this world is passing away

That one must do the commandments of God just as the Lord commanded

For the one who fails concerning the manner of the doing, even if he seems to keep the commandment, is disapproved before God

And he also said to the one who had invited him:

…your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and a repayment be made to you

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you;

for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just

That one must not do the commandment of God for the sake of pleasing men, or on account of some other passion, but must in everything have as one's aim to please God, and to glorify God

Take heed that you do not do your alms before men, to be seen by them;

otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven

So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men

Truly I say to you, they have their reward. And so forth

So whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts

For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness;

nor did we seek glory from men, neither from you, nor from others

That one must do the commandments of the Lord with a good conscience and disposition toward both God and men

For the one who does not do so has been condemned

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence

Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside of it may become clean also

He who gives, let him do so with simplicity

Do all things without murmurings and disputings

Now the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience

holding faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, have made shipwreck concerning the faith

That the judgment concerning the reward for greater things is justified on the basis of faithfulness shown in lesser things

Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a little, I will set you over much;

enter into the joy of your lord

For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance;

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

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? That one must do the commandments of the Lord with insatiable desire, always pressing on toward more

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Brothers, I do not consider that I have yet laid hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus

That one must do the commandments of God in such a way that, as far as it depends on the doer, all may be enlightened, and God may be glorified

You are the light of the world

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven

No one, having lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light

that you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God

RULE 19. That one must not hinder the one who does the will of God, whether according to a commandment of God, or according to a principle that follows the commandment;

nor indeed should the one who does it tolerate those who hinder him, even if they be genuine persons, but should persist in his judgment

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him

But John tried to prevent him, saying:

I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answering said to him:

for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. And so forth

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, taking him aside, began to rebuke him, saying:

But he, turning, said to Peter:

you are a stumbling block to me, because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men

And they brought children to him, that he might touch them

But the disciples rebuked those who brought them

But Jesus, seeing this, was indignant, and said to them:

Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them;

for of such is the kingdom of heaven

And as we remained there many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea

And coming to us, and taking Paul's belt, and binding his own feet and hands, he said:

Thus says the Holy Spirit:

The man to whom this belt belongs, thus will the Jews at Jerusalem bind, and deliver into the hands of the Gentiles

And when we heard this, both we and the local residents begged him not to go up to Jerusalem

What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus

And since he would not be persuaded, we became silent, saying:

The will of the Lord be done

who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and do not please God, and are contrary to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins;

but wrath has come upon them to the utmost

That the one who does a commandment of God not from a sound disposition, yet in outward appearance preserving the exactness of the Lord's teaching, ought not to be hindered, since, as far as the deed itself is concerned, no one is harmed, and sometimes some are even benefited by it;

but he should be admonished to have a mind worthy of the good deed

So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men

Truly I say to you, they have their reward

But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does;

so that your alms may be in secret;

and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

And likewise concerning prayer.

And John answered him, saying,

for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name and be able soon after to speak evil of me.

For he who is not against us is for us.

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, but some also out of good will;

the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

That those who believe in the Lord must be baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God;

Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

What is the meaning, or the power, of baptism? That the one baptized be changed in mind, and in word, and in deed, and become, according to the power given him, that very thing from which he was begotten.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I said to you:

The Spirit blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound;

but you do not know where it comes from, and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

To die to sin, and to live to God in Christ Jesus.

As many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death;

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death;

that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we shall also be so in the likeness of His resurrection;

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we should no longer be enslaved to sin.

For he who has died has been justified from sin.

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, having been buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised together through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek;

there is neither slave nor free;

for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Having put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new man, who is being renewed unto full knowledge, according to the image of Him who created him;

where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;

but Christ is all, and in all.

That the partaking of the body and blood of Christ is necessary even for eternal life itself.

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

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and so on.

That he who approaches communion without understanding the meaning according to which the partaking of the body and blood of Christ is given profits nothing thereby;

but he who partakes unworthily is condemned.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured about this, said to them,

What if you should see the Son of Man ascending where He was before? The flesh profits nothing;

it is the Spirit who gives life;

the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life.

So then, whoever eats this bread, or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

For he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

By what reasoning one must eat the body and drink the blood of the Lord: in remembrance of the Lord's obedience unto death, so that those who live may no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them.

And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying,

This is My body, which is given for you;

do this in remembrance of Me.

Likewise also the cup, after supper, saying,

That the Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it, and said,

This is My body, which is broken for you;

do this in remembrance of Me.

Likewise also the cup, after supper, saying,

This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

For the love of Christ constrains us, since we have judged this: that if One died for all, then all died;

and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised, so that the many might become one body in Christ.

The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? For because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.

For we all partake of that one bread.

That he who partakes of the holy things must sing hymns to the Lord. [Chapter]

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and so on.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

That the working of sin alienates one from the Lord, and makes one akin to the devil.

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you wish to do.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

That kinship with the Lord is not known by relation according to the flesh, but is accomplished by zeal for the will of God.

He who is of God hears the words of God.

And it was told him, saying:

Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.

But he answered and said to them:

My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.

You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

That he who is unwillingly dragged along by sin ought to recognize that he is held fast by another, pre-existing sin, by willingly serving which he is thenceforth led by it even to what he does not wish.

For we know that the law is spiritual;

but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

For what I do, I do not understand;

for it is not what I want that I do;

but if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good.

So now it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me.

For I know that no good thing dwells in me, that is, in my flesh;

for to will is present with me, but to work out what is good I do not find.

For the good that I want, I do not do; but the evil that I do not want, that I practice.

But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me.

That one must not lie, but must speak the truth in everything.

But let your word be, Yes, yes;

and whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Having put away lying, speak the truth each one with his neighbor;

That one must not engage in unprofitable or contentious disputes.

Remind them of these things, solemnly charging them before the Lord,

not to quarrel about words, to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

But avoid foolish and undisciplined disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels.

That one must not utter an idle word, from which there is no benefit.

For to speak, or even to do what is good, without regard to the edification of the faith, is to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

But I say to you, that for every idle word that men speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth,

but only such as is good for the edification of the faith, that it may give grace to those who hear; and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

That every word or deed must be confirmed by the testimony of the God-inspired Scripture, for the full assurance of the good, and for the shame of the wicked.

And the tempter came to him and said:

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

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another:

What could this mean? But others, mocking, said, They are full of sweet wine.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke forth to them:

Men of Judea, and all you who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

For these are not drunk, as you suppose;

for it is only the third hour of the day;

but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and they shall prophesy, and so on.

That one must also make use of things known by nature and by the custom of life, for the confirmation of what is done or said.

...prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

By their fruits you will know them.

Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit;

but the bad tree bears evil fruit, and so on.

And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying:

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

No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this 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 lawfully.

That one must not liken oneself to those who are alien to the teaching of the Lord;

but must imitate God and his saints, according to the power given to us by him.

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them;

but whoever wants to become first among you shall be your servant;

and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave;

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Do not be conformed to this age,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God.

Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.

That one must not be simply, nor unexaminedly, carried away by those who feign the truth;

but must recognize each one by the mark given to us by Scripture.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

By their fruits you will know them.

By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.