1 Peter 2:11-12 “Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.”
QUESTIONS:
How are you doing with that whole “abstaining from fleshly lusts” part?
Are you “keeping your behavior excellent”?
In 1st Corinthians 6 Paul says it is better to suffer wrong at the hands of your fellow Christians than it is to bring legal action against them before secular judges. Have you ever been in a position where you had to make this kind of decision? What happened?
1 Corinthians 6:7-8 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves do wrong and defraud. And this to your brothers and sisters!
Paul asks a series of questions in 1 Cor 6:1-4. Three of them are:
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts?
Do you not know that we will judge angels?
How would you answer these questions?
1 Corinthians 6:1-5 Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you anyone wise who will be able to decide between his brothers and sisters, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?
How many of your family, friends and acquaintances know that you are a royal priest, citizen of a holy nation and owned by God?
If not many know this about you, could it be because you have failed to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”?
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Thinking about 1 Cor 5:11-13, have you ever been in a church that removed “the evil person from among” themselves. How did that work?
1 Corinthians 5:11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the evil person from among yourselves.
Discussions on Christian Doctrine and contemporary religious issues, Please engage in discussion, not utube videos or memes or long teaching items. Kind and courteous civil discussions are required.
