01-21 - Ro-3 Mt-7

🗝️s New Testament & Bible prophecy study, verses paraphrased [ ] references { } thots

 • Romans 3:7-18  Matthew 7:1-20 and ACTS 14:1-28 separately

            ☀️ Romans 3:7-18

7 - But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being reckoned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come of it? As some people are slanderously charging us with saying! Trouble is bound to follow after them.

     9 What then? Are we Hebrews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jew and Greek, are under sin [hamartia - missing the mark]. 10 As it’s written, {without God’s intervention and fulfilling our highest blueprint in us} “none are righteous, no, not one. 11 No one understands, no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside, all together they have become lacking and profane. There’s no one who does good [chréstotés - kindness, goodness, gentleness, from chrēstos - useful, good] not even one. 13 Their throat is like an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive, and the venom of snakes is under their tongue and on their lips. 14 Their mouth is full of curses, slander and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16 In their paths are ruin and misery! 17 And the way of peace they have not known. 18 There is no reverence of God before their eyes.” {Imperfection is an abyss of potential. We all need to be born anew, “the seed Jesus” planted in us..(Gal.3:16) and watered.. fed 📜🍞+🍷🕊️(+Logic)}

            🌙 Matthew 7:1-20

(Jesus continues while sitting at the side of a mountain.) 1 - “Judge not - so you - will not be judged. 2 For how you judge others, is how you will be judged, and with the measure you use, is how it will be measured back to you. 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother or sister’s believer’s eye, but don’t notice the log that’s in your eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ - when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the tiny speck out of your brother's eye.

     6 Don’t try to give to the irreverent what is holy, and don’t throw pearls before them, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn to trample you as well.

     7 Ask, and it’ll be given to you. Seek, and you’ll find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives. And the one who seeks, finds. And to the one who knocks it’ll be opened. 9 Or which of you, if their child asks for bread, will give them a stone? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, will give them a serpent? 11 If you then, being [poneros difficulty causing] know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good [agathos - good, beneficial] things to those who ask him!

     12 So treat others how you would like others to treat you! This is - the Law - and the Prophets. {Sum and substance of?}

     13 Enter by the narrow gate! For the gate is wide, and the way easy that leads to calamity [apóleia - ruin, loss, destruction] and many are therein. 14 For small is the gate and narrow is the way to {aionion} life and those who find the way are few. 15 So beware of the false, who come in sheep's clothing {talk a good talk} but actually they are ravenous wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes? Or figs from thistles? 17 A healthy tree bears good fruit, but an unhealthy tree bears fruit that is not good. 18 A healthy tree can’t bear noxious fruit nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit {character} is cut down and thrown into the fire. {Aka, will go through gehenna crash, whether collective, or personal.} 20 And so you can recognize them by the effects they produce and the fruit they display.”

           

Tomorrows verses, 01/22

Romans 3:19-23  Matthew 7:21-29

Start the day with a Psalm (jan 1-20, feb-20’s, mar-30’s, apr-40’s, etc. dec-120-150)

have a great day! ☀️🕊️

MATTHEW 7 1-20

  🍃🕊️01/21 - GospeL Verses 🍃🕊️

(Jesus continues while sitting at the side of a mountain, likely a summary of a few such times.) 1 - “Judge not - so you - will not be judged. 2 For how you judge others, is how you will be judged, and with the measure you use, is how it will be measured back to you. 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother or sister’s eye, but don’t notice the log that’s in your eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ - when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny speck out of your brother's eye.

     6 Don’t try to give to the irreverent what is holy, and don’t throw pearls before them, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn to trample you.

     7 Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives. And the one who seeks, finds. And to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which of you, if their child asks for bread, will give them a stone? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, will give them a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil [ponéros - wicked, bad, malicious, evil] {not good, imperfect} know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good [agathos - good, beneficial] things to those who ask him!

     12 So treat others how you would like others to treat you! This is - the Law - and the Prophets. {Sum and substance? and the “end-aim”..}

     13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction [apóleia - ruin, loss, destruction] and many are therein. 14 For small is the gate and narrow and troublesome the way to enduring life, and those who find it are few. 15 So beware of false prophets, who come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes? Or figs from thistles? 17 A healthy tree bears good fruit, but an unhealthy tree bears fruit that is not good. 18 A healthy tree can’t bear noxious fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. {Will go through gehenna crash, whether collective, or personal.} 20 And so you can recognize them” {and doctrines} “by the fruit they produce and display.”

                       ~ * ~

🗝️ [  ] - word/language insights, usually from biblehub dot com - peering through translator partial unbelief; facts, cross references, etc.

      {  } - thots

Tomorrows verses - Matthew 7:21-29

By Necessity Paraphrased

A Daily ‘Enter the Story’ Gospel Reading & Study

Beware The Rules

Galatians 5:1 says -
                    "..Christ has made us free! And do not be entangled again by a yoke of servitude".

This does not of course, mean a believer and follower of Jesus is free to live a dissolute life! As Paul wrote "God forbid!" and "those things lead to death, where's the attraction?"

That's why The Way is a "narrow way"! Because there's huge ditches on either side! One is the ditch of license. And the other is the ditch of "rules". Beware the rules!

The first churches were not as we have our churches now. They were brothers and sisters (in love with God and Jesus) getting together. And following the Spirit.

The first enemies - "love your enemies" - were the 'Judaizers'. They wanted Gentiles (non-Hebrew, not under the Law of Moses) believers to become Judean. If we read the Letter to the Galatians, or any other letter actually, but especially Galatians, it's obvious this was not the plan of God. [Also Acts chapter 15, of course.]

And we can see that spirit today. It's always been very active! You must do this, you must not do that. When The Way is a relationship. And the living upon God's Word and Spirit (bread and wine of life). "If you are led of the Spirit, you will not be doing the acts of the lower carnal character." You just won't. You are following and yearning after the Spirit and drinking of the Word of Life. That is The Way of transformation and 'self improvement' - though it is NO act of self.

When we seek to follow rules.. any rules, to be 'right with God', approved of by God.. we have stepped out of His plan. We are saying or trying to believe, that God will owe us acceptance, like wages. (On the Holy Day "you will do NO work!") It is a gift. It is His doing. It is a recognition and affirmation that HE, is the only source of good. (The only source of Life!) And this is "all given to us, freely, through Jesus".
     "That the spirit in our heart cries 'abba, Father!' is the sign and seal and proof that we are His! His pledge that all that He has promised shall be given." And "He is faithful to carry out the good work which He has begun in us". ..."via the same POWER which rose Jesus from the grave."

The other - "any 'other' gospel" - has not that power. It's a dead end. It's a ditch.

It comes in many guises. The second 'enemies' of the gospel (news/good news) were the gnostics. They had a very large whole set of rules! They believed matter, the universe, was why mankind was flawed and the world was as it is. That somehow we (life) had 'fallen into matter' and this is what we needed to be saved from. The body was especially evil, and all its functions. Of course this led to other sects of the belief, which was license, for if all earthly functions were evil, like eating and drinking (and breathing? And don't forget, the bible says "honorable [is] the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled".) So if even walking was 'evil' then what the heck, why not just do anything and everything since it was the body itself that was guilty, lacked character, and hey, this must all be God's fault! And my special insight/knowledge/gnosis is what will set me free!

How crazy is that!? But it's the root and foundation of any "rules" system. And unlike the "freedom in Christ" it's a system of following humans and a human group. We get this from individuals and from organizations. It says 'believe in Jesus and.. ..and I'll tell you the special rule.. come and follow me..' And, or, be a part of my group..

I don't know why it works, but it seems to work very well.

Galatians 5:1 - "..Christ has made us free! ..do not be entangled again by a yoke of bondage".

Any personal conviction I may have.. be it vegetarian, or any rule I may choose to follow, is likely a wonderful thing.. but not mine to impose or even suggest to another. Paul - led of the Spirit to write a large bulk of the New Testament - said, "know only Christ".