Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:11 . . But you-- O man of God --flee these things and pursue
righteousness, piety, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) believed that
Christian virtues, especially compassion, are an impediment to achieving greatness;
which is just another way of saying that nice guys finish last.

The Greek word for "flee" is pheugo (fyoo'-go) which means: not to walk away; but
rather, to run away; as if for your life. (cf. 1Cor 6:18)

faq: What is a man of God?

a: Well; first off we should point out that the Greek word for "man" in that passage
is anthropos (anth'-ro-pos) which refers to h.sapiens; viz: human beings, of either
gender, not just males; so it would be far more useful to translate that phrase
"person of God".

note: Man of God is okay too because when the creator made humans, he called
both genders "man". (Gen 1:27 & Gen 5:2)

Men of God are typically inspired individuals; for example: Moses was a man of God
(Deut 33:1) and David was a man of God. (Neh 12:24)

Numerous passages in the Old Testament identify men of God as prophets. In that
respect; Abraham was a man of God (Gen 20:7) and a whole bunch of other people
too, including women; e.g. Miriam (Ex 15:20) Deborah (Judg 4:4) Asahiah (2Kgs
22:14) and Huldah (2Chron 24:32).

Obviously then, if your church's officers aren't inspired; then they aren't men of
God; they're just church managers on a career path.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:12a . . Fight the good fight of the faith.

The first Greek word for "fight" in that verse is agonizomai (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) which means: to struggle; literally to compete for a prize. This is the kind of conflict played out in competitive sports.

The second word for "fight" is agon (ag-one') which means: a place of assembly; viz: the field of completion; e.g. arenas, coliseums, and/or stadiums.

The object of a Christian's struggle is not so much conquest, but rather, a prize. In Paul's day athletes won wreaths. In our day, they win medals and lucrative contracts for product endorsements.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." (1Cor 9:24-26)

In Paul's day, there were no second-place winners; only first. When the competition is that fierce, athletes really go all out. So Paul is saying that Christians should battle for their reward as if there were only one gold to go around; in other words; really put their hearts into it.

However, in order to be adjudged a good fight, the contestants, win or lose, have to go by the book.

"When someone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." (2Tim 2:5)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:12b . .Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you
made your good profession in the presence of many witnesses.

All of Christ's believing followers were called to eternal life. Note the grammatical
tense of the "have" verb in the passages below. It's in the present tense; not
future; indicating that Christ's believing followers have eternal life right now-- no
delay, and no waiting period.

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." (John 6:47)

"I assure you, those who heed my message and trust in God who sent me, have
eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already
passed from Death into Life." (John 5:24)

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you
may know that you have eternal life." (1John 5:13)

faq: Why would Paul encourage Timothy to take hold of eternal life if he already
had it?

a: Well; having it, and making use of it, are two very different things. It's like
having a lawn mower in your garage and a can of gas sitting beside it. Well; the
mower won't be much use for cutting grass unless gas is transferred from the can
to the mower's tank. The mower is a perfectly good machine, and the gas is a
perfectly good fuel; but the two need to be combined in order to be effective.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:13-14 . . I charge you in the sight of God-- who gives life to everything,
and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good
confession --to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

The Greek word for "commandment" in that passage is entole (en-tol-ay') which
means: an injunction, i.e. an authoritative prescription. It's difficult to tell if Paul
had a specific instruction in mind or if he intended Timothy to accept his entire
epistle as the law of Christ. If the latter is the case, then the NLT's version is the
better one; which reads like this:

"And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who
gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey his commands with all
purity. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ
returns."

The NLT's version encompasses all of Christ's expectations; from Acts to Revelation.

The Greek translated "without spot/purity" is aspilos (as'-pee-los) which means:
unblemished.

It takes a pretty concentrated, uncompromising effort for a man to finish up a life
of Christian service with an unblemished record. He's really got to mind his p's and
q's the meanwhile maintaining graciousness; which consists of being honest,
trustworthy, reliable, affable, tactful, genial, sociable, generous, charitable,
altruistic, cheerful, reasonable, sensitive, thoughtful, patient, peaceable, kind,
considerate, temperate, tolerant, approachable, helpful, supportive, unselfish,
compassionate, sympathetic, mild, not easily provoked, humble, and courteous;
plus characterized by a lack of stubbornness, assertiveness, despotism, conceit,
and arrogance.

note: The epistles of Titus, 1Timothy, 2Timothy, and to some extent 1Peter, are
sometimes referred to as "pastoral" because they contain a large number of
instructions related to the function of ordained Christian ministers.

Had Martin Luther King Jr complied with those instructions instead of going off
reservation into political activism and civil disobedience, he might've lived to a ripe
old age. As it is, King died a martyr to a worldly cause instead of Christ's. That
aspect of his ministry will no doubt go up in smoke as wood, hay, and stubble as
per 1Cor 3:5-15. (cf. John 15:1-8)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:17-19 . . Command those who are rich in this present world not to be
conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly
supplies us with all things to enjoy. Command them to do good, to be rich in good
works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of
a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life
indeed.

Webster's defines "conceit" as an excessive appreciation of one's own worth and/or
virtue. It's is all too common for the rich and famous to exhibit a masters-of-the
universe demeanor, so to speak. In other words: conceited people think of
themselves as self-reliant; they don't need God for anything; no, they can get by
just fine without Him. In their mind's eye, only the weak need religion.

"that which is life indeed" refers to the divine nature about which Peter wrote at
2Pet 1:4, which is of far greater lasting value than earthly wealth.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 1Tim 6:20-21 . . Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn
away from impious chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called
knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the
faith.

"impious chatter" is likely referring to informal discursive group discussions, i.e. bull
sessions and brain storming; conducted by people with a head full of opinions who
likely haven't a clue what they're talking about.

"opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge" could be referring to unproven
scientific theories in chemistry, astronomy, geology, archeology, medicine,
genetics, paleontology, anthropology, history, literature, physics, engineering,
mathematics, etc.

People throw that kind of stuff up to Christians all the time in attempts to debunk
their religion and prove that it deserves no more credibility than myth, superstition,
and/or religious fantasy.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 1:8a . . Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (cf.1Pet 4:16-19)

Christianity is rooted in Jesus Christ. So when people identify themselves as
Christians they're saying that they're his followers; i.e. they're aligned with him and
they accept his teachings as the God's truth; while at the same time categorizing
themselves as kooks and religious fanatics; and thus open to mockery and unkind
gossip.

It's tough, but we have to bite the bullet lest when we meet Jesus, he gives us the
same look he gave Peter on the night of the Lord's arrest. (Luke 22:61-62)

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the
holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

When Jesus was taken to trial just prior to his crucifixion; he testified before the
Jews' high priest and before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

With the high priest, Jesus testified that he's the Christ (a.k.a. the messiah). (Mark
14:61-62)

With Pilate Jesus testified that he's the king of the Jews. (Matt 27:11)

I suspect that relatively few Gentiles appreciate the ramifications of Jesus'
confession; nevertheless his followers must never forget it nor be secretive with
believing it.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 1:8b . . Don't be ashamed of me his prisoner; but Join with me in suffering
for the gospel, by the power of God.

Peter distanced himself from Christ on the night of the Lord's arrest, no doubt
fearing that if he were to admit to being one of the Lord's associates, he'd be
arrested too. It appears Paul was concerned that Timothy, who was normally a loyal
associate, would do the same to him while he was behind bars.

The power of God is involved in one's suffering for the gospel when He sets you up
for it.

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for him." (Phil 1:29)

Suffering for the Gospel doesn't necessarily include martyrdom. The more common
forms of suffering are privation, humiliation, threats, hunger, loss of friends and
family, ostracizing, ridicule, mockery, harsh criticism, judgmental remarks, insults,
intimidation, name calling, demeaning comments, ugly insinuations, slander,
teasing, harassment, bullying, unfairness, prejudice, intolerance, disassociation,
treachery, and betrayal; in other words, the kinds of stuff that really get you right
down in the gut.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 1:13 . . Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from
me.

The Greek word for "hold fast" is echo (ekh'-o) which means: to clutch, cling, or
adhere to.

The word for "pattern" is hupotuposis (hoop-ot-oop'-o-sis) which means: a sketch;
viz: a blueprint and/or a schematic diagram.

When Noah was commissioned to build the ark, he wasn't left clueless as to what it
was supposed to look like. God gave him a design to work with. And when Moses
was tasked to fabricate articles of worship for the Tabernacle, he too was given
designs. In other words, Moses and Noah both made everything according to God's
given specifications; viz: Christianity is a God-given religion; He has not left its
design to human intuition and/or human ingenuity.

What this boils down to is that modern churches have been handed down from
Paul, and to a certain extent from Peter, a God-given pattern for their operations.
When they depart from His pattern, then they are no longer following Christ;
rather, they are attempting to lead him.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:2 . . And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many
witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Paul's instructions were given to Timothy "in the presence of many witnesses"
indicating that his instructions were never intended to be privileged information for
the eyes-only of an elite category of super saints. The things he taught were
transferred publicly rather than deep inside a secret chamber whose access was
restricted to a special clique.

I also suspect that Paul sand-bagged Timothy. By instructing him in the hearing of
witnesses, Timothy could never fall back on the tiresome old excuse of saying "I
didn't know I was supposed to do that." Well, witnesses would certainly testify that
he did know what he was supposed to do because they themselves heard Paul
instruct him with their own ears.

It's a wise church that fully understands a pastor's duties and responsibilities just in
case a time comes when they need to hold his feet to the fire; especially a
complacent pastor or one that's gotten mixed up in political activism and civil
disobedience. If a church doesn't know what a pastor's sacred obligations are, then
there's no way they can know whether or not they're getting their money's worth.
In my opinion, an ignorant church is a private pond stocked with hatchery fish.

Paul's directive in this matter was also a practical consideration as nobody resides
forever on this earthen globe. Pastors die; that's just a fact of life. And they also
get diseases like dementia, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. It's a wise pastor busy
training his replacements so that all his knowledge and experience isn't lost to
future church generations. Abraham was commended for this very thing.

"For I have chosen Abraham, in order that he may command his children and his
household after him to keep the way of The Lord." (Gen 18:18-20)

A good example of the result of neglecting to train reliable men in "all the things
you have heard me say" is the church of Laodicea described in Rev 3:14-20.

According to Col 2:1-2 and Col 4:13-16; the Laodicean Christians were at one time
solid believers. But between the time of Paul's writing his letter to the Colossians,
and John writing the 3rd chapter of Revelation, the congregation meeting in
Nymphas' home somehow went dark. It was still Christian in name, yes; but it no
longer followed Christ.

The Laodicean church had all the trappings of a Christian church; except for one
salient feature: the Christ of Christianity wasn't even a member let alone the
captain of its industry. It was literally a christless Christian church. He's depicted
outside the building banging on the door trying to get somebody's attention to let
him in. Not a single member of that church followed him, not one; no, not even the
senior pastor.

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we
will come to him, and make our abode with him. He who does not love me does not
keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who
sent me." (John 14:23-24)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:3-7 . . Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one
serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his
commanding officer.

A soldier's primary responsibility is to accomplish the mission assigned by their
commanders. They don't give themselves leave to abandon their posts to go off on
their own personal agenda doing other stuff. Desertion and dereliction of duty are
courts martial offenses.

These days; successful activism depends to a larger and larger extent upon the
participation of evangelical Christians; hence the smart organizers make recruiting
them and their ministers a priority; and their numbers typically end up in a poll
somewhere; thus activists utilize religion as a sort of stamp of approval for their
causes; like the way professional athletes sell their names to endorse NIKE sports
apparel.

Political activism and civil disobedience may seem like every Christian's civic duty
when a "worthy cause" comes along; but those causes can be treacherous sirens;
leading to a shipwreck of the ministry of a man ordained to serve Jesus Christ and
further his agenda.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:8 . . Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David,
according to my gospel

There are Bible-toting missionaries out there going door to door all over the world
teaching that Jesus Christ's crucified dead body wasn't restored to life; they're
saying it's still dead, and his remains are squirreled away somewhere on Earth in a
condition and a location known only to God.

That is NOT the kind of gospel that Christ wants to hear preached about himself.

Others are adamantly opposed to any ideas that even so much as suggest that
Jesus Christ is David's biological progeny. That too is NOT the kind of gospel that
Christ wants to hear preached about himself. In point of fact, it is very easy to
prove that Jesus Christ is not only David's biological progeny, but Adam's too.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:14 . . Command them in God's name to stop quarrelling over trifles.

I take it that it's okay to discuss trifles, but not okay to get into food fights over
them.

In a Sean Connery movie titled "The Name Of The Rose" church dignitaries
assembled a meeting of the minds to reach a resolution on a theological question
which was: Did the Christ own the clothes that he wore or not?

Well, needless to say, the discussion turned into bickering wherein nothing was
resolved. Tempers flared, shouting ensued, feelings were hurt, and people were
alienated over the issue-- a rather meaningless issue; which is precisely what it
means to fiddle while Rome burns down around you.

Christians are often embroiled in arguments over things that in the grand scheme
of things have almost zero importance while all around them are weightier matters
begging their attention.

It's interesting that Paul didn't want Timothy's flock instructed to avoid quarrelling
over trifles, rather, to stop. I can't help but wonder how many Christians think to
seek absolution for the sin of quarrelling over trifles when they go to God in prayer.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:15 . . Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does
not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Some folks construe rightly dividing the truth as instructions to keep the Old
Testament completely separate from the New. But that's not even close to what
Paul is instructing.

He was a blue collar tradesman: Paul fabricated portable shelters for a living (Acts
18:3). The Greek word for "rightly dividing" is orthotomeo (or-thot-om-eh'-o) which
means: to make a straight cut-- as opposed to a crooked cut --or a cut that misses
the line and yields a piece of material that's either too long, too short, or the wrong
contour; thus resulting in a tent whose pieces won't join properly when it comes
time to sew them together. The results? A distorted tent and a black mark for the
craftsman.

The intent is not one of severing the Bible in half and treating each as a separate
book, nor of breaking the New Testament in two pieces with the gospels in one and
the epistles in the other; but to be accurate in the whole's interpretations and
applications so that it all fits together perfectly from first to last, like a well made
armoire instead of a hastily constructed rabbit hutch.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:16 . . Avoid worldly, empty chatter; for it will lead to further impiety.

The Greek word for "worldly" refers to heathenism, i.e. secular.

What he's talking about there are bull sessions wherein untrained people discussing
the Bible haven't a clue what they're talking about; and their perpetual
deliberations-- consisting of sophistry, conjecture, theory, and personal opinions --
never get to the bottom of anything.

Well, the Bible isn't meant to be learned by means of discussion; it's meant to be
learned by instruction, taught by someone especially enabled by God for that
purpose. (Eph 4:11-14)

"Are all teachers?" (1Cor 12:29)

The answer to that is a great big NO.

Some years ago I was invited to a home Bible study. Before considering his
invitation; I asked the man if his group was led by a competent Bible teacher. He
said: No; we don't have a teacher. The group teaches itself. In other words: we
speak as the Spirit leads us to speak.

They say iron sharpeneth iron. But that doesn't work when both irons are soft.
That's why files are hardened and tempered. Well; that man's group lacked a file,
so to speak; so I declined.

note: We're always being pressured by well-meaning ministers to share our faith
with the outside world every chance we get. I highly recommend exercising some
sanctified common sense in that pursuit lest you get yourself into a discussion with
feral brutes whose sole intent is to discredit Christianity.

"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they
may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces." (Matt
7:6)

Be cautious out there. Gauge the listeners carefully before you speak.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:19 . . Let everyone who names the name of The Lord abstain from
wickedness.

The wickedness he's talking about in this particular instance regards unskilled use
of the Bible; and sophistry, conjecture, semantic double speak, wild-eyed posits,
theories, flimsy science, and lines of spiritual rhetoric that sound very convincing
but are nevertheless quite spurious
_

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

• 2Tim 2:19 . . Let everyone who names the name of The Lord abstain from
wickedness.

The wickedness he's talking about in this particular instance regards unskilled use
of the Bible; and sophistry, conjecture, semantic double speak, wild-eyed posits,
theories, flimsy science, and lines of spiritual rhetoric that sound very convincing
but are nevertheless quite spurious
_

would you mind please expounding or explaining a bit more to me about how 'wickedmess' here is what you have put forth?
I think it would be beneficial and interesting for those who are eager to learn.


Bless you Beetow ....><>

 

[Beetow]

would you mind please expounding or explaining a bit more to me about how
'wickedmess' here is what you have put forth?

What you see is pretty much the extent of my expertise with the Bible.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Eph 5:10 . . Find out what pleases The Lord.

"What would Jesus do?" is a popular modus operandi, but it depends too much
upon one's intuition; and doomed to failure because the information we need isn't
available like that, no, it's something that has to be found out, i.e. researched;
which involves learning by means of books, sermons, lectures, seminars, radio
Bible teachers, Sunday school classes, and personal Bible reading.

This particular process of discovery has to include the Old Testament too in order to
avoid the possibility of missing something important.

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning" (Rom 15:4)

"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." (1Cor 10:11)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:22 . . Flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and
peace, with those who call on The Lord from a pure heart.

Hippies pursued love and peace but failed because they could obtain neither except
by means of promiscuity and mood-enhancing drugs like marijuana and LSD.

A "pure" heart is one that's unadulterated; in other words: it's not an amalgam of
good and bad; viz: it's a heart that's whole-heartedly devoted to pleasing God
rather than half-hearted.

Righteousness, Love, Peace, and Purity are all blessing-worthy attributes.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt 5:6)

"Blessed are the compassionate" (Matt 5:7)

"Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matt 5:8)

"Blessed are the peaceable" (Matt 5:9)

The Greek word for "blessed" means fortunate. In other words; people lacking
those attributes are unfortunate; i.e. in a regrettable spiritual condition.
_