Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

[Beetow]

• Heb 4:14 . . Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us cling to what we acknowledge

Prior to Christ, the closest proximity that Moses' people had to God was their Aaonic
priest. But even he was earth-bound and his own closest proximity to the actual
person of God was the holy place in either the tabernacle or the Temple.

One of the advantages of Christ's priesthood is his immortality; in other words: The
Lord continues as a priest forever because he rose from the dead impervious to
death. Aaron and his sons were not so lucky.

"Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has
dominion over Him." (Rom 6:9)

"Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from
continuing. But he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through
Him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb 7:23-25)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 4:15-16

When I was a little boy, just about every night at bedtime I recited the classic "Lay
Me Down To Sleep" children's prayer. In my opinion; a rote prayer like that one is
okay for getting children started communicating with God.

Jesus' disciples were full-grown men physically. But they were just babies
spiritually. A prayer like the "Our Father" is a good place for spiritually immature
Christians like Jesus' disciples to begin, but it's not a good place for them to stay.

"When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things." (1Cor 13:11)

Now let's take Jesus for example. There is no record of him ever even once praying
the "Our Father". In point of fact, when examining Jesus' prayers, it's readily
apparent that he typically prayed in a conversational style instead of reciting rote.
Two good examples of his style are located at Matt 11:25-26 and John 17:1-26.
Jesus' style is the style that mature Christians are supposed to follow as their role
model.

"We should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ" (Eph 4:15)

"And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others
as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for
building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ"
(Eph 4:11-13)

When people have been Christians for some time, and still reciting rote prayers, I'd
have to say that their spiritual growth has been stunted, i.e. they're not developing
properly because they haven't been getting adequate nourishment.

Christians who've attained "mature manhood" are supposed to pray in accord with
the instructions given at Heb 4:15-16 which reads thus:

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and
may find grace to help in time of need."

The Greek word for "confidence" is parrhesia (par-rhay-see'-ah) which means all
out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, and/or candor.

Reciting the scripted lines of prayers like "Lay Me Down To Sleep", the "Hail Mary",
and/or the "Our Father" is not what I call forthright, nor blunt, nor out spoken, nor
candid. It's actually not much different than one of those Hindu mystics chanting
mantras, or a Jew stuffing pieces of paper in the stone chinks of the so-called
Wailing Wall while rocking back and forth like a plastic bobble toy and reciting rote
prayers from a siddur.

Does anyone speak to their friends, their associates, their spouse, their domestic
partner, their significant other, their doctor, dentist, supermarket cashiers, or the
cops with rote chanting? Of course not. They would write us off as one in desperate
need of therapy if we did. Then why would anyone speak to God with rote chanting?

Don't you think He looks upon rote chanters as mental cases when they do that? Of
course He does; who wouldn't? How would you like it if everybody spoke to you like
that? Well, He doesn't like it either. God has a higher IQ than anybody you could
possibly name and rote chanters are treating Him like one of those stone heads on
Easter Island. Christianity's God is a sentient, sensible person; and we all need to
grow up and show some respect for His intelligence.
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[Beetow]

• Heb 6:1-3 . . Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to
maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to
death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the
resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

At this point in the letter to Hebrews, the author begins talking to Jews about a
high priest named Melchizedek back in Abraham's day.

Mel is largely ignored on internet forums; which is really a shame because his
priesthood, and its constituents, are above the Ten Commandments and thoroughly
immune to prosecution for breaking them-- that being their situation due to the fact
that the laws of God are not retroactive (Deut 5:2-4 & Gal 3:17) which is just the
ticket for Jews because they have no immunity from prosecution for even the tiniest
infraction of the laws contained in the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon
with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them
out." (Deut 27:26)
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[Beetow]

• Heb 10:21-22 . . Since we have a high priest over the house of God, let us draw
near to God with a sincere heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience

The Greek word translated "guilty" is okay as far is it goes, but what it really means
is condemned, i.e. rejected, unacceptable, disqualified.

This goes all the way back to the forbidden-fruit incident where it's said: "The man
has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:22)

The man didn't become one of us, i.e. truly divine, rather, he became "like" one of
us, i.e. divine, but not truly divine, viz: the man made himself a supreme being and
was already directing his steps by what he perceived on his own.

For example: upon tasting the forbidden fruit, Adam immediately perceived that full
frontal nudity is indecent. Well, his creator hadn't said a word about decency; Adam
came to a decision about it on his own, viz: it was something Adam felt rather than
something he was taught.

Sprinkling was a common ritual in the Old Testament-- sometimes with water,
sometimes with oil, and sometimes with blood --for example: Ex 29:16, Ex 29:21,
Lev 14:7, Lev 14 16, and Num 8:7, et al.

Sprinkling typically serves to de-contaminate someone or some thing in order to
make it suitable for God's purposes, i.e. sanitize it. Old Testament sprinklings were
good for only just the moment; requiring additional sprinklings from time to time;
but the sprinkling spoken of in Heb 10:21-22 is a one-time sprinkling that never
needs repeating. (Heb 10:1-14)
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[Beetow]

• Heb 10:24 . . And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love
and good deeds.

Man is a species of life that is quite naturally, and comfortably, inclined to provoke
and annoy each other and bring out the worst in their fellow men. It is Christ's
expectations that his own make an effort to do just the opposite; viz: bring out the
best in each other.
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[Beetow]

• Heb 10:25 . . Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another

When my brother and I were growing up, we shared the same bedroom. Well, one
day our parents decided to separate us, so they moved my brother to another
room. When I asked them why; they said it was because we egg each other on. (I
guess it was okay for my parents to egg themselves on but not okay for us.)

Anyway, point being, the old strategy of divide and conquer still works even to this
day. It's much easier to be strong in a group of supportive friends and allies than it
is all alone when the only resources available are your own. It's still true that two
heads are better than one; plus, in a group, the right kind of peer pressure can
work to everyone's advantage.

For example, there was a time in America when it was mocked as hippy-ish to
prefer organic food. But lately, organic has become so popular that nobody feels
weird anymore when they shop for it. As a result, more and more folk are eating
healthier. Point being: it is much easier to believe Christian beliefs, and practice
Christian virtues, when there's people around you doing the same.
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[Beetow]

• Heb 12:14a . . Pursue peace with all men,

The Geek word for "peace" is eirene (i-ray'-nay) and means not only a lack of strife,
but also the presence of prosperity; which implies always seeking the good of
others rather than only your own.

People of peace are in an advantageous category.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt 5:9)
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[Beetow]

• Heb 12:15a . . See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God

The Greek word for "comes short" also means destitute; defined by Webster's as
lacking possessions and resources; especially suffering extreme poverty.

I think it's pretty much a given that there are always going to be members in every
congregation that are spiritually destitute. The idea here is that their spiritual
destitution not be due to negligence.

I think it's pretty much a given that there are always going to be members in every
congregation that are spiritually destitute. The idea here is that their spiritual
destitution not be due to negligence.

In other words, the spiritual element in congregations should take it upon
themselves to make an effort to assist the non spiritual element to at least know
how to obtain the grace of God, i.e. congregations are responsible to police
themselves, so to speak, rather than leave this aspect of the Christian way of life
entirely up to church staffs.

The answer to Cain's question "Am I my brother's keeper?" was NO to his way of
thinking, but it's supposed to be YES to the spiritual Christian's way of thinking.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:1 . . Let brotherly love continue.

The Greek word for "brotherly love" in that passage is philadelphia (fil-ad-el fee'
ah) which refers to fraternal affection. Philadelphia is different than the neighborly
love required by Matt 19:19 and Matt 22:37-40.

The Greek word for "love" in those passages is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which doesn't
necessarily contain the element of affection; rather, it's an impersonal kind of love
exemplified in behaviors like courtesy, kindness, sympathy, civility, good will,
deference, and consideration. In other words, you don't have to be especially fond
of your neighbor in order to comply with Matt 19:19 and Matt 22:37-40. (cf. Matt
5:43-48)

Philadelphia love is difficult because it requires the involvement of one's affections,
viz: one's feelings rather than only their manners. A really good example is located
at John 16:27 where Jesus stated:

"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I
came from God."

For those of us who grew up deprived of love; that passage is nigh unto impossible
to believe that God is actually, and truly, fond of us in any way at all.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God" (1John 3:1)

The manner of love that a normal father feels for his own children is far more
sensitive, than the love he might feel for his neighbor's children. A normal father's
love for his own children is down in his gut, viz: his affections.

There's no fondness expressed in passages like John 3:16; which speaks of
benevolence but not necessarily fondness and affection. God cares for the world,
yes, but that doesn't mean that He likes the world. In point of fact, God quite
despises the world; it disgusts Him and He'd really like for the world to give Him
reason to improve His opinion.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:2 . . Do not neglect to be hospitable with strangers; for by this some have
entertained angels without knowing it.

Artists generally depict angels as heavenly creatures with wings and/or aglow with
some sort of ethereal light. But the Greek word doesn't always indicate celestial
beings, rather, it refers to all manner of messengers, e.g. prophets (Matt 11:10),
delegates (Luke 7:24), fire (Heb 1:7), ecclesiastic authorities (Rev 1:20-3:14),
visions (Rev 22:16), and even acts of God like fire, wind, smoke, voices, and
earthquakes. (Acts 7:53)

Webster's defines "hospitable" as: given to generous and cordial reception of
guests, promising or suggesting generous and friendly welcome, offering a pleasant
or sustaining environment.

Inviting strangers into one's own home could easily result in the murder of your
entire family, along with the theft of your belongings. So, I'm thinking Heb 13:2 is
not saying that; rather, it's talking about congregational homes; viz: churches.

I think it's very important to make non members-- visitors --feel at home in your
church: make them feel welcome to return. Not only is that the neighborly thing to
do, but you just never know if that next stranger through the door was guided
there by providence, and selected by God for a special purpose.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:3 . . Remember prisoners, as though in prison with them; and those who
are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

The prisoners mentioned are not just any jailbird in lock-up; but rather, it's limited
to those who are "in the body" viz: in Christ.

"We are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a
profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Eph 5:30-32)

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body" (1Cor 12:12-13)

The tenor of the command is, I think, restricted to Christians mistreated and/or
confined for their religious beliefs and practices rather than actual crimes. There's a
lot of that sort of thing going on today in Muslim countries. America is well-known
for its religious tolerance; other countries, not so much.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:4 . . Let marriages be respected: and the bed kept unsoiled; for God will
judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Some Christians don't know the meaning of "respect" when it comes to marriage. It
means to treat someone else's spouse as a sacred object. I've seen for myself how
some Christians think it's terrible to trespass on private property and/or steal the
silverware when they're invited over for dinner; but at the same time get just a bit
too chummy with their host's spouse.

There's a popular song going around with these words:

You don't own me,
I'm not just one of your many toys.
You don't own me,
Don't say I can't go with other boys.

The lyrics of that song-- originally recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963 --depict a
defiant girl standing up to a possessive boyfriend. Well; those lyrics may be true for
temporary lovers; but are very contrary to God's thinking when it comes to
marriage.

There is no Hebrew word for either husband or wife in the Old Testament. No, the
English words for husband and wife are derived from the presence of gender
sensitive possessive pronouns; viz: her and his.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)

The Hebrew word for "wife" in that passage is 'ishshah (ish-shaw') which just
simply indicates a female; regardless of age. The possessive pronoun "his" makes
the 'ishshah somebody's wife. i.e. his woman.

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the
fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat." (Gen 3:6)

The Hebrew word for "husband" in that verse is 'enowsh (en-oshe') which just
simply indicates a mortal; viz: a guy, a male; regardless of age. The possessive
pronoun "her" makes the 'enowsh somebody's husband, i.e. her man.

So the principle of possession is a key element in marriage; and adulterers are
nothing in the world but thieves. In point of fact, in 2007, when a suburban Chicago
man, Arthur Friedman, found out his wife was cheating on him with another man
named German Blinov, he was heartbroken. But unlike many other people,
Friedman didn't "get over" it. Instead, he filed a lawsuit against Mr. Blinov for
stealing the love and affections of his wife. A Cook County jury ordered Blinov to
pay a total $4,802 to Mr. Friedman for stealing his wife.

While the idea of suing your wife's or husband's lover for stealing their affections
might sound ridiculous, it is indeed quite legal to do so. Mr. Friedman used a lesser
known state law to attack and sue his wife's lover. The law is called the "alienation
of affection" law. In fact, there are eight of these types of laws across the United
States. It allows violated spouses to seek damages for the loss of love to a wife or
husband's lover.

"The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and
likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife."
(1Cor 7:4)

A wedding vow then, could be said to be a transfer of ownership just like signing
over the pink slip to a car or the deed to real estate. So then, always keep those
possessive pronouns in mind when associating with somebody else's spouse; and
keep your pea-pickin' paws off the merchandise!
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:5a . . Let your conduct be without covetousness;

Not all covetousness is prohibited; for example 1Cor 12:31 where Christians are
exhorted to eagerly desire certain spiritual gifts.

The Greek word in this instance refers to avarice; defined by Webster's as
excessive, or insatiable, desire for wealth or gain; viz: greediness and cupidity.

Were an avaricious person asked how much and/or how many it would take to
satisfy them; their answer would no doubt be "more" because it's in their nature to
grasp.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:5b . . Be content with such things as ye have.

Since the writer connected this directive with avarice, I would have to say his focus
in this verse is on moderation; defined by Webster's as reasonable limits and/or
average; viz: avoiding extremes.

"He himself has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say:
The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can Man do to me?" (Heb 13:5-6)

Well, I think the mortgage crisis in 2008, the stock market crash, the 401K
meltdowns, the ENRON collapse, the decline in oil production, the GM financial
mess, the national debt, massive nationwide lay-offs, the proliferation of Islamic
terrorism, and Mr. Bernard Lawrence Madoff easily demonstrate that Man can hurt
me quite a bit.

I lost an appreciable amount from my retirement account when the housing bubble
burst, and the market crashed due to the bankruptcy of Bear Sterns, Lehman
Brothers, and AIG; thus proving The Lord's words that thieves break in and steal
(Matt 6:49-21) and some of those thieves are managing banks and innocent
people's investments!

However, in spite of all those threats to my peace of mind, I still believe in
providence; i.e. The Lord will get me through it all somehow. Well; so far so good.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:7 . . Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider
the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

The "leaders" of that particular verse refer to the ones who captained Moses' people
over the centuries; e.g. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David. Elijah, Ezra, and
Nehemiah; and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah; et al. about whom
the Bible says:

"Who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what
was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and
escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who
became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." (Heb 11:33-34)

"Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and
refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced
jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were
stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went
about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the
world was not worthy of them." (Heb 11:35-38)

"They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been
promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us
would they be made perfect." (Heb 11:39-40)

There was once an advertisement for a beer on television that said, in so many
words: "You only go around once in life. So grab all the gusto you can get." Well;
Christ's believing followers should not be thinking like that. They don't go around
once; the real gusto is yet to come.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:9 . . Do not be carried away by strange and varied teachings; for it is
good for the heart to be strengthened by grace rather than foods, through which
those who were thus occupied were not benefited.

The words "carried away" weren't translated from Greek words. They're arbitrary
insertions; viz: they're words that a translating committee penciled into the English
text so as to make the passage say what they guessed it's supposed to be saying.
Arbitrary insertions are pretty common and nobody seems to fear they might be
adulterating the Bible; though they can be misleading at times so caveat lector.

The word "strange" is translated from the Greek word xenos (xen'-os) which
essentially refers to someone or something with which Christians are unfamiliar, i.e.
not cozy.

For example; though most Christians are familiar with the dietary laws contained in
the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God, Christ's followers are under
no obligation to comply with them for the simple reason that those laws are
contractual. Well; Christians per se, are not contracted with God to comply with
those laws. Hence those dietary laws amount to "strange" teachings; viz: they're
unchristian.

Now, what I find curious about Heb 13:9 is the fact that the anointing spoken of in
1John 2:26-27 is supposed to steer those who have it away from deception while at
the same time aligning them with the truth. So then, that being the case, then it's
clearly possible for those with the anointing to ignore its guidance and buy into
strange and varied teachings.

Another thing I should point out is that according to 1Thess 5:19, it's possible to
quench the anointing's guidance; viz: snuff it out like one would snuff a candle so
that it no longer produces light to illuminate one's path: and that's not a good
thing.

"This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is
light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1John 1:5-6)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 13:16 . . And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices
God is pleased.

Doing good and sharing are bloodless sacrifices; and in point of fact are far more
likely to be accepted by God than the death of birds and beasts.

In the first chapter of the book of Isaiah, God lambasted Moses' people for bringing
all the correct, God-mandated sacrifices to the Temple. Why? Because those
sacrifices were insulting while His people were not only crooks; but also lacking the
milk of human kindness. The sacrifices that God preferred over and above the
Temple offerings were the below:

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the
fatherless, plead the case of the widow." (Isa 1:17)

"For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings." (Hos 6:6)

So "doing good" consists of doing what's right, and seeking kindness and fairness
across the board for everyone; including the disadvantaged and the
disenfranchised.
_

 

[Beetow]

REMOVED
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[Beetow]

• Heb 13:17 . . Heed those who lead you, and submit to them; for they keep watch
over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and
not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Christianity is not a democracy. No; it is a theocracy with a monarch at its head-- a
monarch who regards dissent and disobedience as heresy and insurrection.

"Has The Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the
voice of The Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat
of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity
and idolatry." (1Sam 15:22-23)

If perchance Christ's believing followers should find themselves under church
leadership that they cannot-- in all good conscience --respect, follow, and obey;
and/or simply cannot give their whole-hearted, unreserved support; then it's time
to abandon ship and move on rather than remain and rack up negative points
against themselves that will most certainly erode their reward when they stand
before the King for their personal evaluation.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Jas 1:2-4 . . Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials
knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance
have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It is so frustrating to open a package supposedly containing all the parts needed to
assemble a complicated device only to discover that some of the pieces are
missing. Well, a lot of Christians are like that. They might be really good at church
attendance, while at work committing theft by using their employer's computers for
personal purposes without authorization and/or in the habit of breaking the law by
J-walking and driving too fast, drifting through STOP signs without bringing their
vehicle to a complete halt; and given to outbursts of road rage. That's not a
complete Christian; no, that's a half-baked Christian.

Not all tests of faith are intended for behavior modification; but rather, for proof
testing. Take for example Abraham's test in the 22nd chapter of Genesis; which he
passed to God's 110% satisfaction.

Other testing is the kind that engineers do with things like machines, toys, cribs,
printers, flashlights, guns, tools, pumps, motors, cars, etc. Before putting a new
idea into production, they subject it to a series of tests to determine if it will
perform under the circumstances for which it is designed. Nowadays, not all testing
is destructive testing, but rather via computer models. But the purpose is the
same: to reveal any weaknesses in the design and function of the part; which are
then addressed and rectified.

"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith"
(Prov 25:4)
_