Deceitful people in the church

 

Deceitful people in the church

 

(Romans 16:17-18)Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

The first part of the last chapter of Romans has a greeting that opens with Paul's warm, soft tone to Christians in Rome. However, in verse 17, Paul exhorts the Christians of the Roman Church with a strong and determined tone unlike before.『mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”If there are people who try to break up the community by creating disputes within the holy faith community, or doing things that hinder the brothers and sisters of the faith in their religious life, stay away from such people. Paul's exhortation explains why he says so in verse 18. 『For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

The Apostle Paul told the Roman church members to stay away from those who confuse the church. Because they are firstly those who do not serve Christ, secondly they serve their own belly, and thirdly, they deceive the minds of the naive with cunning and flattering, so these are the people who cause strife in the church and hinder the faith. They are advising you to stay away from them. Paul, who was gently and peacefully greeting the saints, showed a firm and harsh tone of warning against those who break the church's peace and cause strife. You can feel that you have it towards you.

The members of the Roman Church obey the Word and lead a good life of faith, so we can see the heart of Paul who is fortunate. However, Paul continues to write down the contents of his exhortations in the hope that the saints will always remember them in their hearts. 『For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

Paul strongly cautions Christians in Rome not to be deceived by false teachers by being wise to follow what is good and foolish to be led by evil. Paul makes a similar expression in 1 Corinthians 14:20.

『And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.』

Paul is telling Christians to do good things wisely. Regarding the practice of good deeds in wisdom, the meaning of James 3:13 can be seen more clearly. 『Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. To do good things wisely is to show them with the gentleness of wisdom. Wisdom here means knowing God, the practical concept of living a holy life that God requires.

To know God is to become one with God. It is only possible in Jesus Christ. Those who enter into Jesus Christ are those who have been crucified with Jesus. And meekness refers to tenderness that can embrace the whole under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it means living as a person with the tenderness that can be embraced with a broad heart in the understanding of God.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The tradition of the elders

  The tradition of the elders   Mark 7:5-9  『 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? He answered and said to them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 』 In the Galilee region, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They came with accusations against Jesus. This is because Jesus' disciples neglected washing their hands, a Jewish ritual of purification. They called it  “ the tradition of the elders. ”  The Jewish leaders ...
Read more

Question 64. What is the invisible church?

  Question 64. What is the invisible church? Answer. The invisible church is the total number of the elect who are gathered together and will be gathered together in the future under Christ, the head. In the catechism, the doctrine states that the invisible church is "the total number of the elect who are gathered together and will gather together in the future under Christ, the head," so it can be understood as those who make heaven in Christ. However, the invisible church can be said to be an invisible church community, but this was only used as a means to divide the visible church and the invisible church, and dividing them into visible and invisible is not biblical. The church is the church of the saints, and the church community is the gathering of the saints. The expression "true member" is also ambiguous.  
Read more

Question 68. Are only the elect effectually called?

  Question 68. Are only the elect effectually called? Answer. Only the elect are effectually called. Those who are not elected, although they may be called outwardly by the ministry of the Word, and have some common operation of the Spirit, yet willfully neglect and despise the grace offered to them, and so fall into unbelief, and do not truly come to Jesus Christ. God chooses from among those who are called to be His people. Matthew 22:14 says that many are called, but few are chosen. In Matthew 22:2, “ The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son, ” the king is God. The son is Jesus Christ, and the wedding feast is the wedding feast of the Lamb. The wedding feast of the Lamb refers to taking his bride. Only those who are the bride of Christ among all people in the world can enter the wedding feast. In order to become the bride of Christ, they must die with Jesus and be resurrected with Christ. The wedding feast of the Lamb is becoming one...
Read more