Christ's Instructions

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411) Jas 5:14 . . Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the
church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord

Religious fanatics here and there are allowing their underage children to suffer and
even die from treatable medical conditions on the basis of Jas 5:14. Christ
addressed this issue indirectly by means of his teachings at Matt 12:11-12 which
say:

"What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a
pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a
man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath days."

In other words: the sanctity of human life trumps the sanctity of the Sabbath. So
then, hospitals, doctors, nurses, firemen, law enforcement, soup kitchens, rescue
missions, Red Cross, disaster emergency workers, etc. who are busy on the
Sabbath do not sin. Do they break the Sabbath? Yes; but the sanctity of the
seventh day is secondary to the sanctity of human life. (cf. Luke 13:15 & Luke
14:5)

So then, I would have to say, in principle with Matt 12:11-12, that people who deny
their children adequate medical care in the name of religion regard the value of
their own flesh and blood as something less than that of a beast.

It's okay to have elders pray for a child, and it's okay to anoint them with oil if
perchance somebody wants to. But after that, parents really should take their
children to a doctor because medicine today is far and away superior to the
practices available to Christians back in James' day when oil, prayer, and wine were
just about the best there was.

There used to be an old saying going around in Christian circles that went
something like this: When a farmer prays for a crop, he should say amen with a
hoe. In other words, Christian parents shouldn't sit back and wait for a miracle
when it's in their power to take some action; and if they don't, then in my opinion,
they deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when a child in their
care dies from a treatable condition.

● 1Tim 5:8 . . If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own
house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
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412) Jas 5:16a . . Confess your sins to one another

Words for "your sins" aren't in the Greek manuscript; viz: they're editorial
enhancements. Some even pencil in the word "faults" which is no less arbitrary.

So we can safely omit "your sins" and clean up that verse to read "Confess to one
another".

The Greek word translated "confess" means things like consent, assent,
acknowledge, agree, and/or concur. It can also mean to "own-up" (a.k.a. man-up)
for example:

When folks are deathly ill-- for instance dying from terminal cancer --then is a good
time to make amends with those whom we've hurt or done wrong in some way or
another. We sure don't want to leave this life while at the same time leaving a bad
taste in people's mouth. And besides, folks need to know of our regretting the way
we treated them.
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413) Jas 5:19-20 . . My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one
turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way
will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

One way to look at that passage pertains to sins that snowball, viz: escalate. For
example:

"Yahweh said to Cain: If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you
do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but
you must master it." (Gen 4:6-7)

That's the very first instance in the Bible of the word "sin". The Hebrew word
basically means an offense; as in repeat offender. In other words; not just an
occasional slip-up, but a life style.

Cain was in very real danger of becoming a permanent slave to his passions, which
did eventually drive him to murdering his kid brother (Gen 4:8) and then to that
sin, he added dishonesty and sarcasm (Gen 4:9) and finally to breaking off with
God altogether. (Gen 4:16)
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414) 1Pet 1:13-18 . . Gird up your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your
hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Greek word translated "hope" means anticipation; which is quite a bit different
than crossing one's fingers; viz; Peter's hope doesn't mean praying for the best
while in the back of one's mind dreading the worst.

The grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ is of course a
forever young, immortal body (1Cor 15:51-53, 1Thess 4:13-18).

That's good to know for those of us undergoing the damage being done to our
appearance, and the loss of our vitality, due to disease and the aging process. I can
only imagine the despair that unbelievers must feel as their bodies deteriorate with
no possibility of recovery. Once the strength they have now fades away, and it will,
that's it.
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415) 1Pet 1:14-16. . As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts
which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy
yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: You shall be holy, for I
am holy.

"conformed" is speaking of habits. Take for example alcoholism. The popular
diagnosis these days is that it's a disease. Well; it if is, then it's the only disease I
know of contracted by fools.

● Prov 20:1 . . Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise.

"You shall be holy, for I am holy" sort of echoes the old proverb: Birds of a feather,
flock together; meaning of course that if people wish to cultivate a rapport with
God; they have to work on becoming heavenly rather than earthly because He
tends to avoid mingling with invasive species; so to speak. (cf. 1John 1:6)
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416) 1Pet 1:17-18 . . And if you address as "Father" the one who impartially judges
according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in reverential fear during the
time of your stay upon earth.

Just about anybody who wants to can address God as Father, and/or the Father,
but only the privileged individuals adopted into His family circle have a legitimate
right to address Him as "my Father"

● Gal 4:6 . . Because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His son into your
hearts calling out: Abba! Father.

● Rom 8:15 . . For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear; but you
have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba! Father.

Adopted folks have it much better than those in slavery. For one, slaves aren't
relatives-- as such they have no inheritance rights, nor do they have a right to take
their owner's name.

In contrast adopted folks are kin, and as such have inheritance rights, a right to
take their adopted family's name, and the right to a place in their adopted family's
genealogy.

Plus: their situation is permanent, i.e. there's no danger of adopted folks being sold
as property; and should they eventually go out on their own, their adoptive family
will always be there for a safety net should they need it.

* Abba is neither English, nor Greek, nor Hebrew. It's an Aramaic word that means
father in an unusual way. It's a filial vocative.

For example: When my son points me out to one of his friends at the mall and
says: "That's my dad over there" then his use of dad simply indicates that he and I
are related. But when he shouts: "Hey dad! I'm over here." then his use of dad is a
filial vocative because he's addressing me personally to get my attention-- same
noun; different sense.

Anyway: people in Heaven no doubt give a high priority to conducting themselves
with their Father in mind; that is: they respect both Him and His expectations.
Down here, some folks have made a habit of indifference.

● Mal 1:6 . . A son honors his father. If I am a father, where is the honor due me?
(cf. John 8:28)
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417) 1Pet 1:22b . . See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently

The love in this command is fraternal; i.e. it's from a Greek word that includes
fondness and affection, which are easy to imitate but not so easy to duplicate.

A pure heart is one that's honest and sincere rather than pretentious, deceitful,
and/or dissembling.

"one another" is likely relative to the brotherhood of folks unified with Christ by
means of their participation in his crucifixion and his resurrection. (Rom 6:3-11)
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418) 1Pet 2:1a . . Lay aside all malice

The Greek word for "malice" basically refers to badness, i.e. depravity, malignity,
and trouble.

Malignity commonly describes aggressive cancers, which tend to spread and
produce death or deterioration, viz: malignant people are passionately and
relentlessly malevolent; defined by Webster's as having, showing, or arising from
intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred.

Seeing as how malice is controllable; then I think it safe to conclude that there are
some people whose mean-spirited behavior is by choice, i.e. deliberate.
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419) 1Pet 2:1b . . Lay aside all deceit

The Greek word translated "deceit" basically refers to decoys; defined by Webster's
as someone or something used to lure or lead another into a trap.

Decoys can also be used as diversions, e.g. red herrings.

It also refers to trickery; defined by Webster's as the practice of crafty
underhanded ingenuity to deceive or cheat, for example Gen 3:1.

A very common form of deceit is something called dissembling; which basically
means to conceal one's true feelings with pretense. I think it's pretty safe to say
that everybody at one time or another practices dissembling; it's pretty much a
natural propensity.

Peter's instructions don't say to avoid deceit, they say to lay it aside; viz: cease.
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420) 1Pet 2:1c . . Lay aside all hypocrisy

The Greek word for "hypocrisy" basically refers to acting under a feigned part.

Not all hypocrisy is bad; quite a few people earn an honest living by accepting parts
in movies and plays. That we can live with.

But hypocrisy in religion is insufferable; for example Mark 12:13-15, which reads
like this:

"Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his
words. They came to him and said: Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.
You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you
teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar
or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we? But Jesus knew their hypocrisy."

Their inquiry was reasonable; but it was based upon an ulterior motive. They didn't
care one whit about the taxes; they were only looking for a legitimate excuse to
have Jesus arrested and put away where he could no longer influence public
opinion.

Hypocrisy is also exemplified in double standards, for example Luke 6:41-42 and
Matt 23:2-4

"And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice
the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: Brother, let
me take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log
that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

"The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their
deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. And they tie up heavy loads, and
lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with
so much as a finger."

To put this in a modern context: A prominent member of the US Congress quoted a
passage from the Bible to justify sending aid to Ukraine. Some time later, the
archbishop in that person's district announced his intention to deny them
Communion because of their pro abortion stance. In other words: that member of
congress attempted to politicize their religion without taking it serious enough to
live it.
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421) 1Pet 2:1d . . Lay aside all envy

Webster's defines envy as painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed
by another, coupled with a desire to possess the same advantage

There are musicians that I greatly admire for their talent and their creativity. But I
don't hate them for it; no, I truly love their work, i.e. I'm a fan rather than a rival.
For example: famed sessions musician Carol Kaye laid down smooth jazz lines with
an electric bass using nothing more than a flat guitar pick. I wish I could do what
Carol does; at the same time wish her all the best and would sincerely like for her
to continue playing and teaching forever.

But when admiration is mixed with pain and resentment, it can become ugly and
extremely dangerous.

For example, it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Cain to murder his kid
brother, and it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Joseph's brothers to sell
him into slavery, and it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Jesus' opponents
to have him arrested and put to death.

People prone to the ugly kind of envy share a very common denominator: they
simply must be either equal to, or better than, others. It's that simple. And if they
cannot be equal to, or better than others, then nothing would make them happier
than to see those others failed, maimed, silenced, disfigured, dishonored,
disgraced, humiliated, handicapped for life and/or deceased.
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422) 1Pet 2:1e . . Lay aside all evil speaking

The Greek word for "evil speaking" basically pertains to defamation; defined by
Webster's as the act of deliberately communicating false statements about a person
that injures their reputation.

For example there was a case in the courts not that long ago wherein a notable
politician initiated a Russian collusion hoax with the intent to destroy the public's
trust in a former US President's integrity.
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423) 1Pet 2:11 . . Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from
fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is normally good advice to tourists and
immigrants; but when your real world is in Heaven rather than on the earth, then
Christians have to be on guard against picking up cultural mores that conflict with
Heaven's.

"fleshly lusts" pertain to human nature's longings and cravings. Not all are bad for
us. The ones we need to avoid indulging are the inordinate ones, viz: those that
wage war against the soul, i.e. have a marked effect upon the core of our being.

* An example of this is located in the 13th chapter of 2Samuel.
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424) 1Pet 2:12 . . Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the
thing in which they slander you as malefactors, they may on account of your good
deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The Greek word for "malefactors" is somewhat ambiguous. It can, among other
things, refer to a bad influence.

The Greek word for "visitation" is another ambiguous word that can mean, among
other things, inspection and/or evaluation.

Webster’s defines "inspection" as a checking or testing of an individual against
established standards.

If it turns out that the criticism hurled at believers was unjustified, then the hurlers
will have to pay. In so doing, how will they glorify God? Well, the slanderers
themselves may not pay their respects to God, but their retribution will certainly
honor His standards.
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425) 1Pet 2:13-15 . . Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for The Lord's
sake : whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that
are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do
well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the
ignorance of foolish men.

Every ordinance of man of course includes traffic laws like J-walking, unsafe lane
changes, drifting through stop signs, tailgating, road rage, exceeding speed limits,
feeding parking meters, crossing streets against the light, blocking driveways,
failure to yield the right of way, illegal U-turns; etc.

"foolish men" would include employee theft, factions like ANTIFA, and activists
involved in civil disobedience.

"ignorance" can be defined as a lack of knowledge, education, and/or awareness.
Used the wrong way; labeling someone ignorant is an effective insult. But to us it
means that either someone hasn't been sufficiently catechized to know any better
or they're handicapped with a low IQ.

* Human government isn't the end-all; it's only a tier in the hierarchy. The top tier
belongs to the supreme being, and His word is the final word. (e.g. Acts 4:19 &
5:29)
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426) 1Pet 2:16a . . Live as free men

Some of Christ's believing followers in the Roman empire were slaves; so it was
legally impossible for them to live as free men without risking severe consequences.

I think what we're looking at here is that Peter is encouraging the Christians to
whom he wrote to voluntarily accept their status as slaves instead of resenting it.
In other words: free men have choices; and even though some of the Christians
were slaves against their will, they were free to choose to make the best of it or let
it get to them.

A pretty useful platitude that I once heard goes like this: Bloom where you're
planted. So; if you should find yourself planted in adverse circumstances; make up
your mind to make the best of it. This is something wherein you have a choice;
even though you have no choice about being stuck. It's really all about attitude
adjustment.
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