1 Corinthians 8, Arrogant; Idolatry; “many gods” of JW’s; One God “kurios”; Jesus Is Jehovah The Only “Savior”; How could God allow evil?; Walk In Liberty

1 Corinthians 8Knowledge Puffs Up; Idolatry; many gods of JWs; One God kurios; Jesus Is Jehovah The Only Savior; How could a good God allow evil?; Walk In LibertyA great shot of the Eagle River Valley where we had 5 hours and 45 minutes worth of daylight! Kathleen Barth photo.

BIBLE IN FIVEPastor Dave KooyersValley Bible FellowshipBox 433Boonville CA 95415http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org

(707) 895-2325God bless you as you examine His Word,Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge. Matthew 10:8 Freely you received, freely give.

http://www.amazon.com/Pastors-Manual-Doing-Church-Growth/dp/097170094X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-2&keywords=a+pastor%27s+manual+on+doing

1 Corinthians 8:1,concerning

NKJ 1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

1 Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge Puffs UpNAU 1 Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.NAU 1 Corinthians 4:6 so that no one of you will become arrogantNAU 1 Corinthians 4:18 Now some have become arrogantNAU 1 Corinthians 4:19 not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.NAU 1 Corinthians 5:2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned

1 Corinthians 8:2-3NAU 1 Corinthians 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.Let's get our priorities in order;Would you rather think you know something, or be known by God?

1 Corinthians 8:4 Zechariah 14:9 Deut. 6:4The Shema and Trinity/Tri-unity

1 Corinthians 8:4, IdolatryNAU 1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.Aeron Ives says, In Sunday school class, the teacher was talking about Israel's idolatry. "Does anyone know what idolatry is?" she asked. A child raised his hand. "Yes, ma'am. It's a store I go to with my mom..."

-This is from my friend, Aeron Ives.

1 Corinthians 8:4, Idolatry


1 Corinthians 8:4, Idolatry Sacrifices To DemonsNAU 1 Corinthians 8:4 we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the worldIdols, idolatry, Yoga, martial arts, and false religions, are nothing but they can be a means to channel demons;NAU 1 Corinthians 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

1 Corinthians 8:5many gods and many lordsNAU 1 Corinthians 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one GodNKJ John 10:34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law,`I said, You are gods? 35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),NAU Psalm 82:6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.NKJ Galatians 4:8 when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

1 Corinthians 8:4-5 JWs One GodNAU 1 Corinthians 8:4 there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,JWs refer to this verse to try to show that Jesus is not really God Almighty. But, some kind of a lesser deity, not really God (Jehovah). Their New World Translation in Isaiah 9:6 capitalizes Mighty God, yet they adamantly deny that Jesus is not Almighty God. They use;


1 Corinthians 8:4-5 JWs One God kuriosNAU John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.If Jesus Christ is not, God the Son, the second person of the only true God, then He must be a false God.I like to ask them, Who was the Lord God of King David? Then turn in their Bible to Ps 110:1;NWT, Ps 110:1 Jehovah declared to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.King David in the Septuagint translation (LXX) Ps 110:1 said, YHWH (Jehovah) declared to, my Lord [Strongs 2962 kurios] same exact kurios as;


1 Corinthians 8:4-5Jesus Is Jehovah kuriosIn the LXX same exact Lord (2962, kurios Jehovah, Lord) is in;NAU Genesis 2:8 The LORD [kurios] God planted a gardenNAU Exodus 3:4 When the LORD [kurios] saw that he turned aside to look, God [kurios] called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses! 3:15 say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD [kurios], the God of your fathersThis is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.NAU Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD [kurios] is our God [kurios], the LORD [kurios] is one!


1 Corinthians 8:4-5Jesus Is Jehovah kuriosThe LXX Jehovah, YHWH, my Lord kurios is the same exact kurios as;NAU Luke 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord [kurios].NAU 2 Peter 1:11 entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord [kurios] and Savior Jesus ChristNAU 2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord [kurios] and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.


1 Corinthians 8:4-5Jesus The Only SaviorJesus is the only Savior Almighty God;NAU Luke 2:11 born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord [kurios].NAU Isaiah 43:3 "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your SaviorNAU Isaiah 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.NAU Isaiah 45:15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, Savior!NAU Isaiah 45:21 the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.Isaiah 49:26, 60:16, 63:8, 2 Timothy 1:10, Titus 1:3-4, 2:13


1 Cor 8:6, Trinity / Tri-unityNAU 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.NAU Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD [LXX=kurios] will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD [LXX=kurios] will be the only one, and His name the only one.NAU Rev 17:14 the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord [kurios] of lords and King of kings


1 Cor 8:6, Trinity / Tri-unityNAU 1 Corinthians 8:6 and one Lord, Jesus ChristNAU 1 Timothy 6:14 our Lord [kurios] Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord [kurios] of lords,NAU 1 Timothy 1:16 Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.


1 Cor 8:6, we exist through Him"NAU 1 Corinthians 8:6 Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.NAU John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.NAU Colossians 1:15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.


1 Cor 8:6, we exist through Him"If anything exists, and we do, there has to be a cause for that effect. There must be a first cause. There has to be an un-caused Cause. Logic, reason, and science demand a Creator of everything. The Cause must be greater than the effect. Therefore, since we are personal, intelligent, and have a moral nature, the Cause must be greater than us, personal, more intelligent, more alive, more powerful, and more moral. A good God;


How could a good God allow for the existence of evil? conscience?Video, PragerUIf there is a #God, why is there so much evil? How could any God that cares about right and wrong allow so much bad to happen? And if there is no God, who then determines what is right and what is wrong? The answers to these questions, as #BostonCollege philosopher Peter Kreeft explains, go to the heart of ethics, morality and how we know what it means to be a decent person.

https://www.facebook.com/prageru/videos/1000257766683746/How could a good God allow for the existence of evil?January 25 #Atheism

How could a good God allow for the existence of evil?

https://www.facebook.com/prageru/videos/1000257766683746/How could a good God allow for the existence of evil?January 25 #Atheism

1 Corinthians 8:6Only One God, One ChristCCC2782, 795, 1689 Becoming Christs, capital "C", diety, priests are divine, CCC460, shared divinityCCC 2782We can adore the Father because he has caused us to be reborn to his life byadoptingus as his children in his only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into the Body of his Christ; through the anointing of his Spirit who flows from the head to the members, he makes us other Christs. (1267)God, indeed, who has predestined us to adoption as his sons, has conformed us to the glorious Body of Christ. So then you who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called Christs.34 CCC 2783Thus the Lords Prayerreveals us to ourselvesat the same time that it reveals the Father to us. Our Father, so that you may merit being his son.37

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm?p=42-section7.xhtml%23para2782Joshua 22:22 Malachi 2:10 1 Corinthians 8:6 1 Timothy 2:5, One God, One Christ

1Corinthians 8:7-8Walk In Liberty NAU 1 Corinthians 8:7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. [is legalism from a weak conscience?]NAU Mark 7:19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.)NAU Colossians 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink

Isaiah 61:1 2Corinthians 3:17 Psalm 118:5, 119:45 1Corinthians 6:12, 8:9, Walk In Liberty

1Cor 8:9-13, Walk In Liberty NAU 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.


1Cor. 8:9, Walk In Liberty NAU 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.NAU Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.NAU 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.NAU 1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.


1Cor 8:9, Walk In Liberty Christians have the greatest freedom because we chose the way of the Lord, liberty in Christ. Rather than remain a slave to sin.Non-Christians view Christianity as a set of rules and regulations that are restrictive and smothering. But the Scriptures say Jesus came to set us free from the law of sin and death.NAU Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;


In closing

THE END

BIBLE IN FIVEPastor Dave KooyersValley Bible FellowshipBox 433Boonville CA 95415http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org

(707) 895-2325God bless you as you examine His Word,Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge. Matthew 10:8 Freely you received, freely give.

http://www.amazon.com/Pastors-Manual-Doing-Church-Growth/dp/097170094X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-2&keywords=a+pastor%27s+manual+on+doing

1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul and the Shema, The Shema and Trinity/Tri-unity?, Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg It was some time last year that I began to have a major breakthrough in my personal understanding of the Apostle Paul. I think like most of us I got used to Paul often not making sense. Dont get me wrong, lots of things that Paul wrote I found understandable and inspirational, but then there was a large section of his writings that I kept on getting the nagging feeling that I was missing his point entirely.When I talked about Paul in public I quoted Apostle Peter routinely. You may recall that Peter too found some things in Pauls letters hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16).(I owe this breakthrough to the voices of several important scholars, but one in particular that stood out for me was Mark Nanos.)The Shema and Trinity/Tri-unity?Among those modern Christ-followers that find the Jewish Background of the New Testament of particular importance, it is a point often made that the famous Shema (Deut. 6:4) - Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One - uses a very interesting Hebrew word (pronounced ahad) to communicate the idea of unity instead of another Hebrew word (pronounced yahid) that could have been used, had that the idea of exclusivity been at play. Therefore it is argued that the idea found in the Shema is one of the early Hebrew Bible pointers to the later Christian doctrine of Trinity (or as some call it, or a close version of it Tri-unity).Disclaimer: Just so that we are all clear, this is how I personally understand and define the idea of Tri-unity/Trinity: The One God of Israel, eternally and mysteriously exists in three persons the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although Son and the Spirit are subordinate to the Father functionally (this is what is called Economic Trinity in systematic theology), they are equal to him in nature, power and glory (this is what is called Ontological Trinity). At the risk of being overly simplistic, it could be said that the Ontological Trinity deals with what God is, while the Economic Trinity deals with what God does and how God does it.I of course am smart enough (and I hope the same about you) to recognize that, while this is as a later Christian systematic theological construct (2-3 century at the earliest), its roots go very deep in both Hebrew Bible and New Testament. (You can see my more detailed arguments in my recent book The Jewish ospel of John: Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel.) Now that we got this out of the way (at least I hope so), I would like to talk to you about the true meaning of the Shema.

The Shema in Apostle Paul and other Jewish Sages

I think that the Shema, though as you saw above I have no trouble with Trinity/Tri-unity theologically, has nothing to do with the idea of plurality of Godhead whatsoever, instead it has to do with two other extremely important matters:

The idea of covenantal uniqueness of Israel (The LORD is our God) and with,

The idea of functional unity between Israel and the Nations (The LORD is One).

I know, that so far I have not made much sense, but keep on reading I promise the fog will be lifted very soon. The Shema was not only important, but central to everything that Paul wrote about (take this idea very seriously).

Whether rightly or wrongly, Paul understood the Shema as a combination of the uniqueness of Israel (The Lord is our God) and functional unity (The Lord is One).

What is striking is that Paul was not alone in this thinking. There are good reasons to see Paul thinking in exactly the same ways as other Jews did and yet will. Please, consider the following two sources.

One is not very far removed from Pauls time at all, and one much further removed from his time. They both understand the Shema in exactly the same way he did - both appealing to Zechariah 14:9:

The Lord, our God, over us (the children of Israel); the Lord is one, over all the creatures of the world. The Lord, our God, in this world; the Lord is one, in the world to come. As it is said, The Lord will be king over all the earth. In that day will the Lord be one and His name one.

(Sifre on Deut. 6:4, Commentary written c. 3rd century CE)

The Lord who is our God now, but not (yet) the God of the (other) nations is destined to be the One Lord, as it is said And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be One and His name One.

(Rashi on Deut. 6:4, Commentary written in 11th century CE)

The only real difference that can be stated to exist between the Jews that authored the above-mentioned writings interpreting the Shema, and Apostle Paul, was this:

Apostle Paul and the entire first century Jewish Jesus movement was convinced that the latter days - the time of ingathering of the Nations to the God of Israel - had already begun, while other Jews did not see it that way.

Like many other Jews of his day, Paul thought apocalyptically (meaning he believed that the end of the ages had dawned) and he did so in light of prophecy (this had been long anticipated). He believed (and he turned out to be right!) that non-Israelites in large numbers would now come to worship the God of Israel through Yeshua (Jesus), the Jewish Christ. This apocalyptic and prophetic perspective on the Shema is what caused Paul and the so-called Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) to argue against the status quo conversion of Nations to Judaism (Ruth the Moabite paradigm in Ruth 1:16). This was so precisely because the Kingdom of God had already arrived and the new era of Nations turning to God had commenced. Gentiles can (according to Jerusalem council) and must (according to Paul) stay in the status of the Nations (1 Cor. 7:17), but commit themselves fully to worship of the same God as the Jews do (Naaman Paradigm in 2 Kings 5 vs. Ruth Paradigm of commitment to Israels God, you should read more in Are There Still Jews and Greeks in Christ?).

The Shema as the heart of Pauls theology

There are many places where Paul uses the idea of the Oneness of God to argue a point (Make no mistake about it - thats the idea of the Shema). Here is a good example of why he thinks that his God cannot stay a tribal deity (God of Israel only), but must be recognized as the God of the entire world (the God of Israel and the God of the Nations as well!).

We read in his letter to the Romans 3:29-31:

is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of the Nations also? Yes, of the Nations also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is ONE. Do we then nullify the Torah through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah (the Law).

And in his letter to the Ephesians 3:16-19:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you (Nations) with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people (Israel), to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Or consider 1 Corinthians 8:4-6:

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are being called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

What is Apostle Pauls point here? It is actually quite simple: Nations must worship Israels God as Nations, just as they before being sojourners with Israel (Lev.17-21) and Jerusalem Council has confirmed in Acts 15:28-29 (do take the time to compare and you will see that the Jerusalem council did not rule, but simply accepted the existing summary of the Leviticus laws for the Nations living as part of Israel). Jews too must continue to carry on just like before worshiping the God of Israel as Jews without switching their status from Israel to the Nations! There is one way to God for both (Israel and the Nations) Christ Jesus. There is one way to receive salvation for both - by grace through faith, a group of Pharisees Paul represented argued. Remember these are the words of Paul, the Jewish Pharisee, called to the service of the Jewish Christ (Phil.3:5, Gal.2:15-16).

Pauls vision was that together as Jews and the Nations they will establish the Torah - that is prove it right against all of her/its enemies (those who devalue the Torah)! Paul was so serious about it that in all congregations under his pastoral oversite he has set it up as an absolute rule about staying in the same status in which you were called to Messiah.1 What is absolutly astounding today is that if in a modern public Christian assembly the speaker is to ask (as I did on a lot of occasions) for a show of hands of people that know what this rule was all about, in overwhelming amount of cases the answers are completely wrong. Most Christ-followers today have never heard about this rule, yet it is one of the keys to understanding this radical, but very Jewish man we call the Apostle Paul.

In the letter we today refer to as 1 Cor. 7:17-20 he wrote:

Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the congregations. Was any man called circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called.

Conversion to and away from the Jewish Ancestral ways of life, i.e. the circumcision and uncircumcision is very well attested in Late Antiquity. People did both joined the Jews (proselyte conversion) and being born Jews unjoined them by removing the signs of the circumcision. Both practices were highly controversial and politicized. Apostle Paul argued that this practice, one way or another, threatens something very important the very word of God - Torah. Two people groups staying distinct, but together worshiping the same God, since the most important thing in the process in above quoted text is the keeping of the Commandments of God. In contrast to this in the next section Apostle Paul argued against keeping the law of commandments of (Roman Public) ordinances (Ephesians 2:11-22), that upheld the idea of segregation/discrimination of Jews and the Nations.

Part of the Commonwealth of Israel

This idea that Paul, the Pharisee, envisioned the end of discrimination but the continuation of distinction between Jews and the Nations seems to be contradicted sharply by his own argument in Ephesians 2 that now Gentiles in Jewish Christ became full citizens in the Commonwealth of Israel. But, my dear reader, there is no contradiction here at all. Just like in the modern Commonwealth (State) of Israel the Nations (Israeli Arabs and other minorities like Russians, Armenians, Druze, Chechens and Bedouins to name a few) can be (and most are) first-class citizens, so too the Nations in Pauls apocalyptic view, now through the Messiah Yeshua, became members of the Commonwealth of Israel too! Apostle Paul wrote about it in his now famous passage in Ephesians 2:11-22 (yes, I do take this contested by New Testament scholarship letter as coming from Apostle Paul in spite of some differences with his other letters):

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by those called Circumcision, performed in the flesh by human hands - that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity - the law of commandments in (Public Roman) ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner (stone), in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

In Colossians 2:11-15 he wrote:

In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a shadow of what is to come; the body of which is Christ.

I opt here for a more consistent translation decision (with Pauls overall argument) of where to end a sentence, since punctuation did not exist at the time of composition (compare my translation with NASB, of which mine is a variant). I also add in italics my own translation adjustment of the ordinances ( ), one of the key meanings of which, is a public societal traditions (Eph.2:15). The same idea is present in in above-quoted Col. 2:14 ( ). This dogma () in both Eph.2:15 and Col.2:14 is overcome and completely destroyed in the Jewish Christ through the Spirit of God. The Jews and the Nations are now finally free to deal with each other without discrimination and segregation. You see, these ordinances and decrees are most decisively not the commandments of God in the Torah, those as Paul already argued must be upheld at all cost. But these in fact are evil ordianences destroyed by Christ by his death and subsequent resurrection.

Like you I feel overwhelmed by the grandeur of Pauls vision for his God. We should continue to think about this issue. This is not a closed case:

Could it be that Paul envisioned One Torah for Jew and Gentile, but two sets of laws applicable to each group? Could it be that later Muslims and Christians were generally wrong (that there can be only one law for all people)? Could it be that Judaism, though in the minority, was actually right? There was one Torah for both (Jews and Gentiles), but two sets of laws appropriately applicable to both.

1 See David Rudolfs article Pauls Rule in All the Churches and Torah-Defined Ecclesiological Variegation. Available at https://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/scjr/article/download/1556/1409

Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg [email protected] via amazonses.com

1 Cor 8:6, Monotheism, Trinity, One GodDeuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,Ps 110, Jos 22:22 Ps 50:1 Mal 2:10 1 Cor 8:6 Eph 4:6 1 Tim 2:5

Deuteronomy 6:4 1 Timothy 2:5 Ps 110, Joshua 22:22 Ps 50:1 Mal 2:10 1 Cor 8:6 Eph 4:6 1 Tim 2:51 Timothy 2:5, Monotheism, Trinity, One God

1 Corinthians 8:7, The Berean Call full article after THE ENDWho Shapes Our Conscience?What determines our values in today's fast-changing world? Who imprints its values on our conscience? Do parents? Teachers? The Media? Or our omnipotent God? the Christian conscience played a leading role in American schools and families....We live in a new era! The Bible-trained conscience has largely been replaced by contrary guidelines that twist, scorn, or deny God's truth. Some still point to a conscience, but most people redefine it to match today's cultural values and personal inclinationsMartin Luther dared take a stand against the reign of a corrupt and oppressive church back in April 1521. For his uncompromising faith, he was declared an outlaw on May 25. You may remember his words: "...it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen" ("English Bible History: Martin Luther" athttp://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html)http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/0013/1-bible-based-conscience.htmThe Berean Callviathebereancall.ccsend.com

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/0013/1-bible-based-conscience.htmThe Berean Callviathebereancall.ccsend.comThe Berean Call|PO Box 7019|Bend|OR|97702Hebrews 9:141 Samuel 24:5 Acts 23:1 1 Corinthians 8:7, 10:25 1 Timothy 1:5 1 Peter 3:16 Hebrews 9:14 Who Shapes Our Conscience? Romans 2:15

1 Corinthians 8:7, Our Conscience?March 18, 2013WHO SHAPES OUR CONSCIENCE? [Excerpts]What determines our values in today's fast-changing world? Who imprints its values on our conscience? Do parents? Teachers? The Media? Or our omnipotent God?

It depends! In former times, the Christian conscience played a leading role in American schools and families....We live in a new era! The Bible-trained conscience has largely been replaced by contrary guidelines that twist, scorn, or deny God's truth. Some still point to a conscience, but most people redefine it to match today's cultural values and personal inclinations. These examples illustrate the diversity:Social Conscience: "Our conscience is not the vessel of eternal verities [Biblical truth]. It grows with our social life, and a new social condition means a radical change in conscience" (Walter Lippmann,A Preface to Politics, Mitchell Kennerley, New York and London, 1914).National Conscience: "Our concept of governing is...a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience..." (Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Democratic Convention Keynote Address: "Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good?", New York, New York, July 12, 1976).Bypassing the Conscience: "No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls" ("Biography for Ingmar Bergman" athttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000005/bio).Mocking the Conscience: "What a man calls his 'conscience' is merely the mental action that follows a sentimental reaction after too much wine or love" (Helen Rowland,A Guide to Men(1922) athttp://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Helen_Rowland#A_Guide_to_Men_.281922.29).Cultural Conscience: (Christian or not): "The conscience of children is formed by the influences that surround them..." ("The Conscience of Children," at National Character Education Center).In stark contrast to the above, Martin Luther dared take a stand against the reign of a corrupt and oppressive church back in April 1521. For his uncompromising faith, he was declared an outlaw on May 25. You may remember his words: "...it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen" ("English Bible History: Martin Luther" athttp://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html).Back in the 1930s, Adolph Hitler was determined to quench that Bible-trained conscience. It clashed with his Nazi agenda. In two separate speeches he said: "Your child belongs to us already.... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the next camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this community" (1933). "This new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing" (1937) (William L. Shirer,The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, 1959). And now, in the fading light of the Biblical conscience, America is headed in the same direction.

True liberty depends on our relationship with our heavenly Father!When He draws us to Himself and fills us with His Spirit, His guidelines are stamped on our conscience as we "feed on" His Word and heed His "voice." But those who ignore that "voice" will be left with the ever-changing values of an increasingly corrupt world system. What would you choose? "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck" (1 Timothy 1:19).

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1 Samuel 24:5 Acts 23:1 1 Corinthians 8:7, 10:25 1 Timothy 1:5 1 Peter 3:16 Hebrews 9:14 Who Shapes Our Conscience?The Berean Callviathebereancall.ccsend.comThe Berean Call|PO Box 7019|Bend|OR|97702Hebrews 9:14

1 Corinthians 8:7, Question: "What is the conscience?"Answer: The conscience is defined as that part of the human psyche that induces mental anguish and feelings of guilt when we violate it and feelings of pleasure and well-being when our actions, thoughts and words are in conformity to our value systems. The Greek word translated conscience in all New Testament references is suneidesis, meaning moral awareness or moral consciousness. The conscience reacts when ones actions, thoughts, and words conform to, or are contrary to, a standard of right and wrong. There is no Hebrew term in the Old Testament equivalent to suneidesis in the New Testament. The lack of a Hebrew word for conscience may be due to the Jewish worldview, which was communal rather than individual. The Hebrew considered himself as a member of a covenant community that related corporately to God and His laws, rather than as an individual. In other words, the Hebrew was confident in his own position before God if the Hebrew nation as a whole was in good fellowship with Him. The New Testament concept of conscience is more individual in nature and involves three major truths. First, conscience is a God-given capacity for human beings to exercise self-evaluation. Paul refers several times to his own conscience being good or clear (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4). Paul examined his own words and deeds and found them to be in accordance with his morals and value system, which were, of course, based on Gods standards. His conscience verified the integrity of his heart. Second, the New Testament portrays the conscience as a witness to something. Paul says the Gentiles have consciences that bear witness to the presence of the law of God written on their hearts, even though they did not have the Mosaic Law (Romans 2:14-15). He also appeals to his own conscience as a witness that he speaks the truth (Romans 9:1) and that he has conducted himself in holiness and sincerity in his dealings with men (2 Corinthians 1:12). He also says that his conscience tells him his actions are apparent to both God and the witness of other mens consciences (2 Corinthians 5:11). Third, the conscience is a servant of the individuals value system. An immature or weak value system produces a weak conscience, while a fully informed value system produces a strong sense of right and wrong. In the Christian life, ones conscience can be driven by an inadequate understanding of scriptural truths and can produce feelings of guilt and shame disproportionate to the issues at hand. Maturing in the faith strengthens the conscience.

This last function of the conscience is what Paul addresses in his instructions regarding eating food sacrificed to idols. He makes the case that, since idols are not real gods, it makes no difference if food has been sacrificed to them or not. But some in the Corinthian church were weak in their understanding and believed that such gods really existed. These immature believers were horrified at the thought of eating food sacrificed to the gods, because their consciences were informed by erroneous prejudices and superstitious views. Therefore, Paul encourages those more mature in their understanding not to exercise their freedom to eat if it would cause the consciences of their weaker brothers to condemn their actions. The lesson here is that, if our consciences are clear because of mature faith and understanding, we are not to cause those with weaker consciences to stumble by exercising the freedom that comes with a stronger conscience.

Another reference to conscience in the New Testament is to a conscience that is seared or rendered insensitive as though it had been cauterized with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Such a conscience is hardened and calloused, no longer feeling anything. A person with a seared conscience no longer listens to its promptings, and he can sin with abandon, delude himself into thinking all is well with his soul, and treat others insensitively and without compassion.

As Christians, we are to keep our consciences clear by obeying God and keeping our relationship with Him in good standing. We do this by the application of His Word, renewing and softening our hearts continually. We consider those whose consciences are weak, treating them with Christian love and compassion.

Recommended Resource: Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Naselli & Crowley

https://www.gotquestions.org/QOTW.htm

1 Corinthians 8:13 "What does it mean that we are not to cause others to stumble?"Question: "What does it mean that we are not to cause others to stumble?"

Answer:The concept of not causing others to stumble is found in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. In these chapters, Paul talks about personal convictions and our responsibility to our fellow believers in Christ. He highlights several topics over which believers have disagreementsfood, drink, and sacred days. In Pauls time, the disagreements were mostly concerning Jewish law versus the new freedom found in Christ. We experience much the same type of disagreements today, even over the same topics, to which we could add things like body piercings, tattoos, clothing style, movies, video games, books, and alcohol/tobacco. These are all areas for which the Bible does not provide specific instruction and yet are areas in which many feel conviction. Some of these things can lead to worldliness, sin, impurity or even just become an obsession/idol. But, on the flip side, legalism and avoidance of anything the world has to offer can also become an idol.

Paul tells the Romans, So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brothers way . . . So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans14:12-13, 22-23). Paul is telling us to enjoy our freedom in Christ, but along with that freedom comes the responsibility to protect those around us who have doubts about that freedom.

The example of alcohol is relevant here. Alcohol is not inherently evil, and the biblical prohibitions are not against drinking but against drunkenness. But someone who tends toward alcoholism very often knows he must not drink at all and believes others shouldnt drink, either, even in moderation. If a Christian has a friend who is convinced drinking is wrong, then drinking around that person may cause him/her to stumble or trip up. The Greek word for stumble gives the sense of stubbing ones toe. As Christians, we are forbidden to do anything that may cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to stub their toe, spiritually speaking. Stubbing the toe can cause a person to fall in the spiritual sense, or to damage or weaken his faith. In all things, the important lesson is to make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Romans14:19). In this way, God is glorified, believers are edified, and the world sees in us righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans14:17).

Recommended Resources:The Keys to Spiritual Growth by John MacArthurandLogos Bible Software.

Romans14, 1 Corinthians 8:13 "What does it mean that we are not to cause others to stumble?"