Christian Conduct

Association

See Christian Association

At Matt. 5:43, Yahshua is credited with the words

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor (τὸν πλησίον), and hate thine enemy”

What meaning would the saying have, if one’s enemy, as is often the case, lived in the house next door? See the note at Rom. 13:10.

So here it should be evident that τὸν πλησίον is “one near” to you, but not necessarily geographically. Rather, one near in relationship is more likely the case. The Hebrew word in the original, which is found at Lev. 19:18, is Strong’s Hebrew #7453, “from 7462; an associate (more or less close)” and Strong lists the A.V. translations of the word “brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbor, X (an-) other” and so it should certainly be evident now that τὸν πλησίον is not simply “one who lives nearby” etc.

The root of 7453, 7462, is defined by Strong: “a primitive root; to tend a flock, i.e. pasture it; intransitive to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule; by extension to associate with (as a friend)...” and so it seems to me that one’s πλησίον can only be a fellow sheep! For the bounds of proper Christian association are set at II Cor. 6:11-18, Christ has no concord or agreement with Belial, the ungodly, those without the faith, or the children of darkness, and no government of man, sponsoring “urban renewal” and forced racial integration, can ever change that.

Charity

See Charity

Matthew 6:1 Now offer your righteousness not to do before men, for them to behold, yet otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in the heavens. 2 Therefore when you should do an act of charity, you should not trumpet it before you, even as the hypocrites do in the assembly halls and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward! 3 But upon your doing an act of charity, your left hand must not know what your right hand does, 4 that your act of charity would be in secret, and your Father who sees would repay you in secret.

Alms-giving in the ancient world was with all certainty seen as a way of asking forgiveness from God for one's sins. However the alms-giving had to be without fanfare. If alms-giving was accompanied with fanfare, it was for the benefit of the giver, and not truly for the recipient, and therefore God will not reward it.

Fasting

See Fasting

Matthew 6:16 And when you should fast, do not be like the sullen-faced hypocrites, for they obscure their faces that they may appear to be fasting to men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you fasting anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that you should not appear to be fasting to men, but to your Father to whom it is in secret. And your Father who seeing shall repay you in secret.

As seen with public charity and prayer, we see that outward displays of piety are scorned. That is because they are used as crutches by the weak, or as pretenses by the ungodly. The godly man will naturally manifest his piety through actions on behalf of his brethren, and not through nice speech and feigned displays. Christ said of the Judaeans that “these people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me”, where He was quoting Isaiah 29:13. It is easy to pray and to fast and to look good doing it, but it means nothing. It is harder to give to one's brethren even one's life, and to expect nothing in return. From Isaiah chapter 58:

“3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”

So we see that Yahweh would rather have us act justly, than to act unjustly and attempt to justify ourselves through prayer and fasting.

Forgiveness

See Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14 For if you would remit for men their transgressions, your heavenly Father shall also remit for you. 15 But if you should not remit for men their transgressions, neither shall your Father remit your transgressions.

Repentance includes a cessation of the sinful activity we are repenting from. One need not forgive a sinner who is unrepentant. For this reason Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 6:

“9 … Do not be led astray: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor rapacious shall inherit the kingdom of Yahweh. 11 And these things some of you may have been, but you have cleansed yourselves; moreover you have been sanctified, moreover you have been deemed fit, in the name of Prince Yahshua Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”

Paul also explained in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 that unrepentant sinners are to be put out of our community. However once a brother repents, he can find forgiveness with God, and we must also forgive him.

Judgement

See Judgement

Matthew 7:3 Now how do you see the stick which is in the eye of your brother, but the beam which is in your own eye you do not perceive? 4 Or how do you say to your brother ‘Let me extract the stick from your eye’, and behold, the beam is in your eye! 5 Hypocrite! Extract first the beam from your eye, and then you will see clearly to extract the stick from the eye of your brother!

When you are without fault, perhaps then you may judge your own brother righteously. This does not mean that we do not recognize and condemn sin. It is the Christian's duty to recognize and condemn sin, and to inform our brethren when they are seen in sin. Paul said in Galatians 6:1: “Brethren, even if a man should already be caught up in some transgression, you, those of the Spirit, restore such a man in a spirit of meekness, watching yourself lest also you may be tested.” When a sinner is unrepentant, we are to put him out of our community. As Paul advises in 1 Corinthians 5 to “deliver such a wretch to the Adversary, for destruction of the flesh, in order that the Spirit may be preserved in the day of the Prince.” Putting a man out of our community forces him over to the Adversary – to non-Christians and aliens – and God will use them to judge the sinner, as Paul says further on in that chapter “What is it to me to judge those outside? Not at all should you judge those within you [or among you]. 13 But those outside Yahweh judges; 'you will expel the wicked from amongst yourselves.'”

We do not condemn our brethren, those Christians among us, but we separate ourselves from unrepentant sinners and pray that Yahweh judges them.

Oaths

See Oaths

Matthew 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients ‘You shall not swear falsely’, and ‘You shall make atonement for your oaths to Yahweh’. 34 Now I say to you not to swear at all, not by the heaven, because it is the throne of Yahweh, 35 nor by the earth, because it is a footstool for His feet, nor upon Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king, 36 nor should you swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 Now your word must be yea, yea, no, no, and what is in excess of these is from of evil."

Oaths were taken very seriously in the ancient world, and rituals were fulfilled in order to officiate them. The ritual conducted in Genesis chapter 15, where Abraham split certain animals in half and the essence of Yahweh passed between them, was one such ritual officiating an oath, and there are Mesopotamian inscriptions revealing that very ritual to have been a custom of the people at that time. However swearing oaths to men, one must compromise one's allegiance to God. Therefore Christians should not swear oaths at all. At James 5:12 the apostle wrote:

“But before all, my brethren, do not swear, not even on heaven nor on the earth nor any other oath, but it must be from you the yes “Yes” and the no “No”, in order that you would not fall under judgment.”

For this reason, Christians for many centuries refused to consider contracts or allegiances. Rather, they conducted all of their business on a handshake and their word, where yes was yes and no was no.

Prayer

See Prayer

Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, do not be as the hypocrites, because they love to pray in the assembly halls and standing at the corners of the streets, that they should be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward! 6 But when you would pray, go into your closet and closing your door you shall pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees shall yield to you in secret.

In 1 Samuel chapter 1, we see that Hannah's prayer was answered when her lips moved, but she spoke it not, having prayed in her heart. Likewise, the prophet Daniel prayed alone in his room, and it was not necessarily his intention that he be seen through his window by his enemies, as it is related in Daniel chapter 6. Daniel and Hannah, while seen by others, were both praying privately. The apostles often prayed together, but they prayed privately, and not to make a show in front of others.

Christians who insist on public prayer, or that others must pray with them, are simply looking for a crutch. They want others to see how “pious” they are, that they may justify themselves. Real Christians do not need crutches, nor do they need outward displays of piety, which are pretentious. We should have no need to be seen praying publicly or with others. We should seek our God with our hearts and display our love through good deeds for our brethren, and not merely in the pretense of exhibition.

Vengeance

See Vengeance

Matthew 5:38 You have heard that it has been said ‘An eye for an eye’ and ‘A tooth for a tooth’. 39 Now I say to you, not to oppose evil, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn for him also the other. 40 And to him desiring for you to be judged and to receive your cloak, give up to him also the shirt. 41 And whoever shall press you for one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him asking you, and you should not turn away from him wishing to borrow from you.

Since both the exacting vengeance and the distribution of reward belong to our God, Christians should not take such things upon themselves. Yet rarely in our history have we shown such faith. If we believed God's word, we would never seek vengeance against a brother, either by suit or by violence.

(This does not refer to Yahweh's enemies. We are not to suffer evil from the enemies of our God. We must resist them. Here, as always throughout the discourse given on the Mount, the subject of the conversation is still the students of Christ and the children of Israel.)