Christian Conduct
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.
Matthew 7:6 You should not give that which is holy to the dogs, nor should you cast your pearls before swine, lest they shall trample them with their feet and turning they would rend you to pieces!
Sheep should not even communicate with dogs and swine. To communicate, in the orignal sense of the word, means to share things in common. When we communicate we are sharing with one another. We should not ever go into the presence of aliens and share the Word of our God with them! Nowhere in the Scripture are we told to share the Truth with swine, dogs, or beasts – and those who do are doing us a great disservice. From the Wisdom of Sirach, 12:5: “Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly: hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him, lest he overmaster thee thereby: for else thou shalt receive twice as much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him.” Even if we pretend to teach aliens the truth, they will only use it against us.
Matthew 7:21 Not all who say to Me ‘Prince, Prince!’ shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he doing the will of My Father who is in the heavens. 22 Many shall say to Me in that day ‘Prince, Prince, have we not prophesied in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and have done many works of power in Your name?’ 23 And then shall I profess to them that ‘Never have I known you! Depart from Me, those who are working at lawlessness!’
No matter what men do or say, the covenants were made only with the children of Israel. Yahweh's words at Amos, where it was spoken to Israel that “you only have I known of all the families of the earth”, have never changed. Even if they seem to do well, the aliens cannot do well, since they can never honestly admit to Yahweh's exclusive relationship with Israel, and with His exclusive promises to preserve Israel. False teachers want to offer preservation to the aliens after the Second Advent, but the Bible makes it clear that only the children of Israel shall inherit the earth.
Caution
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you off as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and pure as doves!
This warning is every bit as profound today as it was then. The White Adamite has long played the part of the sheep. Regardless of the false claims of the jew, we have been a relatively passive and non-reactionary people throughout most of our history. Today, just as it was in first century Judaea, the wolves most often have the advantage. We should not be trying to convert the wolves – that is futile. Rather, we should be seeking the sheep out from among the wolves, while being aware of the tactics of the wolves. Pure as doves, the word also intones pureness of heart. Christians should be straightforward and without guile, while also giving the wolves no reason for accusation.
Matthew 7: “15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
Sheep cannot be wolves, and neither can wolves be sheep. Do not attempt to gather sheep form wolves – it does not work.
In fact, at Acts chapter 20 Paul distinguished between wolves and false sheep-teachers, where he says: “29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
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.
Following Christ
See Following Christ
Separating from Unbelievers and from the Unworldly
Matthew 8:18 Then Yahshua seeing a crowd around Him had commanded to depart for the other side. 19 And one scribe coming forth said to Him: “Teacher, I shall follow You wherever You should depart!” 20 And Yahshua says to him: “The foxes have dens and the birds of heaven nests, but the Son of Man has not where He may lay the head.” 21 Then another of the students said to Him “Prince, allow me first to depart and to bury my father!” 22 But Yahshua says to him “Follow Me and allow the dead to bury the dead for themselves!”
This is an example, that those of us who desire to follow Christ, really have no part with those of us who do not. Furthermore, those of us who do not wish to follow Him, may as well be dead. Without Him there is no life for any of us, so we should all desire to follow Him!
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.
Honoring Yahweh
Matthew 9:6 But in order that you would know that the Son of Man has authority upon the earth to forgive errors (then He says to the paralytic): Arising take your cot and go to your house!” 7 And arising he departed for his house. 8 Then seeing it the crowds feared and honored Yahweh for giving such authority to men.
Correctly, the crowds did not honor Yahshua, who they perceived as a mere man, but rather they honored Yahweh for the things which Yahshua had done. Men should never seek the honor of men, but rather all should honor God, that they are able to help their brethren.
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.
Love
Matthew 10:34 You should not suppose that I have come to put peace upon the earth. I have not come to put peace, but a sword! 35 For I have come to divide a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a bride against her mother-in-law, 36 and a man’s enemies are those of his house!
And we in Christian Identity today can imagine just what it was like for Christians in ancient pagan Rome. We are often shunned and excoriated by our own families, because we refuse to accept the universal religion of the empire. Yes, there is little difference between modern ecumenism and the universal paganism of old Rome, where just about anything became acceptable so long as one worshipped Caesar. Today we are for the most part merely shunned, but in the first few centuries of the Christian era, our forebears were often reported, arrested, and martyred merely for professing Christ.
Christianity is not about our own sick ideas of “peace”, sick because they usually include placating aliens and sinners. As we have seen here while covering Matthew chapter 5, a true peace-maker is one who is willing to obey the laws of God, and reprove his fellows when they do not obey. Contrary to the profession of the phony “judeo-Christians”, Christ is not about peace, but rather about obedience to God, love for our own kind, and the consequences of violating those precepts.
Here Christ quotes Micah 7:6, which reads: “For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.”
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.
Priorities
Matthew 8:14 Then Yahshua coming into the house of Petros saw his mother-in-law stricken and sick with fever. 15 And He grasped her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose and served Him.
Peter had a wife, as Paul also relates, where he is speaking of himself, at 1 Corinthians 9:5 where he asks: “Do we not have license to always have with us a kinswoman: a wife, as also the other ambassadors, and the brethren of the Prince, and Kephas?” So we see here also that Peter had a mother-in-law, and therefore he was married. Peter's following Yahshua for three-and-a-half years while he was married, is also illustrative of the priorities that we too should all have: that service to the Word of God comes even before marriage.
Self Denial
Matthew 7:13 Enter in through the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and broad is the road which leads to destruction, and they are many who are entering in through it! 14 But because narrow is the gate and distressed the road which leads to life, then they are few who are finding it.
Of course, most of us would rather believe the comfortable lie than the uncomfortable truth. We would rather walk the easy road than the hard path. We would rather listen to those who have appointed themselves over us than take up the responsibility into our own hands and study the Word of God for ourselves. This is why Luke in Acts 17:11 said of the men of Beroia, that “These were of more noble a race than those in Thessalonika, who accepted the Word with all eagerness, each day examining the writings, if these things would hold thusly.” Those seeking to enter in through the straight gate, seek to do so through the Word of Yahweh. In the apocryphal 1 Esdras from the Septuagint, which is clearly a better copy of the Book of Ezra than what we have in the Masoretic Text, we see a striking example in chapter 7:
"6 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and others that were of the captivity, that were added unto them, did according to the things written in the book of Moses. 7 And to the dedication of the temple of the Lord they offered an hundred bullocks two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; 8 And twelve goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the chief of the tribes of Israel. 9 The priests also and the Levites stood arrayed in their vestments, according to their kindreds, in the service of the Lord God of Israel, according to the book of Moses: and the porters at every gate. 10 And the children of Israel that were of the captivity held the passover the fourteenth day of the first month, after that the priests and the Levites were sanctified. 11 They that were of the captivity were not all sanctified together: but the Levites were all sanctified together. 12 And so they offered the passover for all them of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 13 And the children of Israel that came out of the captivity did eat, even all they that had separated themselves from the abominations of the people of the land, and sought the Lord.”
This passage in Ezra is cross-referenced to Matthew 7:13 by the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th edition. This is surprising, because the cross-reference upholds the racial nature of the covenants, which are made only with Israel! And so it is, that the so-called churches which seek to include the whole world into the redemption of Christ cause destruction, and those who seek to enter in through the straight gate are those who realize that they must separate themselves from the abominations of the aliens, and that no alien shall get by the porters at the gate. As we saw in Matthew chapter 5, Christ came only for the “prisoners” who “sit in darkness”, for the children of the Israelite captivity.
Matthew 10:37 He loving father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me, and he loving son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow behind Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He seeking his life shall lose it, and he losing his life because of Me shall find it.
Those who ignore the advice which Yahshua gives in these verses may indeed find themselves to be unworthy of Him. As the prophet Daniel said, “... thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” One who seeks to preserve his life here above all else shall lose it anyway, and may well have no reward in the next. One disregarding his own life here on behalf of Christ shall have a great reward in the next. Christ told us above all to keep His commandments, and to love our brethren. Everything else is basically immaterial. If we do those few things, then we devote our life to our race, and not to our bellies or to our own safety and well-being.
Study
Independence from False Prophets
See also False teachers
Matthew 7:15 Keep away from the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are rapacious wolves. 16 You shall know them from their fruits. Does anyone gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 Thusly every good tree produces fine fruit, but the rotten tree produces evil fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to produce evil fruit, nor is a rotten tree to produce fine fruit. 19 Each tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and cast into the fire! 20 Indeed from their fruits you shall know them.
Wolves, foxes, dogs, they are all of the biological family named Canidae. Out of these, wolves and dogs are called Canini, and foxes are called Vulpini. Dingos, jackals, coyotes and hyenas are also of this family. They are all Canines, and to the ancients they were all basically dogs. Herod was called a fox by Christ. The Canaanite woman was called a dog. Psalm 22 prophesied that Christ was to be killed by the “power of the dog”, which referred to the Edomites in control in Jerusalem. By all of this, we know who the wolves are. Paul warned in Acts chapter 20, that after his departure “oppressive wolves shall come in ... not being sparing of the sheep”, and then he contrasted these to the false teachers who would arise among the people themselves. So we see that while not all false teachers are wolves, we certainly must be aware of and defend against the wolves first. Christ is warning us to do this, and we have no commission to be complacent regarding these wolves! We must spot and eject them – or at least sound the alarm - it is our duty!
Dangers of Compromise
Matthew 7:24 Therefore each who hears these My words and does them, he shall be compared to a sensible man, who has built his house upon bedrock, 25 and the rain descends and the river comes and the winds blow, and they fall against that house, yet it does not fall, for it was founded upon the bedrock. 26 And each who hears these My words and not doing them, he shall be compared to a foolish man, who has built his house upon the sand, 27 and the rain descends and the river comes and the winds blow and they fall against that house and it falls, and great was its fall!”
Once we have the truth of the Word, and we follow it, we are unshakable in our convictions. Those who compromise in the Word of God, they stand upon foundations of shifting sand, and are easily rebuked for their lies.
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.)