My Bible Study is in Romans. It is quite serious...

-internet meme

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Romans 2:1-16

..."Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek [everybody else], but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For there is no partiality with God.

For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus."...

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Bad Company Corrupts Good Morals

"In evil societies, it is difficult not to participate in evil. Human nature is to go along with the crowd. Hence, the importance of avoiding living among bad people, unless one is strong enough to work to make a bad society better."

Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Genesis: God, Creation, and Destruction, pg.224

1 Corinthians 15:33-34
"Do not be deceived: 
“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Become sober-minded as you ought, 
and stop sinning; for some have 
no knowledge of God. 
I speak this to your shame."

Cults, Totalitarian Regimes, Control, and Manipulation

Children, Honor Your Parents

"Yet another reason why honoring parents and long enduring civilization are connected is strong families form a major bulwark against totalitarian regimes. 

A standard feature of totalitarian regimes is the shifting of children’s loyalty and obedience from their parents to the state. One of the first things totalitarian regimes seek to do is weaken parental authority and replace it with the party or state. 

In such countries, children are encouraged to inform on their parents if they make critical comments—or even tell jokes—about government leaders or about the dominant ideology (in the modern period, that would almost always refer to communism, Nazism, or radical Islamism). 

Consequently, parents would often fear to speak openly in front of their children."

Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible, Exodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom, pg.258

Why are not sinners, Lord, consumed?

Why are not sinners, Lord, consumed
By Thy avenging rod?
’Tis Lord, because Thou art the good,
And the long suffering God.

Tho’ men provoke Thee to Thy face,
And Thy rich grace despise,
Yet still Thy bounty feeds Thy foes,
Thy thunder sleeping lies.

On swiftest wing Thy mercy flies,
Thy wrath advances slow;
Long dost Thou whet Thy glittering sword
Before it gives the blow.

Long didst Thou bear a guilty world
With rapine filled and blood;
Thy patience wished to have restrained
The wide destroying flood.

Could even Sodom the impure
Have named ten righteous men,
Thy flaming sword in sulfur dipped
Would have been sheathed again.

How often did Thy anger burn
Against Thy chosen seed?
But still Thy heart within Thee turned
For them Thy bowels plead.

How shall I give My Ephraim up?
My wrath on Israel vent?
How shall I Admah’s plagues inflict?
I pity and repent.

So great are Thy compassions, Lord,
Our songs they far exceed;
O may such goodness melt our hearts
And to repentance lead!
-Needham

Romans 2:4
"Or do you think lightly of 
the riches of His kindness 
and tolerance and patience, 
not knowing that 
the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
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Pride, the Most Dangerous: Humility vs Sinning

James 4:5-17

"...do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose:   
“He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 
“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit therefore to God. 
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; 
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Be miserable and mourn and weep;
let your laughter be turned into mourning 
and your joy to gloom.

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord,
and He will exalt you.

Do not speak against one another, brethren. 
He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, 
speaks against the law and judges the law; 
but if you judge the law, 
you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, 
the One who is able to save and to destroy; 
but who are you who judge your neighbor?

Come now, you who say, 
“Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, 
and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. 

You are just a vapor that appears for a little while
and then vanishes away.

Instead, you ought to say, 
“If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

But as it is, 
you boast in your arrogance; 
all such boasting is evil.

Therefore, 
to one who knows the right thing to do 
and does not do it, 
to him it is sin.
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Holding fast to the confession of our hope

Hebrews 10:19-31

"...Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.


For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God..."

Arrogance and Pridefulness is like a never ending storm

Proverbs 11:2-3
"When pride comes, 
then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.

The integrity of the upright 
will guide them,
But the crookedness 
of the treacherous 
will destroy them."
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Life is tough, people can be evil and cruel, but never get even, instead give the LORD room for His wrath

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Romans 12

 "... 9. Let love be without hypocrisy. 

Abhor what is evil; 

cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; 

give preference to one another in honor;

not lagging behind in diligence, 

fervent in spirit, 

serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope, 

persevering in tribulation, 

devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints, 

practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; 

bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, 

and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; 

do not be haughty in mind, 

but associate with the lowly. 

Do not be wise in your own estimation. 

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

If possible, 

so far as it depends on you, 

be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, 

but leave room for the wrath of God, 

for it is written, 

“Vengeance is Mine, 

I will repay,” says the Lord.

“But if your enemy is hungry, 

feed him, 

and if he is thirsty, 

give him a drink; 

for in so doing you 

will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, 

but overcome evil with good."

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The LORD God will fight for you!

Sisters, I understand. 

Life is tough and people are cruel and evil.

Sometimes "the people" are ones you never, ever would believe would "stab you in the back and then twist the knife".  But this happens. People are sinners, even the ones you have loved and trusted.

Sisters in Christ, do not be overcome by evil, but trust the LORD.

Exodus 14:14
"The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Romans 12:1-21
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, 
to present your bodies a living 
and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, 
which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, 
but be transformed by the renewing 
of your mind, so that you may prove 
what the will of God is, that which is good 
and acceptable and perfect...

...Bless those who persecute you; 
bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, 
and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; 
do not be haughty in mind, 
but associate with the lowly. 

Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. 

Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, 
be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, 
but leave room for the wrath of God, 
for it is written, 

“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

“But if your enemy is hungry, 
feed him, 
and if he is thirsty, 
give him a drink; 
for in so doing 
you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, 
but overcome evil with good."
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Suppressing God's Truth for your own agenda is sin!

When you know God's truth, but you choose to morph His Word to fit your agenda, you are mocking God. 

If this is you then you are either the abuser or the abused! Choose now to stop and honor God, not men!

Suppressing God's truth is full of legalisms and lies, it is evil. 

If you are caught up in it you need to get away from it!  If you are enslaved in it you need to cry out to God for His forgiveness and freedom from it!

Romans 1:18-22
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men 
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because that which is known about God is evident within them; 
for God made it evident to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, 
His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, 
being understood through what has been made, 
so that they are without excuse.
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God 
or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, 
and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools"

Proverbs 14:8-12
"The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,
But the foolishness of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is good will.
The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death."

So change your mind,
change your life, 
stop being drawn into their web of lies.

Romans 6:15-23
"What then? 
Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? 
May it never be! 
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves 
for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, 
either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, 
you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching 
to which you were committed,
and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity 
and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, 
so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, 
resulting in sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which 
you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, 
you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification,
and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, 
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Stop Suppressing the Truth!

Romans12 

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, 

to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable 
to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by 
the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will 
of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among 
you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; 
but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to 
each a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the 
members do not have the same function, 

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually 
members one of another.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, 

each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, 

according to the proportion of his faith; 

if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 

he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, 
with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; 
cling to what is good. 

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; 
give preference to one another in honor;

not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty 
in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own 
estimation.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right 
in the sight of all men. 

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the 
wrath of God, for it is written, 
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, 
and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; 
for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

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