Section 1 - Introduction
                  The Advent of Jesus Christ
 

Introduction

Most people have a belief in some concept of God. They believe that there is a god, or that there are gods. Who and what this god is to them, depends on which 'faith' or system of belief these people subscribe to. In most cases, faith is synonymous with 'religion' and includes rites, rituals, and ceremonies to honour, to appease, and to invoke their god for help and good fortune. So we have the many religions, or faiths, such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and many others, as well as what is called Christianity with its cauldron of sects and denominations.

Often, when we declare that we are Christian, we are asked which ‘church’ we belong to. We are expected to say which denomination has our affiliation. If the questioner happens to be of the same denomination, and we are asked which ‘church’ we attend, we are then required to say where the building is located at which we attend services. We find that this word ‘church’ may refer to a particular sect of Christianity or to a particular building at which the denominational services are held.

Why the distinction between one denomination and another? Are they not all Christian? Don’t they all teach the same things? Are not all their teachings based on the same source and authority of the bible? 

Are the services different? Is it ‘better’ to attend services in a church at one location instead of another at some other place? Is God more pleased with the services at some locations? Do we earn more merit by attending services at these select places of worship? Is the service more solemn, or more ‘hip’? Are the facilities better, more comfortable, more hi-tech and state-of-the-art? Are we made to feel good through involvement in well-structured programmes and exciting activities? Is the minister more ‘qualified’ than others? Does he have ‘charisma’, an attractive personality? Is he an organiser, or a trouble-shooter, or a diplomat? So, why do we attend service at a particular church?

We will find that each denomination has its own particular set of doctrines formulated into their creed. And while some of the individual doctrines of a particular sect are common to those of some other denominations, other teachings are variants of, or even contradictions to, them. In these ‘enlightened’ times we have more translations of the bible and we have more study aids and research materiel than ever before. We would expect a sharper focus on truth, a deeper understanding of spiritual issues, and a steady elimination of error. We would expect differences to diminish. Instead, we find that this number of denominations with their different teachings is increasing more and more each year.

Where do all these differences come from? Can we find which of these is the most true to ‘Christian teaching’? Or, are we to be satisfied that the ‘church’ is just a many-coloured conglomeration of denominations with various and variant doctrines? 
 

What An Ecclesia Is

Throughout the Roman empire, especially during the early, formative, years of the fledgling body of believers, most converts had been adherents of some form of sun worship - of Mithras, of Mazda, of Sol Invictus (the Unconquerable Sun), etc. Regrettably, many of them carried over these concepts of their previous allegiance into their new 'religion', thereby tainting it and corrupting it. What should have been spiritual was brought to the level of the physical and tangible. Icons and statues and representations and symbolism gained a foothold and spread like gangrene.

It can be shown that the word 'church' is derived from the name of the pagan goddess Circe (pronounced ser-say), and the associated worship of the sun while standing within a circle, such as at Stonehenge, etc., a pagan circle of worship. 

The inspired Greek word in Scripture for a fellowship of believers is ekklêsia, ecclesia.

From the Greek ek, out, and klêsis, calling, we have ‘ekklêsia’ = out-called which refers to a company of called-out people such as the council in the wilderness (Act.7:38) who were called out from among the people of Israel. The Hebrew miqra has exactly the same meaning, though the KJV renders it convocation in its occurrences. As the word ‘assembly’ fails to convey the idea of an out-calling, the word is transliterated from the Greek as ‘ecclesia’ since the adjective ‘ecclesiastic’ already exists in English. It is applied to the Circumcision saints who followed the Lord (Mt.16:18; Act.5:11), as well as to those called out from among all the nations to be members of the body of Christ (Eph.1:22). [adapted from the  CLNT Keyword Concordance]

Scripture also speaks of a secular and a legal ecclesia at Ephesus (Act.19:32,39,41). This is hidden in most translations where 'assembly' and 'legal assembly' are used instead their usual 'church'. 

This word, ecclesia, appears 115 times in the Greek Scriptures. Of these, only three occur in the ‘gospels’ section, and all in Matthew’s account.

The first occurrence (cf.Mt.16:15-19) is when Jesus declared that He would be building His ecclesia and that Peter would be having a very prominent part to play in it. Because it was evident that the Father was revealing truth to him, he would be given the keys to the kingdom with the power of binding and loosing. The responsibility of shepherding and feeding the sheep of Christ’s flock was given to Peter by the Lord after His resurrection (Jn.21:15-19).

The other two occurrences (cf.Mt.18:15-17), are in a passage outlining procedures to be observed when handling disputes or complaints among this ecclesia of  believers out of Israel (to whom the twelve apostles had been commissioned). The final authority in such cases between one and another among the believers would be the ‘ecclesia’ or congregation of believers.
 

The Calling Out Of A People

After the flood of Noah’s time when every living creature, except the eight people and the selected animals of the ark, had been destroyed, the descendants of Noah inevitably went the way of idolatry and self-determination.

In this environment God called out one man - Abram - to become His follower (Gen.12:1-3). Since Noah, God had not spoken to any human being. So there was no way for Abram to recognise that it was the true God Who spoke to him. What if it had been the Adversary who had contacted him? Abram was counted righteous only when he believed God’s word that he would be a father of many nations and was assured in his own mind that God was able to do whatever He promised (Rom.4:16-22). He had been just as unrighteous as anyone else in his time. It was simply because God, in His own counsel, determined that Abram was the one to be called out from all the paganism around him.

We read of God’s special promises of blessing, including the gift of a tract of land extending from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (Gen.15:18-21), to Abraham (Gen.17:1-8) through the specific bloodline of Isaac and not of Ishmael (Gen.17:18-21), of Jacob and not of Esau (Gen.35:9-12; Rom.9:11-13). These form part of the patriarchal promises.

Scripture accounts the progress of the descendants of these patriarchs through various experiences. We read of Joseph being sold as a slave into Egypt (Gen.39:1) and that it was really God Who determined that he should be there in a position that would be of service to his family (Gen.45:5-13) and would facilitate the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt (Gen.46:1-7).

It was God Who had told Abraham that his descendants in Egypt would be brought down to suffer slavery for four hundred years but that they would be delivered from their subjection (Gen.15:13,14; Ex.1:8-14; Act.7:6).

We read of Moses the deliverer (Ex.3:1-10), of the ten plagues that God afflicted Egypt with, of the exodus of the Israelites across the Red Sea, and of the giving of the law on Mt Sinai. All these proved that God was with Israel; that He was their God and that they, out of all the peoples of the world, were His chosen people.

Deut.4:7,8  For what great nation is there which has elohim so near to it 
as Yahweh our Elohim is in all that we call to Him? 
And what great nation is there which has statutes and judgments so righteous 
as all this law that I am putting before you today? 

Deut.7:6   For you are a people holy to Yahweh your Elohim; 
Yahweh your Elohim has chosen you to become His, 
a special people from all the peoples who are on the surface of the ground. 

Deut.7:7,8  It was not because your multitude was more than all the other peoples 
that Yahweh was attached to you and chose you, 
for you were the fewest of all the peoples.
But it was because of the love of Yahweh for you
and because of His keeping the oath that He had sworn to your fathers 
that Yahweh brought you forth with a steadfast hand 
and ransomed you from the house of servants, 
from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 

Ps.147:19,20  He is telling His words to Jacob, 
His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
He has not done so for any other nation, 
And His ordinances, they do not know them at all.  Praise Yah. 

Lev.20:26  So you will become holy to Me, for I, Yahweh, am holy, 
and I am separating you from the peoples to become Mine. 

Deut.26:18,19  As for Yahweh, 
He affirms today that you are to be for Him a special people, 
just as He promised to you, and that you are to observe all His instructions; 
then He promises to give you supremacy over all the nations 
which He has made, for praise, for a name and for beauty, 
and for you to be a people holy to Yahweh your Elohim 
just as He has promised. 

The Advent and Ministry of Jesus Christ

The Word Became Flesh

God is love. He did not create the world in vain, to no purpose other than to suit His whims and fancies. And He did not create it just to save the infinitesimal fraction of humanity that is the nation of Israel. God loves the world!

Jn.3:16,17  For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, 
that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, 
but may be having life eonian. 
For God does not dispatch His Son into the world 
that He should be judging the world, 
but that the world may be saved through Him. 

When He was about thirty years of age (Lk.3:23), Jesus began His ministry to His people.

Mt.4:17  Thenceforth begins Jesus to be heralding and saying, 
"Repent! for near is the kingdom of the heavens!" 

In fact, Scripture asserts that ‘the whole world is lying in the wicked one’ (1Jn.5:19) and that one of the main reasons for His having come in the flesh is ‘that He should be annulling the acts of the Adversary’ (1Jn.3:8) and that ‘He should be discarding him who has the might of death, that is, the Adversary, and should be clearing those whoever, in fear of death, were through their entire life liable to slavery.’ (Heb.2:14,15).

But there were conditions to be met for entry into the kingdom of God. Jesus declared to Nicodemus,

Jn.3:5-7  Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I am saying to you, 
If anyone should not be begotten of water and of spirit, 
he can not be entering into the kingdom of God. 

John’s Ministry 

For nearly four hundred years after the prophesies if Micah, God had not spoken to His people. God was not about to send His Son down to the earth unannounced. In His wisdom, God's schedule called for someone to prepare the way for the Logos, the Spokesman of God, the One Who would speak God's words, and not His own (cf.Jn.8:25-30).

John, the baptist, was the one chosen for this mission. His ministry was introductory; his was to prepare a repentant people out of the citizenry of Israel in readiness for the Lord. Jesus spoke very highly of him (Mt.11:7-14). From birth John was bound by the Nazarite vow. Jesus was from Nazareth, a Nazarene. Though He and John had different lifestyles, these drew highly derogatory remarks from the leaders of Israel 

Lk.1:15-17  for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord. 
And wine and intoxicant may he under no circumstances be drinking, 
and with holy spirit shall he be filled while still of his mother's womb. 
And many of the sons of Israel shall he be turning back to the Lord their God. 
And he shall be coming before in His sight in the spirit and power of Elijah, 
to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
and the stubborn to the prudence of the just, 
to make ready a people formed for the Lord." 

Lk.1:76-80   Now you, also, little boy, a prophet of the Most High shall be called, 
For you shall be going before in the sight of the Lord To make ready His roads, 
To give the knowledge of salvation to His people In the pardon of their sins, 
Because of the merciful compassions of our God, 
In which the Dayspring from on high visits us, 
To make Its advent to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, 
To direct our feet into the path of peace." 
Now the little boy grows up and was staunch in spirit 
and was in the wilderness till the day of his indication to Israel.

Mt.11:18,19   For John came neither eating nor drinking, 
and they are saying, `A demon has he!' 
The Son of Mankind came eating and drinking, and they are saying, 
`Lo! a man gluttonous and a tippler, a tribute collectors' and sinners' friend!'
 

Having prepared this people, John’s privileged responsibility was to introduce that Lord to them. He introduces Jesus as the Bridegroom, he himself as the friend of the Bridegroom (the ‘best man’ or match-maker), and the people he had prepared out of Israel as the bride.

Jn.3:28-30  He Who has the bride is the Bridegroom. 
Yet the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and is hearing Him, 
is rejoicing with joy because of the Bridegroom's voice. 
This, my joy, then, has been fulfilled. 
He must be growing, yet mine it is to be inferior. 

Jesus pictured Himself as the bridegroom. There was to be rejoicing among the bridal party while He remained with them, only resuming their life and its hardships after He was gone and until the wedding. Where the bride is representative of the believers out of Israel, collectively, here the ‘sons of the bridal chamber’ is a figure for such believers, individually.

Mk.2:19,20  And Jesus said to them, 
"The sons of the bridal chamber can not be fasting while the bridegroom is with them! 
Whatever time they have the bridegroom with them, they can not be fasting. 
Yet coming will be days, whenever the bridegroom may be taken away from them, 
and then they will be fasting in that day. 

Mt.25:1-13  "Then likened shall be the kingdom of the heavens to ten virgins, 
who getting their torches, came out to meet the bridegroom. 
Now five of them were stupid and five prudent. 
For the stupid, getting their torches, got no oil with them, 
yet the prudent got oil in the crocks with their torches. 
Now, at the delaying of the bridegroom, they all nod and drowsed.
Now in the middle of the night a clamor occurs: 
`Lo! the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 
Then roused were all those virgins, and they adorn their torches. 
Now the stupid said to the prudent, 
`Give us of your oil, for our torches are going out.' 
Yet the prudent answered, saying, 
`No, lest at some time there should not be sufficient for us and you. 
Go rather to those who are selling and buy for yourselves.' 
Now, at their coming away to buy, the bridegroom came, 
and those who are ready entered with him into the wedding festivities, 
and the door is locked. 
Now subsequently the rest of the virgins also are coming, saying 
`Lord! Lord! Open to us!' 
Yet he, answering, said, `Verily, I am saying to you, I am not acquainted with you!' 
Watch, then, for you are not aware of the day, neither the hour. 

Mt.24:37-42  "For even as the days of Noah, 
thus shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind. 
For as they were in those days before the deluge, 
masticating and drinking and marrying and taking in marriage 
until the day on which Noah entered into the ark, 
and did not know till the deluge came and takes them all away, 
thus shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind. 
Then two shall be in the field; one is taken along and one left: 
two grinding at the millstone; one is taken along and one left.
Be watching, then, for you are not aware on what day your Lord is coming. 

The Lamb of God Introduced

When Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened and they realised that they were naked. Beginning to recognise what was good and what was not, they devised for themselves coverings to hide their shame which was the result of their wrongdoing. This was a very inadequate covering. God provided them with tunics of skin - which involved the killing of an animal. It indicated that sin could only be ‘covered’ by the shedding of blood and thus foreshadowed the sacrificial lamb for the sin of the world.

Gen.3:7 And unclosing are their eyes, they two, 
and knowing are they that they are naked. 
And sewing are they fig leaves and making for themselves girdle skirts. .

Gen.3:21  And making is Yahweh Elohim for Adam and for his wife tunics of skin, 
and is clothing them. 

Heb.9:22  And almost all is being cleansed in blood according to the law, 
and apart from bloodshedding is coming no pardon. 

Heb.10:4  for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of he-goats 
to be eliminating sins.

Jn.1:29  On the morrow he is observing Jesus coming toward him, and is saying, 
"Lo! the Lamb of God Which is taking away the sin of the world! 

Jn.1:35-37  On the morrow John again stood, and two of his disciples. 
And, looking at Jesus walking, he is saying, "Lo! the Lamb of God!" 
And the two disciples hear him speaking, and they follow Jesus. 

Act.8:32  Now the context of the scripture which he read was this: 
"As a sheep to slaughter was He led, 
And as a lamb in front of its shearer is not bleating, 
Thus He is not opening His mouth. 

1Pet.1:18,19  being aware that not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, 
were you ransomed from your vain behavior, 
handed down by tradition from the fathers, 
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a flawless and unspotted lamb, 

The Lamb and Its Bride

These figures of Bridegroom and Lamb are extended to the book of Revelation and relevant to the coming in glory of Jesus to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Here the figures are also fused together as they focus on One and the Same Being.

Rev.5:3-7 And no one in heaven, nor yet on earth, nor yet underneath the earth, 
was able to open the scroll, neither to look at it. 
And I lamented much that no one was found worthy 
to open the scroll, neither to look at it. 
And one of the elders is saying to me, 
"Do not lament! Lo! He conquers! The Lion out of the tribe of Judah, 
the Root of David, is to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals!" 
And I perceived, in the center of the throne and of the four animals, 
and in the center of the elders, a Lambkin standing, as though slain, 
having seven horns, and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God, 
commissioned for the entire earth.
And It came and has taken the scroll out of the right hand 
of Him Who is sitting on the throne. 

Mt.19:28  Yet Jesus said to them, 
"Verily, I am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence 
whenever the Son of Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory, 
you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Rev.19:11-16  And I perceived heaven open, and lo! a white horse. 
And He Who is sitting on it is called "Faithful and True," 
and in righteousness is He judging and battling. 
Now His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, 
having names written of which no one except Himself is aware, 
and He is clothed in a cloak dipped in blood, 
and His name is called "The Word of God." 
And the armies in heaven, dressed in cambric, white and clean, 
followed Him on white horses. And out of His mouth a sharp blade is issuing, 
that with it He should be smiting the nations. 
And He will be shepherding them with an iron club. 
And He is treading the wine trough of the fury of the indignation of God, the Almighty. 
And on His cloak and on His thigh He has a name written: 
"King of kings and Lord of lords." 

Rev.19:7  We may be rejoicing and exulting and will be giving glory to Him, 
for the wedding of the Lambkin came, and Its bride makes herself ready." 

Rev.19:9  And he is saying to me, "Write: 
`Happy are those invited to the wedding dinner of the Lambkin.'"… 
 

In the new Heavens and new Earth, this figure is again adjusted to fit the situation. The bride is now new Jerusalem descending out of heaven, the home of all the faithful of all the tribes of Israel from the time of Abraham, with special honour for the twelve apostles. And the bride is now the wife of the Lamb.

Rev.21:2  I perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven 
from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev.21:9-12  …"Hither! I shall be showing you the bride, the wife of the Lambkin." 
And he carries me away, in spirit, on a mountain, huge and high, 
and shows me the holy city, Jerusalem, 
as it is descending out of heaven from God, having the glory from God….
…at the portals twelve messengers, and their names inscribed, 
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 

Rev.21:14  And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, 
and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lambkin. 

Rev.22:1-4  And he shows me a river of water of life, resplendent as crystal, 
issuing out of the throne of God and the Lambkin…. 
and the throne of God and of the Lambkin shall be in it. 
And His slaves shall be offering divine service to Him. 
And they shall be seeing His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 

Rev.22:17  And the spirit and the bride are saying, `Come!' 
and let him who is hearing say, `Come!' And let him who is thirsting come. 
Let him who will, take the water of life gratuitously. 
 

The Word was made flesh to accord with God's will and purpose. Jesus came to carry out His Father's will and did not stray from this objective. 

Heb.10:7  Then said I, "Lo! I am arriving-- 
In the summary of the scroll it is written concerning Me-- 
To do Thy will, O God." 

Jn.4:34  Jesus is saying to them, 
"My food is that I should be doing the will of Him Who sends Me,
and should be perfecting His work.

Lk.22:42  …"Father, if it is Thy intention, carry aside this cup from Me. 
However, not My will, but Thine, be done!" 

Restricted To the House of Israel 

His commission from His Father, God, was restricted to the people of Israel. He was to confirm the promises God had made to the patriarchs of Israel. The nations could expect nothing from His ministry - except the crumbs that spilled over from the table of Israel's blessings. The contexts of His teachings and miracles are important to keep in mind as we study the four accounts of His life in Scripture. Failure to note these indicators has led to many ambiguities and outright errors.

Rom.15:8  For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, 
for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises

Mt.15:24-27  Now He, answering, said, 
"I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Yet she, coming, worships Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 
Yet He, answering, said, 
"It is not ideal to be taking the children's bread and to be casting it to the puppies." 
Yet she said, "Yes, Lord! For the puppies also 
are eating of the scraps that are falling from their masters' table." 

The Apostles Appointed And Delegated

Even His apostles were given clear and direct orders concerning this restriction. Their message was to be of the kingdom. The good news they were to herald was to prepare the way for Israel's supremacy in that kingdom! This limitation the apostles observed as the record in Scripture shows, revered 'church traditions' notwithstanding!

Mt.10:5-7  These twelve Jesus commissions, charging them, saying, 
"Into a road of the nations you may not pass forth, 
and into a city of the Samaritans you may not be entering.
Yet be going rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Now going, herald, saying that `Near is the kingdom of the heavens!' 

Mt.19:28  Yet Jesus said to them, 
Verily, I am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence 
whenever the Son of Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory, 
you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Rev.22:9-14  And one of the seven messengers… speaks with me, saying, 
"Hither! I shall be showing you the bride, the wife of the Lambkin." 
And he carries me away, in spirit, …and shows me the holy city, Jerusalem, 
as it is descending out of heaven from God, having the glory from God…. 
having twelve portals, and at the portals twelve messengers, 
and their names inscribed, 
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel….
And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, 
and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lambkin. 

Mt.10:2-4  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: 
First, Simon, termed Peter, and Andrew, his brother, 
and James of Zebedee, and John, his brother; 
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the tribute collector, 
James of Alpheus and Thaddeus, 
Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also gives Him up. 

Act.1:20-26  "For it is written in the scroll of the Psalms, 
Let his domicile become desolate, And let no one be dwelling in it, 
and  `Let his supervision be taken by another.' 
Then, of the men coming together with us 
in all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and out to us, 
beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which He was taken up from us—
of these one is to become a witness of His resurrection together with us." 
And they nominate two, 
Joseph, called Bar-Sabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 
And praying, they say, 
"Thou, Lord, Knower of all hearts, indicate one whom Thou choosest,
out of these two to take the place of this dispensation and apostleship, 
from which Judas transgressed, to be gone into his own place." 
And they give lots for them, and the lot falls on Matthias, 
and he is enumerated with the eleven apostles. 

Act.12:1,2 Now at that season Herod the king put forth his hands 
to illtreat some from the ecclesia. 
Now he assassinated James, the brother of John, with the sword. 

An Enhancement Of The Law 

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it, not to lower the standard nor to cut corners to make it easier for the people of Israel to observe. Not once did He teach that the law, as a whole, was to be done away with. Neither did He give any authority for people, or councils, or synods, to exercise preference on which ones or parts to accept and which to discard! The believers of the Circumcision held on to this law with tenacity and fervour and were quick to defend its integrity (cf.Act.21:20,21). 

Mt.5:17,18  You should not infer that I came to demolish the law or the prophets. 
I came not to demolish, but to fulfill. 
For verily, I am saying to you, Till heaven and earth should be passing by, 
one iota or one serif may by no means be passing by from the law 
till all should be occurring. 

Jn.1:17  For the law through Moses was given;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ 

Mt.5:21,22 You hear that it was declared to the ancients, 
`You shall not murder.' Yet whoever should be murdering shall be liable to the judging.
Yet I am saying to you 
that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judging. 
Yet whoever may be saying to his brother, `Raka!' shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. 
Yet whoever may be saying, `Stupid!' shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire.

Mt.5:27,28  You hear that it was declared, `You shall not be committing adultery.' 
Yet I am saying to you that every man looking at a woman to lust for her 
already commits adultery with her in his heart. 

Mt.5:31,32  Now it was declared, 
Whoever should be dismissing his wife, let him be giving her a divorce. 
Yet I am saying to you that everyone dismissing his wife 
(outside of a case of prostitution) is making her commit adultery, and 
whosoever should be marrying her who has been dismissed is committing adultery. 

Mt.5:38-42  You hear that it was declared, 
`An eye for an eye,' and `A tooth for a tooth.' 
Yet I am saying to you not to withstand a wicked person, 
but anyone who slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
And he who wants to sue you and obtain your tunic, leave him your cloak also. 
And anyone who conscripts you one mile, go with him two. 
To him who requests you, give; 
and from him who wants to borrow from you, you may not turn. 

Mt.5:43-45  You hear that it was declared, 
`You shall be loving your associate' and you shall be hating your enemy. 
Yet I am saying to you, 
Love your enemies, and pray for those who are persecuting you, 
so that you may become sons of your Father Who is in the heavens, 
for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked and the good, 
and makes it rain on the just and the unjust. 

Mt.5:46-48  For if ever you should love those who are loving you, 
what wages have you? 
Are not the tribute collectors also doing the same? 
And if ever you should greet your brothers only, what are you doing that is excessive? 
Are not those of the nations also doing the same? 
You, then, shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. 

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Proceed to: 
....Section 2   -   The Promise of Holy Spirit 
..........................Mankind in Need of God 
....Section 3   -   A New Operation 
....................... . The Law 
....Section 4   -   God's Operation
....Section 5a   -   The Body of Christ
....Section 5b   -   The Body of Christ
....Section 6   -   Conclusion