Chapter 1

¹ Paul, a slave of Jesus the Anointed One, who is called an Apostle, and who was set aside for the good news of God, ² which He promised through His Prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ that tell about His Son, who came in the flesh from the seed of David, ⁴ and who proved to be God's Son in a powerful way, when he (by the Holy Breath [of God]) was resurrected from the dead. Yes, Jesus the Anointed One, our Lord, ⁵ through whom we received loving care and a commission that we have obeyed, so that all the nations might have faith in his name, ⁶ from which you've also become the called who belong to Jesus the Anointed. ⁷ To all in Rome, God's loved ones who were called to be holy; may you have favor and peace from God our Father, and [the Father] of the Lord Jesus the Anointed.

⁸ First, I thank my God for all of you, through Jesus the Anointed, because your faith is being announced throughout the whole world. ⁹ For my God (whom I worship and serve in the good news about His Son with my spirit) is my Witness that I never fail to remember you in my prayers. ¹⁰ I keep begging that I can find a way sometime in the will of God to come to you, ¹¹ for I long to see you, so I can give you some spiritual gift to help make you unshakable. ¹² Or perhaps we can encourage each other through our faith, both yours and mine.

¹³ I don't want you to fail to recognize this, brothers: I planned to come to you many times, but I've been prevented from doing so until now, so that I could find the same type of fruitage which I have in you among the rest of the nations. ¹⁴ I'm in debt to Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the ignorant; ¹⁵ so I'm eager to preach the good news to you there in Rome also. ¹⁶ I'm not ashamed of the good news, because it's the power that God uses to save everyone who has faith… first the Jew, and then the Greek. ¹⁷ Why, God's righteous ways are revealed in the faith of the faithful, for it's written, 'The righteous will live by [their] faith.'

¹⁸ However, God's fury is being displayed from heaven against all the ungodliness and badness of men who unrighteously try to resist the truth. ¹⁹ And whatever can be known about God already shines among them, for God made it shine to them. ²⁰ Also, His invisible things (which include His eternal power and might) are known and can be clearly seen in everything He has made from the creation of the cosmos onward, and this leaves [them] without any defense. ²¹ For, although they know God, they don't glorify Him as God or thank Him. But their thinking is wasted, their unintelligent hearts become dark, ²² and while claiming to be wise, they become morons.

²³ Why, they've turned the glory of the incorruptible God into images of corruptible men, flying things, four-footed creatures, and things that slither. ²⁴ So God gave them what their hearts desired… uncleanness to dishonor their bodies. ²⁵ Yes, they've exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and they've started worshiping and serving things that were created rather than He who created them and who is praised through the ages. May it be.

²⁶ And this is why God abandoned them to their dishonorable passions, for their females changed the natural use of themselves into something that's unnatural, ²⁷ and the same is true of their males; for they left the natural use of females and started burning in their lust toward each other – males with males – doing what is indecent and receiving the type of reward they deserve for such wrongdoing. ²⁸ And because they didn't like the idea of having an accurate knowledge of God, He gave them an unrighteous mind, which makes them do these wrong things. ²⁹ They're filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, badness, envy, murder, arguments, deceit, rudeness, and gossip. ³⁰ [They are] slanderers, God haters, insolent, proud, braggarts, inventors of badness, disobedient to parents, ³¹ without any understanding, agreement breakers, without any love of their families, and merciless. ³² And although they know the righteous ways of God very well – and that those who do such things deserve death – they not only keep on doing them, but they also approve of others who do such things.

Chapter 2

¹ So, you are defenseless, O man, if you're someone who judges others. Because, when you judge others, you're condemning yourself, since you're doing the very same things that you judge [to be wrong in them]. ² And we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is righteous.

³ So, when you judge those who do these things that you yourselves are doing, do you believe that you'll escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you have contempt for the wealth of His caring, patience, and endurance, because you don't realize that these qualities of God are trying to lead you to repent?

⁵ It's because of your hard and unrepentant hearts that you're saving up a treasure of rage for yourselves on that Day of fury when the righteous judgments of God will be seen. ⁶ For then He will pay everyone back for the things that they've done. ⁷ But for those who've done good things and who are searching for age-long life, there is glory, honor, and incorruption. ⁸ However, those who like to argue and disobey the truth by being unrighteous will receive [God's] wrath, anger, ⁹ and some very difficult hard times. This will come into the life of every man who works at doing bad things – for the Jew first, and then for the Greek. ¹⁰ But there is glory, honor, and peace for everyone who works at doing what's good – for the Jew first, and then for the Greek – ¹¹ because God doesn't discriminate.

¹² All those who are without Law are sinners; and without the Law they're destroying themselves. But those who are under Law and who still sin are judged by the Law. ¹³ Yet, those who just listen to the Law aren't righteous before God; only those who obey the Law will be called righteous.

¹⁴ Whenever people of the nations who don't have the Law naturally obey things in the Law, they not only have the Law, they are the Law! ¹⁵ For, when they obey the Law, they show that it's written in their hearts, and it works with their consciences there and examines their thoughts. Then it will either accuse them or defend them ¹⁶ in the Day when The God judges the hidden things of men by this good news that I'm preaching (through the Anointed Jesus).

¹⁷ Now, if you are called a Jew and you're resting on the Law and taking pride in your God; ¹⁸ and if you understand His Will and all the excellent instructions of the Law; ¹⁹ and if you think that you're a guide to the blind and a light for those who are in darkness ²⁰ (someone who can instruct the unreasonable and teach babies); and if you fully grasp the knowledge and truth in the Law; ²¹ then, do you, [the one] who teaches others, also teach yourselves? And you who preach Do not steal… do you steal? ²² And you who teach Do not commit adultery… do you commit adultery? And you who are disgusted with idols… do you take things from [their] temples? ²³ And you who take pride in [God's] Law… do you dishonor God by breaking the Law? ²⁴ For it is written: 'God's Name is being blasphemed among the nations on account of you people!'

²⁵ Now, circumcision does some good… if you obey the Law. But if you're a person who breaks the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ And if an uncircumcised person obeys the righteous requirements of the Law, won't his uncircumcision be considered circumcision? ²⁷ So, if those who are uncircumcised naturally obey the Law (except for what it says about being circumcised), they're really judging those of you who break the Law.

²⁸ Therefore, being a Jew is something that can't be seen, and [true] circumcision isn't something that can be seen in the flesh. ²⁹ Rather, it's something that's inside the hidden Jew. Because, circumcision is in the spirit of the heart, not from something that's written… it's not there to be praised by men, but by The God!

Chapter 3

¹ In what way then, is a Jew superior; or of what benefit is circumcision? ² It's a huge benefit in every way, for God entrusted His Word to the hands [of the circumcised]. ³ Why? Well, if some [of them] don't believe, does their lack of faith prove that faith in God is worthless? ⁴ May that never happen! Let The God be proven true even if it makes every man a liar! For it's written: 'So that you might be proven righteous by your words, and you can gain victory when you're being judged.'

⁵ However, if our unrighteousness [is exposed by] God's righteousness, what can we say? Then God won't be wrong when He brings His wrath, will He? So, I'm saying this to [all] men: ⁶ May that never happen! Otherwise, how could The God judge the world?

⁷ Now, if I tell a lie and that makes the truth of God and His glory grow, then why should I be judged a sinner? ⁸ Well, that's why people are saying so many bad things about us. They claim that some of us are saying, 'Let's do bad things so good things can happen.' This is why such a judgment is righteous.

⁹ So, is there anything that makes us [Jews] better than [gentiles]? Not at all; for we have proven to you that both Jews and Greeks are sinners! ¹⁰ Why, it's written:
'No one is righteous… not one!
¹¹ No one really understands,
Nor is anyone searching for God.'
¹² All have strayed and are useless.
And no one is kind… no not one!'
¹³ 'Their throats are all opened like graves,
To the tongues of those whom they've deceived,
And the poison of asps is under their lips.'
¹⁴ 'Their mouths are full of angry shouting and curses.
¹⁵ Their feet are ready to spill blood.
¹⁶ They're on the path to misery and to ruin,
¹⁷ And roads to peace they've not known,
¹⁸ For, there is no fear of God in their eyes.'

¹⁹ Now, we know that everything the Law says was meant for those who were under the Law… it stopped every mouth and made the whole world deserving of God's punishment. ²⁰ But no flesh will be called righteous before Him by obeying the Law, since the Law is just the understanding of sin.

²¹ But now, the righteousness of God can be seen in the absence of the Law, and the Law and the Prophets are witnesses to this. For, the Law and the Prophets testified ²² that God's righteousness would come to all those who believe and show their faith in Jesus the Anointed One… so there's really no difference between us, ²³ because we all sin and fall short of God's glory! ²⁴ Thus, being called righteous is a gift that He kindly gives through the ransom that was paid by the Anointed Jesus. ²⁵ For, God sent him here as a gift, so that when we have faith in his blood, we can be forgiven for the sins we've committed in the past… ²⁶ back when God was just tolerating us. And this is what allows us to look into His righteous ways today. Yes, He proves Himself righteous by calling [all] those who have faith in Jesus righteous!

²⁷ So, where is our reason for boasting? It's gone! Does it come from our doing what the Law tells us to do? No, it comes through the Law of Faith, ²⁸ because we believe that a man is called righteous due to his faith, so he doesn't have to follow the Law.

²⁹ [Do you think that He] is only the God of the Jews… isn't He also [the God of] of people of all nations? Yes! [He's the God] of people of the nations also! ³⁰ So, God is really the One who calls both the circumcised and the uncircumcised righteous because of their faith.

³¹ Then, does our faith make the Law worthless? Never may that happen! Rather, we give it an equal standing.

Chapter 4

¹ Now, what about our fleshly ancestor AbraHam?

² If [God] called AbraHam righteous because of the things he did, [AbraHam] might have had a reason to brag… but not to God. ³ Because, what do the Scriptures say? 'AbraHam was thought of as righteous, because he believed in The God.'

⁴ Now, when a man works [for a living], his getting paid isn't thought of as a kindness… it's something that he's owed! ⁵ However, those who don't actually do anything other than just have faith in He who calls the ungodly ones righteous, are counted as righteous because of their faith.

⁶ David also talked about the happiness of a man whom God considers to be righteous despite [the things] that he's done, [when he said], ⁷ 'Those who have been pardoned for their lawbreaking and whose sins have been covered are blest. ⁸ Blest are all men whose sins are overlooked by Jehovah!'

⁹ So, doesn't this blessing come to both the circumcised and the uncircumcised? Well, as was said, 'AbraHam was thought of as righteous because of his faith.'

¹⁰ And what was [AbraHam's] situation when [God] thought of him this way? Was this before he was circumcised, or was it after he was circumcised? It wasn't after he was circumcised; it was when he was uncircumcised! ¹¹ For the sign that he received was circumcision… and this seal showed that the faith he had was righteous even when he was uncircumcised. As the result, he became the father of all those who have faith – even if they are uncircumcised – and that's why they can be thought of as righteous.

¹² Yes, he did become the father of circumcised offspring. However, not just [the father] of those who are circumcised [in the flesh], but also of those who obediently walk in the footsteps of that faith while they are uncircumcised… as was true of our father AbraHam.

¹³ AbraHam and his seed weren't given the promise of inheriting the arrangement because of the Law, but because of his righteousness, which came from his faith! ¹⁴ Why, if only those who hang onto the Law are [his] heirs, then there's no value in having faith, and the promise is worthless. ¹⁵ But all that the Law brings is [God's] wrath. Yet, where there's no law, there's nothing to break!

¹⁶ It's only because of [God's] faithfulness and loving care that we can be sure of His promise of a seed. [This promise] wasn't made to those who are just under the Law, but to all those who have the same faith as AbraHam, the father of us all.

¹⁷ It was written: 'I've appointed you to be the father of many nations.' [And at the time], he was standing before The God in whom he believed… He who makes the dead alive and calls the things that aren't and makes them exist. ¹⁸ And although [AbraHam] had no reason for hope, he put faith in the hope that he would become the father of many nations, because he was told, 'These will be your seed.'

¹⁹ And his faith wasn't weakened by the fact that his body was almost dead, which he knew [to be true], since he was about a hundred years old, and that the womb of Sarah was dead. ²⁰ But, because this was promised to him by God, his faith didn't waver. And by giving glory to God, his faith made him strong, ²¹ for he was completely convinced that He could do whatever He had promised… ²² and that's why [AbraHam] was thought of as righteous!

²³ Now, the words, 'he was thought of as,' weren't just written for his sake, ²⁴ but for the sake of all of us who [God] thinks of in that very same way… because we believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead ²⁵ after he had been offered up for our errors (and then raised), so we too can be thought of as righteous!

Chapter 5

¹ So, now that we've been called righteous because of our faith, let's enjoy the peace that we have with God through our Lord Jesus the Anointed One. ² For, it's through him that we have this faith and are able to bask in His loving care. So, let's brag about the hope [we have in] the Glory of God. ³ And not only that; let's also brag about the difficulties we suffer, because we know that they give us the strength to endure; ⁴ for that strength to endure proves that we've passed the tests; and passing the tests gives us hope! ⁵ This hope will never embarrass us, because it pours God's love into our hearts through the Holy Breath that He gives us.

⁶ For a fact; The Anointed One came right on time and died for ungodly men back when we were still weak! ⁷ Why, hardly anyone would be willing to die for the righteous, and even fewer would be willing to die for the good. ⁸ But God showed His love for us while we were still sinners, through the Anointed One who died for us.

⁹ Now, since we've been called righteous by his blood, isn't it even more likely that he will save us from [God's] wrath? ¹⁰ Because, if we found God's favor through the death of His Son while we were His enemies, how much more so will we be saved by His [son's] life, now that He cares for us! ¹¹ And not only that; but now (through our Lord Jesus the Anointed One) we're also glorifying The God who has granted us this privilege.

¹² Why, sin entered the arrangement through one man, and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men and everyone has sinned. ¹³ However, although there was sin in the world before the Law, sin is never held against someone when there's no law. ¹⁴ Yet, death reigned from [the time of] Adam down to Moses, even over those who didn't sin in the same way that Adam did… but [Adam] was a type of he who was to come.

¹⁵ Yet, the error [of Adam] isn't like the gift [from God], because; if many died due to the error of one man, then, how much more so the caring of God and His gift (the loving care of one man, Jesus the Anointed One) has helped many. ¹⁶ So, the gift didn't come from the one who sinned, for all he brought was condemnation; but [God's] gift is the counting of us as righteous [despite our] many sins. ¹⁷ And if (because of that one error) death started its reign through [Adam]; then those who receive His loving care and the gift of righteousness during this life will even be more sure to rule as kings through Jesus the Anointed.

¹⁸ Really then; Since the result of one error was to condemn all men, then, through this one righteous act all men can be counted righteous to life. ¹⁹ And as the disobedience of one man caused many to become sinners (because of his disobedience), many will also be made righteous!

²⁰ Now, the Law came along so that there would be many errors. And where there are many errors, even more kindness can be shown. ²¹ So, as sin has reigned and brought death, [God's] loving care will reign through righteousness and bring age-long life through the Anointed Jesus, our Lord.

Chapter 6

¹ So, what can we say? Should we remain sinners so there can be more [of His] loving care? ² May that never happen! Since we've died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? ³ Don't you realize that all who were baptized into the Anointed Jesus were also baptized into his death? ⁴ So, we were buried together into him by our baptism into death. And just as the Anointed One was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, we should be walking in a new way of life.

⁵ Now, if we've been buried with him into the same type of death, then [like him], we will also be resurrected. ⁶ So, we must recognize that the person we used to be was hung on a pole with [him] to end our sinful bodies… and this means that we won't be slaves to sin anymore, ⁷ because, those who have died are acquitted of sin.

⁸ And if we died along with the Anointed One, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For, we know that the Anointed One has been raised from the dead and he won't die again, so death isn't his master anymore. ¹⁰ And when he died, he died for sins just once… and now he's alive and he's living to The God. ¹¹ So, you should also consider yourselves dead when it comes to sin, but living to God through the Anointed Jesus.

¹² As the result; Don't allow sin to rule your mortal bodies and don't obey its desires. ¹³ Nor should you offer your body parts as unrighteous weapons of sin. Rather, offer yourselves to God as people who've been raised from the dead; and [offer] your body parts to God as weapons of righteousness! ¹⁴ So, sin must not be your master, because you aren't under Law, you're under [God's] loving care.

¹⁵ Then, should we commit a sin because we aren't under the Law but under [God's] loving care? May that never happen! ¹⁶ Don't you know that if you offer yourselves to obey someone as a slave, you're really the slave of whomever you obey! [So, you're] either [a slave] to sin, which results in death, or to obedience, which results in righteousness. ¹⁷ Thank God that; although you used to be slaves to sin, your hearts started to obey this teaching that you were given, ¹⁸ and this is what freed you from sin and made you slaves to righteousness!

¹⁹ I'm going to put this in simple terms because of your fleshly weaknesses: Just as you once offered your body parts as unclean slaves to immorality and Law breaking, you must now offer your body parts as slaves to righteousness and holiness. ²⁰ Because, [back] when you were slaves to sin, you were also free from righteousness.

²¹ And what was the result of the things [you did] back then… aren't these the very things that you're ashamed of now? For, such things end in death! ²² However, now that you've been set free from sin and become slaves of God, the result is holiness and age-long life. ²³ For the wage of sin is death; but God's gift is age-long life through the Anointed Jesus, our Lord.

Chapter 7

¹ Brothers, recognize that I'm telling those [of you] who know the Law that the Law is a man's master for as long as he lives. ² Why, it's the same situation as with a wife. She must obey her husband throughout his life; but after he dies, she's no longer under his law. ³ And while her husband was alive, she would have been condemned as an adulteress if she ever became the wife of another man. However, after her husband dies, she's free from his law and she isn't an adulteress if she marries someone else.

⁴ So, my brothers; You died to the Law through the body of the Anointed One. And now you can belong to someone else – the one who was raised from the dead – so that we can produce fruitage for God. ⁵ Because, while we were fleshly, what the Law labels as sinful passions were working inside us, and the fruitage that it produced was death. ⁶ But now that we've been freed from the Law (because we've died to the thing that held us down), we can become slaves to something new… not to just some old writings, but to a newness of spirit!

⁷ So, what should we say? Is the Law sinful? May that never be true! Why, I wouldn't have known what sin was if it weren't for the Law. And I wouldn't have known what lust was if the Law hadn't said, 'You must not lust.' ⁸ Yet, when I learned about this sin from the Commandment, it created every sort of lust. So, when there was no Law, sin was dead.

⁹ Why, I once lived without the Law. However, when the Commandments came along, sin came to life… and I died. ¹⁰ So I found that the Commandments which were supposed to lead me to life really led to death; ¹¹ for the sins that I learned about in the Commandments seduced me and killed me. ¹² Yet, the Law and the Commandments are holy, righteous, and good.

¹³ So, did the thing that was good for me bring death? May that never happen! Rather, sin (when it was shown to be sin by the thing that's good for me) is what caused my death… so the Commandments make sin a lot more sinful!

¹⁴ You see; the Law comes from the Breath [of God], but I am fleshly and I was sold into sin, ¹⁵ so I didn't know what I was doing… I don't do the things that I want to do, and I don't like the things that I'm doing. ¹⁶ However, despite the fact that I do things I don't want to do, I say that the Law is good. ¹⁷ And I'm not obeying it yet, because sin still lives within me.

¹⁸ I know that nothing in my living flesh is any good, for I want to do what's right, but I don't actually have the will to do it. ¹⁹ So, I don't do the good things that I want to do and I practice what's bad. ²⁰ Therefore, if I'm doing things that I don't want to do, I'm not in charge [of my body], the sin that lives there is!

²¹ So, I find that I want to obey the Law and do good things, but badness is here with me. ²² And though the man that I am on the inside really enjoys the Law of God, ²³ my body parts obey a different law and they're at war with the law of my mind… they carry me off as a captive to the law of sin that's in my body parts.

²⁴ O what a miserable man that I am! Who will save me from this dying body? ²⁵ Thanks to God (through Jesus the Anointed One, our Lord) that I'm a slave to God's Law in my mind, even if I am a slave to sin's law in my flesh.

Chapter 8

¹ So, nothing can condemn those who are in the Anointed Jesus (those who are walking in the ways of the Spirit, not [in the ways of] the flesh) ² because the law of the Breath of life (through the Anointed Jesus) doesn't come from the Law of sin and death. ³ So, the weakness of the Law is just the weakness of the flesh. And by sending His own Son over the matter of sin (in what appeared to be sinful flesh), God condemned fleshly sin. ⁴ [And He did this] so that the righteous requirements of the Law could be fulfilled in those of us who aren't obeying the flesh, but the Breath (Spirit). ⁵ For, those who obey their flesh just think about fleshly things; but those who obey the Spirit must obey the things that come from His Spirit.

⁶ Why, thinking in a fleshly way results in death; but thinking in a spiritual way brings life and peace. ⁷ So, obedience to the flesh brings God's rejection, because [the flesh] isn't under God's Law, nor can it ever be! ⁸ Therefore, those who follow fleshly ways can't please God. ⁹ However, if God's Breath lives in us, we aren't fleshly but spiritual… and whoever doesn't have the Spirit of the Anointed One doesn't belong to him. ¹⁰ So, if the Anointed One is in you, your body is indeed dead through sin, but the spirit is alive through righteousness.

¹¹ Now, if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised the Anointed Jesus from the dead will also make your dying bodies alive through His Breath that's in you.

¹² So brothers; It's our duty not to follow the ways of the flesh while we're in the flesh, ¹³ for if you are living according to fleshly ways, you're about to die. Therefore, you must use [God's] Breath to kill the practices of the body, so you will live. ¹⁴ For, all who are led by God's Breath are God's sons!

¹⁵ You didn't receive His Breath to make you slaves to fear again, for when you received it, it adopted you as His sons… so by this Breath we can call out, 'Papa! Father!' ¹⁶ And it's the same Spirit (Breath) that testifies to the spirit within us that we're God's children… ¹⁷ and if we're [His] children, we're also [His] heirs… yes, heirs of God and heirs with the Anointed One! However, we'll have to suffer together so we can be glorified together.

¹⁸ I don't believe that the sufferings we currently must endure amount to anything when they're compared to the glory that's going to be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For, [all] creation has been eagerly expecting and awaiting the revealing of the Sons of God. ²⁰ Why, the things that were created didn't have a choice when it comes their not having any hope… and it was only because of Him that they have any hope at all. ²¹ But creation will be set free from slavery to corruption through the glorious liberation of the children of The God.

²² We know that all creation has been groaning and in birth pains until now. ²³ And it isn't alone, since even we who have received the first fruitage of [God's] Breath groan within ourselves as we anticipate being accepted as [His] sons… awaiting the ransom release of our bodies. ²⁴ Yes, this is the hope that's saving us!

Now, when you hope for something that you can already see, that really isn't hope, because people don't hope for something they can see. ²⁵ However, if we keep hoping for something we can't see, we'll keep waiting for it patiently.

²⁶ The [Holy] Spirit also helps us with our weaknesses, because we don't always know what to pray for. However, the Spirit is there, groaning the words [that we] haven't spoken. ²⁷ And He who searches hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because; according to God's [Will], he is an advocate for the holy ones.

²⁸ Why, we know that God makes everything work together for the good of those who love Him (those who have been called to do His Will). ²⁹ For, He recognized them ahead of time and chose them to become like His Son… he who was to be the firstborn from among many brothers! ³⁰ He calls all those whom He selects, then He makes all those whom He calls righteous, and He glorifies all those whom He makes righteous.

³¹ So, what can we say about all of this? If God is over us, who can come down on us? ³² Why, He didn't even spare His own Son, but handed him over for all our sakes… so why won't He also give us everything else?

³³ Who can accuse those who were chosen by God? For, if God calls [them] righteous, ³⁴ who can condemn them? Why, the Anointed Jesus (who died, was raised from the dead, and who is at God's right hand) is also pleading for us. ³⁵ So, what can remove us from the love of the Anointed One… not hard times, difficulties, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or swords! ³⁶ As it was written, 'We're being killed for Your sake all day long… we are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered!'

³⁷ But [now] we're winners in all these things, through He who loves us. ³⁸ For, I'm convinced that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor governments, nor things that are happening, nor things that will happen, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to take us from God's love that is in the Anointed Jesus, our Lord!

Chapter 9

¹ I'm telling the truth in the name of the Anointed One (I'm not lying, since my conscience testifies with me in [God's] Holy Breath): ² I'm extremely sad and constantly sick at heart, ³ because, I wish that I could be the one who is cursed by being separated from the Anointed One, rather than my brothers and fleshly relatives, ⁴ the IsraElites. They're the ones to whom the adoption as sons, the glory, the Sacred Agreement, the Law, the worship, and the promises belong. ⁵ They're the ones who descended from the forefathers and from whom the Anointed One descended in the flesh… praise God who's over everything through the ages, may it be! ⁶ But God's word didn't fail, because not all who came from IsraEl are really IsraEl, ⁷ nor are all of AbraHam's seed his children. For [it's written]: 'That which will be called your seed will come through IsaAc.' ⁸ However, [IsaAc's] fleshly children aren't the children of God… the children of the promise are that seed.

⁹ This is what was promised: 'I will return at this time and Sarah will have a son.' ¹⁰ And that isn't the only instance; for, when Rebecca was pregnant with twins from our forefather IsaAc, ¹¹ and before they were born or did anything good or bad (just to show that God's purpose doesn't dependent on the things we do, but on the One who does the choosing), ¹² she was told, 'The older will be the younger [one's] slave.' ¹³ And it was written: 'I loved Jacob, but I didn't care for Esau.'

¹⁴ So, what can we say? Is God unjust? May that never be true! ¹⁵ But he told Moses, 'I will be merciful with whomever I [choose to] feel mercy, and I will be compassionate with whomever I [choose to] feel compassionate.' ¹⁶ So, it doesn't depend on the one who does the wishing, or on the one who runs [the race], but on the mercy of God!

¹⁷ In the Scriptures [we read that] PharaOh was told: 'This is the reason why I've allowed you to remain; so I can show My power over you, and to have My Name announced throughout the earth!'

¹⁸ So the [point is]; He shows mercy on whomever He wishes, and He hardens [the heart] of whomever He wishes.

¹⁹ Now, you might ask: 'Then, why does [God] blame anyone? For, who can resist whatever He says that He chooses to do?'

²⁰ O man; Who are you to question God? Will the thing that is made ask its maker, 'Why did you make me like this?' ²¹ For, isn't the one who makes pottery in charge of his clay; and can't he make one pot for an honorable use and another for a dishonorable use from the same lump [of clay]? ²² Why, God can choose to show His rage or make His power known to pottery that He's had to endure, because it was made for His rage and is only fit to be destroyed, ²³ so that He can show the richness of His glory on pots of mercy that He prepared ahead of time for glory… ²⁴ those of us whom He called not just from the Jews, but also from among the nations!

²⁵ It's as He said in Hosea: 'I will call those who aren't My people, My people; and her whom I didn't love, My loved one; ²⁶ and in the place that they were told You aren't My people, is where they will be called Sons of the living God.'

²⁷ Why, IsaiAh shouted this about IsraEl: 'Although the sons of IsraEl may become as many as the sands of the sea, only a few will be saved. ²⁸ For, Jehovah will call the land in to settle accounts, and then He will cut it short and end it.' ²⁹ And as IsaiAh also prophesied:
'If Jehovah of armies hadn't left us a seed,
We would have become just like Sodom,
And the same as GomorRah.'

³⁰ So, we can say that people of the nations became righteous (although they weren't trying to become righteous) with the [type of] righteousness that comes from faith, ³¹ as IsraEl (which was following a righteous Law) just didn't make it! ³² And why was that so? Because [IsraEl] didn't look for it in faith; [they looked for it] in the things that they were doing… they tripped over the 'stumbling stone.' ³³ For, as it is written: '{Look!} I'm putting a stumbling stone and a rock to trip over in Zion. But, whoever has faith in him will never be shamed.'

Chapter 10

¹ Brothers, the goodwill that I have in my heart for [the Jews] and the thing that I beg of God is this: For them to be saved.

² Now, I can testify to the fact that they have a zeal for God, but they just don't know [Him]. ³ And since they don't understand God's righteous ways and they're always trying to prove their own ways [as righteous], they don't submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ But the Anointed One fulfilled the Law to bring righteousness to those who believe.

⁵ Why, Moses wrote: 'When men practice righteousness that is based on the Law, they must live righteously.' ⁶ But righteousness that is based on following the [ways of] faith tells us: 'Don't ask in your hearts, Who could ascend into the heavens to bring the Anointed One down, ⁷ or, Who could descend into the abyss to bring the Anointed One up from the dead?' ⁸ What does it say? 'The words are close to you… in your mouths and in your hearts.' And these are the words of faith that we are preaching!

⁹ So, if you confess and say the words in your mouths that Jesus is [our] Lord; and if you have faith in your hearts that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved! ¹⁰ For, it's this belief in your hearts that makes you righteous; and it's your mouths (when they confesses this) that bring salvation to you.

¹¹ The Scripture says, 'No one who believes in him will ever be shamed.' ¹² So, there's really no difference between Jews and Greeks, because they all have the same Lord… and He provides abundantly for all those who call on him; ¹³ so, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! ¹⁴ However; How will they call on someone they don't believe in; How will they believe in someone they've never heard of; How will they hear without someone to preach; ¹⁵ How will they preach if they aren't sent? This is why it was written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news about good things!'

¹⁶ But, not everyone will obey the good news, for as IsaiAh asked, 'Who believed our message about the Lord?' ¹⁷ For, faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes through the words of the Anointed.

¹⁸ So I ask, Why didn't they hear? For, it's a fact that the call went out to the whole earth… their words went to the ends of the earth! ¹⁹ So, I again ask, Why doesn't IsraEl know?

It was Moses who first told [them]:
'I'll make you jealous of those not a nation;
Of a foolish nation I'll make you mad.'

²⁰ Then IsaiAh dared to [write]:
'I was found by those who weren't looking for Me,
And I showed Myself to those not asking for Me.'

²¹ And he said regarding IsraEl:
'Throughout the whole day I've stretched out My hands,
To a people who talk back and do not obey!'

Chapter 11

¹ So, let me ask; Did God push His people away? May that never happen… because I'm also an IsraElite, the seed of AbraHam, and of the tribe of BenJamin; ² and God didn't reject these people who He knew first! Why, don't you remember what the scripture said about EliJah as he was pleading with God against IsraEl? ³ [He said], 'O Jehovah; They've killed Your Prophets; they've dug up Your Altars; now I'm the only one left and they're looking for my life!'

⁴ And what was [God's] reply? 'I've kept seven-thousand men for Myself who haven't bent a knee to BaAl.'

⁵ And so it is in this period of time; there are some still left who have been chosen through [His] loving care. ⁶ And if it's due to [His] loving care, then it doesn't have anything to do with anything they've done. …

⁷ So, what happened? Well, IsraEl didn't receive the things they were searching for. And while some were chosen, the rest just became even obstinate. ⁸ As it is written, 'God moved them to sleep deeply so their eyes wouldn't see and their ears wouldn't hear, down to this day.' ⁹ David also said:
'Let their table be a snare, trip lever, and trap,
As a payback for them.
¹⁰ Let their eyes grow dim so they canot see,
And their backs be bent over through all time.'

¹¹ So I ask; Did they stumble and fall? May that never happen! However, they've missed out as the nations were being saved, in order to make them jealous. ¹² But, if their shortcomings are enriching the world, and if lowering them means riches to the nations; how much more would that be true if they were strong?

¹³ Now, I want to address those of you who are people of the nations: Since I'm really an Apostle to the nations, I can glorify my service ¹⁴ if I can somehow make those of my own flesh jealous and save some of them. ¹⁵ Because, if throwing them away brought the arrangement into a restored relationship [with God], what will taking them back again mean, other than life for those who are dead? ¹⁶ For, if the first fruits are holy, so is the whole lump! And if the roots are holy, so are the branches!

¹⁷ It was when some of the branches were broken off that you wild olives were grafted in. Thus, you became sharers of the fatness of the olive [tree's] roots. ¹⁸ But, don't cheer because those branches [were removed]; for if you find yourself cheering over that, remember that you don't support the roots, they support you!

¹⁹ Yet, you can say, 'Branches were broken off so I could be grafted in' ²⁰ … and that's right! They were broken off because of a lack of faith; and you are there instead, because of your faith. But don't think too much of yourselves… be afraid! ²¹ For, if God didn't spare the natural branches, He won't spare you either.

²² Therefore, recognize God's loving kindness, as well as [His] willingness to remove. For a fact; those who stumbled were cut off, while you received God's loving care… but only for as long as you stay in that [good relationship]. Otherwise, you'll be pruned off too! ²³ And if [the Jews] don't continue in their disbelief, they will be grafted back in, because God can graft them back in again!

²⁴ So, if you were cut from an olive tree that's wild by nature and then (contrary to nature) grafted into the garden olive tree, recognize how much easier it will be for those who are natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree again!

²⁵ I don't want you to ignore this mystery, brothers, so you don't become too wise in your own eyes: IsraEl was allowed to become calloused until the fullness of people of the nations came in… ²⁶ and yet, this is how all IsraEl is going to be saved. For it's written:
'He who draws others will come out of Zion,
And turn Jacob from his irreverent ways.
²⁷ Yes, this is My part of the Sacred Agreement,
Which I will then make with them…
When I remove all their sins.'

²⁸ So, from the standpoint of the good news; they have become enemies for your sake! But from the standpoint of choice; they are the loved ones because of their ancestors, ²⁹ since the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable! ³⁰ Therefore, just as you were once disobedient to God, but have now been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ they are now being disobedient. Yet, because of the mercy that was shown to you, they may also be shown mercy. ³² Yes, God has locked them up together in disobedience, so he could show mercy to all.

³³ 'O the depths of God's riches, wisdom, and knowledge!
Mysterious are His decisions,
And His ways can't be figured out!
³⁴ Who's come to know the mind of Jehovah,
And who can give Him advice?
³⁵ Who has given Him something,
Which He has to repay?
³⁶ Why, all is from Him, by Him, and for Him,
To glorify Him through the ages.'
May it be.

Chapter 12

¹ So, I beg you by the compassion of God, brothers, to offer your bodies as living, holy sacrifices that please God, and to serve Him in sensible ways. ² Don't [allow yourselves] to be molded by this world, but be transformed by renewing your minds so that you come to think well of the good, pleasing, and perfect Will of God.

³ And by the loving care that was shown to me, I'm telling all of you there not to think more of yourselves than you should. Rather, think clearly, as God has given each of you your own share of faith.

⁴ Why, bodies have many parts, and none of them have the same function. ⁵ And although there are many of us, we are just one body in the Anointed One. So, starting from him (then on down), each of us are parts [of that body], and we all belong to each other. ⁶ Each of us also have different gifts that we were kindly given, whether it's prophesying according to our portion of faith, ⁷ serving some service, teaching some teaching, ⁸ offering some encouragement, simply sharing, earnestly taking the lead, or cheerfully showing mercy.

⁹ So, love [each other] without being judgmental; hate what is wicked, and stick to the good things; ¹⁰ let your brotherly love make you tender and caring to each other; take the lead when it comes to showing honor to each other. ¹¹ And do your best; don't be lazy; slave for the Lord and bubble over with his Breath; ¹² let your hope fill you with joy; put up with difficulties and persecution; keep on praying; ¹³ share whatever you have with the Holy Ones; be hospitable; ¹⁴ say nice things to those who persecute [you]… don't curse them praise them! ¹⁵ Rejoice with people who are rejoicing, and cry with people who are crying; ¹⁶ be aware of each other's needs; don't spend too much time thinking about high ideas, but deal with each other humbly… don't think too much of yourselves! ¹⁷ Don't be rude to people who treat you poorly, but plan to do good things in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ And if possible (whenever you can), be peaceable with everyone… ¹⁹ don't get even, loved ones, but put anger in its place, because it's written, 'Allow Me to get even… I'll pay them back, says Jehovah.' ²⁰ But If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he's thirsty, give him something to drink; for when you do this, you'll pile burning coals on his head. ²¹ Don't allow evil to conquer you, but keep conquering the evil with good.

Chapter 13

¹ Everyone should submit to those who hold offices over them, because there are no offices of authority that aren't from God, or any that haven't been instituted by God. ² So, whoever resists the offices of authority whose laws have come from God, also opposes himself, and he will be condemned. ³ Because, the rulers are not the source of fear for good behavior, but for the bad things.

Therefore, you shouldn't want to fear the officers of authority who are there for your own good. Rather, keep doing good things so they'll praise you, ⁴ because they're God's servants for your own good. But if you're doing something that's wrong, be afraid; for there's a reason why they bear the sword of God… they're God's servants and His avengers to show His rage upon those who do what is evil.

⁵ So, it's necessary for you to obey, not just for [fear of] angering them, but also because of [your] consciences. ⁶ This is why you pay taxes; because, as public servants they're serving God's purposes! ⁷ So, pay everyone whatever they're owed… to the tax collector [pay] the property tax; to the toll collector [pay] the toll; fear the police and honor those [who require] honor.

⁸ Don't owe anything to any one, except your love for each other, because he who loves others has fulfilled [the] Law. ⁹ For [the Laws], 'You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not lust;' (and whatever other Commandments there are) are summed up in the words, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' ¹⁰ Therefore, love doesn't do bad things to one's neighbor; so, love is the Law's fulfillment.

¹¹ And for those of you who are aware of the season; it's time to wake up, because our salvation is closer than it was when we first became believers. ¹² The night is almost over and the Day is near, so we should remove the things that belong to darkness and put on the weapons of the light. ¹³ Let's behave as we would in the daytime… not in wild parties and drunkenness; not in immoral sex and the lacking of principles; not in arguing and jealousy; ¹⁴ but put on the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, and don't plan ahead for things that your flesh desires.

Chapter 14

¹ Welcome those who are weak in faith and don't try to judge their motivations. ² For, those who have faith can eat anything, but those who are weak just eat vegetables. ³ So, the one who eats [everything] shouldn't look down on the one who doesn't; and the one who doesn't eat [everything] shouldn't judge the one who does, because God has accepted them both. ⁴ For, who are you to judge the house servant of another? Why, he stands or falls before his own master… and he can stand, for the Lord can make him stand!

⁵ One considers a day as more important than other days, while another considers each day as all the rest… but each one should be sure in his own mind! ⁶Those who observe a certain day [as holy] should observe it to the Lord. And those who eat [whatever they wish] should eat it to the Lord, because they thank God for it. Likewise, those who don't eat [everything] should abstain to the Lord, because [they] also give thanks to God.

⁷ None of us lives just for ourselves, and nobody dies just for himself. ⁸ So if we live, we live for the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord. Thus, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ And the reason why the Anointed One died and came to life again, was so that he could be the Lord of the living and the dead.

¹⁰ So, why do you judge your brother, or why do you look down on him? We will all stand before the judgment seat of God, ¹¹ for it's written: 'As I live, says Jehovah, every knee will bend before Me and every tongue will confess before God.'

¹² So, each of us must answer for ourselves before God. ¹³ Therefore, let's stop judging each other. Rather, let's choose not to set anything before a brother that will cause him to stumble or fall.

¹⁴ Now, I know (and I've been persuaded by the Lord Jesus) that nothing is unclean; it's only when a man considers something to be unclean that it's unclean to him. ¹⁵ So, if your brother is bothered by what you eat, you aren't following the path of love yet. Don't allow someone who the Anointed One died for to be destroyed over the food that you eat… ¹⁶ nor should anyone talk badly about the good things that you're doing! ¹⁷ Because, the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with eating or drinking, but with righteousness, peace, and joy in [God's] Holy Breath. ¹⁸ And whoever [makes himself] a slave in matters such as this [for the sake of] the Anointed One, is acceptable to God and will be approved by men.

¹⁹ Really then, we should try to do the things that promote peace and build each other up. ²⁰ So, stop tearing down the work of God over food! It's true that everything is clean, but it can still be bad for those who stumble over what others are eating. ²¹ It isn't good to eat meat, or to drink wine, or to do anything that would be a snare to your brother. ²² So, make sure that the things you believe [to be right] also look good in the eyes of God.

Why, any man who isn't judged over things that he approves of should be praised. ²³ But his lack of faith condemns him if he eats something that he's unsure of; because, if you do something that you believe [to be wrong], that's a sin.

Chapter 15

¹ So, we who are strong must handle the weaknesses of those who aren't strong, and not just be pleasing ourselves. ² Rather, let each of us please our neighbors with good things that build them up. ³ Why, even the Anointed One didn't just please himself. For it's written, 'The insults of those who were insulting you, have fallen upon me.'

⁴ Why, everything that was written until now was written to teach us, so that through our endurance and through the comfort that comes from the Scriptures, we could have hope. ⁵ Therefore, may the endurance and comfort that comes from God supply these to you, in order that you may pay attention to each other's needs, as does the Anointed Jesus. ⁶ Then together, as with one mind and one mouth, you can glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One.

⁷ So, welcome each other as the Anointed One welcomed us (to the glory of God). ⁸ Because, [he] became a servant to those who are circumcised for the sake of the truth of God. He verified the promises that were made to their ancestors, ⁹ while he allowed the nations to glorify God for all of His mercy. As it's written: 'That's why I'll praise You to the nations and sing to Your Name.' ¹⁰ And again it says, 'You nations; Rejoice over His people!' ¹¹ And again, 'Praise Jehovah all you nations… let all the peoples praise Him.' ¹² Then IsaiAh said, 'From the root of Jesse one will arise who will rule the nations; and the nations will put hope in him.'

¹³ So, may the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace in the belief that you'll have more than enough hope through the power of [God's] Holy Breath.

¹⁴ I'm sure of this about you, my brothers: You are full of goodness, because you've been filled with all knowledge so you can strengthen each other!

¹⁵ Now, I'm writing to you in plain words, in order to remind you of this: Because of a gift that God kindly gave me, ¹⁶ I was made a Temple Servant to the nations by Jesus the Anointed One. And I'm a Temple Servant of the good news of God, so that the offerings (the nations) can be made worthy and clean through the Holy Breath.

¹⁷ So, the Anointed Jesus gives me a reason to cheer when it comes to the things of God. ¹⁸ For, I wouldn't dare to tell of anything that the Anointed One might have failed to accomplish on behalf the nations through me, because I've obediently followed his instructions in the things that I've said and done, ¹⁹ with the power of signs and omens, and with the power of [God's] Holy Breath. I've thoroughly preached the good news about the Anointed One in a circuit from JeruSalem all the way to IlLyricum.

²⁰ I made it my goal not to preach the good news in places where they had already heard about the Anointed One, so I wouldn't be building on another man's foundation. ²¹ As it's written: 'Those to whom no announcement has been made will see him, and those who haven't heard will understand.'

²² So, it was because of this that I was prevented from coming to you several times before. ²³ However, now that I no longer have such a territory, and because I've wanted to come to you for several years, ²⁴ it's my hope to get to see you along the way as I travel to Spain. Then, perhaps you can come to the place where I'll be stopping over.

²⁵ However, right now I have to travel to JeruSalem to serve the needs of the Holy Ones, ²⁶ because those in Macedonia and Achaia were happy to share their things by contributing to the poor among the Holy Ones in JeruSalem. ²⁷ True, they were happy to do so, but they were also in debt them. Because, if the nations have shared in their spiritual things, they owed it [to the Holy Ones] as part of a public service to share things for the fleshly body.

²⁸ So, after I finish this and deliver these things to them safely, I'll visit you on the way to Spain. ²⁹ And I know that when I do come to you, I'll come with a full measure of blessings from Anointed One.

³⁰ Now, I beg you brothers, through our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, and through the love of the Breath [of God], that you share in praying to God on my behalf, ³¹ that I may be saved from the unbelievers in Judea… and that my service ([the things that I'm bringing]) in JeruSalem may prove to be what the Holy Ones need, ³² so that when I have the joy of getting to you, by God's will, I can spend some time resting up with you there. ³³ May the God who gives peace be with all of you. May it be.

Chapter 16

¹ I recommend our sister Phoebe to you, who is also a servant in the congregation at Kenchreae. ² Welcome her in the Lord in a way that's due Holy Ones, and help her in any matter where she may have needs, because she has protected me many times… yes, me personally.

³ Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in the Anointed Jesus, ⁴ who risked their necks for my life. And not just for me, but offer them thanks for all those who are called [from among] the gentiles. ⁵ And [greet] the called ones in their home.

Greet my beloved EpaiNeton, who is one of the first fruits of the Anointed One in [the province of] Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has done so many things for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives and fellow captives, who are notable ones among the Apostles, and who've been in the Anointed One longer than I have.

⁸ Give my greetings to Ampliatus, my loved one in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in the Anointed One, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles; he who is approved in the Anointed One. Greet those from the household of AristoBoulou. ¹¹ Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord from the household of Narcissus. ¹² Greet TryPhaina and TryPhosa, [women] who are working hard in the Lord. Greet our beloved Persida, because she has done so many things in the Lord.

¹³ Greet Rufus, the Lord's chosen one, as well as his mother and mine. ¹⁴ Greet AsynCritus, Phlegonta, Hermes, PatroBas, Herman, and the brothers who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet PhiloLogus and Julian, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and all the Holy Ones with them.

¹⁶ Greet each other with a holy kiss. All who are called by the Anointed One send you their greetings.

¹⁷ Now, I beg you brothers; keep an eye on those who are creating divisions and setting traps by going against the teachings that you've learned… avoid them! ¹⁸ Because, such men aren't slaving for our Lord the Anointed One, but for their own bellies. They're seducing the hearts of people who aren't really bad with their kind words and praises.

¹⁹ However, everyone has noticed your obedience, so I rejoice over you. I just want you to be wise when it comes to doing what's good, and not to get mixed up in what's evil, ²⁰ for the God of peace will crush the Opposer under your feet shortly. So, may the loving care of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²¹ Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and SosiPater, my relatives.

²² I Tertius (who wrote this letter) greet you in [the] Lord.

²³ Gaius, our host, and all in his congregation greet you. Erastus, the city public works manager, greets you, as does KouArtos his brother. ²⁴ ——

²⁵ Now, to Him who can make you strong in the good news that I declare, and the preaching of Jesus the Anointed One, according to the revelation of the mystery that has been kept a secret through the ages, ²⁶ but which, through the prophetic scriptures have now been made known and seen among all the nations by the command of the God of ageless time to promote obedience by faith… ²⁷ to God who is the only truly wise One, be the glory through Jesus the Anointed throughout the ages. May it be.

Notes

Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Soul or?

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the Wikipedia definition Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus' promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn't used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as EzekiEl 18:4 says, 'The person (gr. psyche or soul) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).'

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of 'My Soul' in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a 'soul' as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn't talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life or His person.

Then there are Jesus' words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, 'Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.' Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn't referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Fool, Foolish, Moron, or Uncaring?

The Greek word μωραι (pronounced, moe-rai) is often translated foolish or fool in other Bibles. However, μωραι is what the English word moron is derived from. The term moron, as used by Jesus and his Apostles, doesn't imply to someone who has no comprehension, as the medical term moron does today. Rather, it meant someone who knows right from wrong but just doesn't care to do what is right.

The ten virgins of Jesus' parable in Matthew 25 (for example) weren't just 'foolish' girls; they knew what to do and didn't care enough to do it.

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Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of 'messengers' or 'angels' who were put into 'Tartarus' for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 speaks of these as 'sons of God' (gr. uioi tou Theou) and it tells of their coming to earth to marry 'the daughters of men' (gr. thygateras ton anthropon). However, these 'sons of God' don't appear to be quite the same as the 'messengers' who are to be thrown out of heaven during 'the Lord's Day,' mentioned at Revelation 12:7-9. Since the 'sons of God' who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah's day couldn't be destroyed by the downpour (flood) and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

It is interesting that; except among modern materialistic and scientific societies, demons are recognized as real throughout the world by almost all of its religions. And such universal acknowledgement by diverse peoples with no cultural ties, is one of the strongest arguments for their existence.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means, fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears as though this 'fixing in one place' means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as 'possession.'

At Acts 17:18 the Epicureans and Stoic Philosophers of Greece asked about Paul's teaching a 'foreign demon.' And although most translations render his words as 'foreign god,' they truly said 'demon' (gr. daimonion). This is also true of Paul's reply found at Acts 17:22, 'Men of Athens; I see that you have a greater fear of the demons than do others.'

The reason why this term was used is obvious: The many pagan idols and Gods of Athens, although made of metal and stone, had the backing of demons. And the people recognized the power that was given to these lifeless objects through 'possession' by their gods.

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Judging Your Brothers

At Romans 2:1, Paul wrote 'So you are defenseless, O man, if you're someone who judges others. Because, when you judge someone else you're condemning yourself, since you're doing the very things that you judge [to be wrong in others].'

Then he wrote at Romans 14:10-14, 'So, why do you judge your brother or why do you look down on him? Why, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, for it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bend before me and every tongue will confess before God. So, each of us must answer for ourselves before God. Therefore, let's stop judging each other. Rather, let's make the decision not to set anything before a brother that will cause him to stumble or fall.'

Therefore, being too judgmental is a very serious flaw, which is common to those who think of themselves as being more righteous than others. It is reported that the Pharisees especially thought of themselves in this way, and it was their opinion that they would be the only ones to be found righteous by God. Notice what Jesus said would happen to those who are judgmental (Matthew 7:1), 'Don't judge [others] so that you won't be judged. Because, the things you are judging others over will be the things you are judged by. And the standards you set for them are the standards that will be set for you.'

We find the same type of warning at James 2:13, which says, 'Those who aren't merciful will be judged without mercy, since justice takes a lot of pride in mercy.'

However, the Bible also shows that it is necessary for Christians to judge their brothers when they are guilty of flagrant, open sins, as was the case of a brother in the First-Century Christian Congregation in Corinth, Greece. For, Paul wrote at 1 Corinthians 5:1: 'I've actually heard that there is sexual immorality among you. And it's a type of immorality that isn't even [heard of] among the nations – that someone has taken the wife of his father.'

Now, we don't know exactly what this sin entailed (whether it was incest or a relationship with a woman who wasn't his natural mother), but we do know that it was something scandalous. Thus, Paul's conclusions were that the elders in the congregation should judge the man's actions. Notice his reasoning, as found at 1 Corinthians 5:12: 'Why should I judge those on the outside? Don't you judge those on the inside, while God judges those on the outside? Remove the wicked man from among yourselves!'

So, the conclusion we reach from the Scriptures is that judging the openly-wrong actions of others is the responsibility of Christian elders, to protect the good name of the Congregation. However, it is wrong to judge the motives of others, because we can't look into their hearts.

So, if we look down on our brothers and consider ourselves to be better Christians than they are, then the high standards that we set for them will be the minimum standards that will be set for our own judgment before God. And if we aren't merciful in our judgments of others, God won't be merciful in His judgment of us.

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Stumble or Trap?

The Greek word scandalon means the trip lever of a trap. And while it is often translated as stumble, the meaning has more to do with stumbling into a trap.

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Who Wrote Paul's Letters?

We find the entire flap about who wrote Paul's letters – by scholars and critics alike – funny. For, much has been made of the fact that the writing styles of Paul's letters vary so much, it is improbable that he wrote them all; and he obviously didn't, as the words of Romans 16:22 testify, 'I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in [the] Lord.'

Paul, as several of his letters indicate, had very poor eyesight (see Galatians 4:13-15). Why? Was this caused by the brightness of his vision of Jesus, as some say? Well, it could have been, but we doubt it. Remember that there were no eyeglasses at the time when Paul wrote, he was likely over forty years old, and many of us who are beyond that age couldn't see to write letters today if it weren't for our eyeglasses. And there are several other natural causes for poor eyesight – other than miraculous visions.

A further indication of Paul's poor eyesight is found at Galatians 6:11, where he wrote, 'Look at these large letters that I wrote with my own hand!' This can indicate that; either Paul wrote the book of Galatians by himself, or that he had written just those few words of the letter. However, the mentioning of 'large letters' shows that he could barely see his own handwriting. That he could have written this letter himself is seen by the relatively short and less 'flowery' introductory words (Galatians 1:1-5).

Obviously, a man named Tertius wrote the letter to the Romans for Paul. Then, if you look at the headings or conclusions of other letters, you'll find references to those who likely did the writing. For example, First Corinthians starts with the words, 'Paul … and Sosthenes our brother.' Then Second Corinthians starts out the same way, 'Paul … and our brother Timothy.'

So, there are obviously different writing styles in Paul's letters, because (as the letters themselves indicate), different people did the writing. This may be quite a revelation to critics and college professors, but they obviously haven't actually read the letters.

For more information, see the attached link, The Bible's Internal Proofs of Its Authentic History.

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Adoption as God's Sons

Throughout the Christian Era Scriptures, we read of the hope that some have of being adopted as sons of God and ruling with Jesus. When does this 'choosing' actually happen; what are its results; and how does one know that he/she has been so adopted by God?

Well, notice Paul's words at Romans 8:15, 'You didn't receive His Breath to make you slaves to fear again, for when you received it, it adopted you as His sons… so by this Breath we can call out, Papa! Father!' From this, we can see that such individuals first receive God's Breath, and then it 'adopts' them as God's sons. And, as was true in the days of the Apostles, receiving God's Breath appears to have manifested itself in some visible way.

Also, this adoption appears to impart the value of a spiritual life to the individual. For, notice that Paul also referred to such individuals as a 'new creation' at Galatians 6:15, 'However, a new creation [is something].'

And, once a person has received this adoption, he/she is said to become joint 'heirs' with Jesus. As Romans 8:17 says, 'So, if we are [His] children, we are also [His] heirs. Yes, heirs of God and heirs with the Anointed One.'

Heirs of what? You will find this discussed in the linked document, God's Promise of an Inheritance.

Are there any special requirements for receiving spiritual adoption? Notice that Paul adds at Romans 8:17, 'However, we have to suffer together so we can also be glorified together.'

Now, history tells us that suffering a violent death or being greatly persecuted for their faith was true of all the Apostles, and many (if not all) the rest of the adopted sons from the First Century through the middle ages. So, is such violent physical suffering required for all who have this hope? Well, consider what Revelation 6:11 says, 'Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).'

However, nobody can say for sure that all who are adopted as sons must suffer greatly, for the 'choosing' and its qualifications are in the hands of God.

It appears as though the choosing and adoption of sons of God doesn't necessarily happen at the time of their baptism. For example, in the case of the first gentile converts to Christianity (Cornelius and his family), such selection happened even before baptism, because, that's when God's Breath manifested itself. So, 'baptism in the Holy Breath' happens whenever God selects such individuals, which doesn't necessarily come at baptism. This was also true of those baptized individuals who received God's Breath on Pentecost of 33-C.E.

However, Galatians 3:26, 27, says, 'The fact is; you're all sons of God because of your faith in the Anointed Jesus.'

So, it appears as though 'becoming one' with Jesus and becoming 'sons of God' occurs to all who demonstrate their faith when they are baptized. However, whether this refers to water baptism or baptism by God's Breath, isn't made clear here.

And although the sons of God receive the value of spiritual life when God selects them, their actual adoption comes upon the death of their fleshly bodies. Paul points this out at Romans 8:23, 24, 'And it isn't alone, since even we who have received the first fruitage of [God's] Breath groan within ourselves as we anticipate being accepted as [His] sons… awaiting the ransom release of our bodies. Yes, this is the hope that's saving us!'

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The Ransom

Throughout the Bible, we read of 'the ransom' (gr. lytron) that Jesus paid. Exactly what does this term refer to?

At Matthew 20:28, Jesus said, 'This is how the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his living body as a ransom for many.'

Romans 5:12, 14 says, 'Sin entered this world through one man and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men because everyone has sinned. However, death reigned from [the time of] Adam down to Moses, even over those who didn't sin in the same way that Adam did. And [Adam] was a prototype of the one who would come.

1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 says, 'Since death came through a man, resurrection from the dead also comes through a man. And as all are dying because of Adam, all will be made alive in the Anointed One.'

Therefore, from the above, we must conclude that Adam lost the hope of 'life' for himself and for all his descendants through his sin in Eden. However, Jesus came and paid the 'ransom price' to God, to redeem us from the sin of Adam, so that we could once again have the hope of 'age-long life' and a resurrection of the living.

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The Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to 'the Day of Jehovah,' and 'the Day of the Lord' (Jesus). Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), 'Now it has come to pass; the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the empowerment of His Anointed One!'

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God's Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the empowerment for Jesus (the Lord) to begin his rule, appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord's Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John's words (at Revelation 1:10), 'Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord's Day.'

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of 'The Great Babylon' (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the 'marriage of the Lamb,' the Battle of Armageddon, tossing the Opposer and his messengers into the abyss, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and is thereafter followed by the descent of 'New JeruSalem' to the earth and the making of the 'new earth and sky' (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, 'the Day of the Lord' appears to start with the destruction of JeruSalem by worldly armies, and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). Then, in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God's Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

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Removing the Wicked from the Congregation

Jesus' Instructions About Taking Your Brother to Court

In Matthew the Eighteenth Chapter, Jesus spoke of how Jews should deal with each other when one was guilty of harming another, and he outlined three steps that they should take, ending with the words (verse 17), ‘If he refuses to listen even to the congregation, then let him become as a man of the nations, or as a tax collector to you.’

Although many have concluded that Jesus was discussing how to handle such matters within the Christian Congregation, we have to realize that the Christian Congregation hadn’t been formed yet, and that Jesus wasn’t giving these instructions just to Christians. Rather, he was speaking to Jews in general, and referring to what the Bible calls ‘the congregation of IsraEl.’ So his instructions here, were to be kind to each other and try to work things out among themselves, before taking such matters before their religious court (the Sanhedrin), synagogue, or the Roman authorities.

These instructions are very similar to what Jesus said at Matthew 5:25, 26:
‘If someone has a lawsuit against you,
Settle it quickly before going to court.
Then there will be not a chance,
That you’ll fall into the hands of the judge,
And from the judge to the bailiff,
And you end up being thrown into prison.
I tell you this for a fact:
If that should happen to you,
You won’t be released ‘til you’ve paid your last cent.’

Paul's Instructions About Dealing With a Serious Wrongdoer

However, in First Corinthians (after the formation of the Christian Congregation), Paul laid out some procedural guidelines on how to deal with ‘those called brothers’ who are guilty of serious and un-repented sins. This matter was raised when a brother in Corinth was said to be guilty of ‘taking his father’s wife’ as his own. Such a thing, even if the wife was widowed, was very serious in God’s eyes, for the Old Law shows that it is the same as uncovering the nakedness of one’s father (see Leviticus 18:7, 8). And if this man was having sex with the wife of his living father, that was even worse and creating a public scandal among the Jews. So, Paul’s instructions were for Christians to ‘judge such matters’ and to ‘remove the wicked man from among yourselves.’ What did this entail?

Thereafter, notice what Paul said should be done (at 1 Corinthians 5:11), ‘However, now I’m writing you to quit associating with anyone called a brother who is immoral, greedy, an idol worshiper, an insulter, a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with a person like that!’

You can see that he didn’t say to stop talking to the person, just to not treat the person as a friend who you would eat with. Of course, in those early days of Christianity, most of their congregational meetings were held in private homes (not ‘synagogues’ or public meeting places), so exclusion from the congregation likely meant that the offender was no longer welcome at their (private) meetings.

For more information on how this problem was resolved, see the Note in 2 Corinthians, Accepting a Repentant Sinner Back Into the Congregation.

'Marking'

There seems to be a similar instruction at 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 15, where Paul wrote, ‘And if anyone isn’t willing to obey the things we wrote in this letter; Note this, and don’t associate with him, to shame him. However, don’t think of him as an enemy, council him as a brother.’

Unfortunately, many religious groups have failed to recognize what Paul was talking about here, and as the result, they have created an entirely new category of shunning, which they call 'Marking.' But notice that Paul seems to have been talking about perhaps a single person in the congregation in Thessalonica who didn't work for a living but did a lot of visiting to get free meals; and in the process, he or she was becoming a busybody and spreading gossip. So Paul wrote, 'semeioo' (say-mi-o'-o), meaning (according to NASB Word Usage), take special note, and yes, even mark. However, he didn't say, mark him, but simply, note. So, Paul doesn't appear to have been giving Christians another group of reasons for giving their brothers 'the cold shoulder.' He was simply telling the brothers there not to invite him (or her) in for free meals.

John's Instruction About How to Deal With 'Anti-Christs'

Then John (the Apostle) gave similar instructions a 2 John 7, when he was talking about people in the Christian Congregation who ‘have strayed [back] into the world and won’t admit that Jesus the Anointed One came in the flesh.’ He referred to them as the ‘AntiChrists,’ and instructed (at 2 John 10, 11): ‘If anyone comes to you and doesn’t bring this teaching (of the Anointed One), don’t welcome him into your homes or even greet him; because, whoever greets him shares in the wicked things he does.’

So, in the case of someone who denies that there was a Jesus (the AntiChrists), such individuals shouldn’t even be greeted on the street. However, these instructions don’t seem to be added to what was said by Jesus and Paul, because the circumstances were different. Also, notice that these added directions from John were penned almost sixty years after what Jesus said on the matter, and about forty years after the writings of Paul. So as you can see, there were no instructions that forbade talking to errant Christians during most of the First Century.

Those Who Disagree

Would this same action (not to welcome him or even greet him) be taken against anyone who disagrees on some doctrinal matter? No, because; notice what actually Paul wrote about this at Romans 16: 17, ‘Now, I beg you brothers; keep an eye on those who are creating divisions and setting traps by going against the teachings that you’ve learned… avoid them.’ So, Paul’s instructions were to ‘keep and eye on’ (gr. scopein) them and to ‘avoid’ them (gr. ecclenete ap auton – incline away from them), not cut them off from the congregation. For more information, see the Note in 1 Corinthians, Should Christians Agree on Everything?

Serious Offenses

Now, Paul did speak of several types of unrighteous actions that may have been worthy of shunning for the sake of the safety and good name of the Christian Congregation, which include:

· Sexually immorality

· Idol worshiping

· Adultery

· Homosexual behavior (gays and men who have sex with men)

· Thievery

· Greed

· Drunkenness

· Insulting

· Extortion.

Religious Interpretations

Through the years, expulsions of notorious members from Christian congregations have taken many forms. Catholics, for example, call such removal excommunication. However, they limit these disciplines to just those that offend their Church. Yet, other groups may disfellowship or expel unrepentant sinners for reasons that are closer to those outlined by Paul, while many religions just ignore Paul’s instructions altogether and object to taking any such actions against members who sin in vile and notorious ways.

In certain cases, religious groups have adopted the extreme view that the sanctions recommended by Jesus, Paul, and John are cumulative and that they must take all the actions listed above against those who are guilty of any of the practices listed in those combined verses, including even those who may disagree over doctrinal points (heretics). These religions forbid associating with or even talking to persons whom they judge to be violators in matters of business, morality, or doctrines. And even after such wrongdoers have repented, such religions may impose further disciplinary sanctions on them. Of course, these views and actions can’t be supported from Bible texts.

In addition, some religions have gone so far as to ban normal conversations with ones’ own family members when they are guilty of any of the offenses listed above. Is this a correct understanding?

It would seem that whenever there are no clear written Biblical guidelines (as in the case of how to treat erring family members), Christians should turn to basic Scriptural law. And God’s Law requires wives to respect their husbands, husbands to love their wives, children to obey their parents, for everyone to respect their mothers and fathers, and for each one to provide for those who are in their own households. Anything less than that would fit the description that Paul gave of how Godless people would act in ‘the last days’ (at 2 Timothy 3:3), which says, ‘They won’t love their families (gr. astorge) or be willing to agree on anything.’

Such sanctions obviously go beyond Paul’s instructions at First Corinthians the Fifth Chapter, and they stray into conflict with Jesus’ words to the Pharisees as found at Matthew 15:6-9, which say, ‘So, [you are really saying] that [you] shouldn’t honor [your] parents at all. And when you do this, you are nullifying the Word of God with your traditions. You hypocrites! How well Isaiah prophesied about you when he said, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me! It’s a waste for them to keep worshiping Me, because they preach the teachings of men as commandments.’

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Getting 'Saved'

Although the term 'getting saved' is used throughout the Bible, we gain a real sense of the meaning of this term from Acts 16:29, 30, which tells of a Greek jailer (someone who was unfamiliar with Christianity and its terms) who asked Paul and Silas, 'Lords, what must I to do to get saved?' And they replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.'

The question that naturally come to mind here is, what the jailer thought that he and his family were going to be saved from. For, going back to the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (O.T.), the only mention of salvation appears to have been in connection with being saved through the destruction of IsraEl or Jerusalem. However, this man and his family didn't live anywhere near Jerusalem, so they weren't in danger of being destroyed when that city was conquered by the Romans in 70-C.E. Therefore, it doesn't seem likely that he was talking about a physical salvation from a coming destruction.

Among modern Christians, however, the term 'salvation' has come to mean 'being saved from damnation.' And something like that must have been what the man was referring to, since there was no indication that he and his family were in immanent danger from another source. Yet, the question and the answer he was given are still a bit philosophical, since we really don't know what was going through the man's mind when he asked it.

However, is simple 'belief in Jesus' all that is required for 'salvation from damnation?' In this case, there was a lot more that the jailer needed to understand, because, as a virtual pagan, there was a world of things for him to learn about monotheism, Christian conduct, the resurrection, and of God's Kingdom. So, much more than just belief in Jesus would actually have been required for them to be saved. This is why the account continues with the words, 'Then they told him and all those in his house about the Word of God.'

Unfortunately, many who call themselves Christians today are actually in the the same condition as that jailer, before Paul and Silas 'told him and all those in his house about the Word of God.' For, many still don't understand Christian living (Jesus' instructions on morality and love, for example); so, notice what Jesus himself said at Matthew 7:22, 23, 'In that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, and perform many great works in your name? Then I'll admit to them: I never knew you! Get away from me you lawbreakers!'

Therefore, it appears as though more than simple belief is required. For, to keep from being a 'lawbreaker' and in order to be 'known' by Jesus, a person must believe in him and in everything that he taught, including understanding his instructions on how to live a life as one of his followers.

And who will actually be saved? Jesus answered this question himself when he said what was recorded at Matthew 24:13, 'But he who endures to the end will be saved.' So, in order for that jailer and his family to continue in a 'saved' condition, they had to follow a faithful course to the end of their lives.

Thus, from the above, we must conclude that; while belief in Jesus is required for salvation, knowledge of how to live a Christian life is also required. And to continue in this saved condition, one must maintain a clean relationship with God until 'the end.' That is, until the end of their lives, or until the coming of Jesus.

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Amen

Amen is a Hebrew word that was never really translated into English; it was just Anglicized. In Greek it is pronounced, ah-main. The reason why it was never translated is that ancient scholars were afraid to change this supposed 'magical' word that ensures God will listen to the prayer. However, there is no record in the Bible of anyone ending prayers with amen, although it was likely said. And the fact that others who were present said amen at the end of prayers to show that they agree, is indicated by Paul's words at 1 Corinthians 14:16.

In addition, amen isn't said in the Bible just at the end of prayers. Paul used the word frequently in his writings to affirm that what he was writing was, or would be, true. And that's the literal meaning of amen as it is rendered here, 'may it be so.'

Then, should Christians end their prayers with the word amen, or with the phrase, may it be? It really makes no difference. In fact, neither really has to be said for God to hear the prayer, or for Him to understand that it is concluded.

The problem with saying amen is that most people really don't know what it means today. They think of it as just a word that you end prayers with. However, saying amen (or may it be) at the conclusion of a prayer indicates that the one praying assumes the things that were asked are as good as done… and he or she should also believe that.

In several places, we have left the word amen unchanged, for example, at Revelation 3:14, where Jesus was referred to symbolically as 'the Amen,' or, the 'he who causes things to be.'

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Undeserved Kindness or Caring?

The Greek word caris is where we derive the English words care and caring. Old English Bible translations have rendered caris as grace. But the nuance that grace implies (smooth and flowing) totally distorts the meaning of this term in contemporary American English.

Most Bible dictionaries prefer to see caris translated as undeserved kindness. However, this phrase, which may or may not make some minor technical difference in the meaning, adds wordiness, which distracts from the ease of reading. So you will find it translated as care, loving care, caring, or kindness herein, depending on the setting.

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Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, 'Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don't allow zeal to make you act wicked' (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, 'Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,' because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn't always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous for things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but rather, for each other. We shouldn't want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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Messengers

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was meant.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and came to the door of some faithful Christians. Here the housemaid told the people inside that Peter was outside. And according to many other Bibles, they thought that it was 'his angel' at the door. However, this rendering doesn't sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, 'So they said, It's his messenger.'

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn't always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, 'Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou' or, 'Sent of Jacob angels(?) ahead of/him toward Esau the brother of/him.' Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.' Then in verse 16, it says that 'Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.'

Obviously, the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used there to speak of two different types of messengers… those who were human and the one who was sent from heaven by God. And in this case, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, however, for the readers should be able to discern from the context which ones are human and which ones are spirit by themselves. And when there is some question, each person should keep an open mind.

Consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: 'Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!'

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit. So, there may be other cases in the Bible where some translations have presumptuously written angel, when the one that God sent was a human messenger!

Also consider that; Translating aggelos as messenger when it is truly speaking of a spirit from God, helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such sons of God play in His dealings with mankind… and that the term angel isn't a type of creature or a heavenly rank (as most think), but an assignment that may even be temporary. It also helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels (because dead men, dead women, and dead babies don't become angels, since heavenly spirits are direct creations by God).

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God's Chosen People

The idea that the Jews are still God's chosen people and that they will eventually rule over the earth from the City of JeruSalem, is becoming popular among many fundamentalist religions today. However, this concept appears to disregard the promises and teachings of the Bible.

For instance, notice Jesus' words to the people of that city as found at Matthew 23:37, 38, 'O JeruSalem, JeruSalem… you killer of Prophets and stoner of those who were sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn't want it. Look! Your house has been taken from you!'

So, their 'house' (the position of special favor with God) was removed from them due to their repeated rejection of God's ways and His Prophets, and for murdering His Son.

Notice how Jesus pictures this rejection of the Jews as God's chosen people in his parable of the king who hired laborers to work in his vineyard (at Matthew 21:33-41). The story ends when the cultivators killed the king's son. And what was the result? Verse 41 says, 'Then he will hire others to cultivate the vineyard who will give him the fruit when it's due.'

In Chapter 22 (verses 1-10) Jesus repeats this theme with the parable of the king who invited guests to a grand meal, but none of those who were invited (the Jews) showed up. In fact, they killed his messengers, and then his son. The account says, 'So, he sent his army to destroy the murderers and burned their city.' Then he sent his attendants out to invite 'others' to this great feast.

Who are these 'others?' Well, out of respect for His Sacred Agreement with AbraHam, God continued to offer the opportunity to be 'kings and Priests' in the Kingdom exclusively to the Jews and the related Samaritans for the next 3-1/2 years. Then the opportunity to become 'Spiritual Jews' was offered to the first 'Gentile' converts, Cornelius and his family. Thereafter, the Bible speaks of growing numbers of Gentile converts, as Paul was appointed the 'Apostle to the Nations.'

Also, notice Jesus' words as found at Matthew 8:12, where he foretold, 'However, the Sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. There they will cry and grind their teeth.' Since the Jews were 'the sons of the kingdom' or the sons of the AbraHamic promise, the indication here is that they as a nation were being rejected.

Then in the letters of Paul, we read scripture after scripture that shows these Gentiles were thereafter included in the promise to AbraHam, and that they comprised a 'New JeruSalem.' Notice what Paul wrote at Romans 2:28, 'So, a Jew isn't what you are on the outside, nor is circumcision something that's outside on the flesh.'

In other words, the faithful Gentiles had become 'spiritual Jews,' or the symbolic 'twelve tribes of IsraEl.' So, it was to this 'new nation' that all the promises and Sacred Agreements apply, not to the earthly city of JeruSalem, for JeruSalem had been rejected. Why? Well notice what the people in that city replied to Pilate's question when they were calling for the murder of God's Son (at Matthew 27: 25): 'At that, all the people said, 'May we and our children be responsible for his blood.' And (at John 19:15), 'We have no king but Caesar.'
So, the Jews were not only rejected by God, but they verbally rejected God and asked for the blood of Jesus to be on them and their children (all future generations). This is why the prophecies regarding JeruSalem appear to have nothing to do with a literal city in Palestine today.

Also, notice how Paul addressed the non-Jews in the Congregation at Corinth, Greece (1 Corinthians 12:2): 'You know that when you were people of the nations, you were led to be followers of dumb idols.' As you can see, he clearly viewed 'gentile' Christians as Spiritual Jews.

Paul also wrote (at Romans 9:6-8): 'Now, the word of God didn't fail; because, not all who came from IsraEl are really IsraEl, nor are all of AbraHam's seed his children. For [it's written], That which will be called your seed will come through IsaAc. However, [IsaAc's] fleshly children aren't the children of God. The children of the promise are that seed.'

Then he added at Romans 9:27, 'Isaiah shouted this about IsraEl: Although the sons of IsraEl may become as many as the sands of the sea, only a few will be saved.'

And again, Paul wrote (at Romans 9:30-33): 'So, we can say that people of the nations (although they weren't trying to become righteous) became righteous with the [type of] righteousness that comes from faith, while IsraEl (which was following a righteous Law) just didn't make it! And why was that so? Because [IsraEl] didn't look for it in faith, but in the things that they were doing… they tripped over the stumbling stone! As it is written: {Look!} I'm putting a stumbling stone and a rock to trip over in Zion. But he who has faith in him will never be shamed.'

So, the Jews (those who practice Judaism) can never be considered righteous as long as they continue to trip over the 'stumbling stone,' their promised Messiah, Jesus.

For more information, see the linked document, JeruSalem and the IsraEl of God.

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The Hope of All Creation

Romans 8:19-21 says, 'For [all] creation has been eagerly expecting and awaiting the revealing of the Sons of God. Why, the things that were created didn't have a choice when it comes their not having any hope… and it was only because of Him that they have any hope at all. For, creation will be set free from slavery to corruption through the glorious liberation of the children of God.'

What is Paul really saying here? One religious authority wrote, 'Do beasts and plants hope to attain the glorious freedom of the children of God? No! All creation, then, can refer only to mankind.'

Is this conclusion correct? If so, then Paul just didn't use the right words! For, why would he have said creation (gr. ktisis) when he really meant men (gr. anthropois)?

Let's assume for a moment, that Paul meant the words he wrote – that 'all creation will be set free from being slaves to corruption' – and see if this promise can come true for something other than just mankind.

First, what is the freedom of the sons of God? From numerous other scriptures, we conclude that this freedom will come as the result of the new heavens or new skies… the rulership of Jesus and those whom he selects to rule as kings with him. Will such a righteous rule be a blessing to more than mankind? We think so.

For example: Will animals benefit from the rule of God's Kingdom? At Genesis 1:28, God gave men the following commission, 'And God blest them, saying, Reproduce, multiply, fill the earth and control it. Rule over the fish of the seas, the winged creatures of the skies, all the herding animals of the ground, all the slithering animals that crawl on the ground, and the whole earth.'

The implications of this scripture are staggering, if you just think about it. However, it appears as though the first humans (Adam and Eve) relinquished this privilege of rulership over the earth and its animals when they sinned and submitted to the Slanderer, effectively handing their commission over to him. The net effect of this, is that for the past six thousand years, men have lost their right to rule over the earth and its creatures in the way that God intended.

This is why Paul wrote (at Hebrews 2:8), 'So, when [God] puts everything under [his feet], He doesn't leave anything that [men] aren't in charge of. However, we don't see everything obeying us yet.'

No, as Paul said, 'We don't see everything obeying us yet.' Nor do we see this world in general responding to Jesus' righteous rule. However, that will all change under the rulership of the sons of God.

Thereafter, we can scarcely imagine what powers will be returned to mankind, when the commission that God gave us over this earth and its creatures is fully restored. With no opposition, and each man endowed with a full measure of the power of God's Breath, the blessings to this earth, its creatures, and ALL CREATION are virtually limitless.

See the linked contributed poem, Animals Our Wards .

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The Anointed

Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, 'The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.'

So, why didn't these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:

· Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that 'Christ' was Jesus' last name. It wasn't.

· Because Christ is a word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.

If you look at the above verse in Greek, you'll see that it reads, 'Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,' or, 'The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.'

You will notice here that Christon (Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointing) are both derived from the same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be kings or priests over IsraEl. For example, David and Solomon were both anointed (oil was poured over their heads) in proof of the fact that they had been chosen by God to be kings over IsraEl.

So, the word means anointed. But if you prefer the word Christ, then Saul, David, and Solomon were Christs, for you can't have it both ways. As an example; look at the words that David spoke about Saul, as found at 1 Samuel 24:6 LXX): 'Kai eipin David pros tous andras autou: Medamos moi para kiriou ei poieso to hrema touto to kyrio mou to christo kyriou epenegkai cheira mou ep auton hoti christos kyriou estin autos,' or 'Said David to the men of/his: By/no/means of/me from the/Lord if I/should/do this thing to my/Lord to/the Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord to/raise my/hand against him, for the/Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord this is.'

So as you can see; if Christos should be translated as Christ, then unrighteous King Saul was also Christ. However, almost all Bibles translate christos as anointed in this case (one of many instances).

Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God's Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus' disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So Jesus didn't really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the 'dove' came down on him).

If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth that they too would be anointed… become 'christs.' For, when they were 'anointed' and sealed in their hearts by God's Holy Breath, they were selected to be 'kings on the earth' (Revelation 5:10).

Notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For there, many Bibles say that Jesus foretold the coming of false Christs and false prophets. But what he actually said was, 'Because false anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.'

So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets. For more information, see the linked document, False Anointed and False Prophets.

Another example of the poor use of the title Christ (implying Jesus) by Bible translators can be found at 1 Peter 1:10, 11, which reads in this Bible: 'When it comes to salvation, the Prophets looked and searched for this loving-care that's being shown to you. They tried, through the spirit of anointing that was in them, to determine the exact time and circumstances of the sufferings of the Anointed One and of his being glorified, which they knew about even back then.'

Other Bible say that it was the Spirit of Christ that was in the ancient Prophets. However, as we pointed out above, Jesus didn't become the Christ or the Anointed until after his baptism.

So, what Peter was saying in those verses, is that those ancient Prophets tried through the power of God's Breath which had anointed them to be Prophets, to determine the time and circumstances of the glorification of Jesus. For, if you check the wording of those verses in Greek, you'll see that there is no definite article preceding the first christou (anointed), which would be required if it was saying that the Spirit of the Christ (or the Anointed One) was in them.

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Cosmos or World?

In Jesus' discussion about the sheep and goats, found at Matthew 25:34, he said, 'Then the king will tell those on his right, Come, you who've been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that's been prepared for you from the founding of the arrangement.'

In Greek, the words we have translated as founding of the arrangement are katabole kosmou. You may recognize that the English word cosmos is a derivative of kosmou. And cosmos is the word that modern peoples usually use when referring to the universe today. So, why have we translated it as arrangement, and what is meant by the term, founding of the arrangement?

Actually, the closest English meaning of Greek word kosmos is arrangement. For example, when Paul urged Christian women to dress modestly, he used the word kosmos to describe well-arranged clothing. However, in other Bibles kosmos is usually translated as world.

Although it has been said that the word world doesn't appear at all in the Hebrew texts of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT), the word kosmos does appear there several times in the Greek Septuagint. The reason why some say that world (or kosmos) doesn't appear there, is because the equivalent Hebrew word (te·vel) is often translated (in different Bibles and in different places) as arrangement, ornamentation, honor, delight, universe, earth, army, etc. Yet, in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), where kosmos appears several times, it is usually translated as world… as in the world of Noah, the light of the world, the field is the world, etc. However, there are some fifteen definitions given to the word world in English dictionaries, and most don't carry the same meaning as the Greek word. So, world is a poor choice when translating kosmos. For example: kosmos never seems to apply to the earth (which is how we often think of it). Rather, it often applies to the arrangement or situation of human society… system of things might be a better word choice.

Actually, two different Greek words are often translated as world in the Septuagint, kosmos and oichonomeo; and oichonomeo does appear to refer to the earth, because it means the habitation, or, the place where [man] dwells. So the Greek text clearly delineates the two meanings, which are both commonly translated as world in other Bibles.

Notice how the word kosmos was used by Paul at Romans 5:12, 'Sin entered the arrangement (kosmos) through one man, and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men and everyone has sinned.'

Thus, it seems likely that the arrangement we call 'the world' started around the time of Adam's sin in Paradise, when man created for himself (and for all life on earth) a new arrangement or set of circumstances… which was something other than what God had planned. We have come to this conclusion based on the many scriptures that refer to the world (or kosmos) in a negative context, and that it (the current set of negative circumstances) will soon be done away with.

Yet, the Scriptures also indicate that the present worldly arrangement or system of things began after the Downpour of Noah's day, and that Noah had inherited the arrangement prior to that time. For, notice what we are told at Hebrews 11:7: 'Because of his faith, Noah (after being given a divine warning of things he hadn't seen yet) trusted in God and built a large chest to save his family. And due to this righteous faith, he condemned the arrangement (or world) and became its heir.'

Also notice what was said at 2 Peter 2:4, 5: 'Why, God didn't spare the messengers who sinned, but by threw them into the dark pits of Tartarus, where they are awaiting His justice. And He didn't spare the first arrangement. Yet, He guarded Noah (who was a preacher of righteousness) along with seven others, when He brought a downpour on a system (kosmos or world) of godless people.'

So, apparently there have been at least two different worlds or arrangements; the one that Noah inherited and which started before the Downpour, followed by the second arrangement or system of things that we are now living in, which will also be destroyed. For, we read at 1 John 2:17, 'The system (kosmos) with all its desires is passing away, but he who does God's Will lives for the age.' And Romans 4:13 says, 'AbraHam and his seed weren't given the promise of inheriting the arrangement because of the Law, but because of his righteousness, which came from his faith!'

Thus (from the above), we may conclude that: What Jesus said about the Kingdom having been prepared for the sheep since the founding of the arrangement could mean that the Kingdom was God’s plan for the righteous since at least the time of the Downpour, and possibly since the time of Adam’s sin in Paradise.

However, the words of Revelation 13:8 could indicated that a third world began with the death of Jesus. For, there it says concerning him: 'he who had been slaughtered from the founding of the arrangement' (gr. esphagmenou apo kataboles kosmou or, who/was/slaughtered from foundation – or down-throw – cosmos). Therefore, we could be living in an entirely new world, arrangement, or system of things since the time of Jesus' death. And if so, then what Jesus may have been foretelling at Matthew 25:34, is that people would start being selected as 'Kingdom inheritors' after his death, or after the latest 'founding (or down-throwing) of the world.'

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Advocate, Helper, Comforter, or Savior?

The Greek word ParaCletos (pronounced: para-clay-toss), as found at John 16:7, has been translated many ways, and we aren't implying that these translations are wrong. However, the two words that make up this single combined word are para (next to) and cletos (caller), so this combination of words appears to refer to an entity that stands next to us and calls out to God on our behalf. An online search for other meanings of ParaCletos turned up the word Lawyer, which implies someone who represents us legally, but we have chosen to translate it as Advocate there, as we also did at 1 John 2:1, 2.

Another view of the meaning of ParaCletos comes from an Aramaic translator, who claims that the word is of Aramaic origin, and means Savior, or, Another Savior. And we will allow that this quite different translation could be correct, because we know that Jesus likely spoke Aramaic to his Jewish disciples.

One argument that we found online, presented Jesus as being the ParaCletos, because he was called the paraclete at 1 John 2:1, 2. However, the words of Jesus himself at John 16:7 seem to dispel that theory, for he said: 'For, if I didn't go away, the Advocate wouldn't come to you. But if I go, I'll send him to you.' In Greek this reads: 'εαν γαρ μη απελθω ο παρακλητος ου μη ελθη προς υμας εαν δε πορευθω πεμψω αυτον προς υμας,' or (literally), 'if/ever for not I/should/go/off the ParaCletos not not would/come toward you. If/ever but I/should/go I/shall/send him toward you.' And if Jesus was the ParaCletos, he would simply have said, 'I will come to you.'

Therefore, we have assumed that the reference to Jesus being the ParaCletos in First John was not implying that Jesus was the Holy Spirit, but this is a simple reference to the fact that Jesus is also our advocate before God.

Of course, much has been made of Jesus' use of the personal pronoun him, when speaking of the ParaCletos or the Holy Spirit. This is because Trinitarians, in an attempt to tie him (or it) into a triune relationship with God and Jesus, like to speak of the ParaCletos as a person. So, the use of the word him here is a hotly-debated topic.

Then, what is the ParaCletos? It appears to be the Breath (or Spirit) of Jesus, and the power that makes faithful Christian one with him. We have concluded this from Paul's words at Romans 8:9, 10, where he wrote: 'However, if God's Breath lives in us, we aren't fleshly but spiritual… and whoever doesn't have the Spirit of the Anointed One doesn't belong to him. So, if the Anointed One is in you, your body is indeed dead through sin, but the spirit is alive through righteousness.'

So, since Jesus' Apostles already had God's Spirit or Breath, as did many other ancient faithful Prophets and leaders, we must assume that this Advocate (ParaCletos), which arrived on Pentecost of 33-C.E. was the Spirit of Jesus, and that it performed in an even more powerful way on behalf of early Christians, literally calling out to God on their behalf, and making them one with Jesus. However, at Acts 1:4, this Spirit or Breath was said to have come from the Father.

But then, Jesus gave a further description of this special Spirit at John 14:16, where he called it the Spirit of Truth. And at Acts 1:5, Jesus said that his disciples would be baptized in it. So, similar to the visible outpouring of God's Spirit or Breath on Jesus at his baptism (which appears to be the point of his anointing and receiving special powers), the outpouring of Holy Spirit on Pentecost appears to be the point where the disciples were anointed, given special powers, and it is when they were born from above (John 3:3).

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Hate, Dislike, or Care Less for?

The Greek word meso means middle (as in the English term, meso soprano). However, it is often translated as middle, midst, among, and HATE in other Bibles. Obviously, hate (an extreme emotion) isn't conveyed by the word middle, which simply means less. For that reason, the word is translated as dislike (or the equivalent) herein, when it refers to the emotion.

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Egyptian Law of Eminent Domain

The account found at Genesis Chapter 47, where Joseph purchased all of the Egyptian people's land for PharaOh with grain, provides us an interesting insight into the history of governmental power to tax its residents and to own the land (eminent domain).

From this unique historical source (the Bible), we can see that governmental power and taxation wasn't necessarily common in early Egypt, which was in fact, the first great world power, and which became the source of information about how governments were to be subsidized to all future generations.

Apparently, prior to that time, governmental taxation of an entire population was unknown. They may have derived their funds by coercing merchants or rich landowners… or by war. However, under Joseph's inspired direction (and God's permitting the famine), this first major government of history could legally claim the right to own the land and to tax the people. And while most archeologists and scholars deny the existence of Joseph (as well as a long line of other major Bible people and events), no one can deny the effect of what he did on world history.

So, can we say that God is responsible for governmental taxation? Yes, for notice what Romans 13:6, 7 tells us, 'This is why you pay taxes, because as public servants they are serving God's purposes. So, pay everyone what they are owed; to the tax assessor, the property tax; to the toll collector, the toll; give the police fear, and honor those [who require] honor.'

It is also interesting that this early decision affected the religious clerics of the time, in that they paid no taxes on the property they owned, which is again similar to modern laws.

So, the conclusion we reach is that governmental power and taxation are things that God created for our benefit. And He also considered it necessary to remove religion from the influence of and taxation by governments.

The parallels to these ancient laws of God can still be seen in modern governments, where they claim the right to confiscate, purchase, or own all land within their domain (eminent domain), where national taxation is about the same as it was in Egypt, twenty percent, and religious organizations and their clerics aren't taxed on income from religious duties.

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Holidays (Contributed)

When Paul wrote (at Romans 14:5), 'One considers a day as more important than other days, while another considers each day as all the rest', it is clear that the problem he was addressing had to do with Jewish Christians trying to convince the Gentile Christians that it was necessary to observe the special days, festivals, and Sabbaths prescribed under the Mosaic Law. And Paul was simply pointing out that it wasn't necessary to observe those days any longer. Therefore, when he went on to write (in verse 6), 'Those who observe a certain day [as holy] should observe it to the Lord,' you can see that he wasn't encouraging Christians to celebrate pagan Roman holidays, if they so wished (by applying Christian names and purposes to them), but rather, he was saying that Gentile Christians were under no obligation to celebrate Old-Law holidays, or to follow Old-Law dietary restrictions.

In Paul's letter to the Romans, you can see that in part, he was writing to deal with a problem in the relationship between the Christian Jews and Gentiles in the congregation in Rome… a theme which was similar to that in many of his writings. You will notice that he often attacked specific problems with matters he considered most vital to those to whom he wrote. For example, in this case there were apparently jealousies and feelings of superiority on the part of both Jews and Gentiles (see Romans 3:1, 9). So, Paul's purpose was to try to settle the differences in viewpoints between Jewish and Gentile Christians and to bring them toward complete unity as one man in Jesus (Romans 3:22; 12:5). For as can see, in the rest of chapter 14, Paul goes on to point out that those who still do not feel comfortable eating food that is forbidden under the Jewish Law should not be judged; and that those who do eat such food should not be judged for eating it. And this was the point he was also making about Jewish holidays in verses 4 and 5.

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