PSALM 19 (with cross references & topics)
Psa 19:1-14 A psalm for the director of music (chief musician). Said to: address being elated, guilty & worshipful; deal with atheists; provide guidance, humility, illumination, knowledge & wisdom. Texted in grape is the passage (v. 4) that is quoted in the N.T. (see PSALM 15 N.T. Quotes from PsalmsA.):
The heavens declare the Glory of GOD (the Mighty ONE); the skies proclaim the Work of HIS Hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they dispute knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice (line, rule or direction) goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens HE has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens & makes its circuit to the others; nothing is hidden from its heat. The Law (Doctrine) of the LORD (YAHWEH) is perfect, reviving (restoring) the soul. The Statutes of the LORD (YAHWEH) are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The Precepts of the LORD (YAHWEH) are right, giving joy to the heart. The Commands of the LORD (YAHWEH) are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The Fear of the LORD (YAHWEH) is pure, enduring forever. The Ordinances of the LORD (YAHWEH) are sure (truth) & altogether righteous. All together they are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb (the dropping of honeycombs).
By them is YOUR Servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive My hidden faults. Keep YOUR Servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over Me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great (much) transgression. May the words of My mouth & the meditation of My heart be pleasing in YOUR Sight, O LORD (YAHWEH), My rock (safety) & My redeemer (defender).
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Roma <1> 1:18-27 <2> 3:10-18 <3> 6:1-14 <1> Triple Truth The Wrath of GOD (THEOS) is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness & wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about GOD (THEOS-- that which can be observed before salvation) is plain to them. For since the creation of the world GOD'S (HIS) Invisible Qualities-- HIS Eternal Power & Divine Nature --have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew GOD (THEOS), they neither glorified HIM as GOD (THEOS) nor gave thanks (were thankful) to HIM, but their thinking became futile & their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools & exchanged the glory of the immortal GOD (THEOS) for images made to look like mortal man, & birds & animals & reptiles. Therefore GOD (THEOS) gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to choosing sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Some people maintain they were predisposed for their lifestyles by genetically inherited traits, thus proclaiming innocence of wrong choice-- that they should not reap what they haven't sown. But it's immaterial whether or not they directly choose the sowing-- by not choosing Jesus as the way, the truth & the life, by default they determine the reaping (as a sick person chooses death by neglecting the medicine). They exchanged the Truth of GOD (THEOS) for a lie, & worshiped & served created things rather than the creator-- who is forever to be praised. Amen. Because of this, GOD (THEOS) gave them over to shameful lusts. 2 examples: their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women & were inflamed with lust for one another. Now as to Christians: by choosing to not walk spiritually & lay up treasure in heaven, they also by default determine their eternal lot. <2> A collection of quotes & translations (texted in grape are from Psa 5:9; 10:7; 14:1-3; 36:1; 53:1-3; 140:3; texted in green is from Isa 59:7-8). Triple Truth cont'd.: There is none righteous, not even 1; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks GOD (THEOS). All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even 1. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing & bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin & misery mark their ways, & the way of peace they do not know. There is no Fear of GOD (THEOS) before their eyes. EOT <3> Shall We go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can We live in it any longer? Or don't You know that all of Us who were (are) baptized into Christ Jesus were (are) baptized into His death? Some were baptized ere he died. John 4:2 says that it was not the yet living Jesus who baptized, but His disciples-- into his future death (a "living prophecy"). We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the FATHER (PATARE), We too may live a new life. If We have been united with Him like this in His death, We will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. Post ascension, we are united with him in our hearts. For We know that Our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with (rendered powerless), that We should no longer be slaves to sin [see commentary below]-- because anyone who has died has been freed (justified) from sin. Now if We died with Christ, We believe that We will also live with HIM. For We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, HE cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over HIM. The death He died, He died once for all; but the life HE lives, HE lives to GOD (THEOS). In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to GOD (THEOS) in Christ Jesus. Do not let sin reign in Your mortal body so that You obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of Your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to GOD (THEOS), as those who have been brought from death to life; & offer the parts of Your body to HIM as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be Your master, because You are not under Law, but under grace.
Commentary #2 Slavery
Now we saw above (Roma<3> v. 6) that We should no longer be slaves to sin, but the later v. 18 (NIV) then says that We have become slaves to righteousness. Some object to this more recent trend in translations away from the way the KJV phrased it, servants of righteousness. It was politically palatable at the time to express it that way, but it is theologically incorrect. The idea of service rather than slavery appears at 1st to be the original intention-- but consider a person whose trade is of benefit to a city. He can serve the city, choosing to live & remain nearby; he is not a slave to the city, as in 'live here & serve us or else.' A slave must run far away & establish a new identity; a servant can relatively effortlessly opt to move elsewhere & serve there. Likewise, Christians do not give up their freedom of choice, right? But that's the whole enchilada, as they say-- we are strongly advised, admonished & commanded to make the choice to remain & serve, to not even consider the potential material gain of a life in Babylon, to not even go to the fence & contemplate the greener-appearing grass on the other side, but to remain focused on being a slave to righteousness, to endure becoming conformed to HIS Image (perfect as HE is perfect), to embrace the transformation & renewing of our minds. Now it should be quickly pointed out that Jesus said (John 15:15), I no longer call You servants. Instead, I have called You friends. I.e., We're no longer his servants-- but we are to be slaves to righteousness. Indeed, before this he said, If You obey MY Commands, You will remain in MY Love; MY Joy will be in You; Your joy will be complete; You are MY Friends [implying the consequences of disobedience are incomplete joy]. How does this sit with I will never leave nor forsake You? Consider 1stCor 5:3-5, how that we are to consider the person within the church who is practicing sexual immorality, greed, etc. as already judged, & to hand Him over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed & His spirit saved on the Day of the LORD [or the day of vengeance, as opposed to the year of the LORD'S Favor (year of the Favor of the LORD)-- see PSALM 65 Isa<1>]. Do not think that if friendship with God is strained or snapped, and the joy is incomplete or missing, that God has therefore abandoned him. We ourselves forsake & abandon God-- he then ever waits for us to confess & return (which grows less likely to occur as time goes on). Also, extreme caution: a single misplaced judgment (doing the judging ourselves-- not letting the Holy Spirit evidence it), with subsequent dis-fellowship, can severely divide a church, such that the one-anothers (love one another, forgive one another, etc.) are impossible, not to mention the probable permanent damage to that person's spirituality. But then, a church, by ignoring a matter (continuing fellowship), can damage itself-- as 1stCor 5:6 says, Don't You know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? I.e., it is an extremely delicate thing, the matter of dis-fellowshiping a member. The church must be absolutely proof-positive about the practice of sin-- that it's not just an abiding collection of rumors. Besides the matter of the church incurring God's wrath, as stated, the spirituality of the individual may be damaged-- because most do not grasp the gravity of what Jesus said, & thus conclude themselves rejected-- Blessed are You when people insult You, persecute You & falsely say all kinds of evil against You because of Me. Rejoice & be glad, because great is Your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the true prophets who were before You. Or as it is in Luke, Blessed are You when men shall hate You, when they exclude You & insult You & reject Your name as evil, because of the Son of man. Rejoice in that day & leap for joy, because great is Your reward in Heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the true prophets. Notice (you finding yourself a victim) that Jesus said, because of Me, the Son of man. It has been preached on TV, 'Right here in America, there's more negative criticism & absence of encouragement in most churches than anywhere.' But now shifting gears-- a word of caution to those riding the bandwagon of fellowship: Luke 6:26 adds, Woe to You when all men speak well of You, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. This 9th beatitude is covered in PSALM 24 Beatitudes.