CHAPTER 15 RULES FOR LIVING – DIRECTIONS – LOVING ONE ANOTHER

Loving one another
Avoid evil and be a good example
Goodness and the Wisdom from Heaven
God’s Children doing good
Welcome any weaker brother
Consider other people
Share each other’s troubles and problems
Love, Humility and Obedience
Care for other people
The true Christian cares for other people
Caring for other Christians
Guided, generous giving
Swearing
Control of the Tongue
Don’t criticize your brother
Don’t criticize other people
Temptation
No partnership between Christians and non-Christians
Mixing with non-Christians and Christians
Steer clear of sexual immorality
Marriage – to marry or not to marry
Rights in marriage
Married or unmarried
Staying together in marriage
Non-Christian partners
Separation from a non-Christian partner
Girls not yet married
Marriage
Marriage - Husbands and Wives
Marriage – Wives and Husbands
Marriage – Husbands and Wives
Marriage – Parents and Children
Parents and Children
Work and the Christian
Work
Working for a living
Work – employers and employees who are Christian
Employers and Employees
Poverty and Wealth
Rich – being really rich

Loving one another
(Paul)
1 TIMOTHY 1:5
(adapted)
All Christians should be filled with love that comes from pure hearts, and their minds should be clean and their faith strong.
(Paul)
ROMANS 13:8-14
Pay all your debts (money or services owed or due) except the debt (the obligation) of love for others – never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God’s laws, fulfilling all his requirements. If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him and you won’t sin (disobey the Laws of God) with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say are wrong. All are wrapped up in this one; to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.
Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day of his return will soon be here. So discard the evil deeds of darkness and put on the armor of right living, as we who live in the daylight should. Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don’t spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and lust, or fighting, or jealousy. But ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help you live as you should, and don’t make plans to enjoy evil.
2 JOHN 1:2-6
Since the truth is in our hearts for ever, God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will bless us with great mercy and much peace, and with truth and love.
How happy I am to find some of your children here, and to see that they are living as they should, following the truth, obeying God’s command.
And now I want to remind you, urgently, dear friends, of the old rule God gave us right from the beginning, that Christians should love one another. If we love God, we will do whatever he tells us to. And he has told us from the very first to love each other.
1 JOHN 3:11-24
For the message to us from the beginning has been that we should love one another.
We are not to be like Cain, who belonged to Satan and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing wrong and he knew very well that his brother’s life was better than his. So don’t be surprised, dear friends, if the world hates you.
If we love other Christians it proves that we have been delivered from hell and given eternal life. But a person who doesn’t have love for others is headed for eternal death. Anyone who hates his Christian brother is really a murderer at heart; and you know that no one wanting to murder has eternal life within. We know what real love is from Christ’s example in dying for us. And so we also ought to lay down our lives for our Christian brothers.
But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him – how can God’s love be within him? Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God’s side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord. But if we have bad consciences and feel that we have done wrong, the Lord will feel it even more acutely, for he knows everything we do.
But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying him and doing the things that please him. And this is what God says we must do: believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. Those who do what God says – they are living with God and he with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit he has given us tells us so.
1 JOHN 2:7-17
Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for you to obey, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the start. You have heard it all before. Yet it is always new, and it works for you just as it did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in.
Anyone who says he is walking in the light of Christ but hates his brother Christian is still in darkness. But whoever loves his brother Christian is “walking in the light” and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and sin (disobeying the Laws of God). For he who hates his Christian brother is wandering around in spiritual darkness and doesn’t know where he is going, for the darkness has made him blind so that he cannot see the way.
I am writing these things to all of you, my little children, because your sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus our Savior. I am saying these things to you older men because you really know Christ, the one who has been alive from the beginning. And you young men, I am talking to you because you have won your battle with Satan. And I am writing to you younger boys and girls because you, too, have learned to know God our Father.
And so I say to you fathers who know the eternal God, and to you young men who are strong, with God’s word in your hearts, and have won your struggle against Satan: stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love these things you show that you do not really love God. For all these worldly things, these evil desires – the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you and the pride (self-importance, loftiness, conceit, presumption, arrogance, insolence and impertinence) that comes from wealth and importance – these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. And this world is fading away, and these evil, forbidden things will go with it, but whoever keeps doing the will of God will live for ever.
1 PETER 3:8-17
And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy (full of common feelings) towards each other, loving one another with tender hearts (kind, loving, gentle and merciful) and humble (and respectful) minds. Don’t repay evil for evil (wickedness for wickedness). Don’t snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God’s help for them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.
If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue (what you say), and guard your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil (doing those things forbidden by God) and do good. Try to live in peace even if you must run after it to (seek to attain it), catch and hold it. For the Lord is watching his children, listening to their prayers; but the Lord’s face is hard against those who do evil.
Usually, no one will hurt you for wanting to do good. But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it. Quietly trust yourself to God your Lord and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.
Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good. Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.

Avoid evil and be a good example
1 PETER 2:11-17
Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven I beg (earnestly ask) you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.
Be careful how you behave among your unbelieving neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising you for your good works when Christ returns.
It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times.
Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God (with deep respect and wonder) and honor the government.

Goodness and the Wisdom from Heaven
JAMES 3:13-18
If you are wise, live a life of steady goodness, so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag (don’t boast) about them, then you will be truly wise! And by all means don’t brag (don’t boast) about being wise and good if you are bitter and jealous and selfish; that is the worst sort of lie (an intentionally false statement not according with truth or fact). For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom (experience, knowledge and good judgment). Such things are earthly, unspiritual, inspired by the devil (Satan, the Evil One, the supreme spirit of evil). For wherever there is jealousy or selfish ambition, there will be disorder and every other kind of evil (very great wickedness, depravity and corruption).
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others (other people); it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

God’s Children doing good
1 JOHN 3:1-10
See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children – think of it – and we really are! But since most people don’t know God, naturally they don’t understand that we are his children. Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, right now, and we can’t even imagine what it is going to be like later on. But we do know this, that when he comes we will be like him, as a result of seeing him as he really is. And everyone who really believes this will try to stay pure because Christ is pure.
But those who keep on sinning (breaking God’s Laws) are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God (the plan, purpose and intention, the pleasure, wish and desire of God). And you know that he became a man so that he could take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him, no missing of God’s will at any time in any way. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this: they sin because they have never really known him or become his.
Oh, dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because you are good, even as he is. But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil (the Evil One, the supreme spirit of evil). The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him – he has been born again.
So now we can tell who is a child of God and who belongs to Satan. Whoever is living a life of sin and doesn’t love his brother shows that he is not in God’s family.

Welcome any weaker brother
(Paul)
ROMANS 14:1-4
Give a warm welcome to any brother who wants to join you, even though his faith is weak. Don’t criticize him for having different scruples from yours (that is having different concerns to avoid doing wrong). For instance, don’t argue with him about whether or not to eat meat that has been offered to idols. You may believe there is no harm in this, but the faith of others is weaker; they think it is wrong, and will go without any meat at all and eat vegetables rather than eat that kind of meat. Those who think it is all right to eat such meat must not look down on those who won’t. And if you are one of those who won’t, don’t find fault with those who do. For God has accepted them as his children. They are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you. Let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. And God is able to make them do as they should.

Consider other people
(Paul)
ROMANS 15:1-6
Even if we believe that it makes no difference to the Lord whether we do these things, still we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves; for we must bear the “burden” of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others – of those who feel these things are wrong. Let’s please the other fellow, not ourselves, and do what is for his good and thus build him up in the Lord. Christ didn’t please himself. As the Psalmist said, “He came for the very purpose of suffering under the insults of those who were against the Lord.” These things that were written in the Scriptures so long ago are to teach us patience and to encourage us, so that we will look forward expectantly to the time when God will conquer (successfully overcome) sin and death ( that is all disobedience of God’s Laws, where we perish and cease to live and cease to be in existence).
May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other – each with the attitude of Christ towards the other. And then all of us can praise the Lord together with one voice, giving glory (and honor) to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Share each other’s troubles and problems
(Paul)
GALATIANS 6:1-10
Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back on to the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong. Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command. If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself. He is really a nobody.
Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done, and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect!
Those who are taught the Word of God should help their teachers by paying them.
Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life which the Holy Spirit gives him. And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. That’s why whenever we can we should always be kind to everyone, and especially to our Christian brothers.

Love, Humility and Obedience
(Paul)
PHILIPPIANS 2:2-11 and 2:12-16
…Loving each other and agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, working together with one heart and mind and purpose.
Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing.
Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.
Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue (language) shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
PHILIPPIANS 2:12-16
…You must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence (deep respect), shrinking back from all that might displease him. For God is at work within you, helping you to want to obey him, and then helping you to do what he wants.
In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked (dishonest or illegal) and stubborn (unyielding). Shine out among them like beacon lights, holding out to them the Word of Life.

Care for other people
(Paul)
1 THESSALONIANS 5:14-24
Dear brothers, warn those who are lazy or wild; comfort those who are frightened; take tender care of those who are weak; and be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. Always be thankful no matter what happens, for that is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace himself make you entirely clean; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised.

The true Christian cares for other people
JAMES 1:26-27 and 2:1-13
Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much. The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord – not soiled and dirtied by contacts with the world (the evil and ungodly disorder and derangement of things - the irrationality and insanity of things).
JAMES 2:1-13
Dear brothers, how can you claim that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, if you show favoritism to rich people and look down on poor people!
If a man comes into your church dressed in expensive clothes and with valuable gold rings on his fingers, and at the same moment another man comes in who is poor and dressed in threadbare clothes, and you make a lot of fuss over the rich man and give him the best seat in the house and say to the poor man, “You can stand over there if you like, or else sit on the floor” – well, this kind of action casts a question mark across your faith – are you really a Christian at all? – and shows that you are guided by wrong motives.
Listen to me, dear brothers: God has chosen poor people to be rich in faith, and the kingdom of heaven is theirs, for that is the gift God has promised to all those who love him. And yet, of the two strangers, you have despised the poor man. Don’t you realize that it is usually the rich men who pick on you and drag you into court? And all too often they are the ones who laugh at Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear.
Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s command, “You must love and help your neighbors just as much as you love and take care of yourself.” But you are breaking this law of our Lord’s when you favor the rich and fawn (grovel) over them; it is a sin (it is breaking God’s laws by giving a servile and grovelling display of exaggerated flattery or affection).
And the person who keeps every law of God, but makes one little slip, is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is. For the God who said you must not marry a woman, who already has a husband, also said you must not murder, so even though you have not broken the marriage laws by committing adultery, but have murdered someone, you have entirely broken God’s laws and stand utterly guilty before him.
You will be judged on whether or not you are doing what Christ wants you to. So watch what you do and what you think; for there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy towards you will outweigh (and be greater than) his judgment against you.

Caring for other Christians
3 JOHN 1:3-8 and 1:11
Some of the brothers traveling through have made me very happy by telling me that your life stays clean and true, and that you are living by the standard of the Gospel. I could have no greater joy than to hear such things about my children.
Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God in taking care of the traveling teachers and missionaries who are passing through. They have told the church here of your friendship and your loving deeds. I am glad when you send them on their way with a generous gift. For they are traveling for the Lord, and take neither food, clothing, shelter, nor money from those who are not Christians, even though they have preached to them. So we ourselves should take care of them in order that we become partners with them in the Lord’s work.
3 JOHN 1:11
Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do what is right prove that they are God’s children; and those who continue in evil (doing those things forbidden by God) prove that they are far from God.
(Paul)
TITUS 3:14
(adapted)
… Learn to help all who need our assistance, that our lives will be fruitful.

Guided, generous giving
(Paul)
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-15
But remember this – if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Every one (each one) must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone (any person) to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. It is as the Scriptures say: “The godly man gives generously to the poor. His good deeds will be an honor to him for ever.”
For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and, later on, good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. So, two good things happen as a result of your gifts – those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to
God. Those you help will be glad not only because of your generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine (the set of beliefs and principles held and taught by the church). And they will pray for you with deep fervor (intensity) and feeling because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you.
Thank God for his Son – his gift too wonderful for words.

Swearing
JAMES 5:12
But most of all, dear brothers, do not swear (state or affirm on oath, making a solemn promise) either by heaven or by earth or by anything else: just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin (that is disobey God) and receive God’s curse (his expression intended to send a person to punishment or destruction).

Control of the Tongue
JAMES 3:1-12
Dear brothers, don’t be too eager to tell others their faults (their failings), for we all make many mistakes; and when we teachers, who should know better, do wrong, our punishment will be greater than it would be for others.
If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he has perfect control over himself in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in his mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong.
So also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness and poisons every part of the body. And the tongue is set on fire by hell itself, (the home of the damned to which the wicked, the evil doers, are consigned after death) and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster.
Men have trained, or can train, every kind of animal or bird that lives and every kind of reptile and fish, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is always ready to pour out its deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our heavenly Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against men who are made like God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Dear brothers, surely this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out first with fresh water and then with bitter (sour) water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree, or figs from a grape vine? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool.

Don’t criticize your brother
(Paul)
ROMANS 14:10-23
You have no right to criticize your brother or look down on him. Remember, each of us will stand personally before the Judgment Seat of God. “For it is written, “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bow to me and every tongue confess to God.” Yes, each of us will give an account of himself to God. So don’t criticize each other any more. Try instead to live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble (and fall) by letting him see you doing something he thinks is wrong.
As for myself, I am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that there is nothing really wrong with eating meat that has been offered to idols. But if someone believes that it is wrong, then he shouldn’t do it, because for him it is wrong. And if your brother is bothered by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you go ahead and eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Don’t do anything that will cause criticism against yourself even though you know that what you do is right. For, after all, the important thing for us as Christians is not what we eat or drink but stirring up (inspiring and setting in motion) goodness and peace and joy from the Holy Spirit. If you let Christ be Lord in these affairs, God will be glad; and so will others. In this way aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Don’t undo the work of God for a joint of meat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with the meat, but it is wrong to eat it if it makes another stumble (and fall). The right thing to do is to drop eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything else that offends your brother or makes him sin (that is disobey God laws). You may know that there is nothing wrong with what you do, even from God’s point of view, but keep it to yourself; don’t flaunt (that is show off) your faith in front of others who might be hurt by it. In this situation, happy is the man who does not sin by doing what he knows is right. But anyone who believes that something he wants to do is wrong shouldn’t do it. He sins if he does, for he thinks it is wrong, and so for him it is wrong. Anything that is done apart from what he feels is right is sin (that is going against God’s laws).

Don’t criticize other people
JAMES 4:11-12
Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God’s law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it. Only he who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others?

Temptation
JAMES 1:12-18
Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted (induced to do evil); for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him. And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God. So don’t be mislead, dear brothers.
But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the creator of all light, and he shines for ever without change or shadow. And it was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives, through the truth of his word, and we became, as it were, the first children in his new family.

No partnership between Christians and non-Christians
(Paul)
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18 and 7:1
Don’t enter into partnership with those who do not love the Lord, for what do the people of God have in common with the people of sin (who disobey God). How can light live with darkness? And what harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a Christian be a partner with one who doesn’t believe? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For you are God’s temple, the home of the living God, and God has said of you, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.” That is why the Lord has said, “Leave them; separate yourselves from them; don’t touch what is unclean: and I will welcome you, and be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.”
2 CORINTHIANS 7:1
Having such great promises as these, dear friends, let us turn away from everything wrong, whether of body or spirit, and purify (and cleanse) ourselves, living in the wholesome fear of God (with deep respect and wonder), giving ourselves to him alone.

Mixing with non-Christians and Christians
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 5:9-13
When I wrote to you before I told you not to mix with evil people. But then I said that I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who live in sexual sin (adultery, fornication and indecency), or are greedy cheats and thieves and idol (image) worshippers. For you can’t live in this world without being with people like that. What I meant was that you are not to keep company with anyone who claims to be a brother Christian but indulges in sexual sins (adultery, fornication and indecency), or is greedy, or is a swindler (a cheat) or worships idols (images) or is a drunkard, or abusive (extremely offensive and insulting). Don’t even eat a meal with such a person.
It isn’t our job to judge outsiders. But it certainly is our job to judge and deal strongly with those who are members of the church, and who are sinning in these ways. God alone is the Judge of those on the outside. But you yourselves must deal with this man and put him out of your church.

Steer clear of sexual immorality
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-20
But sexual sin (adultery, fornication and indecency) is never right: our bodies were not made for that, but for the Lord, and the Lord wants to fill our bodies with himself. And God is going to raise our bodies from the dead by his power just as he raised up the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts and members of Christ? So should I take part of Christ and join him to a prostitute (a person, for the most part a woman who engages in sexual activity for payment)? Never! And don’t you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute she becomes a part of him and he becomes a part of her? For God tells us in the Scripture that in his sight the two become one person. But if you give yourself to the Lord, you and Christ are joined together as one person.
That is why I say you should steer clear of sexual immorality (adultery, fornication and indecency). No other sin affects the body as this one does. When you sin (and disobey God) in this way it is against your own body. Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory (and honor) back to God, because he owns it.

Marriage – to marry or not to marry
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-2
Now about those questions you asked about in your last letter: my answer is that if you do not marry, it is good. But usually it is best to be married, each man having his own wife, and each woman having her own husband, because otherwise you might fall back into sin.

Rights in marriage
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:3-5
The man should give his wife all that is her right as a married woman, and the wife should do the same for her husband. For a girl who marries no longer has full right to her own body, for her husband then has his rights to it, too, and in the same way the husband no longer has full right to his own body, for it belongs also to his wife. So do not refuse these rights to each other. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from the rights of marriage for a limited time, so that they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterwards, they should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt them because of their lack of self control.

Married or unmarried
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:6-9
I’m not saying you must marry; but you certainly may if you wish. I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of a husband or wife, and others he gives the gift of being able to stay happily unmarried. So I say to those who aren’t married, and to widows – better to stay unmarried if you can, just as I am. But if you can’t control yourselves, go ahead and marry. It is better to marry than to burn (to be entirely possessed by a desire or emotion) with lust (a strong sexual desire).

Staying together in marriage
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:10-11
Now, for those who are married I have a command, not just a suggestion. And it is not a command from me, for this is what the Lord himself has said: a wife must not leave her husband. But if she is separated from him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not divorce his wife.

Non-Christian partners
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7: 12-14
Here I want to add some suggestions of my own. These are not direct commands from the Lord, but they seem right to me. If a Christian has a wife who is not a Christian, but she wants to stay with him anyway, he must not leave her or divorce her.
And if a Christian woman has a husband who isn’t a Christian, and he wants her to stay with him, she must not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is brought nearer to God by his Christian wife; and the unbelieving wife is brought nearer to God by her Christian husband. Otherwise, your children would be counted as unbelievers – but as it is, they are considered holy.

Separation from a non-Christian partner
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:15-17
But if the husband or wife who isn’t a Christian is eager to leave, it is permitted. In such cases the Christian husband or wife should not insist that the other stay, for God wants his children to live in peace and harmony. For, after all, there is no assurance to you wives that your husbands will be converted if they stay; and the same may be said to you husbands concerning your wives.
But be sure in deciding these matters that you are living as God intended, marrying or not marrying in accordance with God’s direction and help, and accepting whatever situation God has put you into. This is my rule for all the churches.

Girls not yet married
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-40
Now I will try to answer your other question. What about girls who are not yet married? Should they be permitted to do so? In answer to this question, I have no special command for them from the Lord. But the Lord in his kindness has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will be glad to tell you what I think.
Here is the problem: we Christians are facing great dangers to our lives at present. In times like these I think it is best for a person to remain unmarried. Of course, if you already are married, don’t separate because of this. But if you aren’t, don’t rush into it at this time. But if you men decide to go ahead anyway and get married now, it is all right; and if a girl gets married in times like these, it is no sin. However, marriage will bring extra problems that I wish you didn’t have to face right now.
The important thing to remember is that our remaining time is very short [and so are our opportunities for doing the Lord’s work]. For that reason those who have wives should stay as free as possible for the Lord; happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work. Those in frequent contact with the exciting things the world offers should make good use of their opportunities without stopping to enjoy them; for the world in its present form will soon be gone.
In all you do, I want you to be free from worry. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man can’t do that so well; he has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. It is the same with a girl who marries. She faces the same problem. A girl who is not married is anxious to please the Lord in all she is and does. But a married woman must consider other things, such as housekeeping and the likes and dislikes of her husband.
I am saying this to help you, not to try to keep you from marrying. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few other things as possible to distract your attention from him.
But if anyone feels he ought to marry because he has trouble controlling his passions, it is all right, it is not a sin (an action against God’s laws); let him marry. On the other hand, if a man has the will-power not to marry and decides that he doesn’t need to and won’t, he has made a wise decision. So the person who marries does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
The wife is part of her husband as long as he lives; if her husband dies, then she may marry again, but only if she marries a Christian. But in my opinion she will be happier if she doesn’t marry again; and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

Marriage
(Paul)
1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-8
For God wants you to be holy and pure, and to keep clear of all sexual sin (adultery, fornication and indecency) so that each of you will marry in holiness (godliness and moral purity) and honor (with behavior that is right and acceptable to God) – not in lustful passion (with strong sexual desire) as the heathen (the ungodly) do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.
And this also is God’s will: that you never cheat in this matter by taking another man’s wife, because the Lord will punish you terribly for this, as we have solemnly (seriously) told you before. For God has not called us to be dirty-minded and full of lust, but to be holy and clean. If anyone refuses to live by these rules he is not disobeying the rules of men but of God who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Marriage – Husbands and Wives
(Paul)
EPHESIANS 5:21-33
Honor Christ by submitting to each other. You wives must submit to your husband’s leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body the church. (He gave his very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the church obeys Christ.
And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the church when he died for her, to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word; so that he could give her to himself as a glorious church without a single spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, being holy and without a single fault. (Note: Baptism – sprinkling water on to a person’s forehead or of immersing him or her in water, symbolizing purification from sin and, regeneration, being born anew and admission into the Christian Church). That is how husbands should treat their wives, loving them as parts of themselves. For since a man and his wife are now one, a man is really doing himself a favor and loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body the church, of which we are parts.
(That the husband and wife are one body is proved by the Scripture which says, “A man must leave his father and mother when he marries, so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and the two shall be one.”) I know this is hard to understand, but it is an illustration of the way we are parts of the body of Christ.
So again I say, a man must love his wife as part of himself; and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband – obeying, praising and honoring him.

Marriage – Wives and Husbands
1 PETER 3:1-7
Wives fit in with your husbands’ plans; for then if they refuse to listen when you talk to them about the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behavior. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words.
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewellery, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God. That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husband’s plans.
Sarah, for instance, obeyed her husband Abraham, honoring him as head of the house. And if you do the same, you will be following in her steps like good daughters and doing what is right; then you will not need to fear [offending your husbands].
You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God’s blessings, and if you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers.

Marriage – Husbands and Wives
(Paul)
COLOSSIANS 3:18-19
You wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what the Lord has planned for you. And you husbands must be loving and kind to your wives and not bitter (causing pain or unhappiness) against them, nor harsh (cruel or severe).

Marriage – Parents and Children
(Paul)
EPHESIANS 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you. Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God’s Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.
And now a word to you parents. Don’t keep on scolding, (finding fault with) and nagging (and harassing) your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice.

Parents and Children
(Paul)
COLOSSIANS 3:20-21
You children must always obey your fathers and mothers, for that pleases the Lord. Fathers, don’t scold (and find fault with) your children so much that they become discouraged and give up trying.

Work and the Christian
(Paul)
1 CORINTHIANS 7:20-24
Usually a person should keep on with the work he was doing when God called him. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you – but of course, if you get a chance to be free, take it. If the Lord calls you, and you are a slave, remember that Christ has set you free from the awful power of sin; and if he has called you and you are free, remember that you are now a slave of Christ. You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him – be free now from all these earthly prides and fears. So, dear brothers, whatever situation a person is in when he becomes a Christian, let him stay there, for now the Lord is here to help him.

Work
(Paul)
COLOSSIANS 3:23-25
Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters; remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns. He is the one you are really working for. And if you don’t do your best for him he will pay you in a way you won’t like – for he has no special favorites who can get away with shirking (avoiding or neglecting a duty or responsibility).

Working for a living
(Paul)
2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-16
Now here is a command, dear brothers, given in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority: stay away from any Christian who spends his days in laziness (idleness) and does not follow the ideal of hard work we set up for you. For you well know that you ought to follow our example: you never saw us loafing; we never accepted food from anyone without buying it; we worked hard day and night for the money we needed to live on, in order that we would not be a burden to any of you. It wasn’t that we didn’t have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to show you, at first hand, how you should work for your living. Even while we were still there with you we gave you this rule: “He who does not work shall not eat.”
Yet we hear that some of you are living in laziness, refusing to work, and wasting your time in gossiping. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we appeal to such people – we command them – to calm down, get to work, and earn their own living. And to the rest of you I say, dear brothers, never be tired of doing right.
If anyone refuses to obey what we say in this letter, notice who he is and stay away from him, that he may be ashamed of himself. Don’t think of him as an enemy, but speak to him as you would to a brother who needs to be warned. May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace no matter what happens. The Lord be with you all.

Work – employers and employees who are Christian
(Paul)
1 TIMOTHY 6:1-2
Christian slaves should work hard for their owners and respect them; never let it be said that Christ’s people are poor workers. Don’t let the name of God or his teaching be laughed at because of this. If their owner is a Christian, that is no excuse for slowing down; rather they should work all the harder because a brother in the faith is being helped by their efforts.

Employers and Employees
(Paul)
COLOSSIANS 3:22 and 4:1
You slaves must always obey your earthly masters, not only trying to please them when they are watching you but all the time; obey them willingly because of your love for the Lord and because you want to please him.
COLOSSIANS 4:1
You slave owners must be just and fair to all your slaves. Always remember that you, too, have a Master in heaven who is closely watching you.
(Paul)
EPHESIANS 6:5-9
Slaves obey your masters; be eager to give them your very best. Serve them as you would Christ. Don’t work hard only when your master is watching and then shirk when he isn’t looking; work hard and with gladness all the time, as though working for Christ, doing the will of God with all your hearts. Remember, the Lord will pay you for each good thing you do, whether you are slave or free.
And you slave owners must treat your slaves correctly, just as I have told them to treat you. Don’t keep threatening them. Remember, you yourselves are slaves to Christ; you have the same master as they have, and he has no favorites.

Poverty and Wealth
JAMES 1:9-11
A Christian who doesn’t amount to much in this world should be glad, for he is great in the Lord’s sight. But a rich man should be glad that his riches mean nothing to the Lord, for he will soon be gone, like a flower that has lost its beauty and fades away, withered – killed by the scorching summer sun. So it is with rich men. They will soon die and leave behind all their busy activities.

Rich – being really rich
(Paul)
1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10 and 6:17-19
Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single coin when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. For the love of money is the first step towards all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19
Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven – it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.