With what's occurring in our nation is this still possible?

No

Yes! Why? Read to the end!

It will always remain a yes. Not easy, but yes.
Paul's epistles remind the faithful that glory is to be to God, the Father (Phil. 2:11).

We can only imagine what society, and churches, would be like - if no one sought their own glory? Or was mad or jealous, or both, when their way was not the highway?

Blessings
Mark

"as much as lieth in you" Is Paul saying that everyone has a point in which living peaceably is no longer an option?
I think of the patriot pastors at the time of this country's independence and what they preached about in support of not living peaceably with England.

[img]https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences[/img]


Here is 3 if clauses.

I'm not certain what you're referring to, but if it's biblical, then just keep reading...too many times we are aversed to listen. Sometimes one needs to read the word on his own to determine what is expected of man. The bible can be somewhat misleading, or hard to understand, but ultimately the answers are in there. Peace be with you.

Thank you, Mark.

taking a verse or two out of their context is the easiest way to go astray (IMO). this is the whole chapter from The Message Bible...

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Good point White Marlin,

I might offer, today there are those who teach/preach variations of the orthodox (traditional) Christianity of the Earliest Church.
Our faith is a fractured faith at many levels, but the Bride of the Son continues in spite of persecution around the world.
Core questions the church has held for a very long time are important for us to consider;

* Do we affirm the Doctrine of the Trinity? God is Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - One God as three Persons?
* Do we believe in the Doctrines of Inerrancy and Inspiration; that the "entire" Bible is true in it's original writings, Inspired by the Work of the Spirit?

These would make a foundational difference in your theology, and how you read your Bible. More than a few factions of the Christian faith don't now hold to these traditional Doctrines. Liberalism has crept into all portions of our "isms," with the rise of humanism over these last centuries - man is elevated, so God is denigrated. Man can deliver, the Gospel centrality of Scripture is "nice" for "you" Christians, but most now say it's unnecessary in their lives. We have so many options on becoming our own gods and worshipping whatever we prefer!

There are disturbing trends. For example;

We're encouraged to read our Bibles as individuals post Reformation, especially in our America culture, but now the surveys report many don't care to be with other people (body of Christ, repeatedly called for in the NT), especially those they don't agree with, so there's no pressing need to attend church. Just watch it all online.

Chocolate cake is sinful, and sinful behavior is called individual choice.

Reading the Bible, through the lens of our culture, can be challenging, so we pray for the Spirit of God to guide us.

The field is fertile and the workers are fewer, but all is well.
God's still commanding the sun to rise and the stars to shine.
And HIs Creation is right where we're supposed to be according to His Purposes.

I'm checking traps today in 101 temps so I pray selfishly for a bit of cloud cover!

Blessings y'all!
Mark

White Marlin you are correct about cherry picking. That very habit has compromised the Word.
As I ponder the chaos around us and wonder as men of Christ what are we to do, I am drawn to this particular scripture. Maybe I'm trying to justify for myself the desire to stop the nonsense even if by force, or it may be that the Holy Spirit is leading me to the way He would want it done. I will continue meditating on the matter.

17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Good points J,

With all the variations existing in our faith, at least there's one central theme that almost all hold to;

Jesus Christ is a Savior.

For who - for what - and for how long - is debated,
because we humans seem to enjoy a good argument.


Romans has been the converting text for many of the greatest Churchmen in Christian history. It's wonderful.
Augustine centuries ago, and Karl Barth last century (who attempted to stem the tide of the liberal theologians and seminarians, but was vastly outnumbered).

Thank you brother.
Be blessed.
Mark

Agreed White Marlin,

Might I add, teach our families to judge against sin, but not the sinner.
That's the Lord's work.

Reading from the Vulgate edition it says, "Keep peace with all men, where it is possible, for your part. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved; allow retribution to run its course."

It seems reading the bible and applying common sense makes the intent clear.