Bible Study 8-18-08

Well, this Bible session was all about 2 John and 3 John (very short books!) and the continuation of discernment in the more active nature of judgment. This was a difficult one to take notes on because it is so multi-faceted and so in-depth but I hope I can convey the message to you, the reader, in a cohesive manner.

1) 2 John

a) Written while he was suffering or after he had suffered for a while in exile

b) Refers to the churches in Asia Minor that were evangelized by Paul.

c) John comes around in 70AD and sees that other teachers had risen in his absence.

i) Doctrines taught that couldn’t be Christian

(1) Rejection of the Incarnate

d) People began to reject Christ while trying to maintain relationships with other Christians

i) People trying to drag Christians down with them

ii) Scandal… more on that later.

e) Ephesus=greatest church in Asia Minor

f) Gnostics

i) Appeared at least externally to be religious due to extreme asceticism.

ii) Two differing viewpoints shown

(1) Believed matter was evil

(a) Many starved to death over it?

(2) Some reversed and said since the flesh is evil that one can do as they please with the body since the soul is separate.

(a) Sound familiar?

iii) The two differing factions created confusion, hence this letter from John.

2) Analysis of 2 John

a) 2 John and 3 John are probably the last of John’s letters.

b) John is appealing to Tradition, not Scripture

i) Oral and otherwise.

ii) Responding to the Gnostics destroying the structures laid down by the Apostles.

c) John is the last surviving Apostle.

d) Written to a “lady”

i) The Church

3) Analysis of 3 John

a) This was written to a leader of the Church.

b) Asks for Gaius to return the favor of John’s visit b supporting the Pagans.

i) John came and visited Gaius on an evangelist tour

ii) Payback time?

c) 3 John is, all in all, basically a notice for the head honchos to prepare for him coming to solve some issues

i) Diotrephes was excommunicating people that were taking in missionaries from John.

ii) 3 John 11, he sets up Gaius to replace Diotrophes.

(1) Denounces the fact that Diotrophes has seen God.

4) Tying it all into JUDGMENT

a) Judgment is healthy and necessary to maintaining purity in religious circles, but only if done in the correct manner.

b) 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

i) Refers to excommunication

ii) A “brother” is a fellow Christian.

iii) One MUST judge those within the Church

(1) Paul not concerned with the non-Christians

iv) Paul is FURIOUS with the Church’s complacency on allowing public, unrepentant sinners to partake in the Eucharist

v) See image below to see the OT and NT corollaries in action within this passage

c) Gospel is the standard for judgment

i) Two types of external acts

(1) Body

(2) Mind

ii) The mind is as much a state of sin as is the body

(1) “You have heard that it is a sin to murder, but I say it is a sin to hate someone”- Sermon on the Mount

iii) One can only go so far in judging

(1) Can only judge externals, but even that only goes so far

(2) Internals are for God alone.

d) How Paul and John judge

i) Not talking about judging everyone for every little thing

ii) Definitely do no make final judgment on the sinners or salvation.

iii) Speak of public, unrepentant sinners

(1) Truly repentant submit to Christ’s judgment.

iv) “Admonish the sinner”

(1) One must inform others of the harm they are causing to others and their external life.

(2) If you do not inform someone that their actions are sinful, then you are not practicing charity.

v) Judgment is not for expelling everyone

(1) Shun them to show them the seriousness of their sin

(2) Still not considered an enemy, rather a brother.

e) Matthew 7:1-6

i) These are rules for individual Christians

ii) Judgment based on truth

(1) Truth is God’s manifestation of God’s will… It is what it is!

(2) We are to be careful about judging because our lives do not always reflect the holiness we perceive.

(3) But, you will judge when the plank (pride, self-righteousness, etc) has been removed.

(a) Must cleanse ourselves first (continuous process). Then you can see another’s problems.

(4) Purpose of all this is to help heal the other.

(5) “If we are not to judge, how can we tell who a swine or a dog is?”- Thomas Aquinas

f) Matthew 7:21-23

i) Determining a true disciple

g) Matthew 7:24-27

i) Preface to Matthew 16:18

(1) Church on rock, etc.

ii) The right to forgive and retain sin is a matter of judgment.

iii) Reflected in 2 Corinthians 5:18 as well.

5) Difference between Matthew 7 and Matthew 18

a) Ch. 7 dealt with individual Christianity

b) Ch. 18 deals with apostolic stuff.

i) 18:15-18=fraternal correction.

(1) Starts out private but becomes public.

(2) Two people chosen are actually to be impartial

(a) In Church, called “mediation”

(3) Power to impose punishment granted here as well.

ii) Matthew 18:20 refers to two or more apostolic people gathering together, not individual Christians

(1) Hearkens back to discernment, etc.

iii) Basically, we judge individually and then again as a whole.

6) The Body of Christ

a) Only in the Church can evil be turned into good

i) Baptism

ii) Reconciliation

iii) Etc.

b) If you reject the Church for the “evil” afoot (scandals, etc) then you must reject yourself as a Christian.

c) The Church will never be perfect in the human aspect.

i) Parables refer to this

(1) Wheat and weeds

(2) Goats and sheep

(3) Etc.

7) Matthew 7:1

a) People use this verse to excuse themselves from sin and THAT is a sin in itself.

8) Major example of judgment in 1 Cor 8:7-13

a) This speaks against creating SCANDAL

i) Spoken of earlier in these notes

ii) Scandal = “rock you trip over”

(1) Biblical term

(2) Defined more fully in Catechism.

b) Background to this passage

i) Jewish priests vs. pagan priests

(1) Jewish priests

(a) Priests trained as butchers

(b) Outlined mode of sacrifices in Leviticus.

(c) Part eaten as part of upkeep, part went to family and part sacrificed.

(2) Pagan priests

(a) Animals were sacrificed to a particular deity, part of flesh burned and the rest sold in the market later.

ii) The meat in the pagan rituals was offered up to a god at functions like trade unions and consumed in a potluck style.

(1) E.g. silversmiths offer up sacrifice to the silver god, etc.

c) Why can you not eat of idol meat?

i) It gives a bad example to your fellow brother in Christ and causes them to question their faith

(1) Loosens the standards, so to speak

ii) If your actions cause another Christian to lose their faith, you are a murderer.

d) The passage of 1 Cor 8:7-13 tells us we cannot do certain things as it sets the wrong example.

i) By corollary, attending a homosexual wedding, etc.

e) Paul said it is one thing to eat the meat of an idol, it is another to attend an idol service

i) Same with gay marriage, etc.

ii) You cannot sin to save yourself embarrassment, etc.

iii) You cannot be a participant in a non-Christian ceremony

(1) E.g. Hindu/Buddhist/Jewish ceremony, etc.

(2) It does not say you cant be an ATTENDEE of a religious ceremony

(a) Active roles are denounced.

f) By corollary, Protestants cannot have Communion with the Catholics.

i) Believing in Transubstantiation is not good enough

ii) Must believe in the One Body, the Church

iii) Must accept Church teachings, the whole kit and caboodle.

9) Salvific nature of God.

a) OT: You sin and are one of the chosen people, you are gone, done, kaput.

b) NT: Jesus has come so the timeline for repentance has been extended and the Last Judgment has been delayed.

10) The symbolic nature of Jesus, mirrored in OT and NT.

a) Jesus is 1^st born son

b) Book of Sirach, called “goelle”

i) Spelling?

c) 1^st son had two tasks, good and bad

i) To buy back relatives that were in slavery.

(1) Jesus mission now

(2) Buys us back symbolically by his redemptive death

ii) Required to stand up for family’s father and honor and execute judgement on those people that dishonored the family.

(1) E.g. David’s last testament to Solomon

(2) The father passes to the son the role of judgment

(3) When moment of judgment comes, Christ will judge everyone.

11) The eternal nature of hell.

a) Hell is eternal because it is God’s way of showing you that you were not in control of your life.

b) Hell is one of absolute proofs that God is God.

i) What is the point of God’s redemptive nature if there is no hell?

c) Whether our eternity is spent with God or in the tainted flames of the fallen seraphim is up to us.

d) God will not be mocked!

e) Hell is the result of our lifetime of ignoring God’s will.