I note that those who do not believe that we are fallen have listed a bunch of sites as hatemongering.

Because they say things that the SLPC do not like. And our fear tells us that we should be careful, for they will destroy those that they do not like. or those who link to those they do not like.

But if you don’t like that, try reading Corinthians. Which has been the text for the last few days.

I’m going to post here notes I took over the last two days — verbatim, and without links.

Paul continues to correct the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11

9I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons – 10not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. 11But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? 13God will judge those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”

1When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we are to judge angels – to say nothing of ordinary matters? 4If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, 6but a believer goes to court against a believer – and before unbelievers at that?

7In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8But you yourselves wrong and defraud – and believers at that.

9Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers – none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Now… some applications.

1. We are not to judge overmuch outside the church. We associate with those who do wrong in the community all the time. We should (by implication be different…

2. Which means that we should judge within the church. It is important that we confront the evil within. For we defraud and do wrong.

3. Thus we should also subvert the courts. We should be organizing things within the church. The fact that we have to go outside means we are defeated. And in this time, when the assumptions of the court is not the assumptions that any Christian, it is dangerous.

4. We are supposed to become more like Christ. It is not what we used to do, but what we do now that matters.

I may be able to do something more clever tomorrow, but not now.

Thursday.

Website is up, but it is back to a basic installation, with absolutely no data. Restoring the daily snapshot from a couple of days ago does not work.  I’m going to give this another 24 or so hours…

More on the theology of the body.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12″All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13″Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

The Gnostics are clearly wrong. The body is not merely a means for letting our genes survive into the next generation. It is not dross, that we can safely ignore. It is not evil, that we should punish it.

It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not to drag it through the mud. Nor are we allowed to wantonly destroy it, by self harm in times of despair, or by the perpetuation of a poor diet, poor exercise. (Ain’t poverty. You only need body weight and shoes to be fit, and low carb diets can be quite cheap).

The body matters. And those who say it does not are not only in error, they are fools.