Break #48
WRITTEN STUDY NOTES

More on the Works of the Flesh
(Much more, actually!)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these...

Adultery - Violation of the marriage bed; a crime, or a civil injury, which introduces, or may introduce into a family a spurious offspring.  In common usage, adultery means the unfaithfulness of any married person to the marriage bed.
Also see:  Romans 13:9; 2:22

Fornication - 1. The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman.  2. Adultery. 3. Incest  4. Idolatry; a forsaking of the true God, and worshipping of idols. 
Also see:  I Thessalonians 4:3; Ephesians 5:3; 

Uncleanness - 1.  Foulness; dirtiness; filthiness  2. Want of ritual or ceremonial purity  3. Moral impurity; defilement by sin; sinfulness.  4. Lewdness; incontinence
Also see: Romans 1:24; Romans 6:19; Ephesians 4:19; Colossians 3:5; I Thessalonians 2:3; I Thessalonians 4:7

Lasciviousness - 1.  Looseness; irregular indulgence of animal desires; wantonness; lustfulness.  2. Tendency to excite lust, and promote irregular indulgences.
Also see: Ephesians 4:19

Idolatry - 1.  The worship of idols, images, or any thing made by hands, or which is not God.  Idolatry is of two kinds; the worship of images, statues, pictures, &c. made by hands; and the worship of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars, or of devils, angels, men and animals.  2. Excessive attachment or veneration for any thing, or that which borders on adoration.
Also see: Colossians 3:5

Witchcraft - 1. The practices of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with the devil.  2. Power more than natural.
Also see: I Samuel 15:23

Hatred -  Great dislike or aversion; hate; enmity.  Hatred is an aversion to evil, and may spring from utter disapprobation, as the hatred of vice or meanness; or it may spring from offenses or injuries done by fellow men, or from envy or jealousy, in which case it is usually accompanied with malevolence or malignity. Extreme hatred is abhorrence or detestation.
Also see: 

Variance -  1.  Difference that produces dispute or controversy; disagreement; dissension; discord.  A mere variance may become a war.  2. At variance, in disagreement; in a state of difference or want of agreement.  3. In a state of dissension or controversy; in a state of enmity.
Also see: Romans 7:15; Romans 12:9

Emulations - The act of attempting to equal or excel in qualities or actions; rivalry; desire of superiority, attended with effort to attain to it; generally in a good sense, or an attempt to equal or excel others in that which is praise-worthy, without the desire of depressing others.  In a bad sense, a striving to equal or do more than others to obtain carnal favors or honors.  1. An ardor kindled by the praise-worthy examples of others, inciting to imitate them, or to equal or excel them.  2. Contest; contention; strife; competition; rivalry accompanied with a desire of depressing another.
Also see: Romans 11:14

Wrath - 1. Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; as the wrath of Achilles.  2. The just punishment of an offense or crime.
Also see: I Timothy 2:8; I Thessalonians 5:9; I Thessalonians 2:16; I Thessalonians 1:10; Colossians 3:6,8; Ephesians 5:6; Ephesians 4:31; Ephesians 4:26; Romans 12:19; Romans 9:22; Romans 5:9; Romans 4:15; Romans 2:8; Romans 2:5; Romans 1:18.

Strife - 1. Exertion or contention for superiority; contest of emulation, either by intellectual or physical efforts.  2. Contention in anger or enmity; contest; struggle for victory; quarrel or war.  3. Opposition; contrariety; contrast.
Also see: Romans 13:13; Philippians 2:3; I Timothy 6:4; II Timothy 2:23.

Seditions - A factious commotion of the people, a tumultuous assembly of men rising in opposition to law or the administration of justice, and in disturbance of the public peace. Sedition is a rising or commotion of less extent than an insurrection , and both are less than rebellion; In general, sedition is a local or limited insurrection in opposition to civil  authority, as mutiny is to military.

Heresies - 1.  A fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion.  But in countries where there is an established church, an opinion is deemed heresy, when it differs from that of the church. The Scriptures being the standard of faith, any opinion that is repugnant to its doctrines, is heresy; but as men differ in the interpretation of Scripture, an opinion deemed heretical by one body of christians, may be deemed orthodox by another.  In Scripture and primitive usage, heresy meant merely sect, party, or the doctrines of a sect, as we now use denomination or persuasion, implying no reproach.  2. Heresy, in law, is an offense against christianity, consisting in a denial of some of its essential doctrines, publicly avowed and obstinately maintained. 3. An untenable or unsound opinion or doctrine in politics.
Also see:  Acts 24:14; I Corinthians 11:19

Envyings - Feelings of uneasiness at the superior condition and happiness of another.
Also see: Romans 1:19; I Timothy 6:4; Titus 3:3

Murders - 1.  The act of unlawfully killing a human being with premeditated malice, by a person of sound mind.  To constitute murder in law, the person killing another must be of sound mind or in possession of his reason, and the act must be done with malice pretense, aforethought or premeditated; but malice may be implied, as well as express.
Also see: Romans 1:29

Drunkenness - 1. Intoxication; inebriation; a state in which a person is overwhelmed or overpowered with spirituous liquors, so that his reason is disordered, and he reels or staggers in walking. Drunkenness renders some persons stupid, others gay, others sullen, others furious. 2. Habitually ebriety or intoxication. 3. Disorder of the faculties resembling intoxication by liquors; inflammation; frenzy; rage.
Passion is the drunkenness of the mind.
Also see: Romans 13:13

Revellings - Feasting with noisy merriment; carousing.
Also see: Proverbs 28:7

...and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

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May I suggest that you make sure you have read Break Study 47.
(all above definitions from 1828 Websters Dictionary)

I have not done the complete study but it is my own general observation that all of what Paul tells us in the details of Scripture would fit in one of those above listed 'categories.'

One of Paul's biggest concerns for us is how we maintain our 'walk.  While we no longer have the freedoms to 'do' and/or 'speak' safely these days, we must use wisdom and timing to find a way to get the truth spoken when it needs to be spoken. 

There are ways we often find ourselves speaking to others in such a manner that it would actually not be pleasing to the Risen Saviour. Many of us tend to talk to people like the 'hit'm hard, street preacher' approach that we just can't seem to 'let go' from those gospel religious days of pride and conceit with our mouths.  Being bold doesn't mean 'loud' or 'bold angry mouthy print' in emails, etc. to others.

Also, even though our presence often makes others uncomfortable, we must also 'do' and 'act' like Christians according to Paul's writings - not according to the twelve apostles nor are we to apply the teachings of Jesus spoken to the Jews.  If there is anything in those Jewish teachings from the gospels and Peter, etc. that the Risen Saviour wants us to know, it will be reiterated by Paul in his writings.  If Paul doesn't speak of something that is found in the gospels or in Hebrews to Jude, then it isn't something we are to apply to our lives today.  (e.g.. You do know that Paul only speaks of the NINE commandments, not the ten?)

I have found that one of the biggest reasons folks 'hate' Christians today is that the modern 'christians' either present themselves as no different than the rest of the world in how they dress, act, behave, music, etc. or they act so 'holy' and so 'Holy Spirit Led' - almost mystical in their pride and conceit.

If folks would read MORE than just the do's and don't's from Paul, they would find not only the do's and don't's listed as "ought to and 'ought not to's'... and they would also see the 'how's' and the 'how not to's' when it comes to our 'manner of life.' 

Often, we read the simple solutions, as we conflict with the world, our friends and even at times, our own family, when we read those key words from Paul:  AVOID, FROM SUCH WITHDRAW, NOT STRIVE, NEITHER GIVE HEED, PURGE, REJECT, MARK, HAVE NO COMPANY, CAST OFF, HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP, REBUKE.  If we could only respond properly according to these 'warning' words... we would eliminate many of our difficult situations we find ourselves in.

For those times we are not 'able' to (not 'choose' not to) respond properly to the situation, Paul also instructs us how to be 'amongst' them. (the work place, the community, etc.). See I Thessalonians 1:7-10 for what I consider one of the best scriptures written TO us - YOU and ME - about our witnessing to others.  Too often we are all words with no visible action or testimony.

My biggest suggestion for all of us is not to just read some 'studies' on 'the walk' but allow this 'short' study to springboard you into reading all of Paul's writings and be aware of those moments of great wisdom as he presents his words from the Living and Risen Saviour.  We can learn from Paul's life and how he did what he did.  I am certainly not advocating that we 'imitate' Paul, like all the modern bibles state, but we can sure learn from his life. 

All too many of us tend to read studies about subjects in the Bible or about the KJB, etc. but do we often just read straight through all of Paul's writings?  Read, take your own notes (keeping it simple...) and you will get more of what the Spirit of God wants YOU to get, not just what a pastor, author or even myself think you should hear.  Why just pick the meat off of your plate when you can have the potatoes, veggie's, desserts and refreshments, etc. too?

PS - Keeping in mind - that the Corinthians books have things in them that were to be applied before the KJB was written.  (I Corinthians 13:8-10).  (I will do a break study on how to rightly divide Corinthians in the near future).