Middle School Bible Study

"Dearly beloved Friends, these things we do not lay upon you as a rule or form to walk by, but that all with the measure of the light which is pure and holy may be guided, and so in the light walking and abiding, these may be fulfilled in the Spirit, - not from the letter, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."

Prepared April 2008. This web page is a work in progress which will be modified with contributions by the class as the lessons proceed. Some sources are in note 5.

There are two things that Quakers, other Christians and most religious groups hold to be true: (1) love and serve God and (2) love your neighbor as yourself. If there is nothing else that students get from this course than a desire to live a life based on these two things, then they will be better Christians than many preachers and religious scholars. A Christian is defined as a follower of Jesus, and these are the two things Jesus said you must do. The class read the biblical verses in Mark, Matthew and Luke that make this point, including the parable of the Good Samaritan which Jesus used to explain the second part of the "code".

The rest of the class time was taken up discussing how the code is used in real life. Examples included:

Though the code is simple and can be easily remembered, it can be hard to live by. Remember to ask yourself the question, "What does Love require?", when in a difficult situation.

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "the first is, 'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Matthew 22:36 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:38 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

[25] And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? [26] Jesus said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? [27] And the lawyer answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. [28] And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. [29] But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? [30] And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. [33] But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, [34] And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35] And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. [36] Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? [37] And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Additional related verses not covered in class are covered below for further consideration:

John 15: 12-15 - This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones own life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do as I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. [This passage may be where the Religious Society of Friends gets its name]

Matthew 25: 35-45 - I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord when was it that we did these things for you?' And the Lord will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.

Mark 9: 35 Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - [4] Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: [5] And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Leviticus 19:18 - Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Every human being contains within them primitive desires which must be controlled. If left unchecked they lead to behaviour that is sinful or evil. Although these desires may be necessary to our survival in some cases, today's lesson teaches that self discipline is also necessary if we are to follow Christ's instruction to serve God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Martin Luther King put it thusly: "As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos." (1956)

Before reading the Bible verses, the class was polled on what they thought was evil. They mentioned almost all the seven deadly sins except lust and gluttony and added lust for power and breaking some of the 10 commandments such as killing and stealing.


	After looking up and reading the Bible verses below we had the following discussion: We mentioned the The Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Envy, Laziness, Pride - to which the author of this web site adds the desire to dominate, control and enslave others as perhaps the worst form of evil of them all. After a discussion of the Bible verses, the biological basis of the "primitive emotions" like fear, anger and lust was discussed. These emotions are centered in parts of the brain we have in common with reptiles. These emotions have a common basis with common addictions (drugs, gambling, alcohol, pornography and power) which will be explained. The complicated interconnection with the more advanced features of the human brain (love, reason, memory) and how the primitive parts of the brain can take over will be discussed. How the concept of self discipline is related to Christian values and biology will be tied in. All addictions rewire the brain and harm memory, logic and the ability to think for yourself. A brief overview of Economics was made. Market Economics is the study of how who has wealth and why. It equates efficiency with truth. Economics also acknowledges a conflict between efficiency (truth) and fairness (love) which will be the further subject of lesson five. Market economics is truly a dismal science, as its models predict that on balance too much attention to fairness decreases wealth and that attempts to cure poverty often create more poverty. Examples used were aid to Africa, US urban "economic justice" issues and township budgets. The point is that trying to solve problems with money is complicated, and care must be taken to make sure things don't backfire. We took a brief tour of the Gwynedd burial ground and discussed the Golden Rule by the stones of Martha Bates, and underground railroad conductors George and Seth Lukens. Picture on right from Wikipedia Commons If interested in the science here are some links: amygdala locus coeruleus hypothalamus frontrol lobe of the cerebral cortex phenethylamines - neurochemicals and drugs

The Bible verses:

James 4: 1-7: [1] What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? [2] You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. [3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. [4] You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? [6] But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." [7] Submit yourselves, then, to God.

Matthew 6: 24 - Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.

Matthew 16: 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose their soul?

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart also be.

John 2:15-16 - Love not the world, neither the things that are of the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

John 18: 36 - My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight...

Romans 12: 21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Web extra: additional verses not covered this week:

The title of this week's lesson is from Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life..."

from the old Testament - Jeremiah 5:26-28:

For scoundrels are found among my people; they take over the goods of others.

Like fowlers they set a trap; they catch human beings.

Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of treachery;

therefore they have become great and rich, they have grown fat and sleek.

They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;

they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

William Penn: "Fear and Gain are great Perverters of Mankind, and where either prevail, the Judgement [of God] is violated."

George Fox (Epistle X. To Friends, to stand still in trouble, and see the strength of the Lord): "Friends,Whatever you are addicted to, your temptation will come in that thing; and when it troubles you, it gets advantage over you, and then you are gone. Stand still in that which is pure, after you see yourselves; and then mercy comes in. After you see your thoughts, and the temptations, do not think, but submit; and then power comes. Stand still in that which shows and discovers; and there does strength immediately come. And stand still in the light, and submit to it, and the other will be hushed and gone; and then content comes. And when temptations and troubles appear, sink down in that which is pure, and all will be hushed, and fly away. Your strength is to stand still, after you see yourselves; whatsoever you see yourselves addicted to, temptations, corruption, uncleanness, etc., then you think you shall never overcome. And earthly reason will tell you, what you shall lose; listen not to that, but stand still in the light that shows them to you, and then strength comes from the Lord, and help contrary to your expectation. Then you grow up in peace, and no trouble shall move you. "

This discussion will center on the nature of love. The love that never ends is the force that created the universe. We were created of love, to love. Our strength and our will comes from love. Love is how we experience God. Love creates joy. Loss of love creates sorrow. The knowledge of our connection to the endless love (being held in the light) allows us to recover from grief.

Distinctions will be made between God's love, love between friends, stable marital love, falling in love and maternal love, and once again the interplay between science and religion will be discussed. The topic of what makes a happy marriage will be touched upon.

I John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. [8] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

I John 4: 11-16 - [11] Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. [13] We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. [16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

I Corinthians 13: 1-2 - If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

I Corinthians 13: 4-7 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I Corinthians 13: 11-13 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

"The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love." -- Prologue, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed., 1997.

"I cannot see the life of Jesus as other than God trying to disclose his love for us and his attempt, at any price, to show us that the cosmos is grounded in love. All hate, all sin, all discord, all clefts, all ignorance, all confusion will finally give way to love. But this love, like a strip of wood, has its grain which must be followed. If we follow this grain we will find that we must change the patterns in which we have previously cast out lives. And I do not see how God could have made this disclosure more effectively than by placing his love in the body of a child who was to become a man, and letting this cosmic message shine through the material envelope of a human life." Douglas Steere (1965) Quaker Faith and Practice p. 118: "

"Our Gracious Creator cares and provides for all his creatures. His tender mercies are over all his works; and so far as His love influences our minds, so far we become interested in His workmanship and feel a desire to take hold of every opportunity to lessen the distresses of the afflicted and increase the happiness of the Creation. Here we have a prospect of one common interest from which our own is inseparable, that to turn all the treasures we possess into the channel of Universal Love becomes the business of our lives." (John Woolman, 1763)

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Matthew 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart' and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Galatians 5:22-25 - [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Psalms 23:

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 19:26 (alternative is Luke 1:37) - Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 6: 9-11 "The Lord's Prayer" - Our Father in heaven - Hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who wrong us. And do not bring us to a time of trial, but rescue us from evil.

George Fox

" Now I was come up in spirit through the flaming sword, into the paradise of God. All things were new; and all the creation gave unto me another smell than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, and innocency, and righteousness; being renewed into the image of God by Christ Jesus, to the state of Adam, which he was in before he fell. The creation was opened to me; and it was showed me how all things had their names given them according to their nature and virtue.

I was at a stand in my mind whether I should practise physic for the good of mankind, seeing the nature and virtues of things were so opened to me by the Lord. But I was immediately taken up in spirit to see into another or more steadfast state than Adam's innocency, even into a state in Christ Jesus that should never fall. And the Lord showed me that such as were faithful to Him, in the power and light of Christ, should come up into that state in which Adam was before he fell; in which the admirable works of the creation, and the virtues thereof, may be known, through the openings of that divine Word of wisdom and power by which they were made." (Journal p.27, Nickalls edition)

Matthew 5: 1-12 -the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount- When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. (How does our society reflect or not reflect, Jesus words here? Are Justice and Mercy the same thing, or are they different?)

Matthew 5: 14-16: You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works...

Ecclesiastes (Sirach) 1:14a To fear the Lord is the beginning of freedom. (modern Quakers would substitute the word "love" for "fear" perhaps (see next verse). What does this statement mean?)

II Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind. (a sound mind is the servant of the power called love)

How are these verses related to

"No people can be truly happy, though under the greatest enjoyments of civil liberties, if abridged of the Freedom of their Conscience as to their Religious Profession and Worship." (Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties, 1701)

"If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants" (attributed to Penn, though no ones knows where he said this).

II Corinthians 3: 6 - Our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (What is this Spirit? How is it connected with the mind? What does this verse have to say about a "fundamentalist" reading of the Bible? See note 3 for some Quaker attitudes towards the Bible.)

James 2:17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (the mind and the soul are attached to the body, so use it)

William Penn on the founding of Pennsylvania:

"For my country, I eyed the Lord, in obtaining it; And more was I drawn inward to look to him; And to owe it to his hand and power, than to any other way; I have so obtained it, and desire to keep it; That I may not be unworthy of his love; But do that, which may answer his kind Providence; And serve his truth and people; That an example may be set up to the nations; There may be room there, though not here, for such an holy experiment."

Points of discussion:

1. The meaning of the Bible verses.

2. A brief discussion of free will, fate and freedom and its spritual basis grounded in love.

3. A model of the mind that describes how imagination is filtered through love, memory and reason to become real; and how evil can thwart and warp those with the best intentions.

4. We will imagine the perfect world.

More on the internet:

Sojourners is seeking to build God's kingdom on earth right here, right now.

This week we will discuss how reason serves love in a concept we call Truth. Reason, memory and our higher brain functions are not to be rejected, but are to be used to further God's purpose. The combination of intelligence and love builds civilization and creates law and justice in a well made society. There is no conflict between science and religion. Science can be viewed as one tool for revealing God's plan. Science can also be used to serve evil, and that is why it is to be the servant of love, not the other way around.

A brief mention will be made of how religion has been used for evil. Religion is of two types: one flows from love and frees you. The second is used to control the many by the few. It follows that governments fall into two types, based on the kind of religion practiced: the first flows from the two principles (serve God, love your neighbor as thyself) and the second enslaves and robs its inhabitants in the name of religion. We will use our model of the mind to imagine how an evil society operates.

John 1: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Some discussion (by the teacher mainly) of what "the Word" is was made.

John 8: 31-38

Jesus said:, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Those hearing him replied, "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free?"

Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the father."

Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow. (note wisdom = perception of truth. Why does this increase sorrow? - see also note 4)

Matthew 7:1 Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. (Law seems to be about judging, and law is a necessity in our civilization. What does Jesus mean here? There is more explanation in the next passage.)

John 8: 1 -12 [1] Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. [2] And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. [3] And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, [4] They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. [5] Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? [6] This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. [7] So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. [8] And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. [9] And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. [10] When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? [11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. [12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

William Penn: "He that has more Knowledge than Judgment, is made for another Man's use more than his own. Inquiry is human; blind obedience brutal. Truth never loses by the one but often suffers by the other. " Also from Penn: "There is a zeal without knowledge, that is superstition. There is a zeal against knowledge, that is interest or faction; there is a zeal with knowledge, that is religion; and if you will view the countries of cruelty, you will find them superstitious rather than religious. Religion is gentle, it makes men better, more friendly, loving and patient than before.

Question: Why do you think the apple tree in the Garden of Eden was called the Tree of Knowledge? What attitude towards knowledge does that convey? See Note 4 below.

Additional notes: The Middle School class from Plains Mennonite Church visited us and it was a pleasure to have them with us. In the review session at the beginning the teacher showed the music video "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears and asked the class if the message of the video was similar to that of Christ. Then as an example of how desire leads to evil, some of the music video of "Hysteria" by Muse was shown.

Arianism verus Trinitarianism was briefly covered from a historical perspective. Quakers have historically stayed away from theological disputes of this type, as they distract people from communion with God.

Originally the teacher intended to discuss "Our Place in the Universe." He intended to interweave physics with Christian thought, asking questions such as what is the relationship between "energy" and love, between death, sorrow and "entropy" and what is the role of science in religion since we believe that reason should serve love. However, tying these abstract concepts into something useful (the purpose of this course) will have to be saved for another time.

Instead a overview of the Bible was made:

The Old Testament is a historical account of the Jewish people before the coming of Christ, combined with laws, poetry, wise sayings and prophecies. The comment was made that Christians largely do not follow most of the laws in the Old Testament other than the 10 commandments, nor do most practicing Jews (note 1). The view of the nature of God has changed since the Old Testament was written as the Christian loving God is percieved in the New Testament differently from the jealous, wrathful God of the Old Testament (though God is unchanging, and God can be shown as loving in the Old Testament), and in the Old Testament God is percieved as the particular God of the ancient Israelites, while in the New Testament God is the God of all mankind. For Christians, when contradictions are found in the Bible, the spirit and letter of the New Testament prevails over the Old Testament, and the teachings of Christ prevail with the teachings of his followers. Quaker attitudes toward the Bible are covered in note 3 below.

It was mentioned that after the death of King Solomon, the Jewish kingdom was split into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah) and each had its own version of the Old Testament. The prophet Ezra later combined these sources into one book and added other things giving us the Old Testament of today. You can tell if you are reading the part of the Bible originating in Judah if God is called Yahweh (Jehovah) and similarly if from Israel, God is referred to as Lord (Elohim).

The first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are the core of the Jewish Bible (the Torah). The book of Genesis is Jewish mythology originating over 3000 years ago. In this course, from Genesis, we discussed the Fall of Man (see note 4 below) and its relationship to Christ's sacrifice for mankind (see Note 2). Exodus is the story of Moses. Leviticus and Deuteronomy contain many of the ancient Jewish laws.

Starting with the book of Joshua and going through Kings, Chronicles and Samuel we have an early history of the Jewish people (which was not covered in this course). This followed by poetry (Psalms) and wise sayings (such as Proverbs) which we extracted a few examples. The major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) are followe by the minor prophets. A major purpose of these later books is to explain why the Jewish people were, despite God's convenant, dragged into slavery. The story of the Covenant was reviewed (Genesis 17, Abraham and the aborted sacrifice of Isaac, followed by God's promise of protection).

The New Testament starts with the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of Jesus' life, punctuated with things he said. Although by tradition Matthew is the first Gospel written, modern scholars now think that Mark was the first written, and written within 30 years of Christ's resurection. We quickly reviewed things covered in previous weeks at this point, including Matthew 5 & 6, Mark 12 and Luke 10. Things found in Matthew and Luke and not found in Mark are the stories of Jesus birth, stories about the disciples and Christ after the Resurection, and several new stories about Christ. The first three Gospels were written while people who knew Christ were still alive and we can assume accurately reflect their beliefs. The Gospel of John is different. It is a "spiritual" or "mystical" Gospel and it emphasizes the redemption of mankind by Christ's sacrifice and the personal relationship between us and God. The class covered John 8 the previous week. We discussed John 3:16 briefly in this class (see Note 2). John was written many years after the other Gospels. Gospel means "Good News." The word Evangelical is from the Greek for "Good News" as well. The writers of the Gospels are referred to as the first Evangelists. Luke was a companion of Paul's who traveled with him.

We continued our outline of the New Testament. The Acts tell the history of the early Church from the death of Christ to approximately the year 62 (possibly written by Luke too, while Paul was in prison in Rome, but before his execution by Nero in 68 AD). These are followed by the letters of Paul. It was mentioned that the letter of Paul to the Romans is less quoted by Quakers today as some of its contents are troubling to us. On the other hand, Quakers frequently quote I Chronicles 13. The letters of Paul are followed by other letters of the early church founders, and Quakers particularly have turned to James and 1 John. The New Testament ends with the book of Revelation. The teacher told the story of the Quaker Herman Husband and how his reading of the book of Revelation shaped his involvement the Regulator movement and the Whiskey Rebellion (as part of his desire to bring Christ's Kingdom to Earth as soon as possible).

1. Exodus 20: 1-17 -The Ten Commandments-

Then God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you. shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

5. Honor you father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Scholarly aside: on ancient Hebrew law: There are several somewhat conflicting bodies of law in the Old Testament in addition to the 10 commandments (courtesy of Wikipedia).

* The Ten Commandments, or Ethical Decalog(ue), are a list of religious and moral imperatives which, according to Biblical tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. They feature prominently in Judaism and Christianity. The phrase "Ten Commandments" generally refers to the very similar passages in Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. These are listed above on this web page.

* In Biblical criticism, the Ritual Decalogue is one of the two very different lists within the Torah that are known as the Decalogue or Ten Commandments - the name decalogue merely means ten sayings. The Ritual Decalogue is the list of commandments in Exodus 34.

* The Covenant Code, or alternatively Book of the Covenant, is the name given by academics to a text appearing in the Torah at Exodus 21:2 - 23:33. Biblically, the text is the second of the law codes given to Moses, by Yahweh, at Mount Sinai.

* The Priestly Code is mainly found in the first part of Leviticus and was written by priests, who among other things, were interested in making Jerusalem the religious center of Judaism and discrediting priests of the Kingdom of Israel. It is a competing alternative to the Covenant Code. It is generally ignored by Christians.

* The Holiness Code is a term used in Biblical Criticism to refer to Leviticus 17-26 and is consistent with and supplements the Priestly Code.

Note 2. The vicarious atonement

John 8:12 is a comfortable way for the author of this web site of expressing this concept. (I.e. "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.") This line may be more in the spirit of modern "Hicksite" Friends than John 3:16 - the belief that simply accepting Christ as your saviour leads to salvation - it reads "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." Friends have traditionally believed that this is only a first step, not sufficient on its own. This idea is found in other places in John as well: John 5:24 - "Verily, Verily I say unto you: He that heareth my word, and believeth of him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." and also John 11: 25-26 - Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die", and also John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father but by me." It is echoed in the letters of Paul.

These passages are the basis of Calvinism which says that (1) Since the original sin in the Garden of Eden, the nature of man is basically sinful and depraved and (2) Christ died for our sins, which makes it possible for us to be saved from our sinful nature and (3) this requires accepting Christ as the means to our salvation and (4) that salvation means going to Heaven after the body dies. The is sometimes called the vicarious atonement (vicarious = someone else did it for you; atonement = did something that hurt to make up for a sin, like getting crucified). Throughout their history, Quakers were not believers in the depravity of man, looked at scepticism on the story of the Garden of Eden, and did not emphasize the vicarious atonement. Gradually over time, some Quakers absorbed these beliefs from the surrounding Prostestant community, and it led to division (such as the Hicksite/Orthodox split).

Another uncomfortable passage for discussion at another time combining continuing revelation, cataclysmic events and the grace of God: Acts 2:14-21: But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Herman Husband, the Quaker revolutionary, would have understood this passage quite literally. Not verses for the timid, but George Fox would have liked it too I think.

Note 3. Quaker attitudes towards the Bible

APOLOGY FOR THE TRUE CHRISTIAN DIVINITY

By Robert Barclay, first published in 1675.

"THE THIRD PROPOSITION

Concerning the Scriptures.

From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints, have proceeded the scriptures of truth, which contain, 1. A faithful historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages, with many singular and remarkable providences attending them. 2. A prophetical account of several things, whereof some are already past, and some yet to come. 3. A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrine of Christ, held forth in divers precious declarations, exhortations, and sentences, which, by the moving of God's Spirit, were at several times, and upon sundry occasions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors: nevertheless, because they are only a declaration of the fountain, and not the fountain itself, therefore they are not to be esteemed the principal ground of all truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary rule of faith and manners. Nevertheless, as that which giveth a true and faithful testimony of the first foundation, they are and may be esteemed a secondary rule, subordinate to the Spirit, from which they have all their excellency and certainty; for as by the inward testimony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them, so they testify, that the Spirit is that guide by which the saints are led into all truth: therefore, according to the scriptures, the Spirit is the first and principal leader. And seeing we do therefore receive and believe the scriptures, because they proceed from the Spirit; therefore also the Spirit is more originally and principally the rule, according to that received maxim in the schools, Propter quod unumquodque est tale, illud ipsum est magis tale. Englished thus: 'That for which a thing is such, that thing itself is more such.' "

Here is an additional quote from George Fox:

"When all my hopes in all men were gone and I had nothing and noone left to help me, I heard a voice which said, 'There is one, Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition,' and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. When God works on you directly, no man can hinder his purpose. This I know from experience. My desire after the Lord grew stronger, and zeal in the pure knowledge of God, and of Christ alone, without the help of any man, book or writing. For though I read the Scriptures that spoke of Christ and of God, yet I knew Him not, but by revelation, as He who hath the key did open, and as the Father of Life drew me to His Son by His Spirit. Then the Lord gently led me along, and let me see His love, which was endless and eternal, surpassing all the knowledge that men have in the natural state, or can obtain from history or books; and that love let me see myself, as I was without Him." (George Fox, 1646, where modernized slightly by the editor, to make things clearer, there are italics)

This topic was also the subject of a presentation by Gene Hillman.

Finally here is a statement of Quaker principles from our 1927 Book of Discipline - little has changed since then, and the student will note that this Bible study course teaches what the following statement preaches.

"The fundamental faith of the Religious Society of Friends leads to a way of life. In the application of the principles of truth to daily life we acknowledge as supreme the authority of the Divine Spirit in the individual soul. No outward authority can replace it. Each individual must be true to his own understanding of his duty.

Each individual ought, however, to test his conception of truth by comparison with the individual and collective experience of his fellow men. Such experiences are found in rich abundance in the Bible and in the lives of spiritual men and women in all ages. They find their highest expression in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Jesus lived a life of love. He taught that love is the motive power of life, and that its application is the solution to all the problems of life. To the challenge of this way of life the spirit within us responds. We accept and make the ideals of Jesus our own. We accept the application of the principle of love as the practical way of life and the perfect goal short of which we cannot be satisfied. The bond of our religious fellowship is an experience in the soul that God is love.

Truth is an ever opening pathway which, if followed, will lead us to higher levels of life and conduct. Its applications vary according to the changing conditions of life. By the faithfulness of each individual in seeking for the truth and making it known to others when found, we are able to advance.

It has been our experience that the guidance of the Divine Spirit has in great measure led us as a group to the same standards of life and conduct. A statement of these standards is made as a guide for all who in trying to understand the will of God wish to compare their individual revelations of truth with those of their fellow men.

We believe that a vital faith must have its application in life. We would place the emphasis not on works alone, nor on faith alone, but upon the union of faith and works.

It is our common experience that communion with God is a fundamental need of the human soul. Constant listening for the promptings of the Divine Spirit and seeking to follow it in every relation of life will lead inevitably to spiritual growth.

If we are faithful followers of Jesus, we may expect at times to differ from the practice of others. Having in mind that truth in all ages has been advanced by the courageous example of spiritual leaders. Friends are earnestly advised to be faithful to those leadings of the Divine Spirit which they feel fully assured after mature meditation and consideration they have interpreted truly. The foundation for all our personal life and social relations should be the sufficient and irreplaceable consciousness of God."

Note 4. The Fall of Man

Taken literally this is a very strange story. You would think that knowing right from wrong is a good thing, and it is. Perhaps the point being made is imperfect human knowledge and feelings are less reliable than using the living God as our guide. It brings to mind also Christ's comments about children and the kingdom of heaven. The point is not to be blindly obedient to religious doctrine, never thinking for yourself. Nor is the point that your reason is not to be used for the service of good. The point is that without acceptance of God/love as our guide, we will be led astray, no matter how great our intelligence. That acceptance is easier if we suspend knowledge and internal debate and simply open our hearts to the love that never ends (see Luke 18:15-17).

Genesis 3

The Fall of Man

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Luke 18: 15-17:

People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

Note 5. Biblical sources from the internet

I used a couple of on-line references to the Bible to create this web page.

1. On Gwynedd's own web site is a Bible cheat sheet", Famous verses of the Bible. If you know the verses contained on this page and can repeat them, your life will be enriched by these beautiful turns of phrase, and you will have for your life's use many of Christ's teachings there in your mind.

2. The whole Bible, in searchable form can be found at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . I found myself turning to this source every week when preparing the lessons.