Interesting Pieces of the Christian Faith

A Few Thoughts

Here I list passages I found worth sharing with the general public, from my own appreciation and to address misconceptions I've seen regarding the Christian faith. I have made comments corresponding to hyperlinked superscript numbers.

The Bible

When it seems like God doesn't care: Psalms 77, 79, 83, 86, 88, 89.
The Priestly Benediction: Numbers 6.22-27
Solomon Prays for Wisdom: 1 Kings 3.1-15¹
Judgment and the Future Belong to God: Ecclesiastes 3:16-22.
Concerning Science (or the Natural Law) and and Nature: Sirach 16.26-30.
Wisdom concerning God's Gifts to Men: Sirach 17.1-24.
Concerning the idea that knowledge of evil is good: Sirach 19:22.
Concerning the idea that violence is useful in executing judgment: Sirach 20.4.
Be content with little or much (Sirach 29:23).²
Concerning Physical Health: Sirach 29:14-17.
Concerning Treasures: Matthew 6.19-21
Do Not Be Anxious: Matthew 6.25-34
The Greatest Commandment: Matthew 22.34-40
The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10.25-37³
The Ascension of Jesus: Acts 1:6-11⁴
Marks of the True Christian: Romans 12.9-21
Love for One Another: Romans 13.8-10
Glorifying God in the Body: 1 Corinthians 6.12-20⁵
The Way of Love: 1 Corinthians 13
The Works of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5.16-26⁶
Rules for the New Life: Ephesians 4.25-5.2
Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 5.12-28
The Example of Jesus; Exhortation to Be Strong and Avoid Sin: Hebrews 12
Sacrifices Well-Pleasing to God: Hebrews 13.1-19
Live as Servants of God: 1 Peter 2.11-17

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

Faith and understanding: 156-159 (See also Adam, Eve and Evolution)
Paragraph 1691
The cardinal virtues: Paragraphs 1805-1809

The Early Church Fathers

We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes [John 1:9]. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . . Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid.
— (First Apology 46 [A.D. 151]), Justin Martyr. See Salvation Outside the Church.

My Comments

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This passage is a great response to the misunderstanding that God didn't want us to have knowledge of good and evil.
I've found this a necessity for happiness in life.
Jesus commands us to serve each other (note verse 37).
Verse 11 is worth remembering whenever we see men claiming to be the Son of God incarnate.
Christians profess that our bodies are a part of us, not simply some "shell", that we are not simply "spirits in a material world". A Scriptural example is here. The soul and the body are one; death is unnatural (i.e., not part of our nature): we were not meant to have our souls ripped apart from our bodies. For this reason we await a bodily resurrection where we shall be reunited with our bodies.
I like the list of the fruit of the Spirit. Be aware that Paul is speaking figuratively when he speaks of the flesh as opposing the Spirit. The nature of our existence could be misunderstood from passages like these; we are not spirits inside of bodies, and that's not what Paul means. Rather, we are spirits and bodies combined (and as Paul writes, do you not know that you are members of Christ? So glorify God with your body and present your body to God as a pleasing living sacrifice); see John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

This page was last modified Monday, 15-Feb-2010 01:14:15 EST.