Hint #06: within one body … (10/19/18)
Jesus makes it quite clear that there is only one Way to enliven the will of his all-Loving Father (see John 14:6 – focusing on dia, the Greek word often translated as through, much more than the Greek word emou, oft translated as me) and only one very narrow gate of selfless sacrifice through which any & all must pass to attain entrance to his Kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 7:13-14 + Matthew 18:3-4 + Matthew 24:12-14). He even goes so far as to say that any & all self-focused habits &/or addictions must be cut off and thrown away in order to do so (a la “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it is better for you to lose it than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away as well; for it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into Gehenna.” ~ Matthew 5:29-30). Paul, on the other hand (pun intended), is embarrassingly lax when it comes to sinful violators of the Law; establishing a new codex grounded in a mere profession of faith, regardless of one’s actual conduct (see Romans 3:31, Romans 7:4-6, & Romans 10:1-10 et al), even going so far as to say: “As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor. Our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it as well.” (1 Corinthian 12:20-26)
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