75 Bible Question – 67

2 Corinthians 10:5-6  “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Before we can help others with their problems or take part in any settlement of affairs [see Question 65], we must first be clean ourselves, having brought every thought into the obedience of Christ Jesus as Luke 6:42 demonstrates: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

For arguments and quarreling to be resolved in the church or by the church, there must be righteous leaders in that are firmly established in the word of God, they cannot be an authority in areas where they themselves need discipline.

Indeed, it seems like a harsh, if not impossible thing to bring every thought into obedience with Christ but it is not; it is a relatively small task in comparison to the strict beliefs of puritans and the moral obligations they impose on themselves - how much more will we be able to accomplish this task if God is for us?

1 Peter 1:22  “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,”

Romans 16:26  “But has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—“

1 Corinthians 2:16 ““For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”