Christian Behaviour The Way of Life

love your neighbour as yourself

love those who hate you	hate those who hate you
love those who love you	hate those who love you
do to others as you would like them to do to you	do to others as much as you can get away with
look for the advantage of others	look for self-advantage, and take advantage of others
neither offend nor take offence	offend and take offence

Love your neighbour

Reflect Yahweh's love. Desire for others what Yahweh intends for them. Desire to be with others who are righteous. Be open to others, with a desire for spiritual relationships. The benefits of the relationship will flow from Yahweh. Have for others, Esteem. At all times practice honest appreciation of events and opinions. Heed and regard the actions of others in and upon your life. Pay constant attention and keep your gaze steadily on Yahweh. Develop insight and perception. In all you do, consider Yahweh, and His will, and refrain from giving offence to others. Avoid interfering with others. Act with the safety, health, and welfare of others in mind, in both spiritual and material matters. Regard all actions by others in and upon your life with favour, no matter how adverse they may seem to be. Loyalty. Have loyalty and faithfullness towards those who are righteous, and be steadfast in your allegiance. Fervour. Be passionate and zealous for others to know Yahweh. Let hearty, persistent, endeavour, motivate your relationships. Be seriously determined. Continue firmly and obstinately, despite obstacles, or forcible resistance by word or deed. Affection. Have fondness and goodwill towards others. Inclination. Be eager to know others. Develop liking and affection towards others. Take a strong interest in others, and their actions. Do not be disinterested, nor impartial. Liking. Come to agree with others who are righteous, enjoy them, prefer them, wish for their company. Yearning. Be filled with longing, compassion, and tenderness towards others. Become sensitive to their needs, and characters. Learn to be delicate, and susceptible to the experience of the pain and grief of others, in the face of the world's actions. Serve others. Develop habitual thoughts, words and deeds which express your respect and affection for others. Be useful to others. Limits to Loving your neighbour There are no limits to loving your neighbour, except those of prior obligations to Yahweh. Loving does not imply being a fool, or a victim, or tolerating non-Christian behaviour if you are able to prevent it, or exposing yourself to unnecessary danger. Yeshuah showed that you do not have to be a victim, either willingly or unwillingly. You do not have to accept injury, or death, other than at the hands of lawful authority. You may withdraw from others, and remain separated, if they show mindless resistance, unacceptance, or hostility. Do not love in order to be loved. Do not buy love. You try to buy love when you tolerate behaviour you should not, in the desired return for the acceptance, regard, and love of others.

The advantage of others	Top of Page

Live so that others can gain from their relationship with you. This gain can be material, and social, but should be spiritual. Living so that others gain materially or socially can lead to unexpected disdain and contempt, since your intentions will be suspect. The measure for this gain is largely worldly. Let your relationship be exemplary spiritually and morally, by your conduct and witness, so that others can learn how to live, if they are so minded. The disdain and contempt that may follow will then be a measure of the other person's unrighteousness.

Offence	Top of Page

Recognising Offence A three step process. - The offended will believe that there has been a transgression of laws, regulations, customs, or beliefs, or that wrong has been done to them or others. This may be seen as having been done by action or attitude, aggressively or passively, or even without any action taking place. - There will be upset feelings, perhaps of disgust. Insult will be experienced, involving challenges to self-respect and/or perhaps modesty, followed by displeasure, and anger. - A response may be made at least in the same manner as the perceived offence, and possibly more intensely, and for a greater period of time. Giving Offence One of the paradoxes of Christianity is that, a Christian must both give and not give offence. A Christian gives offence by the very facts of living a righteous life before Yahweh, walking with Yeshua, and loving others. These activities should prevent a Christian from giving offence intentionally by wrongdoing. Taking Offence A Christian should not take offence, recognising that there are two sources of offence. Both put the Christian to the test, but with opposite purposes. 1) Yahweh exposing internal weaknesses, allowing correction; 2) Satan exploiting weakness, attempting to destroy faith. Both can come in the spiritual or social life, through thoughts or other people. Sources of Offence The sources of offence are spiritual, yourself, other people, (Christians and non-Christians), and the material world. Offences These can be anything, since each human being has a different viewpoint to others, and will include: race, skin colour, body shape, body mass, gender; facial features, length of hair, facial hair; tribe, clan, sect, social affiliations, class, family; clothes; neighbourhood, dwelling, possessions; religious beliefs, political beliefs, social beliefs, culture, traditions; behaviour, habits, speech, education, occupation; food, acquisition of food, eating and drinking; types of animals, animal behaviour, the design of animals; types of plants, plant habits, designs of plants; the weather, the seasons. The idea of a supreme spiritual being is offensive to many, as is the idea of a single creator God, and that His name is Yahweh. The final offence is Yeshua.

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