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The First Apology
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Chapter 16: About Patience and Swearing.
REGARDING OUR PATIENCE WITH INJURIES: willingness to serve everyone, and being free from anger, this is what He said: "To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well; and do not stop someone who takes away your cloak or coat. Whoever is angry is in danger of the fire. And anyone who forces you to go a mile with him, go two. Let your good deeds shine before others, so that when they see them, they may glorify your Father in heaven." We should not argue; neither has He wanted us to imitate wicked people, but He has encouraged us to lead all people away from shame and the love of evil through patience and gentleness. This is shown in the case of many who once shared your views but have changed their violent and oppressive ways, being influenced either by the consistent integrity they saw in their neighbors' lives, the remarkable patience observed in their fellow travelers when wronged, or the honesty of those with whom they conducted business.
REGARDING OUR REFUSAL TO SWEAR AND OUR COMMITMENT TO SPEAKING THE TRUTH: He instructed us: “Do not swear at all; but let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no; for anything more than this comes from evil.” He also encouraged us to worship God alone: “The greatest commandment is, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve, with all your heart, and with all your strength, the Lord God who made you.” When a man approached Him saying, “Good Master,” He replied, “There is none good but God only, who made all things.”
Let those who do not live as He taught be recognized not as Christians, even if they verbally profess the teachings of Christ; for it is not those who merely profess, but those who act, who shall be saved, according to His words: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. For whoever hears Me and obeys My teachings, hears Him who sent Me. Many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in Your name, and done wonders? And then I will say to them, Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, when the righteous shine as the sun, and the wicked are sent into everlasting fire. Many will come in My name, appearing outwardly as sheep, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their works, you shall know them. Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Concerning those who are not living in accordance with His teachings and are Christians in name only, we request that such individuals be disciplined by you.
Hear the Scriptures cited in The First Apology
The First Apology quotes or alludes to these Bible chapters more than any others. Each link opens the free audio Bible, where the chapter is read aloud alongside the text, cross-references, and what other early Christian writers said about it.
- Hear Isaiah 52 (audio Bible) — cited 3 times in this work
- Hear Matthew 5 (audio Bible) — cited 3 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 6 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 49 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Numbers 21 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Psalms 22 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Isaiah 65 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Matthew 19 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 14 (audio Bible)
- Hear Genesis 18 (audio Bible)
- Hear Genesis 32 (audio Bible)
- Hear Exodus 3 (audio Bible)