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#69 The First Apology of Justin - Part 5
By Justin Martyr, from The Ante-Nicene Fathers
Chapter 16 - About Patience and Not Swearing
About being patient with wrongs, ready to serve everyone, and free from anger,
He said: "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him
have thy cloke also. Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall
be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
We should not fight. He did not want us to imitate wicked people but to lead
everyone to turn from shame and evil through patience and gentleness. This is
proven by the case of many who once thought as you do but changed their violent
and cruel ways. They were won over by the steady lives of their neighbors, the
unusual patience they saw in fellow travelers who were cheated, or the honesty
of those they did business with.
About not swearing and always telling the truth, He commanded: "Swear not at
all; but let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more
than these cometh of evil."
About worshiping God alone, He persuaded us this way: "Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," and "Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." When
someone came to Him and said, "Good Master," He answered, "Why callest thou me
good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
Those who do not live as He taught should not be considered Christians, even if
they claim to follow Christ's teachings. Those who do the works, not just those
who talk, will be saved. He said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. He that heareth me, and doeth them, heareth him that
sent me. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,
and the wicked are cast into everlasting fire. Beware of false prophets, which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire."
As for those who are Christians in name only and do not live by these teachings,
we ask that you punish them.
Chapter 17 - Christ Taught Obedience to Government
Everywhere we try harder than anyone to pay our taxes - both regular and
special - as He taught us. Once, some people came to Him and asked whether they
should pay taxes to Caesar. He answered, "Shew me the tribute money." And they
brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, "Whose is this image and
superscription?" They say unto Him, "Caesar's." Then saith He unto them,
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the
things that are God's."
So we worship God alone, but in other matters we gladly serve you, acknowledging
you as rulers of people. We pray that along with your royal power you also have
sound judgment. But if you ignore our prayers and honest explanations, we will
not be harmed. We believe that everyone will be punished in eternal fire
according to what they deserve and will answer to God according to the abilities
God gave them. Christ indicated this when He said, "For unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall be much required."
View all episodes
By Timeless FaithBy Justin Martyr, from The Ante-Nicene Fathers
Chapter 16 - About Patience and Not Swearing
About being patient with wrongs, ready to serve everyone, and free from anger,
He said: "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him
have thy cloke also. Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall
be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
We should not fight. He did not want us to imitate wicked people but to lead
everyone to turn from shame and evil through patience and gentleness. This is
proven by the case of many who once thought as you do but changed their violent
and cruel ways. They were won over by the steady lives of their neighbors, the
unusual patience they saw in fellow travelers who were cheated, or the honesty
of those they did business with.
About not swearing and always telling the truth, He commanded: "Swear not at
all; but let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more
than these cometh of evil."
About worshiping God alone, He persuaded us this way: "Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," and "Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." When
someone came to Him and said, "Good Master," He answered, "Why callest thou me
good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
Those who do not live as He taught should not be considered Christians, even if
they claim to follow Christ's teachings. Those who do the works, not just those
who talk, will be saved. He said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. He that heareth me, and doeth them, heareth him that
sent me. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,
and the wicked are cast into everlasting fire. Beware of false prophets, which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire."
As for those who are Christians in name only and do not live by these teachings,
we ask that you punish them.
Chapter 17 - Christ Taught Obedience to Government
Everywhere we try harder than anyone to pay our taxes - both regular and
special - as He taught us. Once, some people came to Him and asked whether they
should pay taxes to Caesar. He answered, "Shew me the tribute money." And they
brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, "Whose is this image and
superscription?" They say unto Him, "Caesar's." Then saith He unto them,
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the
things that are God's."
So we worship God alone, but in other matters we gladly serve you, acknowledging
you as rulers of people. We pray that along with your royal power you also have
sound judgment. But if you ignore our prayers and honest explanations, we will
not be harmed. We believe that everyone will be punished in eternal fire
according to what they deserve and will answer to God according to the abilities
God gave them. Christ indicated this when He said, "For unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall be much required."