The New Testament
Responsibilities Of Church Membership
INTRODUCTION: Church members have many qualifications. Each believer has general spiritual areas where he/she is responsible to God. Members of N.T. local churches have obligations which are defined in the Scripture. Beginning with the Book of Romans and ending in the book of Jude, the Lord gives specifics which will enhance our lives and the lives of those around us.
Have a growing vibrant faith: Romans 1:8,12; Walk in newness of life: Romans 6:4,6,11,19,22; 8:4,13; Have a desire to see people saved: Romans 9:3; * Totally present ourselves to God: Romans 12:1-2; * We have been given these things freely to be used by God/ We should be spiritually-minded and have discernment: I Corinthians 2:12,14,16
OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Romans to Jude
1. Exercise spiritual gifts: Romans 12:3-8; I Cor. 1:7
2. Be kindly affectioned and prefer one another: Romans 12:10
3. Be willing to distribute to the necessity of the saints: Romans 12:13; 15:25-26
4. Be spiritually able to admonish one another: Romans 15:14
5. Assist and encourage other believers: Romans 16:1-16
6. Be aware of those who cause strife: Romans 16:17-18
7. Speak the same mind (no divisions): I Cor. 1:10-12; 3:3,4; 4:5-7
8. Labor with the leadership of the church: I Cor. 3:9-10
9. Faithful as stewards of God: I Cor. 4:1-2
10. Careful to maintain holiness: I Cor. 5:1-2,6,7
11. Sincere and truthful: I Cor. 5:8
12. Spiritually and physically separated from the world: I Cor. 5:11-13
13. Never to sue another Christian who is a member of the church: I Cor. 6:1-8
14. Flee fornication: I Cor. 6:18-20
15. Not a stumbling block to another Christian: I Cor. 8:9-13
16. Flee idolatry: I Cor. 10:14,20-22
17. Care for one another and no schism: I Cor. 12:24-26; 16:14
18. Do all things for edification and in order (worship): I Cor. 14:26,33,40
19. Be steadfast in the work of the Lord: I Cor. 15:58
20. Give on the first day of the week: I Cor. 16:1-2
21. Watch, stand fast in the faith: I Cor. 16:13
22. Addicted to the ministry of the saints: I Cor. 16:15-16
23. Comfort one another in tribulation: 2 Cor. 1:4-6
24. Prayer and giving for those in the ministry: 2 Cor. 1:9-11
25. Forgive and comfort one another: 2 Cor. 2:7-8; Gal. 6:1
26. Be confident and walk by faith: 2 Cor. 5:6-9
27. Persuade men to come to Christ: 2 Cor. 5:11,18,20
28. Give no offense in any thing: 2 Cor. 6:3; 6-10
29. Don't be unequally yoked: 2 Cor. 6:14-18
30. Continually cleansed and perfected in holiness: 2 Cor. 7:1
31. Abound in faith...grace...etc: 2 Cor. 8:7-8,11,12; 9:6-7
32. Never compare yourself to other believers: 2 Cor. 10:12-15
33. Stand fast in liberty: Gal. 5:1,13-15
34. Walk in the Spirit: Gal. 5:16,18,25-26
35. Don't be weary in well-doing: Gal. 6:9-10
36. Holy and without blame: Eph. 1:4; 5:5;Phil. 1:10; 2:15; I Thess. 4:3,7
37. Be strengthened in our "inner man" by His Spirit: Eph. 3:16; Phil. 1:11
38. Know the love of Christ: Eph. 3:19; Phil. 1:9; I Thess. 3:12-13
39. Be filled with the fullness of God: Eph. 3:19; 5:18; 6:10-20
40. Walk worthy of our vocation: Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 2:6; I Thess. 2:12
41. Endeavor to keep the unity: Eph. 4:3; Phil. 2:2-5; Col. 3:12-14
42. Be no more children in doctrine: Eph. 4:14; 5:6; Phil. 4:1; Col. 1:9,23; 2:8, 18-19; 3:16
43. Speak the truth in love and grow up spiritually: Eph. 4:15; Phil. 2:14-15
44. Put on the new man: Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:1-3,10
Notes: "to renew, make young" (
ana as in No. 1, and neoV, "recent," not different), is used in Eph. 4:23, "be renewed (in the spirit of your mind)." The "renewal" here mentioned is not that of the mind itself in its natural powers of memory, judgment and perception, but "the spirit of the mind," which, under the controlling power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, directs its bent and energies Godward in the enjoyment of "fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ," and of the fulfillment of the will of God. The word is frequent in inscriptions and in the papyri.Col. 3:10 "renew" "to make new" (
ana, "back" or "again," kainoV, "new," not recent but different), "to renew," is used in the Passive Voice in 2Cor. 4:16, of the daily renewal of "the inward man" (in contrast to the physical frame), i.e., of the "renewal" of spiritual power; in Col. 3:10, of "the new man" (in contrast to the old unregenerate nature), which "is being renewed unto knowledge," RV (cp. No. 3 in Eph. 4:23), i.e., the true knowledge in Christ, as opposed to heretical teachings.Note: This word has not been found elsewhere in Greek writings as yet, though No. 2 is, which would prevent the supposition that the Apostle coined a new word.
45. Put away lying: Eph. 4:25 /
apoqumenoi yeudoV: put off, lay aside, lay down, cast off, put away all that is not right. **A lie, conscious and intentional falsehood, in a broad sense, whatever is not what it seems to be, of perverse, impious, deceitful precepts46. No stealing: Eph. 4:28 //
kleptw - Pres Act Imp / rather let him labor: labor, bestow labor, toil, be wearied, to grow weary, tired, exhausted (with toil or burdens or grief), to labour with wearisome effort, to toil, of bodily labor47. No corrupt communication: Eph. 4:29; 5:4; Col. 4:6 // corrupt: rotten, putrefied, corrupted by one and no longer fit for use, worn out, of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless. Communication: Account, Cause, Communicate, Communication, Intent, Matter, Matters, Question, Questioning, Reason, Report, Saying, Show (Noun), Speech, Talk, Things, Treatise, Utterance, Word
48. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit: Eph. 4:30 //
kai mh lupeite / be sorrowful, grieve, make sorry, be sorry, cause grief, be in heaviness. To make sorrowful, to affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow, to grieve, offend, to make one uneasy, cause him a scruple. Cf. Heb. 3:10,17; Acts 7:51; Mark 3:5; I Thess. 5:19 to quench no the Holy Spirit: sbennute, meaning to extinguish, quench, of fire or things on fire, to go out, metaphor to quench, to suppress, stifle divine influence49. Be followers of God as dear children: Eph. 5:1 // Be is
ginesqe a Pres Imp to actually become something other than what you were! Followers of me is mimhtai to qeou, or imitate by example, mimic Christ! Cf. ! Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17; Heb. 6:1250. Redeem the time: Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5
51. Give thanks for all things: Eph. 5:4,20; Col. 1:12; 3:17; 4:2-3; I Thess. 5:18
52. Submit one to another in the fear of God: Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:3; I Pet. 5:5
53. Maintain right husband-wife relationships: Eph. 5:33; Col. 3:18-19;
54. Bring up children in the things of the Lord: Eph. 6:4; Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:5-7; Prov. 19:18; 22:6
55. Rejoice in the Lord: Phil. 3:1; 4:4; I Thess. 5:16
56. Follow men of God who are approved: Phil. 3:17; 4:9; I Thess. 1:6; I Tim. 4:12; 2 Thess. 3:7-9
57. Show moderation: Phil. 4:5 - Suitable and gentle behavior, forbearance
58. Be anxious for nothing: Phil. 4:6; Col. 3:15
59.Think on good things: Phil. 4:8-9
60. Minister for God - Not men: Col. 3:23-25; I Thess. 4:1
61. Never defraud: I Thess. 4:6,12
62. Watch for the coming of the Lord: I Thess. 5:6
63. Know those who minister and labor over you: I Thess. 5:12-13
64. Warn the unruly: I Thess. 5:14; Acts 20:31
65. Comfort and support the weak: I Thess. 5:14
66. Pray continually: I Thess. 5:17; Psalm 32:6; 55:17; Matt. 6:6-9; 19:13; Phil. 1:9; 2 Thess. 1:11; I Tim. 2:8; Heb. 13:18
67. Don't quench the Spirit: I Thess. 5:19 / Suppress, stifle, extinguish / Pres Act Imp
Cf. Eph. 6:16; I Tim. 4:14; Acts 7:51; 2 Tim. 1:6
68. Don't dispise the teaching of God's Word: I Thess. 5:20
Prophecy: discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events; Used in the NT of the utterance of OT prophets; of the prediction of events relating to Christ's kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due; of the endowment and speech of the Christian teachers called prophets; the gifts and utterances of these prophets, esp. of the predictions of the works of which, set apart to teach the gospel, will accomplish for the kingdom of Christ
69. Not shaken in mind or troubled in spirit: 2 Thess. 2:2
70. Hold to biblical traditions: 2 Thess. 2:15
71. Withdraw from disorderly brethren: 2 Thess. 3:6-7,14,15
72. Don't be weary in well-doing: 2 Thess. 3:13; Gal. 6:9; I Pet. 2:15; 3:17
73. Be in prayer for all men: I Tim. 2:1-2,8
74. Women: in modest apparel, learn in silence: I Tim. 2:9-12
Women: Chaste, keepers at home, sober: Titus 2:4-5
Women: Live right before husbands: I Pet. 3:1-6
75. Study the Bible with effect: 2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:21-22
76. Depart from iniquity: 2 Tim. 2:19; Tit. 2:14; Rom. 6:19
77. Men: sober-minded, pattern of good works: Tit. 2:2,6,8; I Thess. 5:8; I Pet. 4:7
Men: Dwell with wives according to knowledge: I Pet. 3:7
78. Be subject to the government: Tit. 3:1; I Pet. 2:13-14; Romans 13
79. Speak correctly: Tit. 3:2; James 1:19-20,26; 3:2,5,10; 4:11-12
80. Count it joy when trials come: James 1:2,4,12
81. Pray for wisdom: James 1:5-6; I Kings 3:9-12; Job 28:12-28; I Chon. 22:12; Prov. 2:3-6
82. Do not err concerning God's gifts: James 1:16-18; James 3:15-17; Rom. 6:23; 12:6-8; John 3:27
83. Treat all men with partiality: James 2:1; 2:2-6,9; Deut. 1:17; 16:19; Prov. 28:21; I Tim. 5:21
84. Submit to God: James 4:7-10; I Sam. 3:16-18; Matt. 11:29; Rom. 10:3; 2 Chron. 30:8-9
85. Be patient concerning the coming of the Lord: James 5:7-8; I Pet. 1:13; Gal. 5:5; I Thess. 1:3; Heb. 2:1-3; James 5:8
86. Be holy: I Pet. 1:16; 2:1,11; 4:2-3; I John 2:1
87. Be ready to tell others about Christ: I Pet. 3:15; Jude 22-23
88. Glorify God in all things: I Pet. 4:11; I Pet. 2:5; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Eph. 3:20-21; Phil. 1:11
89. Be clothed with humility: I Pet. 5:5-7; 2 Kings 22:19-20; Luke 14:11; James 4:10
90. Grow in grace: 2 Pet. 1:5-10
91. Demonstrate true godly love: I John 3:18,23; 4:7-8,11,21
92. Keep His commandments: I John 5:1-3
93. Contend for the faith: Jude 3
94. Build your lives on faith: Jude 20
95. Pray in the Holy Ghost: Jude 20