1 Clement (A Study) Chapter 2

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Continued from 1 Clement (A Study) Chapter 1

CHAPTER. II.​

Moreover, ye were all distinguished by humility, and were in no respect puffed up with pride, but yielded obedience rather than extorted it,3 and were more willing to give than to receive. 4 Content with the provision which God had made for you, and carefully attending to His words, ye were inwardly filled5 with His doctrine, and His sufferings were before your eyes. Thus a profound and abundant peace was given to you all, and ye had an insatiable desire for 5 doing good, while a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit was upon you all. Full of holy designs, ye did, with true earnestness of mind and a godly confidence, stretch forth your hands to God Almighty, beseeching Him to be merciful unto you, if ye had been guilty of any involuntary transgression. Day and night ye were anxious for the whole brotherhood,6 that the number of God’s elect might be saved with mercy and a good conscience.7 Ye were sincere and uncorrupted, and forgetful of injuries between one another. Every kind of faction and schism was abominable in your sight. Ye mourned over the transgressions of your neighbours: their deficiencies you deemed your own. Ye never grudged any act of kindness, being “ready to every good work.”8 Adorned by a thoroughly virtuous and religious life, ye did all things in the fear of God. The commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written upon the tablets of your hearts.9

1 Clement (A Study) Chapter 3

 

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FOOTNOTES:

5. Literally, “ye embraced it in your bowels.”
7. So in the MS., but many have suspected that the text is here corrupt. Perhaps the
best emendation is that which substitutes συναισθησεως, “compassion,” for
συνειδησεως, “conscience.”

 

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Moreover, ye were all distinguished by humility, and were in no respect puffed up with pride, but yielded obedience

It would seem that Clement is teaching that humility is marked by obedience.

beseeching Him to be merciful unto you, if ye had been guilty of any involuntary transgression

Many Christians seem to have a distorted understanding of sin sacrifices. Sin sacrifices were only offered for involuntary transgressions. There are only two remedies for voluntary sin.

One is repentance.

The other is not what we seek.

uncorrupted

Interesting word.

Every kind of faction and schism was abominable in your sight.

With all of the thousands of denominations that exist today, this is unsettling.

Ye mourned over the transgressions of your neighbours: their deficiencies you deemed your own.

I have read that James (Appointed leader of the Assembly by Messiah) was on his knees so much, praying for his brothers and sisters, that his knees were like the skin of a camel. I wonder how many Pastors of megachurches have such knees.

The commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written upon the tablets of your hearts

Notice that Clement doesn't stop short of saying that the commandments are to be written on our hearts. The ordinances are to be written there too. This was the humble obedience of the early Assembly.

It seems that many have strayed.

Shabbat shalom.