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      • 18. The Motivation of a Sucide Terrorest
      • 19. The Message of the Terorist
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      • 38. Reckoned Righteous by Works
      • 39. Are New Year's Resolutions Biblical?
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      • 40. One of the Greatest Need America
      • 41. Your Memorial Table
      • 42. George W. Bush Verses Saddam Hussein
      • 43. Learning to Listen
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      • 45. Memorial Day
      • 46. My Ecounter with an Orthhodox Jew
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      • 49. The Decline in Family Living
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      • 51. Decoding the Da Vinci Code
      • 52. Thanksgiving is not a Holiday
      • 53. What a Christmas Present!
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      • 54. What Do You Mean by that?
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      • 67. Tribute to My Mother
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      • 79. The Redemption of Tookie Willaims
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      • 80. Is Religion a Problem?
      • 81. The Rights of the Born
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      • 83. Judas: Betrayer or Best Friend?
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      • 85. A Tribute to My (Spiritual) Father
      • 86. Your Relationship to the Word of God
      • 87. What an Opportunity!
      • 88. America's Four Gods
      • 89. How to Deal with Your Enemies
      • 90. The Case for Systematic Exposition
      • 91. Don't Miss the Message
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      • 92. I can Afford it!
      • 93. The Gospel according to Patricia
      • 94. The Functional Church
      • 95. Who wants to Deal with a Taxman?
      • 96. Vital Virtures
      • 97. Have You Grown up Yet?
      • 98. A July 4th Reminder
      • 99. The Volume of Silence
      • 100. Biblical Illiteracy
      • 101. A Modest Political Propospal
      • 102. How to Handle Credit Cards
      • 103. When it is Tough to be Thankful
      • 104. Romney's Religion
    • 2008 Articles 105-114 >
      • 105. Continue
      • 106. A Tribute to Jack
      • 107. Why Good Ftiday?
      • 108. Happy Birthday
      • 109. The Most Important Room in the House
      • 110. The 80-20 Rule
      • 111. Be Sensible
      • 112. To Be Like Christ
      • 113. Sweet Reasonableness
      • 114. The Other Benefit of Christmas
    • 2009 Articles 115-126 >
      • 115. What Determines who Obtains Eternal Life?
      • 116. The Healing Touch
      • 117. The Function of Dysfunction
      • 118. When Your World Falls Apart
      • 119. 24-7-365
      • 120. To Complain or not to Complain
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      • 123. God's Timing
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    • 2010 Articles 127-138 >
      • 127. Don't Ask; Don't Tell
      • 128. A Forest Dark
      • 129. The Rule of Law
      • 130. The Hits and Miss of Grace
      • 131. People Need the Lord
      • 132. Examples Worthy of Notes
      • 133. A Hassle Reduction Strategy
      • 134. Gossip
      • 135. My Favorite Poem
      • 136. Let's Put the Cross in its Place
      • 137. "Don't Spare Me"
      • 138 The Unseen Message of Christmas
    • 2011 Articles 139-147 >
      • 139. What Parents Should Teach their Children
      • 140. How to Avoid Having to Serve
      • 141. What Happen to Mike?
      • 142. An Atheist Recommends God
      • 143. Surprise
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      • 146. Get in the Way
      • 147. "Let George do it."
    • 2012 Articles 148-160 >
      • 148. Truth or Consequences
      • 149. Don't Leave Home without it
      • 150. Take a Break
      • 151. The Worth of an Individual
      • 152. A Tribute to Nana
      • 153. Jesus Crossed the Line
      • 154. Thomas Jefferson
      • 155. Taxes
      • 156. You Must be Present to Win
      • 157. A Grandfather's Wish
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      • 159. Is There a Santa Claus?
      • 160. A Tribute to Sumner Wemp
    • 2013 Articles 161-172 >
      • 161. How to Finish Well
      • 162. Rewards
      • 163. Spiritual Binging
      • 164. There is no way out of this one
      • 165. Half Empty or Half Full
      • 166. Nones
      • 167. Greet One Another with a Holy Kiss
      • 168. God's Answer to Atheism
      • 169. Obedience
      • 170. The Problem of Fellowship with God
      • 171. Character Development
      • 172. For Mercy's Sake
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      • 173. Lies
      • 174. Endure to the End
      • 175. Teaching Children How Money Grows
      • 176. The Principle of Delay
      • 177. By Their Fruit
      • 178. Sermons that Changed My Life
      • 179. If Paul Harvey were the Devil
      • 180. The Principle of Practice
    • 2015 Articles 181- >
      • 181. In Wrath Remember Mercy
      • 182. Choosing the Right Shepherd
      • 183. The Lord's Requirements
      • 184. Your Ear Lobe. Thumb, and Big Toe
      • More articles will be added as they are written
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  • 1185. What is Your "Attitude" tiward Scripture?
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Sweet Reasonableness

Many years ago, I stumbled upon a word that had a great impact on me. At the time, I used the King James Version of the Bible. Here is what I read, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:5 KJV). As I looked at the verse in the Greek text, I discovered that the Greek word translated “moderation” means “fairness, gentleness, moderation.” When I dug a little deeper, I found that Matthew Arnold rendered it “sweet reasonableness.”

Sweet reasonableness. Wow! “What a concept,” I thought. I would like to develop that virtue and have it characterize my life. In all honesty, I think I have managed to become like that to some degree, but not as much as I would like. The Lord will decide just how successful I have been. Nevertheless, I still admire the concept and aim for it to characterize who I am.

Recently, while studying the book of Acts, I came across that word again. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem on trumped up charges and was sent to Caesarea to appear before the Roman governor, a man named Felix. Felix summoned Paul’s accuser to come state their charges. A committee of religious leaders from Jerusalem showed up with an orator named Tertullus, who was their spokesman, perhaps like their attorney, who would speak for them in court (Acts 24:2). Tertullus began his speech before Felix thanking him for the peace and prosperity they experienced under his leadership. What Tertullus said was (and still is) a favorite form of flattery. Then, Tertullus asked Felix to hear him “with courtesy” (Acts 24:4).

I discovered that the Greek word translated “courtesy” was my old friend rendered “moderation” in the King James Version of Philippians 4:5. In his commentary on Acts, Alexander says that the essential idea of the Greek word “is not so much kindness or gentleness, as that of fairness and reasonableness, freedom from extremes of every kind.” He adds it is “a particular judicial virtue.” So, this is a case of one pagan asking another pagan to be reasonable.

This virtue is more than Paul’s exhortation or Tertullus’s example. It is the essence of Jesus. When Paul speaks of “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1), the Greek word translated “gentleness” is the same one rendered “courtesy” in Acts 24:4 and “moderation” in the King James Version of Philippians 4:5. In fact, in the New King James Version and the New International Version, it is translated “gentleness.”

If we are to be like Christ, we are to be courteous, gentle, reasonable. Paul told Titus to remind believers to be gentle (Titus 3:2). James lists gentleness as a characteristic of Godly wisdom (Jas. 3:17). So, as Paul admonishes us, “Let your courtesy, gentleness, sweet reasonableness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:5).

                                  © G. Michael Cocoris, 11/30/2008
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