CHRISTIAN
MANNERS
Thursday 01 December 2016
WHAT IS THE BIBLE
SAYING ABOUT MANNERS?
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There are various synonyms for the
manners in the Bible.
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(1 Corinthians 15:33)
“Be not deceived: evil communications
corrupt good manners.”
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Manners here are a Greek word ēthos
and it means moral habits.
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The Scripture reveals that there are
good moral habits or Christian manners
and there are corrupt or bad manners.
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Manners are a way in which a thing is
done or supposed to happen.
Manners are our outward bearing or way
of behaving towards others.
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Why are manners important?
Try thinking of a world without moral
rules.
Manners are a product of rationality and
they differentiate us from beasts.
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1. Manners are God’s gift to man, and they
create a code of behavior for how people
interact.
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(Exodus 20:12-17)
“Honour thy father and thy mother:
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his
manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy
neighbor's.”
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God in Exodus sets out the moral conduct or
code of behavior that we all should have
towards each other.
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(Luke 6:31)
“And as ye would that men should do to you,
do ye also to them likewise.”
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(Matthew 7:12)
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
This is the golden principle “do to others as
you would have them do to you”
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We all want to be treated with respect
So must we first treat others with respect
We all want to be treated with dignity
So we must first treat others with dignity
We all want to be loved
So we must first love others
We all want to be honored and recognised
where honor is due to us.
So we must first honor and recognise other
whenever honor is due to them.
We all want to be treated with consideration
So we must first treat others with
consideration.
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(Galatians 5:14)
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word,
even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.”
(Galatians 5:22-23)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law.”
These are moral characteristics all
Christians should have and show forth.
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(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
“Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth
not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its
own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;
rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth
with the truth;
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things.”
When we love we will demonstrate our love by
being patient, kind, not envious, not boastful,
not proud, not behave unseemly, not seek our
own, not provoked easily, not keep a record of
wrongs, not rejoice in unrighteousness, but
rejoice in truth…
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2. Manners create expectation for how we
Christians will behave.
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“Good manners reflect something from insidean innate sense of consideration for others
and respect for self” Emily Post.
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“Good manners are just a way of showing
other people that we have respect for them”Bill Kelly.
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Manners before dignities.
(Proverbs 23:1)
“When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
consider diligently what is before thee:”
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(Proverbs 11:22)
“As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a
fair woman which is without discretion.”
Manners to wards Elders.
(Leviticus 19:32)
“Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head,
and honour the face of the old man, and fear
thy God: I am the LORD.”
We are commanded to consider the dignity
of the ruler when ever we sit and eat with
such.
We are commanded to show respect to our
elders.
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Manners when people host you.
(1 Corinthians 10:27)
“If any of them that believe not bid you to a
feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever
is set before you, eat, asking no question for
conscience sake.”
(Luke 14:8-9)
“When thou art bidden of any man to a
wedding, sit not down in the highest room;
lest a more honourable man than thou be
bidden of him;
And he that bade thee and him come and
say to thee, Give this man place; and thou
begin with shame to take the lowest room.”
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(Proverbs 25:6)
“Put not forth thyself in the presence of the
king, and stand not in the place of great
men:
For better it is that it be said unto thee,
Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be
put lower in the presence of the prince
whom thine eyes have seen.”
When you are interested with what belongs
to others.
(Luke 16:12)
“And if ye have not been faithful in that
which is another man's, who shall give you
that which is your own?”
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(Romans 13:7)
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to
whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
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Do not refuse with honour that belong to
others that is not yours.
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(John 3:29-30)
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but
the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth
and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore
is fulfilled.
He must increase, but I must decrease.”
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It would be ill manners should the friend of the
bridegroom refuse with the bride. If he is full
of sorrow when he hears the voice of the
bridegroom.
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(Matthew 21:33-46) (Luke 20:9-19) and (Mark
12:1-12).
All these peak of the parable of the wicked
tenants.
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Verse 38 gives the motive of these wicked
tenants.
“But when the husbandmen saw the son, they
said among themselves, This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his
inheritance.”
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When ever you are put in charge of other
people’s things and including their
responsibilities, it is good manners to
honer them when they return or when
they require what was theirs.
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(Philippians 2:3)
“Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves.”
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It is good manners to acknowledge others.
Never seek to take by force what has been
entrusted to you.
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(Titus 3:1-2)
“ Put them in mind to be subject to
principalities and powers, to obey
magistrates, to be ready to every good
work,
To speak evil of no man, to be no
brawlers, but gentle, shewing all
meekness unto all men.”
(1Peter 3:8)
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having
compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:”
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(Hebrews 13:7)
“Remember them which have the rule
over you, who have spoken unto you the
word of God: whose faith follow,
considering the end of their
conversation.”
(Hebrews 13:17)
“Obey them that have the rule over you,
and submit yourselves: for they watch
for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy,
and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you.”
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(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know
them which labour among you, and are
over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
And to esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake. And be at peace
among yourselves.”
(1 Thessalonians 2:9)
“For ye remember, brethren, our labour
and travail: for labouring night and day,
because we would not be chargeable
unto any of you, we preached unto you
the gospel of God.”
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(1Timothy 5:17)
“Let the elders that rule well be counted
worthy of double honour, especially they
who labour in the word and doctrine.”
(1 Corinthians 9:10-11)
“Or saith he it altogether for our sakes?
For our sakes, no doubt, this is written:
that he that ploweth should plow in hope;
and that he that thresheth in hope should
be partaker of his hope.
If we have sown unto you spiritual things,
is it a great thing if we shall reap your
carnal things?”