sowing discord

¹⁶Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests: ¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil, ¹⁹a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

¹⁷But I beg you, brothers, to take note of those who cause dissensions and offenses contrary to the doctrine that you have learned, and to turn away from them. ¹⁸For ones such as these do not serve Christ our Lord, but their inner selves, and, through pleasing words and skillful speaking, they seduce the hearts of the innocent.

¹⁹a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

¹⁴With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.

¹¹Brothers, do not choose to slander one another. Whoever slanders his brother, or whoever judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

⁹Whoever conceals an offense seeks friendships. Whoever repeats the words of another separates allies.

⁹But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, as well as arguments against the law. For these are useless and empty. ¹⁰Avoid a man who is a heretic, after the first and second correction, ¹¹knowing that one who is like this has been subverted, and that he offends; for he has been condemned by his own judgment.

¹¹And so, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, refute them.

¹⁵But if your brother has sinned against you, go and correct him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have regained your brother. ¹⁶But if he will not listen you, invite with you one or two more, so that every word may stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷And if he will not listen to them, tell the Church. But if he will not listen to the Church, let him be to you like the pagan and the tax collector. ¹⁸Amen I say to you, whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth, shall be released also in heaven. ¹⁹Again I say to you, that if two of those among you have agreed on earth, about anything whatsoever that they have requested, it shall be done for them by my Father, who is in heaven. ²⁰For wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I, in their midst.”

¹And, brothers, if a man has been overtaken by any offense, you who are spiritual should instruct someone like this with a spirit of leniency, considering that you yourselves might also be tempted.

⁵Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming this age. ⁶Let your speech be ever graceful, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to respond to each person.

¹⁸Flee from fornication. Every sin whatsoever that a man commits is outside of the body, but whoever fornicates, sins against his own body.

¹Therefore, set aside all malice and all deceitfulness, as well as falseness and envy and every detraction. ²Like newborn infants, desire the milk of reasonableness without guile, so that by this you may increase unto salvation, ³if it is true that you have tasted that the Lord is sweet. ⁴And approaching him as if he were a living stone, rejected by men, certainly, but elect and honored by God, ⁵be also yourselves like living stones, built upon him, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, so as to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Because of this, Scripture asserts: “Behold, I am setting in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. And whoever will have believed in him will not be confounded.”