1 Corinthians 10:1-13 KJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

If you run to the New Testament everytime you read Old Testament you find a passage there that will speak what is spoken, and then it might be paraphrased but it still exist. Paul was writing the Corinthian church with much Old Testament Scripture in his memory. Jews that been convert in Corinthian or maybe some that had traveled to help the church was now with a Paul's letter to explain any phase of his letter speaking of the Jewish Exodus out of Egypt and the journey in the wilderness. If we skimming for the first time through New Testament passage without knowledge of Old Testament a Jewish scholar is beneficial and not only beneficial if that Jew be covert to the Christian faith with knowledge of his people that came through the wilderness and cross the Red Sea and the river Jordan. People of Corinth, was a land of idolatry, they worshipped Diana. Yet for the believer in Christ they worship God and Christ alone. Who did the people in the wilderness claim to worship, and they follow God who was behind them as they struggled in faith, learning the consequences of their sin right in the wilderness. They witness what disobedience and unwillingness to obey God cost them. Yet it did not stop sin completely, Yet because the correction was totally of God, it was clear who the author of correction was. All the had do was look at God's word and see for themselves why people were facing punishment for sin. That sin not by laws of man but the laws of God.

Laws of man never stop man from sinning in the wilderness, the need for judges arose up over matters that had nothing or seem to have little to do with the laws of God. Yet if the laws of God are summoned up with love your Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to love your neighbor has you would yourself, then man's laws based on those laws might appear to be easy to obey, yet it was not. As a child I learned that you obey your parents. As an adult I learn that sky the limit on things one does in life and astronauts would say only as far as a spaceshuttle will carry you is the law of limitation. Yet if we see the law of man as the only thing we must follow there is no sense of the wrath or the judgment of God. Moses set himself up as a judge, jury and executioner on the laws of society, and yet he was often the go between for God and the people as priest and intercessor. Though Moses had other people established under him to help keep the rules and things under control among the thousands of people they travel with, there still was the law of God that out trumped any social codes; one being freedom to organize. A group tried to organize against Moses as leader and got swallowed up in a sink hole. Punished not by the hand of Moses but the hand of God.

If the sky is the limit it truly means you can do anything you want within the means/finances you have to do those things, including sinning. With a guideline of faith sin is no longer on the table. With the laws of the government you reside in the rules are given boundaries. Faith gives a less boundries then the law of any governmental fraction. Why does faith give more boundaries. Boundaries of faith set guidelines in place to help one not to sin, to keep from temptation and to help protect others from your sin. The Israelites that chose to side with choosing a new priest was in opposition to the laws of God and faced death. God does choose and appoints people to perform his service. God allows man to go so far until the vipers are sent to bite and kill. God in his mercy protects his people that follow and looks to Jesus on the cross. Brazen snake was placed on the pole to keep people from dying in the wilderness that anyone looking at the pole would not die. Christ is lifted up on the cross and we told if we look to Jesus we will be saved. With his resurrection he proved eternal life.

How does faith beyond salvation, it sets a standard living for God's people with the sky being the limit of what we can do n earth that has nothing to do with sin or sinful ways. There is plenty of things do including work and fun things that does not cause sin itself. Yet disagreements, and things do arise even in safe fun activities and work. Disagreements has to do often with opposition. A tight ship can only run as good as it captain to maintain control, maintain healthy working environament, and the home is the same way. Everything in life we do is only as good as those incharge of the situation when in groups or crowds of people. Working amusement park during college summer taught one thing as long as the rides, stores and everything was in operational a crowd usually had a good time, though the crowd was usually divided into individual groups by family and so forth. Because one was obeying the rules, everyone had a good time.

Is it the church responsibility to make sure everyone obeys God, the answer is no. The church reponsibility is to carry the Gospel message out. One goes to school, school rules apply, the church may not have a set guidelines to follow for none believers that come to learn about this God that people worship but they have a guideline because of faith in God and set guideline of social conduct is applied by groups of people that have nothing to do with the church itself but social customs. God governs our faith. How does God govern our faith but by his Spirit and his word. Through out belief that Christ came and died on the cross for our sins and is High Priest of our faith because of his resurrection, because who God declared him to be as his beloved Son whom he was will pleased even at his baptism.

When we look at the immorality in scripture we find it come by free will and not because of faith. That freewill causing temptation of man that changes the ways of God into the desires and lust of the heart being greater then the desire to obey God. Our desire to obey God must come by summission to the Spirit and voice of God speaking to our hearts. It must be greater then our lust, greed and our need for the things that cause sin. Our thinking must be trained to God's word and to his Spirit. The rock of faith/ the chief cornerstone must be who follows us, no one needs the devil at their back. Christ word shields our goings, as the cloud shield Israel from seeing how close Egyptians were to them before they crossed the Red sea. We need Christ in front of us and Christ behind us. We need God before us and God after us. We need God in our camp. We need God to enabling us to be his children by faith and guidance of his Spirit.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to choose the road of faith to walk in guidance of your Spirit as we believe in Christ who is the Solid rock of faith before and coming after us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: James 4:1-11 KJV
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.