1QS 4

Community Rule
Dead Sea Scrolls

2 These are the counsels of the spirit to the sons of truth in this world. And as for the visitation of all who walk in this spirit, it shall be healing, great peace in a long life, and fruitfulness, together with every everlasting blessing and eternal joy in life without end, a crown of glory and a garment of majesty in unending light. But the ways of the spirit of falsehood are these: greed, and slackness in the search for righteousness, wickedness and lies, haughtiness and pride, falseness and deceit, cruelty and abundant evil, ill-temper and much folly and brazen insolence, abominable deeds (committed) in a spirit of lust, and ways of lewdness in the service of uncleanness, a blaspheming tongue, blindness of eye and dullness of ear, stiffness of neck and heaviness of heart, so that man walks in all the ways of darkness and guile.

Galatians 6:8

New Testament

4 Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. 5 For each one will carry his own load. 6 Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with the one who teaches it. 7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, 8 because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

 Notes and References

"... Despite Ziesler's confident assertion that by the phrase 'eternal life' Paul means life with God in heaven, if one looks closely at each of these Pauline texts it seems far more likely that he means the life which will be dispensed to believers when the Lord returns, when judgment has been rendered, when resurrection has happened and death has been overcome ... The context shows that Paul has a historical conclusion to matters in mind, not an other-wordly one ... in the Jewish discussion of eternal life, which arises only after most of the canonical Old Testament books were written (compare Dan. 12.2; 2 Macc. 7.9; Psalms of Solomon 3.12; 1QS 4; Philo, Fuga. 78; 4 Macc. 15.3), 'the language emerged in Jewish theology in connection with the hope of resurrection not the hope of life everlasting in heaven ..."

Witherington, Ben Grace in Galatia: A Commentary on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (pp. 432-433) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998

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