Epistle for September 10, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 13:8-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul articulates the same royal law of love (James 2:8) taught by Jesus and later by his brother James.  Jesus declares that all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commandments to love God and love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

Here, Paul focuses exclusively on the horizontal expression of the law of love that deals with human relationships.  Interestingly, he argues that the Christian should be free of any sense of indebtedness except the debt of love:

 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

This is part of a larger discussion of Christian responsibility.  Paul insists that the grace-filled life of the Christian means true liberty from legalism — but in contrast, he does acknowledge that freedom must be exercised responsibly.  In relation to governing authorities, paying taxes, honor and respect to those in authority, Paul says this:

Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake (Romans 13:5).

Thus the Christian, though free, is still to live as a responsible and conscientious citizen of the city or nation in which he or she may find themselves.

Paul’s next discussion of the law of love in relation to the Mosaic law is interesting.  We are reminded that he has presented a very nuanced view of the Mosaic law throughout the theological portion of Romans, arguing that the law is holy and just and good but also arguing that the law itself has no power to save us, nor can anyone except Jesus perfectly fulfill the law.

But the Christian who has been saved by grace through faith, and filled with the Spirit of Christ, is also empowered to love.  And all of the Mosaic law, including the Ten Commandments are fulfilled in the law of love:

 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

It is important to note that this law regarding love of neighbor is an Old Testament law from Leviticus 19:18. Paul has never repudiated the law and the prophets, only their false interpretations.  Note also that the four commandments Paul specifically cites from the Decalogue relate to our horizontal relationships with other human beings.

And there is an urgency to his exhortations about how Christians are to live.  His view of time is eschatological.  One doesn’t know when time will end, so it is imperative to live well:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.  The night is far gone, and the day is near.

Paul is not engaging in any apocalyptical speculation so rampant today.  He is simply stating the obvious — that every day one is closer to the end of the age. And that day is nearer today than it was yesterday. This is a call to wakefulness and awareness, because, as Jesus teaches:

Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes… Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come (Matthew 24:42,44).

In light of this awareness, that the day is near, Paul exhorts us:

Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

His imagery contrasts night and day, with darkness suggesting behavior that is associated with night-time revels (drunkenness and sexual debauchery) as well as interpersonal conflict (strife and jealousy).  And light becomes a palpable thing — the armor of light that we are to put on clothes us with protection.  Indeed, he extends the metaphor, that we are to put on Christ ­— like the light, Christ is to envelop us.

And Paul reminds us of a metaphor that prevails throughout Scripture — we are to walk properly, as in the day.  The imagery of walking with God, and walking in God’s ways, is scattered throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.  And it is readily apparent that walking is far easier in the light than in darkness!  We are to:

 walk in the light, as he (God) is in the light (1 John 1:7).

We also see the contrast of flesh and spirit, and are reminded of Paul’s earlier declaration:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6).

Making provision for the flesh and its lusts leads to death; the Spirit leads to life and peace.

APPLY:  

The law of love is at the heart of Christian ethical teaching.  The New Testament appropriation of this principle insists that it sums up all the law and the prophets.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus or Paul or James are negating the Old Testament law, but that love is the foundation for obedience to the law.

Do we go to church out of duty, or because we love God? Do we tithe because it is a rule, or because it is a measured means of expressing our love? Do we visit the sick or feed the hungry because we were told to do so, or because we care?  The answer is pretty clear — we do these things, and obey the principles of the law not because they are legalisms, but because they offer guidance in loving God and neighbor.

Augustine of Hippo once said:

Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will… let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good (Augustine’s Homily 7 on 1 John 4:4-12).

There is an irrefutable logic here:

• If you love, you won’t commit adultery, which damages entire families, not just the two people involved.
• If you love, you won’t murder — the ultimate unloving act.
• If you love, you won’t steal — depriving someone else of the right to their own property is a selfish, unloving thing to do.
• If you love, you won’t covet — covetousness is the inner root of dissatisfaction that leads to envy and jealousy and lust and disharmony with others and ourselves.

It is impossible to think of an instance when love fails to fulfill the proper regard between God and ourselves, between ourselves and others, and within our own mind and soul.

The Apostle John sums it up this way:

We love him, because he (God) first loved us (1 John 4:19).

When we love, we become most like God.

RESPOND: 

Many years ago when I was in college I had a roommate who had been recently saved.  He was zealous in his church attendance and in his witnessing to others.  But I remember one time having a conversation with him about the love commandments of Jesus, and the commandments of love that permeate all the Scriptures.

He seemed completely puzzled.  This conversation was at least ten years prior to Tina Turner’s troubling song, “What’s love got to do with it?”  But that seemed to be his attitude — what’s love got to do with being a Christian?

I was every bit as puzzled by his attitude as he was by mine.  Christianity without love is like walking in the total darkness of night.  Christianity without love is like living in the world of Fight Club instead of a loving family.  Christianity without love makes religion into a set of rules instead of a Spirit-led walk with God guided by the principle of love.

When we forget to love as God has loved us, we forget that we too have been those unlovely and unlovable selfish broken creatures for whom Christ died:

But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

Our Lord, your command to love is inspiring, but impossible without your love living and working in and through us.  May we walk in your light and bring others into your light as well. Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
"Romans 13:12" by ~Pawsitive~Candie_N is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for September 3, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:9-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul continues to instruct the Romans in moral, applied theology.  Some scholars describe this kind of instruction in the New Testament as parenesis, which means advice, instruction or counsel.  These can include loosely connected ethical commands, lists of vices and virtues, and the like.

Our lectionary epistle lifts up several principles that are key to New Testament ethics — love, humility, compassion, forgiveness.  These are essential relational qualities for harmony within the body of Christ (Romans 12:14-5).

A useful means of describing some of these injunctions is to view them as either horizontal or vertical. 

• Horizontal qualities describe how we are to relate to one another.
• Vertical qualities are those that describe how we are to relate to God.

Some of the horizontal qualities are positive and proactive:

Let love be without hypocrisy… Cling to that which is good.  In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another; not lagging in diligence.

Some are negative, meaning they describe what we must avoid:

Abhor that which is evil… bless, and don’t curse.

The vertical qualities exhort us to be:

fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer.

These and several other aphorisms in this list are well-worth remembering and putting into practice. There is an emphasis on empathy with others and a sense of equality within the community:

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

And we also see echoes of the ethical teachings of Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Great Commandment of Jesus is implicit in Paul’s teaching on love, including the emphasis on the vertical and horizontal nature of Christian love:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

Paul also echoes Jesus’ teaching in relation to persecution.  Paul writes:

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:43-45).

These are the teachings of the New Testament that can justifiably be described as “counter intuitive.”  They run counter to the normal human impulse to hate one’s enemy, exalt oneself over others, and seek to be more important than others.  And Paul summarizes this section with perhaps the most difficult and counter-intuitive teaching of all:

Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We note that Paul quotes the Hebrew Scriptures (Deuteronomy 32:35), which exhort us to leave vengeance in God’s hands, and Proverbs 25:21-22, encouraging kindness to one’s enemies.

The moral traditions that Paul is passing on are grounded in the Hebrew moral tradition.  And Paul is teaching that justice is ultimately up to God, not to those who are victimized.  The ultimate revenge for the victim is knowing that his/her oppressors are in God’s hands.  Thus the victim is free to treat his/her enemy with love and kindness.

This passage ends with the ultimate moral triumph:

Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

APPLY:  

There was a time, not so long ago, that when someone was described as a “Christian,” it was an unqualified compliment concerning their character and morality. Somehow, in the last several years in the West, the term “Christian” has become a pejorative word to some people, associated with intolerance and legalism.

Our lectionary passage reminds us of the many positive qualities that truly define Christian character, for all time and everywhere:

• Authentic, non-hypocritical love.
• Diligence and genuine fervor in seeking God.
• Courage in the face of adversity.
• Generosity and hospitality.
• Gracious response to persecution.
• Empathy with those who rejoice, and with those who weep.
• Humility.
• Repaying evil with good.
• Leaving justice ultimately in the hands of God.

If we were to truly live this way, imagine the impact on the skeptical, unbelieving world!

RESPOND: 

My wife is one of the smartest people I know.  But she is also very practical and down to earth. Years ago we were members of a Sunday School class that included seminary professors and seminary students.  Sometimes the discussion could reach rarefied levels.  And it was my practical wife who, at the end of the discussion, would ask the very pertinent question: “Okay, how am I going to apply this to my life?”

Romans 12:9-21 provides a good portion of the answer to that question.  As we consider our contemporary political and cultural scene, it is easy to see how some of this teaching applies to our lives.  We are taught in this culture that “nice guys finish last,” and the way to deal with affronts is to “hit back twice as hard.”

That’s not really the ultimate answer, according to Paul in Romans.  Or according to Jesus.  Even an atheist philosopher like Friedrich Nietzsche can see the dangers of violence and revenge:

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.

Paul reminds us that justice is not ultimately in our hands — justice is in the hands of God.  When we realize that fact, we are free to love and care even for our enemies, knowing that God will establish our justice.  And when we exercise mercy and kindness toward enemies, we are more likely to create conditions that make reconciliation possible.

Martin Luther King, Jr., in one of his famous quotes, was actually citing an American Transcendentalist and Unitarian minister who was an abolitionist in the 19th century.  Theodore Parker lived from 1810 to 1860, and didn’t live to see the emancipation of slaves, nor the 13th and 14th amendments of the Constitution.  But he had a long view of justice:

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.

Lord, the blueprint for the Christian life is clearly before me in your Word.  I confess that I cannot live out these prescriptions, unless your Spirit is in me.  That is the promise of your grace, that you will live in and through us if we surrender our lives to you.  Fill me and empower me to live the life of your Spirit. Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"RunForDearLife" by Yay God Ministries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for September 6, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 13:8-14
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul articulates the same royal law of love (James 2:8) taught by Jesus and later by his brother James.  Jesus declares that all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commandments to love God and love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

Here, Paul focuses exclusively on the horizontal expression of the law of love that deals with human relationships.  Interestingly, he argues that the Christian should be free of any sense of indebtedness except the debt of love:

 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

This is part of a larger discussion of Christian responsibility.  Paul insists that the grace-filled life of the Christian means true liberty from legalism — but in contrast, he does acknowledge that freedom must be exercised responsibly.  In relation to governing authorities, paying taxes, honor and respect to those in authority, Paul says this:

Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake (Romans 13:5).

Thus the Christian, though free, is still to live as a responsible and conscientious citizen of the city or nation in which he or she may find themselves.

Paul’s next discussion of the law of love in relation to the Mosaic law is interesting.  We are reminded that he has presented a very nuanced view of the Mosaic law throughout the theological portion of Romans, arguing that the law is holy and just and good but also arguing that the law itself has no power to save us, nor can anyone except Jesus perfectly fulfill the law.

But the Christian who has been saved by grace through faith, and filled with the Spirit of Christ, is also empowered to love.  And all of the  Mosaic law, including the Ten Commandments are fulfilled in the law of love:

 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

It is important to note that this law regarding love of neighbor is an Old Testament law from Leviticus 19:18.  Paul has never repudiated the law and the prophets, only their false interpretations.  Note also that the four commandments Paul specifically cites from the Decalogue relate to our horizontal relationships with other human beings.

And there is an urgency to his exhortations about how Christians are to live.  His view of time is eschatological.  One doesn’t know when time will end, so it is imperative to live well:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.  The night is far gone, and the day is near.

Paul is not engaging in any apocalyptical speculation so rampant today.  He is simply stating the obvious — that every day one is closer to the end of the age. And that day is nearer today than it was yesterday. This is a call to wakefulness and awareness, because, as Jesus teaches:

Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes…. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come (Matthew 24:42,44).

In light of this awareness, that the day is near, Paul exhorts us:

Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

His imagery contrasts night and day, with darkness suggesting behavior that is associated with night-time revels (drunkeness and sexual debauchery) as well as interpersonal conflict (strife and jealousy).  And light becomes a palpable thing — the armor of light that we are to put on clothes us with protection.  Indeed, he extends the metaphor, that we are to put on Christ ­— like the light, Christ is to envelop us.

And Paul reminds us of a metaphor that prevails throughout Scripture  — we are to walk properly, as in the day.  The imagery of walking with God, and walking in God’s ways, is scattered throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.  And it is readily apparent that walking is far easier in the light than in darkness!  We are to:

 walk in the light, as he (God) is in the light (1 John 1:7).

We also see the contrast of flesh and spirit, and are reminded of Paul’s earlier declaration:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6).

Making provision for the flesh and its lusts leads to death; the Spirit leads to life and peace.

APPLY:  

The law of love is at the heart of Christian ethical teaching.  The New Testament appropriation of this principle insists that it sums up all the law and the prophets.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus or Paul or James are negating the Old Testament law, but that love is the foundation for obedience to the law.

Do we go to church out of duty, or because we love God? Do we tithe because it is a rule, or because it is a measured means of expressing our love? Do we visit the sick or feed the hungry because we were told to do so, or because we care?  The answer is pretty clear — we do these things, and obey the principles of the law not because they are legalisms, but because they offer guidance in loving God and neighbor.

Augustine of Hippo once said:

Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will….let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good (Augustine’s Homily 7 on 1 John 4:4-12).

There is an irrefutable logic here:

• If you love, you won’t commit adultery, which damages entire families, not just the two people involved.
• If you love, you won’t murder — the ultimate unloving act.
• If you love, you won’t steal — depriving someone else of the right to their own property is a selfish, unloving thing to do.
• If you love, you won’t covet — covetousness is the inner root of dissatisfaction that leads to envy and jealousy and lust and disharmony with others and ourselves.

It is impossible to think of an instance when love fails to fulfill the proper regard between God and ourselves, between ourselves and others, and within our own mind and soul.

The Apostle John sums it up this way:

We love him, because he (God) first loved us (1 John 4:19).

When we love, we become most like God.

RESPOND: 

Many years ago when I was  in college I had a roommate who had been recently saved.  He was zealous in his church attendance and in his witnessing to others.  But I remember one time having a conversation with him about the love commandments of Jesus, and the commandments of love that permeate all the Scriptures.

He seemed completely puzzled.  This conversation was at least ten years prior to Tina Turner’s troubling song, “What’s love got to do with it?”  But that seemed to be his attitude — what’s love got to do with being a Christian?

I was every bit as puzzled by his attitude as he was by mine.  Christianity without love is like walking in the total darkness of night.  Christianity without love is like living in the world of Fight Club instead of a loving family.  Christianity without love makes religion into a set of rules instead of a Spirit-led walk with God guided by the principle of love.

When we forget to love as God has loved us, we forget that we too have been those unlovely and unlovable selfish broken creatures for whom Christ died:

But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

Our Lord, your command to love is inspiring, but impossible without your love living and working in and through us.  May we walk in your light and bring others into your light as well. Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
"'Put on the Armor of Light' ~ Romans 13:12" by Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for August 30, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:9-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul continues to instruct the Romans in moral, applied theology.  Some scholars describe this kind of instruction in the New Testament as parenesis, which means advice, instruction or counsel.  These can include loosely connected ethical commands, lists of vices and virtues, and the like.

Our lectionary epistle lifts up several principles that are key to New Testament ethics — love, humility, compassion, forgiveness.  These are essential relational qualities for harmony within the body of Christ (Romans 12:14-5).

A useful means of describing some of these injunctions is to view them as either horizontal or vertical. 

• Horizontal  qualities describe how we are to relate to one another.
• Vertical qualities are those that describe how we are to relate to God.

Some of the horizontal qualities are positive and proactive:

Let love be without hypocrisy…. Cling to that which is good.  In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;  not lagging in diligence.

Some are negative, meaning they describe what we must avoid:

Abhor that which is evil….bless, and don’t curse.

The vertical qualities exhort us to be:

fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer.

These and several other aphorisms in this list are well-worth remembering and putting into practice. There is an emphasis on empathy with others and a sense of equality within the community:

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

And we also see echoes of the ethical teachings of Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Great Commandment of Jesus is implicit in Paul’s teaching on love, including the emphasis on the vertical and horizontal nature of Christian love:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

Paul also echoes Jesus’ teaching in relation to persecution.  Paul writes:

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:43-45).

These are the teachings of the New Testament that can justifiably be described as “counter intuitive.”  They run counter to the normal human impulse to hate one’s enemy, exalt oneself over others, and seek to be more important than others.  And Paul summarizes this section with perhaps the most difficult and counter-intuitive teaching of all:

Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We note that Paul quotes the Hebrew Scriptures (Deuteronomy 32:35), which exhort us to leave vengeance in God’s hands, and Proverbs 25:21-22, encouraging kindness to one’s enemies.

The moral traditions that Paul is passing on are grounded in the Hebrew moral tradition.  And Paul is teaching that justice is ultimately up to God, not to those who are victimized.  The ultimate revenge for the victim is knowing that his/her oppressors are in God’s hands.  Thus the victim is free to treat his/her enemy with love and kindness.

This passage ends with the ultimate moral triumph:

Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

APPLY:  

There was a time, not so long ago, that when someone was described as a “Christian,” it was an unqualified compliment concerning their character and morality. Somehow, in the last several years in the West, the term “Christian” has become a pejorative word to some people, associated with intolerance and legalism.

Our lectionary passage reminds us of the many positive qualities that truly define Christian character, for all time and everywhere:

• Authentic, non-hypocritical love.
• Diligence and genuine fervor in seeking God.
• Courage in the face of adversity.
• Generosity and hospitality.
• Gracious response to persecution.
• Empathy with those who rejoice, and with those who weep.
• Humility.
• Repaying evil with good.
• Leaving justice ultimately in the hands of God.

If we were to truly live this way, imagine the impact on the skeptical, unbelieving world!

RESPOND: 

My wife is one of the smartest people I know.  But she is also very practical and down to earth. Years ago we were members of a Sunday School class that included seminary professors and seminary students.  Sometimes the discussion could reach rarefied levels.  And it was my practical wife who, at the end of the discussion, would ask the very pertinent question: “Okay, how am I going to apply this to my life?”

Romans 12:9-21 provides a good portion of the answer to that question.  As we consider our contemporary political and cultural scene, it is easy to see how some of this teaching applies to our lives.  We are taught in this culture that “nice guys finish last,” and the way to deal with affronts is to “hit back twice as hard.”

That’s not really the ultimate answer, according to Paul in Romans.  Or according to Jesus.  Even an atheist philosopher like Friedrich Nietzsche can see the dangers of violence and revenge:

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.

Paul reminds us that justice is not ultimately in our hands — justice is in the hands of God.  When we realize that fact, we are free to love and care even for our enemies, knowing that God will establish our justice.  And when we exercise mercy and kindness toward enemies, we are more likely to create conditions that make reconciliation possible.

Martin Luther King, Jr., in one of his famous quotes, was actually citing an American Transcendentalist and Unitarian minister who was an abolitionist in the 19th century.  Theodore Parker lived from 1810 to 1860, and didn’t live to see the emancipation of slaves, nor the 13th and 14th amendments of the Constitution.  But he had a long view of justice:

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.

Lord, the blueprint for the Christian life is clearly before me in your Word.  I confess that I cannot live out these prescriptions, unless your Spirit is in me.  That is the promise of your grace, that you will live in and through us if we surrender our lives to you.  Fill me and empower me to live the life of your Spirit. Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"RunForDearLife" by Yay God Ministries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for September 10, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Romans 13:8-14

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul articulates the same royal law of love (James 2:8) taught by Jesus and later by his brother James.  Jesus declares that all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commandments to love God and love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

Here, Paul focuses exclusively on the horizontal expression of the law of love that deals with human relationships.  Interestingly, he argues that the Christian should be free of any sense of indebtedness except the debt of love:

 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

This is part of a larger discussion of Christian responsibility.  Paul insists that the grace-filled life of the Christian means true liberty from legalism — but in contrast, he does acknowledge that freedom must be exercised responsibly.  In relation to governing authorities, paying taxes, honor and respect to those in authority, Paul says this:

Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake (Romans 13:5).

Thus the Christian, though free, is still to live as a responsible and conscientious citizen of the city or nation in which he or she may find themselves.

Paul’s next discussion of the law of love in relation to the Mosaic law is interesting.  We are reminded that he has presented a very nuanced view of the Mosaic law throughout the theological portion of Romans, arguing that the law is holy and just and good but also arguing that the law itself has no power to save us, nor can anyone except Jesus perfectly fulfill the law.

But the Christian who has been saved by grace through faith, and filled with the Spirit of Christ, is also empowered to love.  And all of the  Mosaic law, including the Ten Commandments are fulfilled in the law of love:

 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

It is important to note that this law regarding love of neighbor is an Old Testament law from Leviticus 19:18.  Paul has never repudiated the law and the prophets, only their false interpretations.  Note also that the four commandments Paul specifically cites from the Decalogue relate to our horizontal relationships with other human beings.

And there is an urgency to his exhortations about how Christians are to live.  His view of time is eschatological.  One doesn’t know when time will end, so it is imperative to live well:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.  The night is far gone, and the day is near.

Paul is not engaging in any apocalyptical speculation so rampant today.  He is simply stating the obvious — that every day one is closer to the end of the age. And that day is nearer today than it was yesterday. This is a call to wakefulness and awareness, because, as Jesus teaches:

Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes…. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come (Matthew 24:42,44).

In light of this awareness, that the day is near, Paul exhorts us:

Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

His imagery contrasts night and day, with darkness suggesting behavior that is associated with night-time revels (drunkeness and sexual debauchery) as well as interpersonal conflict (strife and jealousy).  And light becomes a palpable thing — the armor of light that we are to put on clothes us with protection.  Indeed, he extends the metaphor, that we are to put on Christ ­— like the light, Christ is to envelop us.

And Paul reminds us of a metaphor that prevails throughout Scripture  — we are to walk properly, as in the day.  The imagery of walking with God, and walking in God’s ways, is scattered throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation.  And it is readily apparent that walking is far easier in the light than in darkness!  We are to:

 walk in the light, as he (God) is in the light (1 John 1:7).

We also see the contrast of flesh and spirit, and are reminded of Paul’s earlier declaration:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6).

Making provision for the flesh and its lusts leads to death; the Spirit leads to life and peace.

APPLY:  

The law of love is at the heart of Christian ethical teaching.  The New Testament appropriation of this principle insists that it sums up all the law and the prophets.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus or Paul or James are negating the Old Testament law, but that love is the foundation for obedience to the law.

Do we go to church out of duty, or because we love God? Do we tithe because it is a rule, or because it is a measured means of expressing our love? Do we visit the sick or feed the hungry because we were told to do so, or because we care?  The answer is pretty clear — we do these things, and obey the principles of the law not because they are legalisms, but because they offer guidance in loving God and neighbor.

Augustine of Hippo once said:

Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will….let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good (Augustine’s Homily 7 on 1 John 4:4-12).

There is an irrefutable logic here:

• If you love, you won’t commit adultery, which damages entire families, not just the two people involved.
• If you love, you won’t murder — the ultimate unloving act.
• If you love, you won’t steal — depriving someone else of the right to their own property is a selfish, unloving thing to do.
• If you love, you won’t covet — covetousness is the inner root of dissatisfaction that leads to envy and jealousy and lust and disharmony with others and ourselves.

It is impossible to think of an instance when love fails to fulfill the proper regard between God and ourselves, between ourselves and others, and within our own mind and soul.

The Apostle John sums it up this way:

We love him, because he (God) first loved us (1 John 4:19).

When we love, we become most like God.

RESPOND: 

Many years ago when I was  in college I had a roommate who had been recently saved.  He was zealous in his church attendance and in his witnessing to others.  But I remember one time having a conversation with him about the love commandments of Jesus, and the commandments of love that permeate all the Scriptures.

He seemed completely puzzled.  This conversation was at least ten years prior to Tina Turner’s troubling song, “What’s love got to do with it?”  But that seemed to be his attitude — what’s love got to do with being a Christian?

I was every bit as puzzled by his attitude as he was by mine.  Christianity without love is like walking in the total darkness of night.  Christianity without love is like living in the world of Fight Club instead of a loving family.  Christianity without love makes religion into a set of rules instead of a Spirit-led walk with God guided by the principle of love.

When we forget to love as God has loved us, we forget that we too have been those unlovely and unlovable selfish broken creatures for whom Christ died:

But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

Our Lord, your command to love is inspiring, but impossible without your love living and working in and through us.  May we walk in your light and bring others into your light as well. Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
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Epistle for September 3, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Romans 12:9-21

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Paul continues to instruct the Romans in moral, applied theology.  Some scholars describe this kind of instruction in the New Testament as parenesis, which means advice, instruction or counsel.  These can include loosely connected ethical commands, lists of vices and virtues, and the like.

Our lectionary epistle lifts up several principles that are key to New Testament ethics — love, humility, compassion, forgiveness.  These are essential relational qualities for harmony within the body of Christ (Romans 12:14-5).

A useful means of describing some of these injunctions is to view them as either horizontal or vertical.  Horizontal  qualities describe how we are to relate to one another.  Vertical qualities are those that describe how we are to relate to God.

Some of the horizontal qualities are positive and proactive:

Let love be without hypocrisy…. Cling to that which is good.  In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;  not lagging in diligence.

Some are negative, meaning they describe what we must avoid:

Abhor that which is evil….bless, and don’t curse.

The vertical qualities exhort us to be:

fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer.

These and several other aphorisms in this list are well-worth remembering and putting into practice. There is an emphasis on empathy with others and a sense of equality within the community:

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

And we also see echoes of the ethical teachings of Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Great Commandment of Jesus is implicit in Paul’s teaching on love, including the emphasis on the vertical and horizontal nature of Christian love:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

Paul also echoes Jesus’ teaching in relation to persecution.  Paul writes:

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:43-45).

These are the teachings of the New Testament that can justifiably be described as “counter intuitive.”  They run counter to the normal human impulse to hate one’s enemy, exalt oneself over others, and seek to be more important than others.  And Paul summarizes this section with perhaps the most difficult and counter-intuitive teaching of all:

Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We note that Paul quotes the Hebrew Scriptures (Deuteronomy 32:35), which exhort us to leave vengeance in God’s hands, and Proverbs 25:21-22, encouraging kindness to one’s enemies.

The moral traditions that Paul is passing on are grounded in the Hebrew moral tradition.  And Paul is teaching that justice is ultimately up to God, not to those who are victimized.  The ultimate revenge for the victim is knowing that his/her oppressors are in God’s hands.  Thus the victim is free to treat his/her enemy with love and kindness.

This passage ends with the ultimate moral triumph:

Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

APPLY:  

There was a time, not so long ago, that when someone was described as a “Christian,” it was an unqualified compliment concerning their character and morality. Somehow, in the last several years in the West, the term “Christian” has become a pejorative word to some people, associated with intolerance and legalism.

Our lectionary passage reminds us of the many positive qualities that truly define Christian character, for all time and everywhere:

• authentic, non-hypocritical love.
• diligence and genuine fervor in seeking God.
• courage in the face of adversity.
• generosity and hospitality.
• gracious response to persecution.
• empathy with those who rejoice, and with those who weep.
• humility.
• repaying evil with good.
• leaving justice ultimately in the hands of God.

If we were to truly live this way, imagine the impact on the skeptical, unbelieving world!

RESPOND: 

My wife is one of the smartest people I know.  But she is also very practical and down to earth. Years ago we were members of a Sunday School class that included seminary professors and seminary students.  Sometimes the discussion could reach rarefied levels.  And it was my practical wife who, at the end of the discussion, would ask the very pertinent question: “Okay, how am I going to apply this to my life?”

Romans 12:9-21 provides a good portion of the answer to that question.  As we consider our contemporary political and cultural scene, it is easy to see how some of this teaching applies to our lives.  We are taught in this culture that “nice guys finish last,” and the way to deal with affronts is to “hit back twice as hard.”

That’s not really the ultimate answer, according to Paul in Romans.  Or according to Jesus.  Even an atheist philosopher like Friedrich Nietzsche can see the dangers of violence and revenge:

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.

Paul reminds us that justice is not ultimately in our hands — justice is in the hands of God.  When we realize that fact, we are free to love and care even for our enemies, knowing that God will establish our justice.  And when we exercise mercy and kindness toward enemies, we are more likely to create conditions that make reconciliation possible.

Martin Luther King, Jr., in one of his famous quotes, was actually citing an American Transcendentalist and Unitarian minister who was an abolitionist in the 19th century.  Theodore Parker lived from 1810 to 1860, and didn’t live to see the emancipation of slaves, nor the 13th and 14th amendments of the Constitution.  But he had a long view of justice:

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.

Lord, the blueprint for the Christian life is clearly before me in your Word.  I confess that I cannot live out these prescriptions, unless your Spirit is in me.  That is the promise of your grace, that you will live in and through us if we surrender our lives to you.  Fill me and empower me to live the life of your Spirit. Amen. 

PHOTOS:

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