PRACTICING LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS

Expanding on a sermon I recently heard, 1 Corinthians 13, famously known as the “love” chapter, tells us that love believes all things. I had previously wondered what this meant until one of our pastors pointed out that it is not a gullible and naïve belief but rather a kind of love that believes the best in people, a task very difficult since indeed we are fallen and wretched. This truth, however, was presented before me today when a man needed help in a restaurant. He asked me if he could use my mobile phone to place a call. I could have easily rejected him and for justifiable reasons. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to let a stranger use my phone. What if he was making a drug deal? The reasons could go on and on. Before I allowed him to use my phone, however, I pondered how often I have been the man on the needy end of a deal. Have I ever been the man in need of fuel at a gas station? Have I ever needed to use a stranger’s phone? Many people have been fortunate to have never dealt with these situations, but I definitely have. 1 Corinthians 13 came to my mind during this moment, and I proceeded to allow this man to use my phone. He didn’t make a drug deal, and he was very respectful. Besides putting this passage into practice, I also realized how often we as Christians do not allow God’s word to change our actions. We go to church and say, “Amen,” but yet we leave and do not practice what the word then tells us to do. I am going to begin making it a point not to be this way, and as I try and often fail miserably, my prayer is that God would continuously change my life for his glory.

COLOSSIANS 2:6-15: WALK IN CHRIST, ESTABLISHED IN FAITH

COLOSSIANS 2:6-15: WALK IN CHRIST, ESTABLISHED IN FAITH

            In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul tells us to walk in Christ, rooted up and built in him and established in the faith, as we have been taught. The idea is that we have an established faith, which we have been taught and rooted in; therefore, we are to walk in Christ, the author of that faith. How then do we do that, and what is the purpose of us doing it? Paul continues after these two verses by telling us exactly that.

Colossians 2:6-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

Alive in Christ

⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities^[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Allow Nothing but Christ to Control You (v. 8)

            The first thing we are to do is to allow nothing but Christ to control us. It could be said that the first thing we are not to do is to allow anything else other than Christ to control us. Because Christ is the author and founder of our faith, if we are to walk in him, established by faith, we cannot and must not allow ourselves to be controlled by anyone and anything other than him. Paul then continues with specifics of what we are not to be controlled by.

Not Philosophy and Empty Deceit

            We must not be controlled by philosophy and empty deceit. These two play a large factor in our society. It is interesting that although many view philosophers are the intelligent and wise people of the world, Paul associates philosophy with empty deceit. I like philosophy to a certain extent, but the thing that commonly frustrates me about it is that rarely are conclusions drawn. The answers in philosophy are questionable at best. In other words, human philosophy is not clear in the area of truth. The truth of Christ is narrow. This is why believers are commonly referred to as narrow-minded. Keep in mind, however that truth is narrow. For example, in mathematics, 2+2 = 4. The answer cannot be anything else. It is narrow. Why would theological truth be wide rather than narrow? Philosophy often deceives people into believing something empty, something without the power of Christ, and Paul says we are not to be controlled by this.

Not Human Tradition

            We are also told not to be controlled by human tradition. How often are we controlled by this though? Even those who profess Christ, whether we realize it or not, are often controlled and influenced by human tradition. We see this in example after example of people who place value more on the traditions of man rather than the word of God, which should be our ultimate authority. People justify sexual immorality with human tradition; people justify adultery with human tradition; and the list goes on. Like philosophy and empty deceit, human tradition is based on an unstable foundation, namely that of godlessness. When we allow ourselves to be controlled and influenced by human tradition, we often leave the truths of God. Consider how ridiculous this is when God is the very one who created mankind. To be controlled and influenced by the created rather than the creator is absurd. This is why Paul tells us not to be controlled by human tradition.

Not Elemental Spirits

            Paul lastly says that we are not to be controlled by elemental spirits, also translated elementary principles. As believers, we are to grow in Christ and allow the deeper things of God to control us, not the elementary principles that often control those who are not in Christ. For this reason, we are told not to be controlled by elemental spirits.

It Is Because You Are Filled with Christ and Have Been Marked by Him (vv. 9-12)

            The reason we are not to be controlled by these things is that we are filled with Christ according to verse 10 and we have been marked by him according to verses 11-12. What is Paul referring to though when he mentions circumcision? Circumcision was what marked the people of God in the Old Testament. However, under the New Covenant of Christ, the public mark of a Christian, other than suffering and outward signs, is baptism. Baptism replaced circumcision. This is why Paul says in verse 11 that we have been circumcised with a circumcision made not with human hands. It is a new circumcision, not the traditional Old Testament circumcision. We have been marked by God and are now filled with Christ. For this reason, we are not to be controlled by anything and anyone other than Christ himself.

Realize Christ Has Won through the Cross (vv. 13-15)

            Besides allowing ourselves not to be controlled by anything and anyone other than Christ in order to walk in Christ, established by faith, we must also realize in our very lives and actions that Christ has won through the cross. Paul reminds us of what we were before Christ, namely sinners helplessly in need of mercy and grace. In fact, we are referred to as dead in our trespasses. When someone trespasses, they enter forbidden territory. What Paul is saying is not that we simply entered in forbidden territory but rather than we were once so deep in forbidden territory that there was no way out except through Christ. The good news, however, is that through the cross, Christ canceled our debt according to verse 14, nailing our debt to the cross when Christ was crucified. The good news continues though. Paul says in verse 15 that the Lord disarmed rulers and authorities, meaning demonic rulers and authorities, and put them to shame through the cross. Through the cross, Christ has won! We do not have to any longer be controlled by sin; we do not have to be controlled by people; we do not have to be controlled by sickness; and indeed we must only be controlled by Christ.

Conclusion

            Paul makes it clear what we are to do in order to walk in Christ, established by faith. Indeed this is easier said than done, but the good news is that it is possible through Christ’s victory on the cross because we are now in him and not dead in our sin, as we once were. Let us seek Christ’s full control over our lives.

XXXCHURCH BLOG ON FORGIVING YOURSELF

Here is a great blog by the wonderful people at XXXChurch on forgiving yourself, something much easier said than done. I hope this speaks to you much like it did to me.

FORGIVE EVERYONE OR NOT?

I have been pontificating on the subject of forgiveness lately. It is a touchy subject because I would dare say that we all have people in our lives who need forgiveness. The question then is this: are we to give it freely to all who need it? The answer most believers would give is yes, but I that correct. We are told multiple times in scripture to bear with one another and forgive as Christ has forgiven us. The issue, however, is that each time we are told this in the Bible, it is in relation to other people who have repented. When we consider forgiving as Christ forgives, we must keep in mind that Christ does not and will not forgive everyone but only those who have repented. Perhaps bearing with one another means that we are to be as patient as possible since we are all imperfect and that we are to readily offer forgiveness but that we do not give it until one repents. This would seem logical since we are to forgive as Christ forgives. He does not forgive everyone so neither should we unless compelled by God.

LUKE 10:25-37: LOVING OTHERS

LUKE 10:25-37: LOVING OTHERS

            In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus essentially asks a lawyer (in response to his question) what the greatest two commandments are, namely, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” These two commandments can be summed up as, “Love God, and love others,” and the focus of the succeeding passage then is on that of the second commandment: love others. The question then is, “How do we love others, and what does it mean?” Jesus presents a parable in this particular passage to answer this very question.

Luke 10:25-37

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Loving Others Means Loving Our Enemies (vv. 30-33)

            From the example presented in this parable, it becomes clear that loving others means loving our enemies. This man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. This statement has much more involved in it than simply a man traveling. Because he was traveling from Jerusalem, he was likely a Jew. The history of the Jews and Samaritans is a tense one. Their hatred for each other was unmatched. Yet the man who showed him compassion was the Samaritan. The example we should take from this is that to love others, we must look beyond the factors that separate us. We must love our enemies, not just our friends. This is easier said than done. How often do we show hatred toward our enemies instead of love? I would submit that it happens more often than not, and if we say we do not have enemies, we deceive ourselves. Even Jesus had enemies. Even God had enemies. In fact, the Bible says that before we became children of God, we were enemies of God. Yet he loved us anyway. Why are we to love our enemies then? This I the very example God showed us. He loved his enemies. So should we.

Loving Others Means Actions More than Words (vv. 34-35)

            Loving others means that our actions are more important and reveal more than our words. It would have been one this story had stopped in verse 33 with the Samaritan man having compassion on the Jewish man. It doesn’t though. The parable continues with the Samaritan taking care of the Jew. Again these two were considered enemies. Yet the Samaritan took care of the man as best as he could. He bent over backwards to show him compassion. He took action. Loving others means so much more than simply saying we love others, but it is, in fact, taking action and showing it.

Loving Others Means Going against the Status Quo (vv. 36-37)

            The status quo in this culture was obviously hatred between Jews and Samaritans. This is revealed, in fact, by the priest and the Levite, two holy men, bypassing the man in need. If any human can be looked to for an example, it is the holiest of holy people. In this case, it was the priest and the Levite. People looked to them as an example so it could be assumed that it was OK to bypass this Jewish man in need who, by the way, was one of them, not their enemy. The man who helped him, however, was one who decided to go against the status quo of hatred and humble himself to help this man. It was a Samaritan, an enemy. If we are going to truly love others, we must go against the status quo. We cannot be OK with mediocrity in our love toward everyone. We cannot love some people and neglect love toward others. Again this is easier said than done, but our lives must reveal the love of God, a matchless love toward everyone including his enemies. We must fight against the status quo.

Conclusion

            Loving others includes all of these factors and is shown to us through this parable told by the Lord. If we claim to be people who follow God, we must keep in mind the greatest two commandments: love God, and love others. Often we focus on the first one, but to truly fulfill the first one, we must also fulfill the second one. We must love our neighbor (meaning everyone) as ourselves. This takes great mercy and compassion at times, but keep in mind that it is a commandment; it is not optional. Let us love others.

RAND PAUL'S AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIN TO FIGHT ABORTION

This is why I like Senator Rand Paul.