Practical Christianity
ID
eb036
Sprache
EN
Gesamtlänge
02:29:28
Anzahl
4
Bibelstellen
n.a.
Beschreibung
Practical Christianity - 1 - Romans 12Practical Christianity - 2 - Romans 12
Practical Christianity - 3 - Romans 13
Practical Christianity - 4 - Romans 14
Automatisches Transkript:
…
There are certain scriptures that one tends to avoid because they are so well known, so
often gone over, that the temptation is to say, what possibly can there be said on these
verses that hasn't been said before?
What new slant could there possibly be that will enable us to maintain concentration for
about thirty minutes?
And yet, again and again, we feel compelled to look at some well-known words in order
that they might come to us in present power under the leading of the Lord.
Certainly I feel compelled to read with renewed emphasis the first two verses of Romans 12.
I have only once ever compared notes before a meeting with another brother with whom I
was in tandem.
This was in preaching the gospel about thirty years ago, and it led to utter disaster.
This means that after the powerful challenge that we had on these profound truths that
we've been considering today so far, it comes to me with renewed emphasis that the
verses that the Lord has led me to read are those which we should be rightfully engaged
with tonight.
I want, very simply, to draw your attention to three basic questions that I would suggest
we all need to face relative to these two verses, Romans 12, verses 1 and 2.
The first one is, what is the main force of the passage?
Secondly, whatever challenge it brings, have I faced up to it?
And thirdly, do I continue to live in the light of what I know to be true?
Putting it even more basically, what is it?
Have I done it?
Do I continue in it?
I'd like, first of all, to say what I've concluded after much meditation over the years,
no doubt in concert with most of us here, but my experience of keeping company with
200 believers at any one time is that one need not apologize for saying well-known things.
In a company this size, there is most likely to be at least one person who hasn't heard
it put quite this way before, and there may be many more, while having gone over it, haven't
really faced up to the issue.
And for everyone in that kind of situation, there are 10 or 20 of us who think perhaps
we know what the force of the passage is, but perhaps it's long since lost its power
over the lives that we live before the Lord.
What then does the scripture teach?
See this.
In the light of what I have learned, of the mercy of God towards me and for me, have I
come to this crisis in my life and experience?
In the face of all that he's done for me, have I come to this crisis point where I'm
willing to say everything that I am, everything that I do, everything that I have is to be
handed over once and for all to the God who has shown such mercy towards me?
Without going into the details of the text, it can be acknowledged that the words that
are used are such to bring us to this inevitable conclusion that the only right response from
a true appreciation of the mercy of God is commitment, full commitment to the God who
has saved us, and that commitment is total and it's irrevocable.
We have considered today already, and rightly so, that the measure in which or to which
the truth of God has had an effect upon us can be readily seen by the life it has produced.
No accident that in the portion that we have read, the address to the Ephesian elders,
that their attention was drawn, that the manner of life of the apostle fully backed up all
that he said to them.
Now I want to say this before I go further.
It's not a matter of having such an understanding of the scriptures that we can give lectures
about it or that we could talk more clearly about the truth of God.
Scriptures abound which reinforce the right conclusion that right belief leads to right behavior.
The truth of God, rightly understood, produces a life that honors God.
Scriptures abound which emphasize that again and again, and this is one of them, certainly.
And we hope to go into a few of the implications of these verses.
But before we do, I would like to draw attention to one of two situations which may well apply
to each of us who are here today.
Maybe that some of us feel limited in the response that we can make before a savior
God because we feel we cannot understand the scriptures.
We are not such students of the word of God as we would like to be, and however hard we
try, we cannot come to a clear understanding that would enable us to talk about them clearly.
I am assured that there are many simple, real believers who, without being able to give
an orderly, detailed treatise on the things involved in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, and
yet their lives demonstrate that they are living in the light of that basic appreciation
that God who has moved towards them in mercy, that the only right response is that the life
that we are privileged to live here in responsibility until the coming of the Lord has to be entirely
consistent with the gospel we have believed.
Again I say it, there may well be many of us who, while we cannot give an exposition
or talk about these verses, demonstrate in our lives that they are being put into practice.
Now that is a happy thing.
But the other situation may well also be true.
There may well be many of us in a company like this who, as soon as the verses are mentioned,
can come out with things that are right, things that need to be stated again and again.
We have everything in its right place.
We can give an orderly exposition of what the verses mean, and yet it is patent that
our lives cannot be subjected to the kind of scrutiny that the eye of a holy God demands.
Both are necessary.
Right belief, well grounded in holy scripture, and the kind of lifestyle that is commensurate
with that.
Let us commence as the apostle does here.
I suppose in summary we could say he's appealing to the force of the truth of God expounded
certainly in the first eight chapters, and then after the little digression showing how
Jew as well as Gentile will ultimately be brought in on the line of mercy leading at
the end of chapter 11 to that wonderful doxology or the depth of the riches of the wisdom and
knowledge of God and so on.
And then appealing on that ground, he says, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercy,
the compassion of God.
We know from Titus that our Christian life began as the recipients of the mercy of God.
We are saved by the mercy of God.
We know that as our lives are lived here before the Lord, we are assured that goodness and
mercy shall follow us all the days of our life.
And happily we are reminded by Jude that being translated out of this responsible situation
at the coming of the Lord, the final act which translates us is looked at by Jude as an act
of mercy, awaiting the mercy of our God.
Mercy all the way.
And Paul says to the Romans, in the light of that mercy, which of us is there that doesn't
appreciate the mercy of God, not by any works of righteousness that we have done, but according
to his mercy he has saved us.
Well, this is the lever for the plain exhortation that comes to us.
Now, again let us say, we may well understand the bearing of the words.
We may well have heard lectures many times on these things.
But the crisis point is this, the challenge today is this, have I ever, in the light of
what I have appreciated of the mercy of God, come to this point where I have said if that's
what he's done for me, I'm going to hand myself over to him once and for all, lock, stop and
barrel, to be available to him as it pleases him and not me.
Now, again, in case we don't get time later on, let us say, yes, have we come to that?
May it be that we say, yes, I've come to that crisis point in the history of my soul.
I've handed myself over once and for all.
Reference has been made to the passage of time.
With the passage of time, since we first trusted Christ as Savior, since we came to this recognition
that there was only one reasonable conclusion for us to come to, that if he'd done all that
for us, there is only one outcome, and that is full, total, irrevocable commitment to
do the will of God while we are left here upon earth with the passage of time.
Since we first came to that conclusion, has there been any slipping away in the daily
practice of our lives?
Has there been any giving up?
Has there been any departure from that conclusion which was right then and is just as right
today?
Now, that's the main force of these verses, but let us look at some of the detail.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present, well, we've
spoken of, this is the word which justifies the common construction put upon it.
This is not a daily thing.
There is a daily challenge in Christianity, but this is a once and for all transaction
entered into realistically, intelligently, as a result of meditating upon the mercy of
God, that ye present your bodies.
Scripture distinguishes for us between spirit, soul, and body.
We do well to seek out those scriptures which distinguish the sphere proper to the spirit,
the soul, the body, and to see the care with which the Holy Spirit distinguishes and yet
brings them all together.
Other scriptures, and while perhaps we might look into these verses and see that which
is relative to the spirit, the soul, and the body, even if we don't go that far, there
is certainly this, there is that which is relative to the material part of our being,
the body, and there is that which is relative to the immaterial part of the being.
And there are other scriptures which seem perhaps to put spirit and soul on the one
side and the body on the other.
Now for those, and let us again bring the challenge to our hearts, have we all been
the recipients of the mercy of God exercised towards us in the giving of his son to be
our savior?
If so, our souls are saved for eternity, but here, a present aspect of our salvation,
the apostle brings before us that there is a need to present our bodies a living sacrifice.
Our bodies are the vessels or the vehicles of the expression of that which the spirit
and soul appreciates.
It is through the body that we are enabled to serve the will of God here upon earth as
long as we are left here, and it is our bodies that we are invited, that we are constrained,
that is demanded of us as a living sacrifice.
The people of God upon earth for many centuries have been used to the delivering up of sacrifices
to God, the delivering of the life even unto death.
There have been those who for the sake of the testimony have delivered themselves up
even unto death.
Stephen for one was faithful unto death, and he, Stephanus, crown, undoubtedly receives
the crown of life in answer to his faithfulness.
But this kind of sacrifice enjoined upon us here is not something which means our life
of responsibility is ended upon earth and we depart to be with Christ, which is far,
far better, but rather that kind of sacrifice that means every moment of every day until
the coming of the Lord, we make ourselves available to him in every department of our lives.
We are good at encouraging children to enter into good commitments.
We teach them good words to say and to sing, but let us allow the force of simple words
we encourage the children to take upon our lips, bear with them the force of our bodies
being a living sacrifice.
And it's when we come down to this kind of thing that we can measure ourselves against
the plumb line of Holy Scripture.
What do we say to the children?
We encourage them to sing words like, be careful, little feet, where you go.
Be careful, little hands, what you do.
Increasingly, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
Be careful, little eyes, what you watch.
Present your bodies, a living sacrifice unto God.
All that will be acceptable to him.
If in the smallest details of our lives, where we go, who we go with, what we do, the kind
of thing that occupies our time, the kind of ambition that we set for ourselves and
our families, it's in this kind of detail that we can have the opportunity to demonstrate
whether we are prepared to present our bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, sanctified, set apart to God, holy, acceptable unto God.
For we rejoice in the earlier chapters of this and other epistles, where we exult together
that we are not only accepted by God, but that we are acceptable to God as to our eternal
standing before him.
This is what the meditation upon the mercies of God, the compassions of God towards us
leads us to rejoice in.
The only proper response to that is that we live in such a way that in our daily practice,
we are acceptable unto him, the one who has made us accepted in the beloved one because
of the exercise of his mercy towards us, which is your reasonable, rational, intelligent
service.
At the interval, one or two of us were conversing about Christian writings, and the eye and
the ear as vehicles for the understanding and comment was made upon a book with the
title Through the Eye to the Heart.
In other words, through the eye, we receive transmission of information in one way or
another.
It passes into the mind so that the will is submitted.
It goes into the heart in order that our hearts might be affected, but it doesn't stay there.
The word of God, having had its own effect upon us, moves through the eye, the mind,
the will, the heart, and ultimately finds expression through the feet and the hands
and the members of these bodies.
A very similar kind of thing is said in chapter six, isn't it?
How can we possibly, living in a defiling world, keep clear of all the sin and the defilement
that there is round about us?
Therefore the apostle says in chapter six, there's only one way.
Yield yourself once and for all to God and yield your members daily, constantly, consistently
as members for righteousnesses, righteous acts before the world and before the eye of
a merciful God, which is your reasonable service.
It is this word reasonable or intelligent which encourages me to make a kind of statement
which perhaps needs examination.
I come originally from a part of the country where very frequently we were led to understand
that anything that began or passed through the mind would be tainted by the God of this
world, and there is always the danger.
But a twin danger was that we might have responded to that by saying, well, if that's what happens
when we exercise our minds, let us not be on the line of treating things reasonably
intelligently in our minds, let us always go for heart matters rather than head matters.
Well, scripture and time have brought the conclusion that if our hearts are to be rightly
affected, it is only in the light of a right appreciation in the presence of God by the
exercise of our minds.
The gospel which says so much about heart matters, the epistle to the Philippians, is
also the epistle which tells us so much about the need and the exercise of the mind.
We need to think these things through.
As we think them through, there is only one possible conclusion.
The only right service for God is that which is made possible by handing ourselves over
once and for all to the God by His mercy has saved us, your reasonable, intelligent service.
I suppose I have to say it with care, but I've come to this conclusion.
This phrase, which is your intelligent service, could well be expressed like this.
It is an intellectual decision of the renewed mind.
Scripture says, ye have the mind of Christ, ye have the thinking faculty of the Christ,
you have the way of thinking of the Christ, and when we exercise the capacity, the God-endowed
capacity to think with our renewed minds, it leads us to the inevitable conclusion that
we must hand ourselves over, spirit, soul, and body, to be devoted to the service of
the will of God here upon earth.
And then in verse 2, and we must pass on, be not conformed to this world, but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind.
In case there be any who haven't heard this before, let us recognize again that what is
considered in the first phrase is this.
Even for Christians, there is the grave danger that we will fashion our lives by what is
round about us.
Our lives taking shape by the environment in which we live here in this world.
Be not conformed to this world, to this age, the spirit of the age in which we live.
Recently, I was in a locality where something sad was going on amongst Christians, and with
a shrug of the shoulders, one of the local brethren said, well, I suppose it's the spirit
of the age.
It may well be, but that's every reason why we need to exercise our renewed minds and
to avoid being characterized the way we meet, the way we dress, the way we spend our time,
the way in which gifts are encouraged to express themselves.
All these things could so easily bear the stamp, the character of the spirit of the
age.
When we bear in mind that scripture says most plainly that Satan himself is both the prince
of this age and the God of this age, if we are governed by the spirit or the fashions
of this age in whatever sphere of our lives, we are allowing ourselves to be controlled
and motivated by the constant opposer of Christ, Satan himself.
Be not conformed to this world.
Certainly, the force of this would affect me in what way I allow my feet to go, what
I put my hands to, how I use my eyes and ears and all the natural senses, and here we are
turned away from that which is fashioned from the outside, from the environment, and
again much more might be said about that, but be ye transformed.
As others have well said, not conformed, not even reformed, but transformed, and again
Here we have a word which tells us that the fashion of our lives, the way that we live,
rather than taking character from things round about, is the life that's produced by an inward
transforming power, and what does the scripture say?
Renewed by the renewing of your mind.
Yes, we have been renewed.
There is a once and for all renewal.
No student of the epistle to the Romans can go through the earlier part of the epistle
without coming to the right conclusion that there is nothing about us, of ourselves, which
can be used in the service of our God, not what we are in ourselves.
We need the old everything about us to be brought intelligently under the scrutiny of
the truth of God, and to realize God's assessment of all that pertains to ourselves as having
been judged, brought to a judicial end in the cross of Christ.
We need to meditate upon the cross of Christ and all that it means.
The love that was expressed, the righteousness which was shown, the grace that abounds to
us because of it, and all the assessment of a holy, righteous God on all that we are in
ourselves as having been brought to an end in the cutting off of the Christ.
Anything that there is for good is that which God has implanted within us, and we've been
given a completely new way of thinking.
It is that which leads us to the right conclusions from the God who's shown his mercy towards
us.
And how does he end the verse?
That ye may prove.
There is a kind of proof which is a considered judgment of the mind.
There is that kind of proof which is theoretical, but there is that kind of proof, and this
is the proof here, which is a practical demonstration of the effect of what we know to be true.
That we may prove in our own experience, in our homes, in our studies, in our work, in
our fellowship, in our witness, in our service to God and to man, there is that which we
can prove experimentally, which is the alone product of the meditations and the intelligent
conclusions of the renewed mind.
Now this is progressive, but how does it start?
We may well come back to where we started, and I realize that everything that's been
said is extremely basic and simple.
How possibly if for the first time tonight I have come to this conclusion that in the
face of all that God has done for me, the only right thing for me to do, the only right
way of thinking, is to hand myself over completely, irrevocably, once and for all, to be devoted
to the service of God here upon earth.
What should be the first thing that I should be doing?
How can I find expression of this seemingly profound thing?
We've trusted Christ as Savior.
We are not under law.
We are under grace.
But in our immediate circumstances, there are things that we know are right.
Things that we know we should be doing again in our home lives, in our relationships with
our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters.
There are things that we know are right in our relationship with them.
Very often we don't do it.
We are not proving that good and acceptable and perfect will of God if there are things
that we know that are right, and we are not doing them.
In our local assembly, there are things that we know we should be doing and saying, and
we are not doing them.
There are things that we know we should not be doing and not saying, and we insist on
doing them.
Oh, let us commence with what we know is right.
Let us do the right thing in every sphere of our lives, and we will begin to prove what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
When the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, he was able to say that from the outset he was
committed to putting into effect the will of God, the will of him that sent him.
At this present time, the will of God is to be put into effect.
The will of God is to come to light in the practical righteousness of the lives of those
who appreciate the mercy of God.
What a tremendous privilege that we have been left here for other reasons and for this,
that through our bodies, in our lives, we can give expression to that which is well
pleasing to God.
May well be that there are those here who have been hearing these things, saying these
things 40, 50, 60 years and more.
To what extent do they continue to be true of us if ever we have come to this conclusion?
I would close with the challenge again.
What is the main drift?
What is the moral power of these verses?
Have I done it?
Have I handed myself over once and for all?
I have owned, I have confessed the name of Jesus as Lord.
Do I live in such a way that it is apparent to all that the Lordship of Christ is paramount
in every department of my life?
Have I come to that conclusion?
Have I put it into practice?
Has there been any waning of its force, its moral power over the life that I live?
Scripture says, we look, we love his appearing.
We long for the day when the will of God will be seen in all its universal power in and
through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall be with him then.
If our lives will not be hid then, our lives will be manifested when he is manifested.
Oh, but there is the opportunity now for the will of God to be manifested in the lives
that we live, if only we have a right appreciation of the extent and the character of his mercy
towards us. …
Automatisches Transkript:
…
Ernie Brown made reference in his opening remarks to a press article that day, reading,
Christianity proper is not primarily concerned with changing the outside world,
but is concerned with inward change of the individual.
Well, my first thought there was, I wonder if that reporter was at Catford on Saturday,
and paid due attention to the scriptures that had been read in the afternoon and evening,
because really, that was what was the burden of the day,
in the light of what God has done for us, in mercy, through his Son,
in the light of that, what response are we prepared to make?
Indeed, what response is demanded from us?
And again, having appreciated the response that is necessary,
to what extent do we continue to live in the light of that irrevocable conclusion,
we may well have come to many years ago.
Well, certainly, these verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12 of Romans, have indeed that message.
Christianity proper is not primarily concerned with changing the outside world,
but is very much a matter of inward change of the individual.
However, having considered that primary matter,
one thing that becomes evident in the rest of the epistle, from chapters 12 to 16,
is that indeed, the outward behaviour of those who have faith in Christ,
certainly that is very changed indeed.
Every aspect, every department, every detail of the life,
is intended to be affected by the appreciation of the goodness of God towards us as individuals.
Now, I find it no accident that the next few chapters,
which we hope to look into, if the Lord will,
detail for us many of the things that are involved.
Things that should come to light if that inward change has really taken place.
And the way in which every department of our life is looked at,
in turn, I would suggest that we commence now, just as a little digression,
but a pertinent one, Scriptures here and there,
that tell us what these departments of our life are,
and the way in which they need to be regulated.
First of all then, let us look at the minor prophet Micah, chapter 6 and verse 8.
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good,
and what doth the Lord require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
Keep in your mind these phrases,
to do justly, firstly, secondly, to love mercy,
thirdly, to walk humbly with thy God.
Now turn over to Titus, chapter 2, and verse 12.
All well-known verses.
Titus, chapter 2, verse 12.
The grace of God teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
The three words to notice there are living soberly, righteously, and godly.
Second Timothy, chapter 1.
Sorry, First Epistle of Timothy, chapter 1.
Verse 13.
The Apostle Paul, speaking of himself, he says,
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious?
But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
That's all we want to read for the moment.
These scriptures, among others, encourage me to conclude
that there are three basic facets of our life as Christians.
Firstly, what we are in ourselves.
Secondly, what we are towards others.
And thirdly, what we are Godward.
If you like, selfward, towards others, and Godward.
And as we look at chapters 12, 13, and 14,
I'm sure we shall find that in that order,
chapter 12 is primarily concerned with what we are in ourselves,
what our motives are, why we act and how we act
in various situations, in various environments,
and yet the emphasis always is not so much what we are doing,
but the attitude we have in ourselves in whatever sphere.
Chapter 13, we shall find, is more concerned in the activities,
in our relationships with others,
whereas chapter 14 is very much a matter of what we are before the Lord.
Now, just going over, linking together these other scriptures,
in Micah, chapter 6, what we are in ourselves is very much crystallised,
the attitude that is desirable is spoken of as loving mercy.
What doth the Lord require of you but to love mercy?
It's a basic attitude of mind and heart which comes out in our life.
Towards others, what doth the Lord require of you to show mercy?
To do justly, doing the right thing.
Let me say, as I often find myself saying, very often,
my difficulty is not knowing what I should be doing,
but my difficulty is, I very often don't want to do it.
Doing the right thing, doing justly, is all so easy, and yet so difficult.
The matter is plain, the scripture is clear, our conscience is touched,
we know exactly what we should be doing, and yet we don't want to do it.
And again, the third aspect of the life there in Micah 6,
walk humbly with thy God.
Oh, let us realise that being not conformed to this world,
not taking our character from the external fashion and environment of this world,
but being transformed according to the renewing of our minds,
is very much related to what we are in ourselves,
what we are towards others, and what we are before the Lord.
I think the best summary of this threefold aspect of life
is given in that verse in Titus.
The grace of God which has appeared and has been exercised towards us,
the God who has been so graciously disposed towards us,
the grace of God which has done that, it now teaches us,
the grace of God educates us that it is required of us
that we live soberly in ourselves, righteously towards others,
and godly before the Lord.
And I would like to suggest that we look at that heading,
walking soberly, in Romans chapter 12.
A basic outlook that should be true of us.
So chapters 12, 13, and 14,
we'll be looking at to see an amplification of what it is
to walk soberly in chapter 12, righteously in chapter 13,
and godly in chapter 14.
Now, I read that verse in 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 13,
just to give an indication of the tremendous change
that took place in Saul of Tarsus.
Speaking of himself, in his eyes,
I cannot say it for him, he said it of himself, the chief of sinners,
he looked back and said,
I now realize I was wrong in every department of my life.
And he goes into it.
He says, as to myself, he said,
if you look at the literal meaning of the words,
he said, I was an insolent overbearing man.
That's what he was in himself.
As far as other people were concerned,
he said, I was a persecutor.
And as far as God was concerned, he said, I was a blasphemer.
Wrong in every department of his life.
Now, Paul, having learned the lesson,
he's well equipped to give us proper guidance
as to how we should live our lives in each of these spheres.
So having said that, let us look at the detail of chapter 12.
How orderly scripture is.
How orderly that which comes through the vessel,
the apostle, under the control,
guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Verses 1 and 2, which we looked at on Saturday,
cannot look at again,
gives us the overriding principles.
If you like, having considered the doctrinal aspects
in chapters 1 to 8,
the dispensational aspects in chapters 9, 10 and 11,
we come to the practical part of the epistle,
the answer in our lives in chapters 12 to 16.
And verses 1 and 2 give us the heading
over the practical part of the epistle,
especially chapters 12, 13 and 14.
Now, after that, we get a fairly clear split
in the rest of the chapter.
Verses 3 to 21, overall,
give us how we should live soberly.
Now, this is confirmed in the very word
that is used in verse 3.
As often happens in the Psalms,
so it is in some sections of the New Testament
that the first thought expressed,
one of the first words that is used,
gives us a heading over the section.
And here, thinking soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith.
Now, verses 3 to 8, as such,
or certainly 4 to 8,
give us a vital consideration,
the truth of the body.
We'll have to come back to that.
Verses 9 to 16,
how that attitude expresses itself
within the assembly,
and we'll look at that.
And then verses 17 to 21,
how this attitude is to be shown
outside of the assembly with men at large.
But we shall note this there
when we look at those few verses,
that it's not so much the activities themselves,
but the personal attitudes,
the personal considerations that come to light
in these various spheres.
So let us turn back now to verse 3.
I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think.
Let us take account that
when the apostle, in verses like this,
in a general way, speaks of any man,
he's saying any Christian.
Brother and sister.
In other words, we cannot say,
well, half of us are excluded for a start.
It's speaking about basic Christian attitudes
and is intended to be a challenge to each of us.
And it says that we have to have
a right assessment of ourselves.
Again, these things are so straightforward,
direct and simple, aren't they?
Have a right assessment of self.
The way it's put here,
it would seem that we are all inclined
to be charging about, all wanting the cheap place,
all wanting to be up and doing,
and we need to have the brake applied to us.
Well, there may have been times in history,
there may have been times in our own lives
where this has been true.
But why do we need the challenge of that?
That we shouldn't overrate our potential as Christians.
I think a far greater danger nowadays is
that we tend to underestimate
the things that we can do in the Lord's work.
Sadly, nowadays,
when there's a job to be done,
responsibility to be taken,
rare indeed to find a queue
of over-enthusiastic individuals
demanding that they be allowed to do the job.
Sadly, in many localities,
it's a question of the few willing horses
finding that by dint of necessity
that the certain individuals, few of them,
always get the jobs to do
because no one else seems to have the time.
And of course, the old adage applies,
if you really want something doing,
ask someone that's busy
and they'll make time for it to be done,
but those who have a very light program indeed
won't be able to squeeze it in,
such is human nature.
But let us take the warning
whichever way it applies to us.
Let us not overrate ourselves.
Let us not assume that certain things,
because they are glamorous or dramatic,
are the things that we should be doing
so that we can receive the acclaim of the Brethren.
But at the same time,
let us avoid the twin danger
of self-effacement
to the degree where it becomes mock humility,
mock modesty,
and saying,
oh, whatever it is, you can't expect me to do that,
I'm just a lowly brother,
I'm just a humble sister,
don't expect great things from me.
We need to be conscious
that as the truth of the body
is the figure that's introduced here,
there is a part for us to play
and once we are aware
whatever role we should be filling,
the exhortation here is,
get on with it!
That's how I read these verses.
As in other scriptures,
for comparison,
Ephesians 4
looks at the truth of the body
and the matter of gifts.
In Ephesians 4,
the gifts come down bestowed
from the ascended head in heaven.
1 Corinthians 12,
the truth of the body there,
the gifts are bestowed
and are to be executed
in the power of the Holy Spirit.
But here,
in keeping with the context,
tracing things back to their source,
we find that the gifts
are given by God.
But,
the lesson I would like to draw
in the time available is this.
The figure of the body
is intended to give us the impression
of
that which is an integrated whole
working for the good of all
with each fulfilling the role
for which it is rightly designed.
No argument between the members of the body,
each knows the role that it has to play.
We all know that in the natural body
that if one member
or organ of the body
is deficient
or if there is any disability,
anything distorted,
that there has to be a measure of compensation.
Another member,
another organ
has to try and make up
for whatever is lacking.
So it is in the body of Christ.
If I am not doing that
which God has designed me for
and fitted me into the integrated whole,
it means
that there will be more strain on someone else
because I am not doing
what I should be doing.
Now,
I will leave for your private meditation
what these various roles are.
But the impression I get in them all
is that whatever it is,
get on with it!
Not in any ostentatious, flamboyant,
extravagant way,
but there is a job of work to be done
and very often
if the Lord makes me aware
of a particular need in my own locality,
it is at least half an indication
that he wants me to do it.
And certainly if in a quiet way
there is something to be done,
I make my services available,
it will soon become obvious
whether or not I have any gift
in that particular direction.
And I am sure
that if there is a job to be done
for which I am suited
and I apply myself,
not thinking more highly
or less highly of myself
than I ought to think,
I am sure my local brethren
will be glad to identify themselves
with what I am trying to do
to help things on locally.
Now, just in passing,
I was very much encouraged
when verse 7,
the first part of verse 7
was explained to me.
I remember a very mature brother
saying to me,
do you want to minister?
And I said, oh that's way beyond me.
And he said, well do you know what it means?
He says, to minister,
he says, is standing by
to lend a hand.
Well that was a very homely way of putting it.
And I thought it was a good one.
Without thinking more highly of myself
than I ought to think,
wouldn't I like to be one of those locally
who's always standing by
to lend a hand
to be available
for any little job
that comes along
and willing to take the strain.
And I'm sure,
if we look at these terms
in a similarly simple way,
we'll find that we needn't exclude ourselves
at all.
But, what is emphasized
in each of these cases
is the need that is there,
the way that God
has gifted one
or another
to do the job.
One of the things involved
at the end of verse 3
and verse 6
is that
if
God
places a gift
within the assembly
in an individual,
he will also
endow that individual
with the capacity
to carry it out.
There's a balance
between the gift that needs
to be exercised
and the faith and the grace
that God makes available
in order that it might
be put to good use.
Now, that's a summary
there, and he ends that section
in verse 8 with a reminder.
It's not so much
what is done,
but the way that is done
that will need the lasting
impression. How often
has there been a
difficulty amongst brethren,
not because of what has been
done, but because of the way
in which it's been done.
Oh, let us ensure that
while we are assured
before the Lord that what we are
doing is the right thing,
and that he wants us to do it,
that we do it in a way
which doesn't give offence,
even to the matter of
showing mercy with cheerfulness.
Now, that is verses
4 to 8.
The living soberly,
having a right
estimation of ourselves
coming out in the truth of the
body in the assembly.
I suppose
we should pause there.
Do I take it
from this and other similar
scriptures
that the first
outlet for
my activities
and energies
should be in my local
assembly?
If the Lord
has been pleased to show me
that a certain
group of Christians in a
locality
or where I should be as
my spiritual home,
if I feel free
to indulge the various
privileges that are available
there, shouldn't that really
be the first
sphere in which
my activities should be seen?
In everything that takes place that I
do, in good conscience before
the Lord, be related first
of all to that. That certainly seems
to be one of the things that comes
out in the verses.
Now, certainly
the verses
that follow, 9 to 16,
refer not so much
to the
expression of the gifts that
come to light, but
the general
tenor of the
fellowship of local Christians.
And again,
no time for all the
detail, but notice this
kind of thing.
Verses 9
to 13
give such a
high quality
of the expression of
practical Christianity
that one would tend to think
well,
this certainly is the way
to universal popularity.
Any Christian acting
like this, won't all
their fellow believers think
they are absolutely wonderful?
Not always so.
Verse 14 goes on to say
bless them which persecute
you, bless and curse
not.
The Lord Jesus in his personal
ministry while here
upon earth,
and all the major apostles
bring it to light in their
ministry,
remind us that
one thing we cannot be assured
of, if we serve
the Lord with all our
might, in good conscience,
not thinking of ourselves more
highly than we ought to think,
one thing that's sure is
that Satan will ensure
that problems come along.
And perhaps it may well
be, those that we
love the most,
those we want to serve most
dearly, our local
brethren that we see so often
and think so much of, it may
well be that it is
in that very sphere where
we are misunderstood,
things we say and do
are misconstrued,
misinterpreted,
even to the point
where we feel that we are almost
getting a persecution mainly.
Well, the apostle says,
even in this, your
attitude, whether with your fellow
Christians or even those
without, has to be so
Christ-like that there's
nothing about your
reaction
to unjust persecution
that could give rise
to any offense.
It's a high standard.
It's always true that
the Lord never
brings his standards
down
to the measure
of our finite
experience. He always
gives us the potential and
the incentive of being
drawn up to be a pattern
which is commensurate with
the grace that is being shown towards us.
Another thing,
verse 15,
Rejoice with them that do rejoice,
weep with them
that weep.
Nothing new under
the sun, you know.
A word which has crept into
the English language over
the past, I don't know, 20, 30,
40 years, I suppose,
is this idea of empathy,
of entering
into others' feelings,
putting yourself in their
shoes, knowing what
makes them tick,
knowing how they would react in a certain
situation so that you can
help them. We are exhorted
here to act just like
that. Our attitude
has to be such that we are willing
to enter into the
joys of others, enter
into the sorrows of others,
to feel for them,
to have fellowship with them in
whatever the Lord is
bringing them through at the present
time. And of course,
the supreme example,
the Lord Jesus himself
became qualified
to be the great
high priest, the great priest
over the house of God,
learning obedience in the things
that he suffered, able to
enter into the things that we
have to bear,
and so, able to
sympathize, succor,
and save. The truth of the
high priestly grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
But, he ends this section,
verse 16, be of the same
mind one to another.
If we all exhibited
the features in this
sober self-assessment,
not thinking of ourselves
more highly than we
ought to think, what a difference
it would make when we have business to discuss,
arrangements to
make, when
there's outreach to be undertaken,
when we have problems,
financial problems,
ecclesiastical
problems, whatever
they may be, if each
conducted himself and
herself in this way, what
a tremendous difference it would make.
Be of the same mind one
toward another, mind not
high things, be not high-minded,
condescend to men of lower
state. I suppose it's one of the cases
where the
authorized
version tends
to give a slightly
wrong impression, no idea
of condescension,
going along
with the lowly, as it might more
accurately be rendered.
The figure is something
like this.
If I'm taking a little
child for a walk,
my normal stride
might be about
four feet. The little toddler
I'm taking for a walk
may have a normal step
of about
say, a foot.
Now, it would be most
cruel of me, wouldn't it,
to race along
and yanking the little child along
by the arm, expecting
it to measure my stride
step for step.
Of course, what
a sympathetic parent
or adult does,
the normal stride
of the adult is shortened
to accommodate
the normal step
of the little child or toddler.
And I'm sure that's the figure
that's employed here. Going along
with the lowly,
not demanding
that those with the shorter stride
have to attempt
to overreach themselves
and suffer strain.
But there's lots of
dignity, isn't there, in an adult
accommodating this
normal stride to that
of the toddler. In fact, there's
a particular charm, isn't there,
when an adult is
seen to be caring
and loving and sympathetic
and guiding the toddler
along step by step.
I would suggest that something of that
is involved in going along
with the lowly.
And not with any
over self-esteem
again. Be not wise
in your own conceits.
Now, the last
point that needs to be dealt with in verses
17 to 21,
the attitude to others.
Now, this is not yet
activities towards
them as such. That comes more particularly
in chapter 13.
But here, one
aspect of
living soberly
with a right estimation
of self
is the way in which we act.
The way in which we react,
we might say,
when others
are acting unfairly towards
us. It is
not a
Christian virtue
to react violently.
It is not a Christian
virtue to try and get
our own back. And
I think, as we read this,
the fundamental impression
is, if we suffer
wrong,
if we are treated
unjustly, leave
it with the Lord. Oh, how
easy to say. How hard
to do. Just the Lord
will
recompense. If there's
vengeance to be administered,
leave that to the Lord.
When the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall
set things right.
We are now in the
day, the period,
which is characterized
by what is termed
in scripture the
patient waiting of the Christ.
Not waiting for
Christ. The Lord
Jesus Christ, who
deserves every honor,
who deserves the highest
place of esteem.
He's
patiently waiting,
not forcing the issue,
not demanding it,
not trying to set things right
by himself.
He's waiting until the Father
gives the word, and then
he that shall come will
come and will not tarry.
In the meantime, the Lord
Jesus is patiently
waiting. We are in the day
of the patient waiting
of the Christ.
If the Lord Jesus,
in perfect grace,
the one who deserves every
honor, every acclaim, if he
is willing to wait
until matters are set
right, if he's prepared to
wait patiently until then,
if we are to be Christlike in
our activities, in our attitudes,
we have to have this fundamental
matter of waiting
patiently that if things
need to be put right, it will be
the Lord Jesus who does it.
I think we could well take away
this very difficult
verse. 20
If thine enemy hunger,
feed him. If he thirst,
give him drink. For in
so doing thou shalt heap calls of
fire on his head.
Bit of a paradox.
Sounds as though, if I'm
done wrong, I can
rub my hands in unhappy anticipation
and say, it's alright,
the Lord will sort him out, calls of
fire on his head, the kinder I
am to him, the worse he'll get.
Of course it doesn't mean that at all.
It's not
a prayer,
it's a statement of fact.
There are other scriptures
like this, which
state in a simple,
clear way that if
there is any sorting out to be done,
any adjustment to be
made of others, it is
our portion to
wait patiently, leave
it to the Lord, and
in fact, if
we are gracious and loving
and kind as the verse indicates,
it will ensure
even more
that the Lord, the righteous
judge, when he comes, will
take whatever action is necessary.
And when we consider
the times that we
have been unjustly treated,
unfairly assessed,
where we have been
burning with a sense of
injustice, think of
the many times where perhaps we
have misjudged others, that
we would come down on them like a ton of bricks
when we were sure we were
right and they were wrong.
How better if at both the giving
and the receiving end, we
act in the way that Romans 12
outlines, not thinking
more highly or less highly
of ourselves than others,
but leaving things to the Lord.
Perhaps, as we come to
the close, perhaps
the wisest attitude
of all, for each of us
would be, to be as
generous as possible
in our assessment of others
and as hard
as we like to be
with ourselves.
Perhaps the flesh in us
tends to underestimate
the virtue in others
and overestimate
the virtue in ourselves.
Let us so
carry out the plain injunctions
of Romans chapter 12
that it will be seen
that the first call
upon our thinking is this,
that the grace of God
has indeed educated us
to think soberly while
here in this present world.
Our closing hymn tonight
is number 88.
I haven't been
able to find many hymns
which directly
comment on the kind of thing
that's in Romans 12,
but I have found these hymns
which tell us of
the virtue seen to perfection
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I'm sure
one of the things involved
in the opening exhortations
in Romans 12
is that in taking account of
the mercy of God
we spend time in happy
holy contemplation
of the Son of God
in whom these things are seen
to perfection. …
Automatisches Transkript:
…
The Epistle to the Romans, chapter 13, verses 1 to 14.
This is now the third of four addresses on some of the major practical issues that come
to light in the later chapters of the Epistle to the Romans.
In the first of them, we looked at chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, and we concentrated then
on considering together the total, irrevocable, once and for all commitment that is entered
into as the only reasonable, intelligent response to the soul that rightly appreciates
the movements of the mercy of God towards us.
The phrase, the mercies of God, the compassions of God, chapter 12, verse 1, is undoubtedly
a reference to the major treatise on the aspects of the salvation of God that are outlined
in chapters 1 to 8, and then after that necessary dispensational study in chapters 9, 10, and
11, in view of all that is gone before, the Apostle says, I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God.
And we saw in verse 2 of chapter 12 that not taking our character from the fashions
of this age in an outward way, but every department of our lives being transformed by that inner
power, by the renewing of our mind, proving in our movements here in this world, experimentally,
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
When Christ was here personally, the will of God was seen to come to light in him personally.
He has gone on high by the Spirit.
We are enabled in our practical movements to demonstrate what is good and acceptable
and perfect in accordance with the will of God.
And the development of these things is seen in the major aspects of our life, selfward
in chapter 12, towards others in chapter 13, and finally Godward in chapter 14.
And on this occasion, we are going to look at chapter 13.
Again, by way of recapitulation, mention has been made that we do from time to time in
Scripture get summaries of these things.
For instance, Micah chapter 6 verse 8, giving us a good indication of what is required of
us by our God, outlines these three aspects.
And again, Titus 2 verse 12 tells us of the need.
In fact, it tells us of how the grace of God educates us, enabling us to live soberly
as to ourselves, righteously as to others, and godly as before the Lord.
And in chapter 12, we looked at what it is to live soberly, as indeed verse 3 of chapter
12 states.
Now we look in chapter 13 as to what it is to live righteously as to others.
One of the special marks of those who trust in the living God is that their lives are
marked by practical righteousness.
And in chapter 13, we see how, first of all, this is seen in our attitude to the higher
powers, the powers that be, those who are in authority, and we'll be looking a little
at that.
Then how we meet our commitments day by day, in civil terms, financial terms, social terms,
how we are seen to live righteously before all.
And then, in view of the day that is at hand, the sense of urgency that this imparts to
the lives that we live.
If we want a verse as a heading, in chapter 13 it's given towards the end.
If in chapter 12 the summary or title is given in verse 3 of that chapter, in verse 13 we
need to look at verse 13, where we are exhorted, let us walk honestly, that perhaps is as good
a summary as any as to the content of chapter 13.
Let us walk honestly.
And then a final exhortation right at the end, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make
not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof.
So then, into the detail of the chapter.
This matter of being subject to the powers that be is something which is dealt with here
and there in the New Testament, and consistently so.
If we look first of all at 1 Timothy chapter 2, where we have the apostle writing to the
younger man Timothy, he says, I exhort therefore that first of all, of first-ranking primary
importance, supplications, prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks, be made for all men, for
kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men
to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
It is a salutary lesson, indeed, that our prayers on behalf of all men, especially on
behalf of kings and all who are in authority, is not that we might have an easy time, as
a superficial reading of those verses might seem to indicate, but rather that we may lead
a quiet, peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, free without fear of molestation,
to be able to get on with the job for which we have been left here, to preach the gospel,
present God as Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge
of the truth.
So, then, a prime responsibility of the Christian company, and we as individuals, is that we
might continually be before the face of God, praying that there might be right conditions
in which we can get on with our responsible job of presenting God as Saviour.
If we turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, again after the most sublime truth concerning the church
of God as a chosen generation, exhibiting a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar
people, showing forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light, the need to walk as strangers in pilgrims, immediately afterwards we have this necessary
exhortation, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be
to the king as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men.
Note again, in Peter, the link with submission to every ordinance of man to king and to governors
is linked with the fulfilment on earth, the bringing to light of the will of God.
Now those scriptures are very close indeed to what we have at the beginning of Romans
13.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God.
The powers that be are ordained of God.
If we look a little further down the chapter, we note in verse 5, wherefore ye must needs
be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience's sake.
First of all, it is incumbent upon us as Christians to do the right thing.
It is part of walking honestly, living righteously, that of all the people living on earth at
any one time, surely if there be any company of people who are seen to do the right thing,
keeping to the law of the land, complying with the requirements of the government of
the day, it should be seen coming to light in the Christian.
Now there are two reasons given for this.
Ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience's sake.
As to the wrath, Peter again decries the possibility.
He warns us that if we are to suffer, it is not to suffer as wrongdoers.
What a sad witness it would be if we were known in our locality as those who didn't
comply with the righteous requirements of these powers that be.
There may occasionally be occasions, and this perhaps is looked at more in chapter 14, where
the lordship of Christ is the limiting factor.
But generally speaking, the requirement laid upon us is that we must needs be subject partly
for wrath in order that we do not fall foul of the law or the application of the law locally
or regionally or nationally, otherwise, as the scripture says, wrath will come upon us.
The powers that be are there for the punishment of evildoers.
How sad again it would be if we Christians were deemed to be wrongdoers and for wrath
we were brought before the powers that be.
The second reason given, also for conscience's sake, it is given to us to appreciate intelligently
that the powers that be, the authorities in power at any time, have been allowed to be
put there by God himself.
They are his ministers.
He is the minister of God to thee for good, verse 4 says.
Indeed, they are put there by God in order that those who do wrong might be punished
and that those who do well are commended.
Of course, the powers that be are responsible to God for the way they use the power that
is granted unto them and scripture abounds with witness to the fact that very often men
given power, allowed as such by God, are taken to task responsible to God for exceeding the
power that God has granted to them.
And so we turn to these verses in more particular.
The general statement then is given.
The details follow it up.
Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evil.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
Do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same.
That as to wrath, but then the Christian has the intelligent conscience to realize that
the powers that be are ordained of God and therefore the Christian conforming as far
as his conscience allows is enabled to put into practice that which is a witness to all
about that the powers that be are the ministers of God for the moment.
This involves not only the general scope of things, it also involves the detail.
And so we turn to verse 7.
Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom,
fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
The Christian meets his or her commitments as they fall due.
I sometimes feel that time has been wasted in the past by discussing whether or not in
the view of the coming of the Lord it is right or righteous for Christians as individuals
to own their own homes, to have their own cars, to enter into major financial commitments
which would be left unfulfilled at the coming of the Lord.
Over the years I've come to the conclusion that these verses are not speaking so much
of major capital commitments, but what they do say is if we enter into any contracts,
any bargains of any sort, that the Christian is known as one who meets his or her commitments
as they become due.
Again, perhaps a measure of inconsistency has come into Christian witness whereby brethren
have felt free to own their own homes and yet as a matter of conscience have felt it
improper to own the building in which we gather to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, I think these scriptures are quite clear that entering into commitments, meeting them
as they fall due, whether it's the fuel bill, whether it's the rate, whether it's a mortgage
payment, whether it's a bank loan, we meet our commitments as they fall due.
Whether it's tribute, tax, inland revenue, whether it's the local rates, custom to whom
custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour.
Now there's a positive note to concentrate on, isn't it?
That while it may be that there are commitments that we would not meet at our peril, it may
be that in a positive way we should be more assured in our witness of giving honour to
whom honour.
Perhaps we need to lose our reserve.
Perhaps we need to give honour where it is due, more readily, more vocally than we have
in the past.
And moving on to verse 8, the apostle says to the Romans, Oh, no man anything, a grand
summing up.
Perhaps if we want a simple heading over this part of the chapter, it could be contained
in the two words, pay up, simple, direct, practical evidence of walking honestly, living
righteously, paying up as our commitments become due.
But notice the lever, notice the background, notice what is given here to back up with
force what the apostle says, Oh, no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law.
Not a question here of slavishly meeting commitments, not a question of slavishly following a set
of rules or regulations, but prompted by love, that wonderful divine quality which is the
source of all, Oh, no man anything.
There are debts which we can discharge day by day.
Let us see to it that we meet our commitments as they arise.
But there is a debt which is indischargeable, an indischargeable debt, a debt of love.
Oh, again, how this flows out from and takes character from the first eight chapters, that
wonderful account as to how all our needs have been met by the mercies, the compassions
of God.
There is a debt we shall never be able to repay.
Perhaps we might regard that as a major capital commitment which we can never arrange to be
diminished.
We can do nothing about exhausting that.
What we can do, perhaps, is pay a little bit of the interest as it becomes due, Oh, no
man anything but to love one another.
Let us see to it that as well as meeting financial commitments and moral commitments, administrative
commitments, family commitments, let us see that our relationships with others, we are
known as those who exhibit love in a very practical way.
He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
I suppose they have fulfilled the righteous requirement and the spirit of the law.
Interesting here that in verse 9 we get a recounting of five of the commandments delivered
to Moses for the people of God upon earth in his day, as is well known, five of those
commandments concentrated on the responsibility of man Godward.
The other five, the responsibility of man manward to others.
And here in verse 9, in keeping with the setting of chapter 13, how to live honestly, righteously
towards others, that there are five examples given and they are the five that describe
our relationship to other men.
Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt
not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet.
Summing them up, if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
Namely, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Simple, clear, practical exhortations that enable us to realise perhaps freshly, vividly,
the need for practical righteousness in all our movements here in this world.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, demonstrated in the way we act in this practical
way.
God works no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
How fitting, how orderly, how right that in this chapter on walking honestly, that that
responsibility to others given so early in the word of God is recalled for our reminder
and instructions.
And so the Apostle moves towards the end of his exhortations on this aspect of our
life and from verses 11 and 12.
If he has been speaking about an indischargeable debt that we owe to God for all his wonderful
compassions towards us, and in the light of that, that we must do all that we can within
our power, day by day, to meet our practical righteous commitments as they fall due, after
exhorting us in simple terms to pay up, we come to another character of exhortation in
verses 11 and 12.
If verses 7 or perhaps 6 to 10 describe the meeting of our commitments, the debts that
have arisen, in verse 11 and 12 we speak not here of an indischargeable debt, we speak
of a known time, that, knowing the time, this practical section of the epistle started
with what is described as a reasonable, intelligent, climactic conclusion that we came to, a crisis
in the history of our soul, and all that flows out from that takes character from that.
So here again it is a matter of some intelligence, it is a matter of something that we know,
knowing the time, that the night is far spent, the day is at hand, there is a day coming,
God has indeed appointed a day, when he will rule, administer the world in righteousness
by that man whom he has ordained, whereof he has given assurance unto all, in that he
has raised him from the dead. God's man, Christ, has been appointed, that when the time comes,
and only the Father knows the moment when that has arrived, but we know, if not the
date, we know that there is a time which has been declared, Acts 17 verse 31 reminds
it, as we've quoted, God has appointed that day, when his man, God's man, will be in full
command, universal sway, and things will be conducted in a righteous fashion, because
the Lord, the righteous judge, will be in full command. And, knowing that there is such
a time as that, we live in the light of that day, even now, we anticipate the righteous
living, the righteous administration, that shall be extant in that day, knowing that
this present dispensation is drawing towards its close, knowing the time, it is high time
to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Scriptures abound
with references to the fact that the knowledge of the coming of the Lord in power and great
glory to set up his kingdom is a salutary lesson to the Christian, that in the light
of that day, when everything shall be seen in proper perspective, when everything shall
be governed, administered in a way that is in accordance with the will of God, that we
now, in the light of information we've been given about the future, have an extra incentive
to bring into effect in a practical way the will of God upon earth, even now, knowing
the time, it is now high time to awake out of sleep. If the major exhortation in verse
8 was pay up, the major exhortation in verse 11 is wake up! We are children of the day,
not children of the night. We are children of light, not the children of darkness. Again,
the implied challenge comes home to us, how sad it would be if we, the children of day,
were involved in the activities more appropriate to the night. How sad it would be if we, the
children of light, were marked by the features of moral darkness, and the demonstration that
we give in our lives is inconsistent with the gospel that we carry and seek to preach.
And so the exhortation comes, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, let us put
on the armour of light. A practical preservative against darkness and the works of darkness.
A practical preservative against the things of moral night, or to wear the garments of
practical righteousness, quite simply doing the right thing, because we know it is the
right thing to do, because it is the will of God for us. See how these things are bound
together in this chapter. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, let us put
on the armour of light, let it be seen that we are children of the day. Let it be seen that what
we do is consistent with what we say and the gospel that we have believed. Let us bear in
mind again what chapter 12 says in this overall heading to the practical section of this epistle,
that we are exhorted to walk honestly, so that we might prove experimentally in our lives what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The exhortations close by a tremendous
contrast, let us walk honestly as in the day, we are children of day, let us comport ourselves,
let us behave in a way that is appropriate to that which falls under the scrutiny of the living
God. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and
wantonness, not in strife and envying. These things are traced to their source in the last verse. Put
on the Lord Jesus Christ, how well we recognize that in the Gospels and the things that are added
in the New Testament epistles tell us in that one what perfect way the Lord Jesus Christ in all that
he did as he moved here in the days of his flesh, acted, spoke, moved and lived in such a way as was
well pleasing to God and brought to light here upon earth that which was well pleasing to the
God who had sent him and that which was that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Here we
are then faced with this overall exhortation, put on in a practical way by the way that we live
righteously before the world, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make not provision for the flesh
to fulfill the lusts thereof. Earlier chapters in the epistle go into the necessary study that while
our sins have been dealt with once and for all, while sin has been judged in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, God has pronounced his judgment upon sin as such. God has seen fit to allow us to
continue here in this world, the flesh still in us, the root still there, but under the grace of
God. We have been endowed with the capacity transformed by the renewing of our mind. We've
been endowed with the capacity to put on in a practical way the features of our Lord Jesus
Christ and we are enabled to make no provision of the flesh, not allowing the features of the flesh
to show themselves in the way that we live, making a tremendous victory for the grace of God, giving
us the power, giving us the incentive, and here we are with our responsible lives to live in the
light of the coming of the Lord, knowing the time that it is high time to awake out of sleep, our
salvation nearer than when we believed. How sad it would be if in the closing days immediately
before he comes that we were to give up, that we were to become weary, that we were ceasing to put
on the features of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we got so weary that we began to make allowances for
the flesh to show itself in a way that we wouldn't have dreamed of doing when first we trusted the
Savior. And as the chapter ends, let us accept the exhortation to ourselves. Let us walk honestly as
in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, but let us see to it,
not in strife and envying, but in this basic overall way, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ,
making no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Let us see to it then that while
this is indeed a separate section, something that we need to consider itself, that it fits in with
living soberly in chapter 12, and as we hope to see on another occasion, everything done as unto
the Lordship of Christ, living godly here in this world, that there is this wonderful balance between
what we are in ourselves, in our basic attitude selfward, what we are in our relationship to
others, walking honestly as in the day, and then as that overall consideration in chapter 14,
whether we live. We live unto the Lord, whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live
therefore or die, we are the Lord's, but as to the detail of that, we must leave that for another occasion. …
Automatisches Transkript:
…
Those who've been able to be with us on each evening will, I'm sure, be kind and
tolerate a minimum amount of recapitulation, so that we know where we
are embarking tonight. Saturday evening, following on, I trust, in the will of the
Lord from Saturday afternoon, we concentrated on the basic principles
which should govern every department of our life. In order that we on earth might
exercise our privilege and responsibility in so moving, so walking,
so living, that the will of God might be brought to light in a very detailed,
practical way in the lives we live here on earth. Not to take shape, not to be
conformed outwardly to the fashion of the age, but rather to be motivated and
to be shaped by the transforming effect of an inward power, the life that God
has given us. And after looking at that, I thought it was worthwhile to spend
three evenings showing how these things are developed in the epistle to the
Romans in chapter 12, 13, and 14. Like others have said in conversation after
the meetings, these are matters we think about, they crop up in our Bible readings
and discussions, we think about them from time to time, but it's not often
that in a formal way there is an opportunity to develop in detail the
things that are mentioned in the chapters. Now that's what we've been
trying to do this week. And in order to provide a link, we have quoted once or
twice that grand verse in Micah 6, verse 8, which outlines for us what the Lord,
our God, requires of us. Look it up. That other verse, Titus 2, verse 12,
enjoining us, we who've been educated by the grace of God, to the end that we
might live here in this world in a way that can be described variously as sober,
righteous, and godly. And we looked, first of all, in detail at chapter 12, which
presents for us how it is that we can live soberly, with a right assessment of
ourselves. Fastening particularly on chapter 12, verse 3, I say through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly. So we are enjoyed to be
right in ourselves, in our basic attitude selfward, and having a right
estimation of ourselves, neither too high nor too low, but just as God has dealt to
every man the measure of faith. And then last night, we looked at chapter 13, which
expands the phrase which comes towards the end in verse 13 of chapter 13,
let us walk honestly, parallel, very close to what Paul says to Titus, that we might
walk righteously, that we might live righteously here in this world. And then
tonight, the third aspect of our life, covering everything in these three
facets of it, not this time what we are in ourselves, not this time our
relationship with others, but our relationship directly with the Lord. And
so in verse 8, we have a verse, a statement, that can well be taken as a
heading over the chapter, whether we live, we live unto the Lord, whether we die, we
die unto the Lord, whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. Now
we hope to look at some of the aspects in chapter 14, and to get the sense it
really continues through to verse 7 of chapter 15. As on the other evenings, no
time for every detail. Pointers, we hope, will be given, which we can all take away
and meditate in the presence of the Lord. As on other evenings, time will only
permit the presentation of a judgment which has been arrived at over some time,
some years perhaps, in meditating on the Scriptures, comparing Scripture with
Scripture. Of course, as on other evenings, it would be possible to state another
point of view. There are many. But my responsibility tonight, to give you an
indication of conclusions that I've come to over the years, and this I would
hope to do, and I trust that you would receive them in that spirit, meditate
upon them, and indeed, as this very chapter says, let everyone be fully
persuaded in their own mind. If we look for them, I think we will see three
threads running right down this chapter, not necessarily confined to certain
sections of verses, but things to look for and note and meditate upon. The first
thing that we might see is liberty. Liberty is a major topic in the chapter.
Another major topic is lordship, and a third major topic is love. Liberty,
lordship, and love. Now, the chapter does split itself into three fairly
recognisable sections, not necessarily with those three headings, but I would
suggest that in parallel with that thought of liberty, lordship, and love, we
also look at three sections of the chapter. First of all, the first nine
verses. And I would pose the question as to whether or not we feel that proper
Christian attitude is better summed up or needs to be on the line of liberty or
license. I think that that's the kind of perplexing problem that crops up
whether we judge a way of life, either in ourselves or in others, as liberty or
license. This is followed, and I would suggest verses 10 to 14, where what is
stressed is the individual's privileges and responsibility, the privileges and
responsibilities of the individual, and it's very much an individual matter. And
in the third section, verses 15 on to the end of the chapter, verse 23, I would
suggest that a challenge comes to us, certainly to me. Am I on the lines of
construction or demolition? Am I building up or am I pulling down? You see, as on the
other evenings, these are basic practical matters that perhaps we think
about, and perhaps we should talk about them more. Now, we hope to go through each
of these three last-mentioned sections. First of all, the first nine verses. Now,
in each of these sections, we find fairly readily an important statement, and then
based upon that statement, and in the light of that statement, we get an
exhortation, a statement of truth, a statement of fact, and then following on
from that, an exhortation. Now, before we go section by section into chapter 14,
perhaps it will be well to clear any doubt by mentioning what the major topic
is in the chapter. There's always room at the front. Romans chapter 14. The temptation
is, when terms like this are used, Christians who can be assessed as strong,
Christians who can be assessed as weak, we go either one of two ways. Before we
look at the detail, before we examine the context, either we are self-confident,
assertive individuals, notwithstanding what chapter 12 says about that. We are
fairly confident that we try and do the right thing, so even before we examine
the context, we assume, well, it's talking about the strong, it's talking about the
weak. Well, obviously, being talking about the strong, that's the way I do things
and view things, and the weak are the people who disagree with me. Now, that is
a conclusion which is so easy it springs to our mind. However, if we are on the
other side and are self-effacing to an unnecessarily large degree, maybe we will
think the proper thing to do is to say, well, I'm so weak in everything. Everyone
else is strong, and I'm the weak one. Now, either attitude, if it hasn't examined
the context, is at least a mistake. I'll put it stronger, it's an error. We need to
examine the context to see what it's all about. And it's an important consideration
because most of the teaching of the chapter follows on from it. It is not
referring to evil, the toleration of evil in any way, neither doctrinal evil,
ecclesiastical evil, moral evil, or any other kind of evil. There are other
scriptures which deal with that. What is under consideration are things which are
not vital to the Christian testimony, things which are a matter of individual
judgment, where initial prejudice and environment might largely shape what our
attitude is. Now, the immediate problem when Paul was writing to the Romans was
that there were some converted Jews who felt strongly that the dietary
restrictions, that the recognition of certain calendar days, and the keeping of
them in a formal, rigid way, was something that should be continued in
Christianity. Their whole mode of life was geared to that kind of rigid
self-discipline. And the Apostle teaches in many places that a vital feature of
Christianity is liberty, that not the material things like food and drink or
habits of keeping certain days is vital to Christianity. And as we look into it,
Christianity is spiritual and moral, rather than primarily connected with the
material. And because of that, he uses this as a necessary example of the day.
Others, Gentiles perhaps, more prone to it than others, they had been used to a
very flagrant breach of all moral code. They were used to throwing everything
overboard, doing as they like. At the same time, they had conformed with a way of
life that was pagan, and now they had been relieved from that. They had been
ushered into true, full Christian liberty, and they were determined to enjoy it. But
the matters under consideration were not matters of Christian truth, they were
matters of dietary restrictions and habits concerning certain days. Of course
we can say, well, largely, if not entirely, that kind of thing doesn't bother us
particularly. It may well. And if it arises, this is the chapter for it. But
certainly it is a basis for us to challenge each of our hearts as to what
we consider important and vital in Christianity, and where it is that we
draw the line and say, well, these are matters of Christian conscience in an
individual. Now, with that preamble, we look at this first section, verses one to
nine. It mentions, you will see, and this is the reason for the suggestion, verse
two, one believes he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs. Not
weak in the sense of physically weak, but, and this is the paradox I suppose, when I
first heard this scripture referred to, I assumed those that were strong were
those that were firmly disciplined, who recognized a fairly rigid code, and had
the moral strength to stick to it without deviating. And those that were
weak were those who weren't able to keep to the code, and just pleased
themselves. But, as we read the chapter, we find that the opposite is the case. We
find that those who are strong in the liberty in Christ Jesus are those that
recognize that the kingdom of God is not connected with material things, such as
things that we eat, we can drink, it's connected with moral values, moral
features, like righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which we've come to
at this time. But, having introduced that, in verse four, we get the statement in
this particular section, which we need to take account of. To his own master he
stands or falls, and the exhortation based upon this, and this is why I
anticipated in my reading of it, end of verse five, let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind. And then an even more important verse, giving the
reason for that exhortation. How worthwhile it would be if I recognized
that while I have so much in common with my fellow believers, that while I have
such sweet, happy, consistent fellowship with my local brethren, in the ultimate
there are certain matters which are the responsibility of the individual brother
or sister to the Lord. To his own master he standeth or falleth. And because of that,
it means that unless it's a matter concerning the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ, something vital concerning his person or work, if it's a question as to
how we conduct things while we are together, if it's a question the day of
the week or the time of day when we do something, if it's a question of which
foods we are free to eat, which we abstain from, these are matters which are
the individual responsibility of each brother and sister before the Lord. Now
it sounds so obvious, but over the years how much difficulty there's been amongst
the people of God over this kind of thing, if not in detail, certainly the
principle. So the golden rule is, to his own master he standeth or falleth. And let
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. I would certainly say, as on another
evening relative to chapter 12, I would suggest that we are wise in this kind of
consideration to be as generous as possible in the assessment of our
brothers and sisters. And if we are to be rigid, let us be rigid with ourselves. If
we want to be strong, let us be strong to ourselves. If we are to be weak in the
sense of saying, this here is safety in keeping to these regulations, I will eat
certain animals, I will not eat certain animals, on principle that's between my
soul and the Lord. There's another thing as to being fully persuaded in our own
mind, which I'll deal with now, although it comes right at the end of the chapter.
I used to work in an office and an organization where, when tools were made,
first of all there was a master drawing made. And because the drawing was detailed
and it needed care and a lot of expenditure in its execution, there were
four words printed on the paper before any drawing was commenced, before the
design was started. There were four words and there were these. If in doubt, ask.
Good advice. But since those days, I've always felt that for the Christian, in
the light of this scripture and others, as far as my personal conduct is
concerned, I would be well advised to have inscribed upon my mind, before I
make any plans for my life, these words. If in doubt, don't do it. I'm not saying
that I should be saying to other people, because I have a doubt you don't do it
for myself. If I have any doubt as to whether some course of conduct is
honoring to the Lord or something that could be used by Satan to stumble
another believer, I would be well advised to put it to one side and not to engage
in it, rather than stumble another believer. Now, we'll come back to that
later in the chapter. But let us look at verse 7. What is the overriding principle
as to whether a thing is right or not? Or whether I should be engaged in a certain
thing or not? I would suggest that verse 7 tells us
most strongly, the overriding consideration is the lordship of Christ.
Liberty, Christian liberty, oh yes, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free
indeed, Christian liberty. But the Son, who makes us free in a sphere of liberty, is
the one who is also our Lord. If there is to be any circumscription of the liberty
that he gives us, surely only he is the one who can circumscribe such liberty.
Not as the Son here, but as Lord. We are happy to confess him as Savior and Lord.
Perhaps when we first do that, we little realize how much is involved in
acknowledging his lordship over us. We need to recognize, don't we, we are
placing ourselves under his authority, under his control, under his supremacy,
under his lordship, under his power. And when we come here to verse 7 and 8, we
read, none of us lives to himself, no man dies to himself. Now here is a happy
consideration. If I'm left here to live upon earth as a responsible Christian,
I'm to live here as unto the Lord. I recognize his authority, his control, his
direction in all I would seek to do. However, if the Lord, who is in full
command of me, and I've been happy to acknowledge that by handing myself over
to him, if he decides that my time of responsible living on earth is to come
to an end, having lived unto the Lord, I am then prepared to die unto the Lord. If
we live, it's unto the Lord. If we die, it's unto the Lord. Whether we live
therefore or die, we are the Lord's. It would preserve us from a lot of
fretting, wouldn't it? Scripture says, fret not thyself because of evildoers. But
here's another place where we could apply the term, fret not thyself, whether
the Lord decides you should be living or dying. As long as we are living, it is
unto the Lord. If we die, it is unto the Lord. What contentment, what composure
there comes to the one who accepts the Lordship of Christ in this way. And again,
the closing part of that section, to this end, Christ both died and rose and
revived. As it is in the authorised, very much in parallel with Revelation 1 verse
18, is it? Where the Lord presents himself as the living one who
became dead and behold is alive forevermore. I'm aware, as you are, that the
more literal translations content themselves by saying he's the one who
died and lives in that order. And again, he died, he lives. Well, he died unto sin
once, this epistle tells us. And he lives unto God and so as the one who has every
right, both on the grounds of creation and on the grounds of redemption, and the
one to whom we have willingly submitted as our Lord. But the one who demonstrated
he's competent to be the Lord by going into death, overcoming it and coming out
of it victoriously, the one who died and now lives, he is the one unto whom we
live or die as it pleases him. Now, that is the matter of liberty or license. Let
us not use the true liberty of Christianity as a license for the flesh.
Where you and I draw the line on that, of course, is very much a matter of personal
communion with the Lord. But in verses 10 to 14, we see where that individual
responsibility comes to a head. The reason given, after warning us not to
judge our brother or sister, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Oh, how prone we are to make judgment seats of our own, to attempt to call the
brethren before my judgment seat, that I might make an assessment, that I might
make a judgment, and that I might be able to assess the worthiness of my brother
or sister. Scripture here says we must all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall
confess to God. Again, every tongue shall confess not to me or to you, but to God.
It is a matter of having everything in right order, in right perspective, before
the Lord who died, rose again, and now lives. So then, every one of us shall give
account of himself to God. We know it, but sometimes we don't act as though we
knew it. Sometimes we act as though we are going to give an account of our
brethren to God when the time comes, and because of that, we have to make sure
that we take every opportunity of putting them right on the smallest
detail, so that when they come to the judgment seat and give account, that
everything will be right. Well, we are encouraged to wash one another's feet.
We are encouraged to minister Christ to each other. We are encouraged to apply
regularly the refreshing power of the Word of God to each other in the power
of the Spirit of God. But that's not what's under consideration here. When the
final reckoning comes, it is as individuals before the Lord, and that is
what the Apostle is stressing here. So, there is the statement, every one of us
shall give account of himself to God, and the exhortation, let us not therefore
judge at one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling
block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Now, this is where I
return to what I mentioned earlier. A very sensitive point with me, when I was
feeling my way, beginning to study the Scriptures for myself, beginning to have
regular fellowship with like-minded believers, anxious to do the right thing,
there was one aspect of my conduct I began to have a conscience about. I began
to think, well, I'm not really sure whether I should be doing this
particular activity or not. And I suppose the Holy Spirit of God was guiding me in
the way that was right. But I wasn't sure. I suppose most of us have been at that
stage in our spiritual career where there's something we were doing, some way
of spending our time, where we began to wonder, is it right or would it be better
if I dropped it? Well, while I was wondering whether or not to drop it, I
was amazed one day to see a Christian brother that I respected greatly, twice
my age, many more years of Christian experience than I had, and he was doing
the very thing that I was beginning to be doubtful about. And, of course, the
devil very quickly put in my mind, well, if it's all right for him, it's all right
for you. I respected him as a very forceful gospel preacher, regular at all
the meetings, able to take part quite fluently in all the meetings, seemed to
be a very fine upstanding of what a Christian should be. And yet, here I, at a
very sensitive stage, was wondering whether or not a thing was right. This is
what causes me to say, if in doubt, don't do it until you're quite clear in your
mind before the Lord. But I would say, perhaps for another two years, I lingered
in that condition of doubt. I'd been stumbled by this nagging thought, if he's
free to do it, why should I be bothered? Oh, I was stumbled. I can look back and
see now, perhaps if I'd responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit under the
Lordship of Christ and put that activity to one side, perhaps I would have been
able to make quicker progress, I would have developed, I would have matured that
much more readily and that much earlier in my Christian life. Now, that's what one
of the things involved in this chapter. The chapter says quite clearly, all right,
you have liberty before the Lord. Certain things some Christians do, some don't. You
feel free to do it, you're in good conscience before the Lord, well in good,
to the Lord's, to the man's servant, to the man's Lord he stands or falls. Well,
there is this added consideration. If it occurs to you that something you do, or
the way that you do it, might stumble a less well-instructed brother than
yourself, you'd be well advised to drop it. Whatever it is, whether it's a hobby,
the way you spend your time, the way you spend your leisure, the kind of job you
have, whatever it might be. As the scripture says here, if it's not something you can do in faith,
in dependence upon the Lord, you shouldn't be doing it. That's another important aspect of
this chapter. I'm enjoined here, whatever I do, in life or in death, do it as unto the
Lord. Now, if I feel there's no harm in it, why should I not do it? Other people may not,
but I see no harm. Another consideration is this. If I cannot do it as unto the Lord,
in other words, if I cannot do it with the sense of his authority and his power resting upon me,
if I cannot do it as unto the Lord, under his lordship, it's an indication I shouldn't be
doing it at all. Now, that's the kind of thing that this scripture tells me about, I'm sure.
And there is another consideration. Verses 15 to the end, after saying,
these are things we need to consider because it's brothers and sisters for whom Christ died
that this is about. Verse 17 makes another major statement. The kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. I would put it this way.
The kingdom of God is a moral kingdom. It's about moral issues and spiritual issues. It's
not about material things like eating habits. But what it is about is the expression of love
one to another. Yes, there is liberty. Yes, there is the lordship of Christ. But this third major
consideration is the matter of love. There may well be things that I feel free to do or think
I shouldn't do. But what the overriding consideration here is whether I do it or
don't. The manner in which I do it or don't do it is not a manner which gives rise to the
impression that I'm either judging my brother and sister or despising them, to use the language of
the chapter. But everything I do is geared for the good, the benefit, the spiritual and moral
welfare of my brothers and sisters. And that's what this last section is all about. Verse 19,
then, the ensuing exhortation, let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace,
and things wherewith one may edify another, building up. We were exhorted rightly from
scripture on Saturday afternoon not to be biting and devouring one another. Here,
in a positive way, we are exhorted to build up rather than destroy. To build up what is
of God rather than looking for something to demolish. I read an article in a current magazine
not so long ago, something that's often occurred to me over the years. Rightly, we have principles,
but the principles we have should be the principles on which we gather. The principles
to govern the way we do things, rather than negative principles about ways in which we
don't gather, things that we don't do, activities that we aren't mixed up with. The more we can be
occupied with positive principles and positive applications of those principles, the better we
and our gatherings shall be. And, the end of the chapter, whatever it is, it is to be done in faith.
Verse 23 to me seems to say, if in doubt, don't do it. If I have a doubt, do something with
misgivings, or if I refrain from doing something with misgivings, my doing or not doing is not
of faith. The scripture is quite clear about that. If it's not of faith, it is of sin, and it is not
pleasing to the Lord. In the light of all these things, I think the best thing I can do is read
again the summary that the Apostle gives in the first seven verses of chapter 15. We've thought
about liberty, and lordship, and love. We've thought of our individual privileges and responsibilities.
We've thought of the care we need to take not to stumble one another, and now we come back to the
grand summary of the Apostle himself, beginning in chapter 15, verse 1. We then that are strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please
his neighbor, for his good to edification. And then the reason given, the perfect example in
this, as in all things, is Christ himself. For even Christ pleased not himself, but, as it is written,
the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. And then he gives this happy little benedictory
comment, verses 5 and 6. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one
toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us
to the glory of God. If we seek to live soberly, righteously, and godly, doing all things unto him,
whether in life or in death, it may well be that the outcome will be that God is glorified,
and that blessing follows here upon earth. …