ORIENTING OUR WISDOM

Rom. 16:19 ... "I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil."

      Knowledge is a wonderful thing and greatly to be desired. The tens of thousands of schools and the billions of dollars spent to operate them are evidence of the value we place upon education, the effort to plant knowledge in the minds of our youth. We admire those who store up great amounts of knowledge in their minds, and honor them with awards of many kinds. When an activity or situation promises a degree of acquiring knowledge to those who participate in it, we are usually willing to sanction it on that grounds if no other. There is a possibility, however, that benefits do not always result from knowledge. In the novel The Long Ships by Gunnar Bengtsson there is the story of a renegade priest named Willibald. For many years he sacrificed his comfort and risked his life to try to convert the heathen Vikings of Scandinavia to Christ. Then he came upon a copy of Ovid's The Art of Love, which he read with the most intense interest. What he learned  reshaped his mind and changed the course of his life. The knowledge he derived from that book, so scandalous that Caesar banished Ovid for publishing it, put the priest to thinking about things he had never thought of before. His appearance as a priest became no more than a guise for preying upon innocent women who put their trust in him as a man of God.

      This world is a mosaic of good and evil. We are challenged day by day to seek out the good and try to incorporate it into our lives. At the same time we must try to avoid the evil and exclude its influence from our lives. There is great reward in gaining knowledge of what is good, and there is often much misery that comes with the knowledge of what is evil. Jesus said in Jno. 8:32, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Although He probably spoke mainly of the truth revealed by God that leads one to salvation and liberation from the bondage of sin, Jesus' statement also applies to the knowledge of truth in the general sense. The knowledge of what is true and good is a powerful force to motivate us to live by truth and fashion our lives by goodness. In Rom. 16:19 the inspired apostle expresses his desire that those who read his words will make it their goal to become knowledgeable of what is good and then develop that knowledge into wisdom that will guide their lives in the proper course. We should want to know no more about evil than what is necessary to identify it, realize its disastrous ends, and be able to avoid it.

      In the second part of the exhortation the apostle holds forth the hope that his readers will be "innocent in what is evil." In some versions this phrase is translated "simple concerning evil." The word "simple," however, does not convey the meaning of "easy" or "uncomplicated" (and hence "uninformed") that we now attach to it. The word in the original Greek is akeraios, which means "untainted." It was the term used of metal to denote that it was unmixed with an alloy, and of wine and milk to certify they had not been diluted with water. It therefore signifies something that is absolutely uncontaminated and pure. The knowledge of evil which goes beyond what is necessary to resist and defeat it will, in time, corrupt the soul that acquires it. Thus we are advised in I Ths. 5:22 to "abstain from every form of evil." It seems we all have a natural curiosity about things that are evil. They have a strong, enticing, seducing force to them. (For example, if a movie is banned because of unsavory content, people feel a great urge to see it as soon as it is available somewhere.) It is far better to deny yourself the inclination to learn every alluring detail of evil and spare yourself the devastating power of its deception and consequent corruption.

SELFISHNESS, TEMPTATION'S OPPORTUNITY

Rom. 15:1-2 ... "We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification."

      A very strong case can be made for the affirmation that selfishness is at the base of every sin. The first recorded temptation is that of Satan beguiling Eve in Gen. 3:5 to eat of the forbidden tree: "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." The woman's appetite was whetted to gain something desirable for herself, namely, insight and wisdom comparable to God's. She was encouraged to seek for herself what was only within the province of God. And so it has been ever since with sin and the temptation to commit sin. The urge to gain something for one's self is the opportunity for temptation, and the concession to get it constitutes the temptation.

      It was the work of Christ to restore to man what was lost by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. To make His efforts effective in human life requires that a person learn to break free from the bondage of selfishness. Jesus stated in Mat. 16:24 that "if anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." The disciple of Christ must conquer the basic urge of our unregenerate nature to seek his own good first at every turn in life. One must develop the overriding policy of putting the interests of the Lord first in his life. The Christian's attitude must be that of Php. 3:7-8, "Whatsoever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I might gain Christ." Also, in this Christian requisite of self-denial, one must learn to consider other people, especially fellow disciples, before oneself. In Php. 2:3-4 the standard is set: "With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

      Rom. 15:1-2 centers on this fundamental principle that Christians must purge themselves of selfishness and benevolently consider the state of being of others, at least those who are also in Christ. The consciences of some brethren are more sensitive than those of others because their knowledge and understanding are not as advanced. To apply one's greater knowledge in a way that will cause a weaker disciple to be offended is a glaring case of selfishness. In the reference to eating meat in Rom 14:15 the admonition is given, "Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died." Rather than demand "our rights" to practice something, which the Lord left to our consciences to decide, without regard to the impact it might have on weaker brethren is the epitome of selfishness and amounts to sin. Too many Christians ignore the view of brethren in certain matters, saying when challenged, "Well, it is THEIR problem if they object to what I do, not mine!" How insensitive and destitute of brotherly love is such an attitude! The verse following our text reminds us that "even Christ did not please Himself." In like manner, those who would follow Christ must not put pleasing themselves before the spiritual welfare of their fellow disciples, even when they consider that their choices are matters of opinion rather than matters of faith. Our goal should always be to seek that which is "good to his edification" for those in our fellowship whose faith and consciences are yet untrained and weak. Such a considerate, unselfish approach will work to build up weak faith and tender consciences to the height of knowledge and understanding where they can see clearly the reality of things. Otherwise, weak brethren are often offended to the point where their Christianity collapses under a weight of disappointment and confusion so that they desert their place in the family of God.

THE PROBLEM OF JUDGING

Rom. 14:10 ... "Why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God."

      The Latin phrase, E PLURIBUS UNUM, "one from many," is the motto of our nation. It calls attention to the way in which our citizens are a blend of people from many diverse countries, cultures and languages. This idea applies just as well to the church of Christ. Its commission is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation," (Mk. 16:15). As people believe and accept baptism (v.16), they are added by the Lord to the church, (Acts 2:47). A common bond is then established among all these redeemed souls which Eph. 4:3 refers to as "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." A fellowship of faith, love and obedience to God's will is thus established that prevails among Christians even though they might differ greatly in race, speech, social customs and the like. That, of course is the ideal. As everyone knows, however, it is not always the practice.

      Where the Lord has specifically spoken about something, for Christians that is the end of the matter. The pronouncement is to be accepted by faith and enacted without question. Any violation of this is sin, since Rom. 14:23 declares that "whatever is not from faith is sin." In other words, when an idea or action does not proceed as a response of faith in God's direction for us, it is sin. When such transgressions occur, the Lord Himself will judge the offender. Thus v.12 states that "each one of us shall give account of Himself to God." Beyond the specific declaration of the Lord's will, however, there are myriad things that lie within the realm of opinion or personal preference. As long as one does not cause another Christian to stumble by these things, or try to impose them as obligatory upon others, or violate his own conscience by them, the Lord permits the individual to believe or practice them. This is the context of the apostle's discussion in Romans 14. Lying on your side on a mat or couch at a dinner table, greeting others with a kiss, and washing the feet of strangers are customs peculiar to society in apostolic times and are optional for Christians. Abstaining from meat, wearing no makeup or jewelry, and praying to God in 16th Century English are also optional for us.

      We promote peace and true fellowship in the church by acquiring the wisdom to separate what is opinion from what is faith and by developing the self-control to respect the difference. Any violation of faith in practice must be addressed by the instructions in Mt. 18:15-18, both for the sake of the integrity of the church and for the rectification of the offender. When we notice someone acting on a matter of opinion, it is not our prerogative to challenge him and demand that he change. Unto this purpose our text asks, "Why do you regard your brother with contempt?," and then answers in v.13, "Let us not judge one another anymore." The church of God is too precious and important to disrupt and bring it into disrepute it by our petty scruples. Paul writes in v.20, "Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food." The reference to food (in some versions "meat") is general and may refer to any other item of personal preference. We do much and needless damage to the fellowship of the saints when we make an issue of faith out of something that is really only opinion. At times we may be so emotionally involved that we are unable to see the difference. In such cases we need the calm, detached counsel of third parties, (themselves being men of faith and truth). Our grand object must be always to "pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another," (v.19).

A CHRISTIAN'S DEBT TO EVERYONE

Rom. 13:8 ... "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law."

      The gospel of Christ perfects relationships between people when they internalize its precepts and implement them in their behavior. The reason for this is simple, when one understands the basic precept of Jesus' teaching. That precept is love, which means unselfishness. When a person interacts with others on the principle of unselfishness, he is hardly apt to offend them. His consideration flows outward to them rather than inward unto himself, as in the case of a selfish person. Typical in the gospel is the exhortation of Php. 2:3, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself." Jesus would turn each of us away from self indulgence and cause us to take into consideration the needs of people about us, especially of those who are involved in some kind of suffering. So rather than having debts to each other that are paid by acts of getting even, we should owe nothing but love to one another.

      There is another important point in the text that must be considered carefully. It is expressed in the words, "for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." The object of "the law," whether it be the law of Moses or the law of Christ, is to establish a mode of life which God approves. This text (Rom. 13:8) and many others like it declare that love, when it is the kind that dwells in God, will achieve the same goal as law. When it is incessantly expressed in pure form, it will lead a person into the lifestyle which pleases God. At this point, however, many people draw a faulty conclusion. They decide that one can magnify the action of love in his life and pay less attention to the details of the law. In other words, one need not take the New Testament too seriously or be overly concerned with its detailed requirements. Just devote your life to the way of love, and all will be well. The fallacy in this line of reasoning is that it gives too much credit to our human ability to deny selfishness and surrender ourselves totally to the principle of absolutely unselfish love. The strongest man is still, after all, just a man and therefore subject to human frailty. As long as we live in the flesh there is always the dark side to our nature, something which I Cor. 2:14 calls the "natural man." This wild potential needs to be controlled, for its desire is to satisfy itself. God, who knows our constitution far better than we ever will, is fully aware of our inner "natural" character. He has given us a law by which to subdue it and then keep it under control. The more one takes his attention off of the law God has given us to govern our lives, the more that person makes himself vulnerable to corruption by his basic human urges. We are thus admonished in I Cor. 10:12, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

      Love is not, therefore. a substitute for strict attention to the New Testament law and its details. In fact, in the words of Christ Himself, one cannot truly love Him without being attentive to His law. In Jno. 14:15 He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." It is erroneous for someone to say, "I will love Jesus and my fellowmen without reservation, so I need not pay any great attention to every jot and tittle of New Testament scripture." Jesus declares that we can keep His law only by the love that we have for Him. It is actually a reciprocal thing in that love leads to obedience, and obedience leads to greater love. We need to preach and practice love far more than we do, but not at the expense of devotion to the law of Christ.  Love and obedience to Christ cannot be separated.

OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD

Rom. 12:21 ... "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

      It would be wonderful if we lived in a world where no one ever got in another's way, where no one ever offended another, where people never became each other's enemies. One of the conditions that make heaven so appealing to us is that it is just such a world where offenses never occur. All relationships there are peaceful, happy, and encouraging. But while we yet live in this world we must learn to cope with offenses, emotional injuries, and enemies. We are told in Jas. 3:2 (KJV) that "in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." Not only do we suffer offenses by others, but we ourselves offend others. Many times these occurrences are not intentional; but whether unintentional or deliberate, the one offended still feels the emotional pain.  If that pain is not relieved by satisfactory reconciliation, the one injured will probably become an enemy to the offender. Enmity always involves anger, and Jas. 1:20 informs us that "the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." To have enmity toward another person is to harbor an evil attitude, and to incur the enmity of another, when you can avoid it, is also within the province of sin.

      Romans 12:21 gives us the Christian formula for dealing rightly with offenses, given or received, and the enmity which they generate. First, it teaches us to "not be overcome by evil." The context shows the "evil" under consideration is allowing yourself to respond to provocation with vengeance. In the preceding verses it says, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. ... Never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." As Satan watches our lives, he is very alert for the opportunity where one person provokes another. Nature urges us to apply the rule of getting even by giving back an equal measure of hurt for what we have suffered. Satan has to encourage us but very little to induce us to resort to this rule. Furthermore, our family and friends are usually quick to offer us their support, advising us to take revenge and praising us after we have done it. But such reaction is allowing yourself to "be overcome by evil." It is impossible to defeat evil with evil, (Mat. 12:25-26). When hatred is met with more hatred, then hatred is only compounded. Enmity gradually escalates until those who feed it are themselves consumed by it. Thus are we warned in Gal. 5:15, "If you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

      The second part of the formula for dealing with offenses is given in the words, "but overcome evil with good." Experience tells us that such a response is not natural; people do not instinctively return good attitudes and actions for offenses inflicted upon them. This is a mode of thought and behavior which must be learned, and the gospel of Jesus emphatically teaches it to all who are willing to learn.

In Mat. 5:44 (KJV) Jesus instructs us to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." Not only did He teach this way of response to us, but He practiced it Himself. Though reviled and hated throughout His ministry, He never returned to His oppressors anything but goodness, kindness, forgiveness and mercy. Meeting hatred with such sterling qualities of spirit is the only effective antidote for its poison. They break the vicious cycle of escalation and give the best opportunity for transforming enemies into friends. Booker Washington, (1858-1915), the imminent Negro educator, once said, "I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him." The only real way to destroy an enemy is make him a friend.

THE KINDNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD

Rom. 11:22 ... "Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off."

      The focal point of all existence and all reality is God. God is self-existent, but man owes his existence to God's decision in the beginning to create him. The psalmist declared, "Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." Our continued being is in God's hands every moment, and we enjoy the progress of life from day to day because He is so gracious as to give us everything we need. From this understanding it is obvious that our first interest should be God, and our greatest goal should be to do whatever He has created us to do. We can be sure that God always watches us to observe how we conform to His will for us. The true meaning of life can be discovered only in this context of God's scheme for us and our response to it.

      Rom. 11:22 deals with this basic theme as it pertained to Israel on the one hand and the Gentile nations on the other. God chose Israel to be unto the Gentiles a light of truth, of faith in Him, and of righteousness in keeping His covenant. Sadly, however, she failed in this uniquely favored role as over the centuries the people looked elsewhere for truth, turned to the service of idols, and defied the divine covenant.  In Paul's word they "fell." Having been exalted above all other nations, Israel fell by way of infidelity, rebellion and sin. Consequently, just as He had promised when He instituted the covenant (Dt. 28), God judged Israel severely in many ways to recompense her for her waywardness. More is required of those who have greater advantages than of those who have less. Then God turned to the Gentile nations with a new covenant, one of grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He displayed amazing goodness in granting them the favors and privileges which Israel had spurned. Through Christ He offered them salvation from sin, citizenship in His universal kingdom, and eternal life in His glorious home in heaven.

      Now the burden of responsibility lies upon Gentiles, namely, all of us who are not of Jewish heritage. As we enjoy God's blessings and the special favor of His benevolent outreach to fellowship with us as our Father and us as His beloved children, we must recognize that grave conditions are attached to the relationship. What happened to Israel can happen to us, if we carelessly and foolishly repeat her mistake of taking God lightly, disregarding His plan for us, and myopically focusing our attention upon this present earthly life with its transitory pleasures and interests. Thus the inspired apostle warns us to "continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off."

      It has been said that "those who ignore the tragedies of history will eventually also fall victim to them." This is true of secular history, but it is even more true in the spiritual dimension of life. So often the Holy Scriptures urge us to consider carefully the errors of those before us, lest we wander  into the pathway of destruction as they did. We read in I Cor. 10:11, "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." These lessons teach us to covet God's grace upon us, appreciate it supremely, and respond to it with true faith and unwavering obedience to His will. We find this enlightening statement by God to us in Isa. 66:2, "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

      (Someone having read the above article may conclude that Jewish people are now excluded from God's covenant of grace and salvation. That is by no means the case! Paul, who wrote Rom. 11:22, also wrote in the same chapter, v.1, "My heart's desire and my prayer to God for them (Jews) is for their salvation." If Jews put their faith in Christ, as well as in God, and submit to the gospel, they will be accepted into His eternal kingdom equally with Gentiles. Historically, the gospel was first offered to Jewish people, and the church during its earliest period was composed entirely of Jews. In fact, in the kingdom of God the Jewish-Gentile dichotomy no longer exists. We are assured in Gal. 3:28 that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for all are one in Christ Jesus." The factors that divide us as physical beings no longer operate in the spiritual context of the eternal kingdom of God. It is a beautiful and wonderful thing that the issues of earth life that so grievously polarize us are excluded forever from heaven life. Therefore, heaven is a place of peace, prevailing good will, and mutual acceptance without reservation,)

THE ORIGIN OF FAITH

Rom. 10:17 ... "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

      How can faith be overrated within the value system of Christianity? Without it no one can please or even approach God, for Heb. 11:6 declares, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is." A person deficient in faith need not expect blessings from God, even though he should pray for them. It says in Jas. 1:6-7, "Let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord." Lack of faith limits a person in the effort to make an effective contribution with his life. The Lord taught in Mt. 17:20, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you." One who does not develop faith in Christ has no hope of salvation, but instead makes himself an object of God's wrath. Jesus said in Jno. 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Faith is truly an essential part of the life which God will approve, support, and eternally reward.

      When a person realizes that something has true value, he usually develops a powerful urge to gain access to it. If the thing also gives promise of enhancing the quality and perhaps also the quantity of one's life, that urge grows persistently stronger. The apostle wrote in I Pet. 1:7 about "the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable." If the proof (or trial) of faith is more precious than gold, then wonder what is the value of faith itself. History is replete with cases when people went nearly berserk in the mad rush to the site of the ore deposits. And yet, that precious metal, even when found in abundance, cannot benefit one forever. But faith can! When this life runs to its close, as all too soon it does, faith in Christ will continue its benefits on into eternity. In v.9 (of the last-quoted text) Peter went on to say, "obtaining as the outcome of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

      When gold was discovered in California in 1849, thousands of people from all over the world spared no effort in going there as quickly as possible. The same thing happened when gold was discovered in South Dakota in the Blacks Hills in 1874 and in Alaska in 1892. But where does one go to gain the far more valuable treasure of faith in Christ? The answer is given in Rom. 10:17; it is found in the word of God. In essence that verse says:  Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of God. The "message" is the gospel; it is the virgin source of Christian faith. Whether one reads that message for himself from the Bible, or hears it being taught accurately and fully by men of God, he is tapping into the source from which faith springs. There is no need to risk one's life and material resources in a hazardous trip to some remote place as the gold-seekers did. The ever flowing fountain of truth that generates faith is as near and accessible as the closest Bible. And in this, the Gospel Age, that is not very far. In Rom. 10:8 Paul declares that "the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith which we are preaching." The word of God is available to anyone who wants it. And whosoever will can fill his heart with it and confess it with his mouth unto the salvation of his soul, (vs. 9-10).