| From
the Church on the Hill
by D. Eric Williams Pastor, Cottonwood Community Church pastor@cottonwoodcommunitychurch.org The Epistle reading for the third Sunday after Epiphany says, Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone's eyes. If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good (Romans 12:16-21 HCSB). Last week we revisited the topic of our duty to fulfill the role given us by God in the grand adventure of life. This week we consider how we create the proper atmosphere for the role. Many Believers focus on dos and don’ts when it comes to the Christian life. No doubt the Bible provides rules and principles of conduct but the life of faith in Jesus is more than legalistic compliance with a written code. It’s not that obedience isn’t important; it’s more a matter of understanding what right behavior is all about. Obedience is not the end but (to put it crudely) it is a means to an end. As you know, that end is not the saving of our soul from hell. Remember, we are saved by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We contribute nothing to our salvation. Instead, obedience to God’s word is how we work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12). In other words, a life of obedience to the Lord is a life that pleases God and apprehends his kingdom. You see, without faith it is impossible to please God. Obedience (works) accomplished without an understanding of the purpose of obedience will not achieve what God intends for his people. Everyone is familiar with the expression “going through the motions.” It’s a way of describing someone who performs an activity with technical accuracy without interest or passion. You might say their heart isn’t in it. If someone offers them correction concerning the issue, they are quick to reply that they’re doing everything they’re supposed to do. And that’s true, they are. Nevertheless, they fail to produce the desired result. Rather than cultivate the culture of the kingdom of God they create an ugly parody. Think of it this way; a master painter is not considered great because of the precise brush strokes he executes. He is considered great because of the finished masterpiece. In the kingdom of God it isn’t technical compliance with the rules that crates the culture of the kingdom; it’s a passionate use of the tools to create a masterpiece of praise to our king that achieves the goal. Indeed, the atmosphere of the kingdom cannot be faked. As the passage cited above tells us, the culture of the kingdom is one of humility, grace and peace. These characteristics of Christian living are not products of legalism but of a life transformed (Romans 12:1-2). Christ like humility always works to do what most benefits the other person. Christ like grace extends mercy to those who wish to harm us. Christ like peace defuses strife through self-sacrificial service. Barren legalism is incapable of producing these qualities and the kingdom atmosphere that accompanies them. |
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