More interesting stuff from my class….

There are two basic “relational trends” that people believe and practice:

1) Honoring others: “You belong to God, not me.”…”How can I build you up?”…”How can I learn from you?”

2) Manipulating others: “I need you.”…”You are the problem.”…”You won’t get me what I want.”

In Romans 13 and 14, Paul illustrates what honoring one another looks like.  Isn’t it interesting in Romans 14:1-8, that Paul allows for differences in conviction among believers?  He doesn’t make a new law stating, “Everyone must agree to never eat meat and observe the same day as holy.”  To the contrary, in verse 4 he says, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.”

We are all servants to God, and God alone.  God is our master.  So who am I to judge God’s servant (someone else)?  How can I judge someone who answers to God? 

I cannot posess or own a person. (We abolished slavery many, many years ago, right?)  People belong to God, so I can never act as though I am their master–as though they belong to me.

This makes life complicated.  This requires much wisdom and love when relating to one another.  There are many gray areas–areas that may tempt me to judge another believer on the grounds that he/she differs from me in a certain conviction (for example: drinking alcohol, how we observe the Sabbath, or how we choose to educate our children).  Yet I have no right to judge.  Why?  Because my brothers and sisters in Christ answer to God; not me. 

I think that there is a huge disconnect in the Christian community regarding this concept.  We don’t view one another as fellow servants of the same master.  Instead, we like to pretend that we are individual masters, and that people need to answer to us. 

I like to pretend that people are my posessions, and that I have a right to control them, imposing my convictions upon them.  And when someone doesn’t act according to my convictions, I think that I have the right to contend with his or her “disobedience.”  How self-righteous!  How utterly awful and…depraved!

Ultimately, we are all members of the same group.  We belong to each other and to God.  I can’t point my finger at someone and say, “You are the problem.”  Because when I point at my brother or sister, I am also pointing at myself.  We are a collective whole; a body of believers.  And we have one master; the same master.

I often wonder at how it must grieve our Father when he sees the horribly cruel ways in which we treat one another.  We dismiss His perfectly loving example, and take matters into our own greedy, sinful hands. 

I am guilty…oh, so guilty! 

Thank you Lord, for forgiveness and redemption.  Forgive me for judging others, for manipulating, and for withholding love.  Teach me how to honor my brothers and sisters–how to love them, build them up, and learn from them.  Amen.