Last week Bill Crowder made an important distinction for us in chapel, in a way I had never heard before. In Paul’s last letter he reflects on his life and makes an important distinction which we do well to make ourselves. Paul contrasts the sins of those who are enemies of the gospel with those of Jesus’ friends. Alexander the coppersmith had done Paul a great deal of harm. Paul simply said that the Lord will repay him for what he had done, and warned others to beware of him. Fellow believers, brothers in the work had abandoned him when he was under fire in his trial. Paul simply stated his desire that the Lord not hold that against them.
We do inevitably let others down in our human weakness, which includes frailties and sins. Which means others let us down as well. Love is said to cover over a multitude of sins. At the same time we know that there are enemies in the world. We’re told to love our enemies, pray for them, do good to them, never returning evil with evil, but rather with good. Leaving all vengeance in God’s hands. And also that we’re to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. So while we wish the salvation of all enemies, we know that in time if they don’t repent God will judge. While for those who seem to have failed us and are believers, we forgive and pray and work toward renewed fellowship with them.
This can help us in our attitudes. In my Friday post on anger I mentioned Jesus calling Judas a friend, to the end. But we can’t see believers failing us as examples of what Judas did. After all, we read that Judas was not really clean through the word Jesus had spoken, as the other disciples were. We need to forgive everyone in our hearts when they wrong us, believers as those who are family members with us in Jesus. Perhaps gently reproving them, but more likely just praying for them. And sometimes necessarily for their good going to them to tell them their sin, just as Jesus instructs us, so that they might repent. Our lives are to be characterized by the love described in 1 Corinthians 13.
This helps me make a necessary distinction which means I should be thinking and acting and especially praying out of love, and not out of anger. Anger may have its place, but it should be resolved quickly so that we act on what the anger is telling us. And live the life of love, in Jesus, to which God calls us in this world. A life creative in forgiving and giving of God’s love in Jesus to each other, and to the world.
I tried to represent what Bill Crowder (a fine Bible teacher and speaker for RBC Ministries) said as I understood it.
Jesus community 