Love and holiness are communicable attributes of God. Love and holiness are indispensable to the genuine Christian life. Love and holiness are what the world needs to see most in the body of Christ. And, love and holiness can both be known for what they do not do.
Government, proverbially speaking, is ordained by God, necessary for mankind, and to Christians. Paul says it is “for your good.” So what is it good for? Great things, actually, if we look at government and participate in government from God’s point of view.
If you are a Christian, “the reason” God saved you is He loves you (ref. John 3:16). He saved you to “let your love flow,” towards Him and your fellow Christians. He also saved you to “let your love fly” outward “to all living things,” meaning in this case people who are not Christians.
Dear Cade,
Instead of preaching at your ordination service, I thought I’d write you this letter instead. I wish someone had written one like it to me at my ordination. Things may not have turned out differently, but at least I would have been forewarned.
We must let our love flow, from God to us, from God through us. God’s love through us goes to our fellow Christians first (12:9-13), then on to non-Christians (12:14-21). Let’s look first at letting our love flow to our fellow followers of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul established a paradigm in his biblical epistles that can be clearly observed in the book of Romans. He details Christian doctrine first (Romans 1-11). Then, he moves on to our Christian duty (Romans 12-16). The key to both is the life and death and resurrection, the grace and mercy and peace, the great gift of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:54-60 was preceded and precipitated by the attempted stoning and eventual crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. All three events are recorded by Luke.
“This world” aims for happiness, God requires holiness. It is wonderful when the two can coincide, but often they do not. A choice is required. The mind must be controlled, either by the spirit of the age, or the Spirit of God.
What we are beginning to see now in our church in particular and the church at large is something I have been predicting for the past twenty years. Genuine Christian people are growing tired of silly church led by leaders in skinny jeans majoring on soliciting emotions rather than serious biblical content and historical connection. People are yearning for seriousness, gravity, mystery, and, yes, even a little liturgy.
The aged Apostle John got it right when he wrote, “In the beginning was O Logos … and O Logos was God.” God is the transcendent, divine, Creator and Sovereign Regulator of all life. The imperfect indicative “was” means there was, is, and always will be God, the God who is always present and always at work.
