Maintaining Unity
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Practical Theology
Practical Theology
Paul is now transitioning to the so what of the doctrinal instruction in the previous 3 chapters. This begins the section that ‘helps you do the dishes on Monday’.
Christian conduct follows Christian doctrine.
When we try to control circumstances to make them what we think is ‘right’ instead of controlling ourselves to live by the standard set forth by God we will always come up short and make a mess of things. Sin is the problem.
The Worthy Walk
The Worthy Walk
1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
The Patient Endurance in Love
The Patient Endurance in Love
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love,
The first, emphasized by the characteristic all (cf. 1:8; 4:19, 31; 5:3, 9; 6:18), is lowliness. Very significantly, the Greek noun tapeinophrosynē does not seem to have been used before New Testament times, and the corresponding adjective tapeinos nearly always had a bad meaning, and was associated with words having the sense of slavish, mean, ignoble.
The opposite of high self-esteem to esteem ourselves small
This was always considered a negative in the Greco-Roman world. I guess they were the predecessors to the selfie, look at me, self promoting culture we have today.
meekness ‘is the spirit of one who is so absorbed in seeking some worthy goal for the common good that he refuses to be deflected from it by slights, injuries or insults directed at himself personally, or indeed by personal considerations of any kind’.
Thirdly, there is patience (makrothymia), a word sometimes used of steadfast endurance of suffering or misfortune (as in Jas 5:10) but more often, as is the case here, of slowness in avenging wrong or retaliating when hurt by another.
Forbearance, the fourth requirement, is also a divine quality (Rom. 2:4). It is the practical outworking of longsuffering. ‘It involves bearing with one another’s weaknesses, not ceasing to love one’s neighbours or friends because of those faults in them which perhaps offend or displease us’ (Abbott). It is ‘that mutual tolerance without which no group of human beings can live together in peace’ (Stott).
All of these 4 qualities are only possible through love!
What does Jesus say about this?
29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
31 “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
How about other apostles?
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
The Zeal for Unity in Peace
The Zeal for Unity in Peace
3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom.
Unity is the gift from God by the Holy Spirit through the cross. If we don’t have unity it is only because we have not accepted the gift...
If you look to things of this world to provide unity, you will always be out of unity with someone…b/c we are all different but in Christ we are one.
How is this Possible?
How is this Possible?
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope.
5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion,
6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
This is more than a spiritual unity but a practical one.
What if we had church sponsors for new believers/members?
the problem is not that evangelicals have been apathetic to the injustices in our society, evangelicals have been apathetic to sin in general!
If you believe you have become enlightened to something above what scripture teaches you are on the borderline of gnosticism.
5 foundation stones of Christian unity:
5 foundation stones of Christian unity:
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
Tolerance
Love
Without these through Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit, there isn’t a structure of unity that can stand regardless of the intent of the builders or the method used to build.
This is easy to do if you are in a vacuum or surrounded by people you like but Paul was chained to people who wanted to kill him...