I had the opportunity to speak at my parent's church yesterday. As I was preparing to speak, God laid a new message on my heart. I want to share that message with you now. Please take a few moments to read. This is longer than a normal note. Then again, it is not a normal note :-).
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Do you have a favorite chapter of scripture? Not just a passage? But an entire chapter? I do! And it just so happens that when dad asked me to speak this morning, he asked me to speak on Romans 12…my favorite passage.
Romans 12 is a unique passage of scripture. It’s sort of like a hinge between two different types of teaching: doctrinal teaching and ethical teaching. Chapters 1-11 are doctrinal teaching. They present a theological explanation on how the entirety of humanity can be made into right relationship with God.
After Paul establishes the fact that right relationship—righteousness—comes through grace and faith in Jesus Christ alone and that it’s not exclusive to Jews but extended to Gentiles as well, Paul moves to explaining that once a believer has been made right with her Maker, she needs to know, what difference this makes in her relationships with other people, in what God expects of her, and in how she should apply her new resources in all life situations.
The remainder of Paul’s letter to the Romans, then, (Romans 12-15) seeks to establish these guidelines for Christian living.
As I was studying for this message today, I was struck by something very interesting about these guidelines for Christian living. I’d studied the passage for before—written a paper on it, led a Bible study on it, tried to memorize it, written songs about—yet this time God spoke to me in a new way… and I’m going to attempt to explain that to you this morning.
For all of you non-literary scholars, bear with me. For all of you who love literature, get excited. For all of you… you might want to get out your Bibles and look at this with me…
So we’ve already said that Romans 1-11 establishes that righteousness comes through grace and faith in Christ alone and that it is extended to everyone. And we’ve said that the remainder of Romans seeks to establish these guidelines for Christian living. Here’s the cool part. Paul uses a pattern to establish these guidelines! Granted, his pattern may be somewhat rough and unbalanced, but it’s still a pattern…and here it is: ABCDCBA. Say that with me: ABCDCBA. That’s kind of fun isn’t it!
Here’s how it breaks down:
A = 12:1-2 provides the basis for responsible living other than law
B = 12:3-8 presents the body of Christ as the social expression of God’s people
C = 12:9-21 presents love as the fundamental moral imperative in human relationships
D = 13:1-7 examines how Christians relate to the powers that be
Then it goes back and revisits everything:
C = 13:8-10 returns to love of neighbor as the fulfillment of law in human relationships
B = 13:11-14 revisits Christ as the pattern for Christian living
A = 14:1-15:6 closes with the basis for social interaction and living other than law
What is the general theme of A? (The basis of social living and interaction)
And what is the general theme of B? (The body of Christ as the social expression of God’s people and the pattern for Christian living)
And this is where God spoke to me:
If we’re focusing on A and B, then we need to turn to Romans 13:11-14 and the rest of Romans. Let’s do that for a moment—but in the interest of time, let’s just focus on the B, Romans 13:11-14:
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.[a]
For my whole life, I have read this passage—and all other passages like it—through the eyes of the individual. I have read it like this: If you really love Christ, then you will not do these things so that you will please me—so that you will be a find, upstanding individual.
This weekend, for the first time, I noticed that the passage was full of plurals, of “us” and I heard it like this: If you really love Christ and you truly desire to live as who you are designed to be in the Body of Christ—and the Body of Christ is the witness of the world of who I, God, am, then you will refrain from these things not to please me as an individual but to do your part to uphold the righteousness, unity, and light that is created by the expanse of me—you will follow my ways of love and grace because you are part of something bigger—you are part of me—of my body—of the messiness and movement of life—and you play a crucial part in that body that will not get played if you go against my goodness. In other words, you are part of something bigger than yourself. You are part of the Body of Christ. And the Body of Christ doesn’t need to be tainted by you.
Now…let’s go back to Romans 12 and talk about that body for a few minutes.
The image of the body of Christ is actually a very powerful image that Paul uses to explain the combined unity and diversity of the church. The church body is like the human body, requiring the coordinated efforts of many different parts, yet it’s united as one single being. Just as the human body is united by central organs and systems, the church is united by Christ.
Even so, the well-being of the parts of the body and their united effectiveness for strengthening the body are constantly at risk by the body’s presence in the world. Germs of pride and their destructive consequences are rampant and threaten the body’s health.
Outside of Christ, individuals and communities seek to elevate themselves above others.
As Paul sees it, though, the driving force of Christianity cannot be the pride, jealousy, envy, anger, or competitiveness of this world—it cannot be secrecy, darkness, drunkenness, sexual immorality, or dissension—rather it must be cooperation and thankfulness to God.
A body at war with itself shuts down and dies, but a body cooperating with itself thrives in fullness; the church does the same…
I want you to think about the news stories that you hear. When you hear of a politician who goofs up and makes a poor decision, does it cause you to lump politicians into a group of immoral, indecent people? When you hear of a teacher who has a relationship with his student or disciplines a student improperly, does it taint your image of the teaching profession? When you hear of a priest who once molested children, does it cause you to think that all priests are pedophiles?
We know the truth. Not all politicians are bad. Certainly not all teachers are bad. How many of us are teachers?! J Not all priests are pedophiles. But the ones who are—who make the news—who are known—damage the reputation of all of the ones who are not! It’s kind of like thinking that flying is dangerous because airplane crashes always make the news when in all actuality flying is one of the safest—if not THE safest—modes of transportation available.
So what does this mean for Christians? What does it mean for those of us who profess to follow Christ? I think the answer should be obvious: we are part of something bigger and we have the responsibility and the call to do our part in the bigger body. No matter how big our part. No matter how small. No matter how recognized our part. No matter how overlooked. We each have a part to play in the body of Christ and as such we are representatives of something bigger than our individual selves.
As a staff member for SC WMU, I am no longer just Deanna Deaton. No matter where I go, I am Deanna Deaton, SC WMU Associate. I am connected with, associated to, and held responsible to the standards of the organization for which I work…just as you are connected with, associated to, and held responsible to the standards of the body of Christ.
How frightening and awesome is that?!! It’s frightening because we’re part of something bigger! But it’s awesome because we’re part of something bigger!
It’s awesome that we don’t have to single-handedly be the entire presence of God to this world!
I don’t know about you, but I like to be good at things as soon as I try them. In fact, if I’m not good at something immediately, then I tend to get aggravated. Naturally, there are some things that aggravate me because there are some things that I am just not good at.
I am not mechanically minded, nor am I the slightest bit interested in doing medical stuff, nor do I have a green thumb, nor are my hands steady enough to throw a pot on a pottery wheel. Those things, among others, are just not my strength. But for my brother. And Dr. Sloan. And my sister. And my friend Barb? Those are strengths. And I’m glad. Because I don’t have to fully understand mechanics or medicine or horticulture or pottery to survive in this world. All I have to do is ask for help…and be glad that there are people who hold skills that I do not.
And it’s the same with the gifts that Paul writes about in this passage. Paul writes here about gifts that are given by grace through the Spirit to each person who believes in the transforming power of Christ. Each of us is gifted. But none of us holds all of the gifts. Where I am weak, someone else is strong. Where I am strong, someone else is weak. Where I lack hospitality, my friends Mandy or Christina else will open their doors. Where someone else can find nothing positive to say, I can offer encouragement. Together, we are the presence of Christ in this world. And that is just awesome!
But it’s also frightening. Let’s say that one day I decide that I’m not going to be encouraging. Encouragement, by the way, is my top spiritual gift. Let’s say that I decide, instead, to speak slander and lies and to use my words to destroy reputations instead of to build them up. Let’s say that I get really mad while I’m standing in line at the grocery store and I spew a string of angry words that everyone around me hears.
I am someone who does not hide my faith. I speak of it freely and most people know that I am a believer. If, then, I choose not to use my spiritual gift of encouragement and instead present a negative picture of how humanity should live and act, then I am presenting a negative picture of the body of Christ—of which I am a part. Not only am I damaging my own reputation, but I am also damaging the reputation of the body of Christ.
My actions are part of something bigger.
So while it is wonderful that I do not have to be everything, it is also frightening that I AM something. We all are something. We all are created and loved by God, gifted by God’s spirit, called to do God’s work, and expected to live in unity with the rest of the body of Christ.
So if we choose not to be the “something” we were created to be—
if we choose to sit back and let other people do the work,
if we choose to compare ourselves to those around us and deem ourselves unworthy,
if we choose to try to be someone we were not created to be…
then we are hurting the Body of Christ and now allowing it to function as the beautiful whole that Christ longs for it to be.
So this morning I want to challenge you not only to embrace that you are uniquely gifted and chosen by God—which is usually where the challenge lies with this passage—but I want to challenge you to embrace that you are part of something bigger.
This morning I want to challenge you to think of your faith journey not just as your own but as part of a much larger, richer, beautiful story.
This morning I want to challenge you to begin shifting the goal of your faith from personal morality to collaborative redemption.
For each of us is part of the body of Christ. Each of us plays a part in reflecting the body of Christ as the social expression of God to this world.
Each of our lives is bigger than our own and we can leave here today celebrating that frighteningly awesome fact!...
Who are you this morning, church? What is your gift? How are you using it? And how are you contributing to or detracting from the body of Christ?
Let us pray.
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