Monday, September 14, 2009

Reactionism Part 2

We are apt to condemn, forgetting that the Law is supposed to lead to forgiveness.

We are apt to berate, hoping for an outward change in behavior rather than repentance.

We are apt to become more worried about our sensibilities when we are offended than we are worried about our brother who offended us.

We are apt to try to legislate morality, forgetting that righteousness comes from the Spirit of Life, not the Law of death.

We are apt to mock the erring zealot, rather than trying to teach him and redirect his zeal.

We are apt to wash our hands of the one who doesn't understand, rather than dealing patiently with our brother.

We are apt to rage about the speck at the neighboring church while we write off our log as just a quirk.

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I think one of the worst phrases we have in English is "righteous anger". "Well. . . Jesus shows righteous anger when He over turns the moneychangers' tables!" Yes, but I have come to learn in my 32 years that I am, in fact, not Jesus. . . and that even if my anger might at first be righteous, it might be at first spot on - oh, how my flesh loves to grab onto that anger and twist it, and uses it to justify so many things in me that are vile and wretched.

This is what sin does.

And wretch that I am, living in my body of death, I do not maintain a righteous anger - it soon just becomes regular old anger - or worse, sanctimonious, self-righteous anger.

And I react.

React. Act against. Not act so as to bring the erring to God. Not act so as to teach. Not act so as to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. But I act against my neighbor.

Come, let us then fix our eyes upon Jesus, who creates and completes our faith, who saves us from our bodies of death, and liberates us from death. God have mercy upon us!

2 comments:

Christopher D. Hall said...

I love it. WWJD?

I also said, "Wear sandals and die for the sins of the world...two things among thousands he did but I cannot do."

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

That came out my first year in college, and my roommate, Tim Edwards, was a good old Roman Catholic. We got along smashingly well - and I remember him and I just sighing and him saying, "What He did do - go to the Cross."

We focus on action - and that so often gets twisted to react. Be - have this mind, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Be in Christ, and you will be like Christ, and the actions, the fruits, the works will flow as they ought. Decrease yourself and He will increase. Search your life in light of the Word to repent of your sin, and then to rejoice in Christ.