Living in the Spirit
July 20, 2018
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. –Ephesians 2:13-22
This scripture from Ephesians is clearly targeted at the differences between Jews and Gentiles who proclaimed to be Christ followers in the first century. As I read it though I could not help thinking of the divisions between right and left within the churches that claim to follow Jesus Christ today. Being divided and claiming to be followers of Jesus is an oxymoron, contradictory.
We no longer fight so much about following laws as we do about what are the right things to believe. Such debate spills over into our system of the rule of law in the USA as we try to enforce what we believe on all citizens thus trying to make what we believe laws of the land. The thing we don’t seem to understand is that laws in an of themselves are meaningless unless they are, in general, desired by the people who are required to follow them. Prohibition is an excellent example of that. The passage of legislation outlawing the production and sale of alcohol based on the belief that restricting the use of alcohol is a good thing resulted in widespread crime. The repeal of prohibition brought laws that controlled its production and sale curtailing the widespread crime.
Jesus modeled a way of loving others that targeted changing hearts and changing mindsets. While he recognized the worth of rules to help society run smoother, he did not see them as ends unto themselves. The movement toward the separation of church and state had its beginning in the prophets who said things like rend your hearts and not your garments (Joel 2:13) and with Jesus who said ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath. (Mark 2:27)
Continuing dialogue on what we believe is a fruitful activity as we grow and learn from one another. Legislative bodies are not the most beneficial place for this discourse. Such discussions are not productive in solving complex problems among people of diverse backgrounds. Seeking to identify the things on which we can agree and developing rules from such agreement is more productive.
Prayer: Lord, as people of faith, guide us in discerning your will and incorporating it into our lives. As citizens of our countries, enable us to find the things on which we can agree and apply them to solving problems. Amen