Apprentice 2 Jesus

An Anglicostal Connecting to a Real World

TRULY Loving Our Neighbor

Dan

One of our texts for Sunday is Romans 13:8-14. As I walk through this passage I am struck by the attitude we are to take toward people we really don’t like. This follows on the heels of Paul’s admonition to pray for those in authority over us in vv. 1-7.

In a society like ours where we have such freedom to complain about our government, it’s easy to take some of this and think, “Well, I’ll pay my taxes and then I’ll back to slamming the opposite party for … ” (pick your topic and your slurs here).

But Christians are called higher. Here is how I am toying with different illustrations right now, so let me know your thoughts.

It would be someone more on the Democrat side of the ledger (and a Christian) who usually heaves spite and pejorative words on Republican actions deciding to not only STOP doing such things… but going to WORK for such people.

Turn it around.

Someone who thinks you can’t possibly be Christian and vote Democrat actually applies to work for President Obama and gets the job. And then, as an employee of the administration the job is then to make the President look good… and they do that job to the best of their ability.

Why?

Because the obligation of the believer is to love the neighbor. To look to the highest good of that person.

Lest you think I’ve just fallen completely off my rocker and injured my head beyond repair… I offer up the biblical examples of Joseph, Esther and Daniel. Three godly people serving in enemy “administrations” and looking to the good of the ones they served. And they did it because of being “slaves” in those regimes.

Believers live higher.

I also think of this in light of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I cannot dictate the response of the US government. Should another 9/11 attack hit our nation’s shores, I simply can’t predict or demand of our government a certain response or lack of response.

But I know what I can do.

I can choose to not blame my Muslim neighbors and I can still go out of my way to show my care and love for them.

I think too often, whether we are “liberal” or “conservative” as Christians in America, we still don’t get this “loving our neighbor” bit down. Liberals scream at conservatives to be more loving. Conservatives just tend to scream. But then we just kind of duck our heads and lay low.

In other words, we act like the world all too often.

The gospel calls us higher. When will we truly put on Christ?

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2 responses to “TRULY Loving Our Neighbor”

  1. Rex King Avatar
    Rex King

    Dan…the below are truly just some free-thinking on my part…I am uncomfortable with many of the thoughts…questions and doubts and concerns they raise for me. This not intended as a “slam” of your blog piece.

    So I am just wondering then… is there ever a responsibility for a Christian to take up arms against any aggressor for any reason?

    Is it “higher” living to sleep underneath a blanket of protection that others may provide without the obligation to help weave the fabric of the blanket? If 50% of the nation were true disciples of Christ does that mean those 50% could never fire a shot or raise a fist in defense of the people of their nation?

    Can a true disciple of Christ “defend” anything or go on the offensive to destroy a known threat against others with physical violence?

    Can a true disciple of Christ use “accurate” rhetoric to identify enemy’s of Christianity even though that rhetoric may seem or be perceived by others as being “unloving”?

    Are we truly prepared as disciples of Christ to accept the answers to those questions?

    Your biblical examples are truly interesting I like them…I think it will preach well.

    How are you using the term “slaves” and are you equating their slavery with us being slaves to Christ?

    As you note…the examples you give are already “slaves” to an enemy and have lost a free voice. While yet free do we keep silent when we still have the means to speak openly and freely about spiritual matters…will not the truth of our speech be labeled as hateful by those it offends even though we speak truthfully?

    Do we work for the “enemy” while we still have means to resist…if we should resist?

    In your scenario…if the individual really believed that one could not vote Democrat and be a true disciple of Christ and believed that there was sound biblical evidence that President Obama’s agenda was against Christian values and unjust…aren’t they really putting the needs of self before the needs of others? Aren’t they in fact lying to themselves and others…rationalizing their performance based on the need to self preserve or to have a better job? This person had “choice”…they were not compelled…unless you change the scenario. How does that equate to living higher and loving Christ?

    I must confess…I am beginning to come to believe that true disciples of Christ will (not sure I can say must yet) put down national politics and all forms of political ideologies. They will do what they can to minister Christ and the benefits of the kingdom to a lost people and world. Even if it means the destruction and loss of “our nation” as we know it. Even if it means certain death while “speaking truth to power” as it were.

    Sorry I rambled so long…such an interesting topic…

    Rex

    Reply
    1. Dan Avatar
      Dan

      Great thoughts and questions. Those are the things I wrestle with and hope we ALL wrestle with them. I really resonate with your last paragraph. This is where we must truly wrestle with issues.

      I am thankful we still live in a free society where rigorous debates can take place and disagreements are allowed.

      Let me expand the political rhetoric specifically to Obama a bit further. Sitting with some pastors and spouses a few nights ago the subject of Obama being a Muslim came up yet again. Also implicit was the issue of his citizenship.

      Now, I can wrestle all day long with policy, philosophy, direction of the country, etc., but when we have to get back to character assassination… we’ve just lost something as believers. I quietly stated our stance really should be to respect the office and pray for our leaders. Then, someone said, “Hey, maybe we have some Democrats among us.”

      They had no idea my severe disagreement with Obama’s policies. They only saw that I wasn’t going into their attack and assumed I was a Democrat.

      This is more to what I wrestle with in our culture.

      What I would truly believe is if I were to “work” for Obama (and let’s be honest, hard line party people don’t hire across the party lines as a rule), but IF that were to happen, my conviction is that when that place of influence is opened up, there is a place of conversation. It beats getting on CNN and just yelling.

      I also understand that’s just not the way this country works. Which is my point. Why can’t we as believers start to truly put on Christ and live differently?

      But I also understand that Daniel, as a high ranking official in the Babylonian regime, had visions that predicted the humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel tried to offer his enemy a way out. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t take that route, of course, but Daniel tried. He truly looked for the best even for his enemy.

      Obama is not my enemy. For my Democrat friends, I want them to know Republicans aren’t the enemy. Not in the sense of Daniel serving in Babylon or Joseph serving in Egypt. And as believers who may be Democrat or Republican, I honestly think we could do better with the rhetoric.

      Reply

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