Foundations In Scripture

Taking into account or keeping a record of wrongs suffered.

 The Biblical way of handling wrongs suffered is

1. Forgive without telling the person  (pray for them)
2. tell them, explain with grace and love, then forgive  (pray for them)

Ps. 68:21 Surely God will crush the heads (lives) of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. 

First we need to keep in mind that if someone has sinned against us, God knows and will reward them accordingly.  We don’t have to do anything to cause that to happen.  God is able to correctly judge the hearts of humanity.  He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. God knows best how to deal with the sins of each of us in order to help us stop sinning.

Offenses =  violation of social or moral rules,  transgression of the law, or anything that displeases.

It is a peculiarity of humans that we can be offended by things that are not wrong or sinful.  If your husband gets up in the morning and brings you a nice hot cup of tea or coffee just the way you like it, but you really don’t want to get up that early and just want to be left alone to finish your sleep for another hour, you’ve been offended, but he hasn’t sinned.  Unfortunately, many do not take note of this difference and treat the offender as if he has sinned against them even when he hasn’t.

 However, God is wise and has set up a system for Christians to settle their differences whether of sin or not.

 In Matt. 18, first Jesus points out that all of us must become as little children and humble ourselves. (vs. 1-5)   In essence this is to become a nobody in terms of society’s status stackers. And then Jesus points out that if we cause such a humble and/or innocent one to sin  or stumble (or turn away from God), it might be better for us to punish ourselves.  Jesus laments over the fact that the present state of humanity is that we sin against each other.  But God is mindful and will reward the offender (6-9).  Jesus reminded us that His purpose is to save and heal, to find the wandering  hurting soul and bring him back into the fold. (10-14).

 Isa. 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

       because the LORD has anointed me

       to preach good news to the poor.

       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

       to proclaim freedom for the captives

       and release from darkness for the prisoners,

 In Matt. 18:15 Jesus starts off with MOREOVER.  (in addition to what has been said; further; besides.)

 What Jesus is now going to say must be coupled or linked with what He just finished saying.  Now we have an answer that is fair and just to all circumstances of offenses.  While in this instance Jesus doesn’t say that we can silently or quietly forgive and pray for others without telling them, God has said it elsewhere which we will find if we do a search on forgiveness.  Here Jesus’s intent seems to be to stop us from hurting someone unnecessarily by giving us an avenue to deal with apparent or real offenses.  By doing things God’s way we avoid several things.  We avoid becoming list keepers, or taking revenge, or hurting someone who innocently offended us.

 In Jesus directions step ONE is to clearly and privately tell our offender of our concerns.  This does not mean to casually fling a 2 sentence one minute complaint to someone in passing.  We are admonished to love our fellow believers, to care about their concerns, to support them and honor them.  (all the allelons  or one another verses in Scripture)  Sitting down in private discussion gives both persons a chance to fully understand the issues.  This is what God wants.  And we are to do this in an attitude void of harm or revenge.  We are not to seek to hurt one who has hurt us.  The Lord’s desire is to find and reclaim the straying sheep.  Our ultimate goal must be restoration whenever possible.

 If he will not hear us, then we have a second step recommended by Jesus.  We can bring one or two brethren to witness to our discussion and give evidence of the veracity of our complaints.  (Deut. 19:15-21)  This is a serious step.  Often we think that because we feel offended then we have the right to charge another with fault.  But here Jesus reminds the Jews of the OT Law, where the veracity of both will be called into question so as to avoid what Jesus said earlier, causing an innocent to stumble.  At this point, the charge is still only between the two people.  If it is determined after this step that a person has clearly brought harm and sin to another and will not repent or offer remorse, and the one offended cannot or will not forgive, then the last step is to bring the offenders crime public to the local assembly.  This is in response to a continuing and unrepentant sin that the offender chooses to live in.  This step should only be taken in lieu of an actual moral or spiritual sin that a person refuses to discontinue.

Most Christians are able to handle offenses real or imagined with loving and kind private discussion.  If there is no real sin, it should never go beyond that.  But if there is sin yet not something one should be expelled from Christian fellowship for, bringing in one or two other mature Christians to help the discussion, can be enough to help the two find unity and reconciliation again.

 Each of these steps is a choice.  Once one starts it does not mean one must immediately go to step two.  The whole procedure may even take months or years.  The purpose is to bring healing, not to thrash another into submission.  Sometimes, it takes a bit for a purson to mull something through and realize their offense as an offense.  It is beneficial if we give one another the respect to figure things out without undue pressure. 

Nevertheless, forgiveness is to our benefit no matter whether the other repents, apologizes or changes.  God will take care of him/her no matter.  If we follow Jesus admonitions we will not need to keep an accounting of wrongs suffered.  We can deal with them and find brotherly love again even when a brother doesn’t or isn’t able to do as we would like them.  In the end we MUST forgive.

 

Matt. 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

 

Without Love I say nothing, am nothing, profit nothing

I Say Nothing without Love. (my words have an emptiness)

 I Am Nothing without Love. (my gifts have an emptiness)

 

I Am Profited Nothing without Love. (my good deeds have an emptiness) 

 (A reflection on addictions relative to 1 Cor. 13:1-3 and Romans 12:1-2)

 

I Say Nothing 

1 Cor. 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

All human attempts at love fall far short of the love of God that we have available through the Holy Spirit.  All addictions are self centered and thus incapable at bringing us the kind and depth of love that God wants for us and to come from us or through us. 

Without love our reputation otherwise is worthless.  Without godly love, our wealth of any kind is empty and barren.  Without true compassion, our words do not give the life that God desires to come from us, and thus we have really said nothing at all or of any eternal value. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

Paul implies in 1 Cor. 13:1 that without love we say nothing, but rather are like noisy gongs , a meaningless sound, and a clanging symbol.  These are sounds that jar, that have no melody and no harmony.  Gongs were rung to call pagans to their worship.  An addiction will pull at us to speak the words that will bring us what we think we need. We may need attention and honor and praise.  We may need physical things to fulfill our addictions.  When we speak from the primary motivation to receive to our blessing, we are not speaking true compassion; we are not allowing God’s Love from above, pure and holy, to flow through us to bless others. This may seem harsh, but it is the kind of loving truth that will help us rise from our bondages to become the men and women of God that bring life to others.  It is good to remember that in order to bring life to others, our words must come from God and flow through us, so we also receive the blessings.  We are touched and filled as we touch others.

This is not to say that we cannot be ourselves and speak the imperfect truths of our hearts, but only that we seek to keep in mind Paul’s admonitions of allowing compassion to flow through us, to be patient, kind, hoping for God’s best, enduring each other in love, not thinking of ourselves ONLY but thinking of the good of others as well.

We are the temple (the sacred place of worship) for the presence of the Living God to dwell in and to move through.  (1 Cor. 3:16-17/1 Cor. 6:19-20/Rom. 12:1-2).  

 

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

 

I Am Nothing,  

1 Cor. 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

In 1 Cor. 13:2 Paul implies that if we are gifted, brilliant, knowledgeable and spiritually powerful so that other’s might think of us as great, we are nothing if we do not possess and give godly love.  It is all considered as empty, producing nothing in eternal value.

 There are all kinds of addictions.  We do not have to be destitute and poor to be bound by addictions. The wealthy can be bound by their wealth, the powerful speakers bound by their reputations, the one of higher intellect bound by their thirst of knowledge, the one tuned into the spiritual addicted to performance and so forth. The motivation for our works can be more important in the spiritual realm than the works themselves, even though other’s may benefit from them.

 The speaker, the singer, the teacher, etc. may speak truths that other’s benefit from, but his or her motivations can be impure.  Perhaps they are of the purpose to bring honor, fame, or wealth. These addictions can be bound in poor self esteem or pride or fears.

 Thus, in God’s economy the poor, the meek ones, the merciful, the peace makers, the truth seekers, the one’s who thirst not for wealth or reputation or power but more of God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit, they are the ones who are rich in real life, when godly compassions are amongst their highest values.

 What we do with what we have, whether in possessions, gifts or talents, is more important to God than what we have.  When we use what we are (gifts, talents, social status, etc.) as tools to do the works of God in His Love for all, to help draw them near to God, then we are pleasing to God and a blessing to our neighbors.  As we seek to do this, we are slowly healed in the process.

 

Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

 

I am Profited Nothing. 

1 Cor. 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

In 1 Cor. 13:3, Paul says a most amazing thing.  He implies that good actions, appearing to be humble and godly acts, when they are not produced from the motivation of God’s Love, will profit us Nothing. We can do the most amazing spiritual feats of self sacrifice and have them produce nothing within our own souls when we do not do them motivated by the Holy Spirit and God’s great Love for others.  We cannot suppose that godliness is a means for gain (1 Tim. 6:5) or that we can be double minded supposing that we can benefit ourselves while benefitting God.  God will benefit us in His wisdom as we do His Will in His Way.  It is just as easy to become addicted to appearances of humility, or false godliness, or false holiness or religiosity as it is to become addicted to many other things.

Colossians 2:16-23 has a fair amount of warning about false humility.  Paul speaks of subjecting ourselves to regulations according to the commandments and doctrines of men, saying that these things have an appearance of wisdom, but are really self imposed religion and false humility.

We must desire to do God’s Will above our own will with every fiber of our being.  God’s Will is solidly grounded in His Love for all humanity.  The real profit is found in living and resting in close communion with the Lord, learning to be with the Lord, instead of doing for God. Rom. 8:26-27 

 

Your God authored actions done from the motivation of Christ-like Love, will approve what is God’s good, pleasing and perfect Will. 

 

The problem with addictions is that they are self centered and not God centered.  Thus, when we think of finding healing we think of what we can do or have done to self that will bring healing.  There is a place for self reflection, but it must not stop there.  What I am suggesting here, is that the path for the greatest healing for addictions is not more centering upon self (although there is a time and place for that), but rather the greatest healing will come through seeking God to be conduits for His Will empowered by His Love for others.  It is IN THE PROCESS of seeking to be the person God has called us to be that God will empower us to change.  God throws no stones at the sinner who desires to change and a bruised reed He will not break.  (Isa. 42:1-3) The Lord will not ask us to do more than we are able. But God does often request that we reach higher.

 

 

Isaiah 61:1-2  1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

      Because the LORD has anointed Me

      To preach good tidings to the poor;

      He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

      To proclaim liberty to the captives,

      And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

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Rom 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 
Rom 13:9  For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 
Rom 13:10  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

Gal 5:14  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 

Jas 2:8  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 
Jas 2:9  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.