Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Lesson III)

Albert Barnes also notes that the Apostle Paul gives a reason why Christians should be subject to human government. It’s because these civil servants have received their appointment from God. As Christians, therefore, we are to honor God by honoring the arrangement which He has instituted for the government of mankind. No doubt, Paul also intends to subdue the needless curiosity that some have about what qualifies a person to hold the title of the office to which they are being elected or appointed. This is to guard against becoming involved in arguments and conflicts over who the favorite should be. The question really is, are they qualified to do what the office calls on them to do. Are they running for that office in order to serve the people or just to acquire the power that it gives them? Are they using fair tactics or trying to bring pressure on the citizens so that they do get the position? Paul doesn’t believe Christians should be involved in such questions. The government was established by God and they were not to seek to overturn it.¹

Henry Alford takes note of what the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “How can Christ get along with the devil? How can one who has put his trust in Christ get along with one who has not put his trust in Christ? How can the house of God get along with false gods? We are the house of the living God. God has said, ‘I will live in them and will walk among them. I will be their God and they will be My people.’²”³ In other words, God has ordained that human governments exist and operate under His authority and power. Alford points out that the Apostle Paul here pays no regard to the question of the duty of Christians in revolutionary movements. His precepts regard an established power, be it what it may be. However, I might add that back in Alford’s day were no communist or socialist governments run by dictators. So we must understand that Paul is applauding the system of government God ordained to be administered by civil servants. Nevertheless, when the system is taken over by depots and cruel leaders, they cannot claim God’s blessing on them or their regime. Christians must believe that God will take care of such hijacking of the system.

One thing is clear, all laws and regulations that believers are bound to obey must be lawful. After all, even parents must abide by the law in raising their children. Therefore, if the civil power commands us to violate the Law of God, we must obey God first and foremost. If they command us to disobey the common Laws of human decency or the sacred institutions of our country, our obedience will be based on the higher laws of virtue, ethics, and morality, rather than frivolous and meaningless laws. These distinctions must be drawn by the wisdom granted to Christians in the varying circumstances of human affairs. Alford also believes that Paul is advocating that the removal or alteration of an unjust or unreasonable Law, is another part of a Christian’s duty. For all authorities among mankind must be in accord with the moral sense of the highest authority. But even where Law is hard and unreasonable, legitimate protest is the duty of the Christian, not disobedience.⁴

Bible teacher H. A. Ironside shares his feelings about the position of Christians in this present world and under the current order of things which are peculiarly difficult and almost abnormal. They are citizens of another world, passing as strangers and pilgrims through a foreign land. They remain loyal in their hearts to the royal King above, whom earth rejected and counted worthy to die as a criminal on a cross, they are called upon to walk in a godly and discreet way among a majority for whom Satan, the wrongdoer, is the prince and god. Yet they must not allow themselves to be persuaded to become anarchists, nor are they to become obstinate or unruly with regard to the present order of things. Their motto should always be: “We must obey God rather than man.”⁵ But this gives them no right to live openly in opposition to human government, even though the administrators of that government may be people of the most unrighteous type.

Ironside goes on to point out that Paul is not seeking to establish the doctrine of the divine right of kings, but it simply means this: That God, who sets up one ruler and pulls down another for His own infinitely wise purpose, ordains that certain forms of government or certain types of rulers may be in power at a given time. As the book of Daniel tells us, the Most High is ruler over the nations of all peoples. He gives it to whomever He wants and lets the least important of individuals rule over it.⁶ But in any case, there should be no authority recognized by Christians that is not permitted and recognized by God Himself.⁷

Baptist Preacher Octavius Winslow remarked in one of his sermons that even Jesus recognized the existence of the civil power as an institution of God Himself.⁸ The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, the person who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. This must be our starting point in all our relations to civil government. Recognizing the human ordinance to be of divine appointment, the question of reverence to authority and of obedience to Law should not be forgotten by any believer, even for a moment.⁹

Charles Hodge strongly suggests that this was a peculiar necessity during the apostolic age for instilling respect for civil magistrates. This necessity arose in part from the fact that a large portion of the converts to Christianity had been Jews who were very much against submitting to heathen authorities. This reluctance (as far as it was peculiar) arose from the prevailing impression among them, that this subjection was unlawful, or at least highly derogatory to their character as the people of God, who had lived so long under a theocracy. In Deuteronomy, they were told that in the event they must appoint a king, it must be one whom Adonai their God will choose, the individual must be one of their kinsmen. They were forbidden to appoint a foreigner over them who was not born an Israelite.¹⁰

Hodge goes on to note that another source of the restlessness of the Jews under foreign rule, was that they anticipated the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. As they expected the Messiah to be an earthly Prince whose kingdom should be of this world, they were ready to rise in rebellion at the slightest call of anyone who cried, “I am Messiah!” The history of the Jews at this period shows how great was the effect produced by these and similar causes on their feelings towards the Roman government. They were continually breaking out into riots, which led to their expulsion from Rome, and, finally, to the utter destruction of Jerusalem.

So it isn’t surprising that converts from among such people should be admonished and warned to be subject to the higher earthly powers. Besides the effect of their previous opinions and feelings, there is something in the character of Christianity itself, and in the incidental results of the excitement which it brings, to account for the disgust of many early Christians to submit to their civil rulers. They misused the doctrine of Christian liberty, as they did other doctrines, to suit their own inclinations. This ideology, however, is to be attributed not to religion, but to the misunderstanding of Scripture that led to the contamination of Gospel.¹¹

Robert Haldane also has something to say on this subject. When Paul said: “Let every soul,” he was using a very comprehensive expression to show that to every Christian, in every country, in all variety of situations, and on all occasions, must apply what he was about to say to their situation. Then Paul begins by saying that believers should “Be subject to the higher powers.” By this expression, Paul means the people who possess the supreme authority, who are in the 3rd verse called “rulers.” Today, we use the word government in referring to those in power. No phrase could more clearly and definitely express the duty of subjection to the civil rulers whom God has placed over us, than that which the Apostle Paul employs here by calling them “higher powers.”

This passage also calls on everyone to obey all levels of governments equally. The word is rendered “powers,” not “the powers.” As such it was not an exclusive reference to the Roman government. It comprehends governments universally. If any of the Roman Christians had gone beyond the bounds of the empire, their duty of obedience to the government of the country to which they moved would be the one to whom they gave their allegiance. And the foreigners who may have lived in countries beyond the borders of their own were taught to obey the powers of that country until they returned home where they would once again but subject to their home country.

The Apostle Paul also speaks of “powers” without specifically identifying them. Everyone, without exception, is, by the command of God, to be subject to the existing powers in whatever situation they may find themselves. For instance, when you enter an establishment that has rules of conduct that apply only within its walls, those rules must be obeyed. It is true that Caesar subverted the Laws of his country; Jeroboam established idolatry, and Nebuchadnezzar carried Judah into captivity. Yet the successors of Caesar were recognized by Jesus, as were the rulers of the Roman empire when the Apostle wrote; Jeroboam was expressly appointed by God as king over the ten tribes, and the oppressed Jews were commanded to pray for the peace of Babylon.¹²

Frédéric Godet also addresses the same question about the believer’s dual role. But first he wants to know, why does the Apostle Paul say: every soul, instead of every person, or rather every believer? Is he suggesting that submission ought to proceed from the inmost sanctuary of each human being – their conscience? The word every does not correspond well with this explanation. It makes us think that what he is suggesting that it is a duty necessary for every human being. This is not an obligation on all believers arising from their spiritual life, like the precepts of Chapter 12. Rather, it is an obligation of common sense which is the joint domain of all mankind. Every free and reasonable being should recognize how logical this is.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Lesson II)

With this in mind, we should not be surprised how Jesus responded to Pilate at His trial when Pilate charged Him: “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you understand that it is in my power either to set you free or to have you executed on the stake” Yeshua answered, “You would have no power over me if it hadn’t been given to you from above.”¹ So it is no wonder then that in the letter given to John for the seven churches in Asia we find these words: “Jesus Christ is the first to be raised from the dead. He is the head over all the kings of the earth.”² This was confirmed when John later saw the rider on the white horse and reported: “On His coat and on His leg is the name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”³

Early church scholars struggled with Paul’s encouragement to support the government that God allowed to rule over them. Origen asked what Paul meant when he says, “There is no authority except from God?” Can it be that an authority which persecutes the children of God, which attacks the faith and which undermines our religion, be from God? Then he goes on to say that God’s judgment against the authorities will be just, even if they used the powers they received to satisfy their own godless ideology and not according to the Laws of God.⁴ I don’t believe that Paul was giving any evil empire the right to claim their authority was from God and so they could do as they pleased. Paul was talking about the structure of government and the administrative process by which law and order was enforced to the welfare of its citizens, not those who corrupt it and turn it into a dictatorship.

Then early church scholar Apollinaris looks at it from another angle. He mentions that Sanhedrin leader Gamaliel tells us that Judas the Galilean revolted during the time of the first census and led a band of zealots in a revolt,⁵ refusing to obey the order of the Romans and register their goods, for which reason Quirinius had been sent to Syria. But Judas’ decision to rebel was the cause of domestic murders and of a insurrection against the authorities did much harm to the people. It seemed to Apollinaris that here the Apostle is condemning any attempt to imitate Judas based on the illusion that it is a godly thing to disobey rulers. He has a good deal to say about this, condemning it as a mistaken way of thinking.⁶

Also, Ambrosiaster looks at Sacred Law as a tutor for Secular Law. He notes that Paul has already ordered that Heavenly Law be followed with allegiance, so now he commends Earthly Law as well, so as not to appear to be disrespectful. For if Earthly Law is not kept, then Heavenly Law will not be kept. Earthly Law is a kind of tutor, who helps little children along so that they can tackle a stronger degree of holy living. For mercy cannot be imputed to anyone who does not seek to live a more righteous life. Therefore, in order to back up the authority and fear of the natural Law, Paul bears witness to the fact that God is the author of both and that the ministers of the Earthly Law have God’s permission to act, so that no one should despise it as a merely human construction. In effect, Paul sees the divine Law as being delegated to human authorities.⁷

Chrysostom also sees reasons why Christians should be good citizens. He notes that Paul has a good deal to say on this matter in his other epistles, placing subjects under their rulers in the same way that household servants are under their masters. He does this to show that Christ did not introduce His Laws for the purpose of undermining the state but rather so that it should be better governed. He does not speak about individual rulers but about the principle of authority itself. For there should be rulers and those who are ruled so that things do not spiral into anarchy with the people swinging like a pendulum from one extreme to the other. The principle of government is the work of God’s wisdom.⁸

And Bishop Theodoret subscribes to Paul’s precept so long as the believer’s obedience to secular authority is done with a good attitude. For if earthly rulers demand something which is ungodly, then no believer should be forced to obey them. The Apostle teaches us that both authorities and obedience depend entirely on God’s providence, but he does not say that God has specifically appointed one person or another to exercise that authority. For it is not the wickedness of individual rulers which comes from God but the establishment of the ruling power itself. Since God wants sinners to be punished for their evil deeds, even if it means tolerating terrible rulers.⁹

Martin Luther has quite a bit to say about Paul’s words here. He especially notes that Paul puts the burden of complying with respect for authority on every human being by using the Greek noun psychē which Thayer cites as meaning “every soul, or every one.” Luther sees this as distinguished from the body because such respect must come from the heart because the soul is between the body and the mind. As Luther sees it, Christians are dual beings, much like Christ was both divine and human. In the believer’s case, they are in Christ while still being human. As such, a Christian can exercise spiritual power as well as physical power.

As Paul wrote the Corinthians: “As a Christian, do not be proud of men and of what they can do. All things belong to you… The world and life and death belong to you. Things now and things to come belong to you. You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.¹⁰”¹¹ While Jesus was on earth, He subjected Himself to earthly authority as well as to the divine authority of His Father. It is understood that when earthly authority demands what divine authority does not approve of, divine authority prevails.

John Calvin looks first at how Paul’s words may have affected the Jews in the Roman congregation. For Calvin, Paul handled this subject very carefully when applying it to the way Christians should live their lives. No doubt he was forced to do so because of the anti-Christian spirit that was prevalent in that age, even though the preaching of the Gospel will at times cause such a negative reaction. Unfortunately, there were some believers in the Church who insist that the Kingdom of Christ would never reach its full potential until, and unless, all government powers over religion are abolished, and that they cannot enjoy the liberty given by Christ until they shake off every yoke of human subjection. This was another way of believing that the government could legislate righteousness.

Calvin also notes that this way of thinking occupied the minds of the Jewish Christians above all others. For it seemed to them disgraceful that the offspring of Abraham, whose kingdom flourished before the Redeemer’s coming, should now, after His appearance, continue in submission to another power. There was also another thing which alienated the Jews no less than the Gentiles from their rulers in that some rulers not only hated righteous people but also persecuted religion with the most hostile feelings. Hence it seemed unreasonable to acknowledge them as legitimate kings, princes, and rulers who continued to attempt to deny Christ, the only Lord of heaven and of earth so that His kingdom here on earth could not flourish.

Then Calvin speaks of a believer’ responsibility to remain subject to appointed or elected magistrates because they are established by God’s ordination. For since it pleased God to govern the world this way, anyone who attempts to alter God’s instructions is resisting God Himself. This is nothing less than anti-authoritarian ideology denying God’s authority since to despise the guardianship of Him who is the founder of civil power, is to be at war with Him. Calvin wanted his readers to understand that all power is from God. But He has also given human governments the power to rule in a legitimate and fair way in the world.

Furthermore, God can either permit or stop all plagues, famines, wars, and other disasters caused by human error, He can also bring to an end tyrannical governments who exercise unjust power that bring about disorder and chaos because they are not an ordained government. The right to govern is ordained by God for the well-being of mankind. This means, that there are times when a nation goes to war or institutes severe laws as a remedy for lawlessness. So the Apostle Paul commands that we willingly and cheerfully respect and honor the right and authority of magistrates as useful to mankind.¹²

John Bengel sees Paul’s writing to the Romans, whose city was the seat of an empire, on the subject of human government as a way to show how God’s kingdom should work in harmony with earthly kingdoms in keeping law and order by being obedient citizens. Bengel believes this, too, may have been the reason why Paul, in this long epistle, used the phrase, “the kingdom of God,” only once in verse 17. Every individual should be under the authority of the magistrate, and be liable to suffer punishment if they have broken the law. And another thing that Bengel noted is that in Romans 12:1, Paul speaks of presenting our bodies to God for service. But here in 13:1, Paul uses the Greek noun psychē which the KJV translates as “soul,” as that which should be subject to higher powers both in heaven and on earth. After all, it is the soul and its sinful tendencies that cause the body to do wrong. In the same way, the body will not break the law on its own, it must be guided by the soul to do so.¹³

Adam Clarke has written a long narrative on this first verse as well. Rather than what Paul says here is his personal thoughts, Clarke is convinced that he was sharing the mind of God on such an important subject that could affect peace in the world instead of it targeting one class of people, Clarke says that it belongs to every soul in every situation on all occasions. Clarke wonders what is it that Paul wants all of us to seriously understand? It is this: Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. Let every person be obedient to the civil government upon which God has given His stamp of approval?¹⁴ So just like the Hebrews who suffered in Egypt and later in Babylon and Persia, the despots who were in control did not know it but they were carrying out God’s plan for His people. The same can be said of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jung-un, etc.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Lesson I)

Verse 1: Every person must obey governing authorities. There is no administration unit that is not authorized by God. And all those who administrate now were given the power to do so by God.

From the opening salutation of the letter to the Roman church, Paul has discussed matters that are mainly inside the church. His focus has been mainly on the newly grafted Gentile branch into the Holy Olive Tree of Israel and how they should get along together as Christians. But now he steps outside the sanctuary so he can instruct them on how they should behave and treat the secular society in which they live. It is Paul’s concern that they not live oblivious to the things around them, neither should they become so involved in the affairs of this world that it impedes their Christian mission.

Paul does not advocate the irrational here, he is speaking of government, although none were favorable to Christianity during his time. Nevertheless, a government is necessary to prevent lawlessness and chaos; to provide the ultimate authority for direction and justice. However, when you are asked or forced to do, say, or transgress against God’s Word, then rulers cease to govern according to the authority God has given them and become dictators, thereby, no longer a valid government in God’s eyes. But at the same time, there is no prohibition for Christians to participate in government when they are doing God’s will. After all, Joseph was second in command in Egypt; David and Solomon were kings; Isaiah was a member of the royal family; Daniel was an important figure in the realm of Nebuchadnezzar; and when Christ comes back to rule and reign, He will be the KING of kings.

But not all Jews were in favor of such close interaction between the church and government. In the writings of the Jewish Rabbis, they told their students to love work, reject mastery over others, and avoid letting the government control you.¹ And in the same document, we also read where people were warned to be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own purposes. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person in the time of their distress.² Of course, after what the Jews went through under the Romans in Paul’s day and later the Holocaust under Nazi Germany, we can understand why they would be leery of trusting any government.

We also know that godless governments, like Babylon, were often called prostitutes.³ That’s why this story we find in the Jewish Talmud is very intriguing. One Rabbi told how he was once walking in the upper-market in the city of Sepphoris⁴ when he encountered one of the disciples of Yeshua the Nazarene. His name was Jacob of Kefar-Sekaniah.⁵ During their conversation, Jacob asked him, isn’t it written in your Torah that you should never give the same amount it takes to hire a prostitute to the Temple treasury?⁶ Instead, contribute it to the construction of a retirement home for the High Priest.⁷ The Rabbi says that he did not answer Jacob. So Jacob said to him that this is what he was taught by Jesus the Nazarene. Jacob said that Jesus also taught them that godless governments were assembled for the same price it takes to hire a prostitute, and for the same amount they will disband and go back to where they came from;⁸ they came from a pig pen, so let them go back to their pig pen.

Those words pleased the Rabbi very much. But when other Jews found out that he had talked to a disciple of Yeshua, they arrested him and charged him with renouncing his Jewish faith. He was accused of going against what the Scriptures had to say about staying far away from her – which refers to a prostitute – and do not go near to the door of her house,⁹ — which refers to the ruling power¹⁰.¹¹

There is nothing in Paul’s testimony about his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus,¹² nor in his visions while out in the desert¹³ to suggest that our Lord instructed him on things pertaining to a Christian’s mindset toward civilian government. However, Paul must have been aware of Jesus’ teaching on paying taxes.¹⁴ But respect for authority was already part of Jewish customs and manners from the days of Moses.¹⁵

Perhaps this is why Paul already had this in his thinking when he wrote Timothy: “I ask you to pray much for all men and to give thanks for them. Pray for kings and all others who are in power over us so we might live quiet God-like lives in peace.”¹⁶ This was also on Paul’s mind when he wrote Titus: “Remind people to submit to the government and its officials, to obey them, to be ready to do any honorable kind of work.”¹⁷ Today we can equate this to jury duty, service in the military, and volunteer work such as the Peace Corp. Paul wasn’t the only one, the Apostle Peter also advised his readers: “Obey the head leader of your country and all other leaders over you. This pleases the Lord. Obey the men who work for them. God sends them to punish those who do wrong and to show respect to those who do right.”¹⁸

Again in the Talmud, we read what the Rabbis taught on God’s approval of those He allows to rule or reign. They told how when Rabbi Jose ben Kisma was ill, Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion went to visit him. He said to him: “Brother Hanina, don’t you know that God ordained this Roman nation to reign? For even though they tore down His buildings, burnt His Temple, murdered His devoted ministers and caused His most dedicated servants to perish, still, the Romans continue in power!”¹⁹ In other words, in spite of the fact that the Romans tore down the Temple and killed many of the priests and Levites, yet the Jews acknowledged that God had nevertheless placed them in power.

Paul’s call to respect the nation’s leaders was based on the concept that God was in control of the earth and was the One who could approve power and take away power from those chosen to lead. For instance, in one of Asaph’s Psalms we read: “You will not be raised to power by those in the east, the west or the desert; since God is the judge; and it is He who puts down one and lifts up another.”²⁰ And Solomon credits Wisdom with saying: “By me kings reign, and princes make just Laws. By me princes govern, nobles too, and all the earth’s rulers.”²¹

The prophet Jeremiah recognized this divine power to appoint the nation’s leaders when God said to him: “By My great power and by My long arm I will give it to the one who is right in My eyes. That’s why I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant.”²² Daniel confirms this by saying: “Let the name of God be honored forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. He changes the times and the years. He takes kings away, and puts kings in power.”²³

This same thinking of those in leadership, even civilian governments, were there by divine appointment was expressed elsewhere in Jewish writings. For instance, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha taught that one should not take their shirt from the hand of their attendant when dressing in the morning. In other words, let them lay it down and then you pick it up. He said that he received these instructions from Suriel the Officer of the [Divine] Presence, who is identified by Jewish scholars as a demonic angel or messenger of high rank.²⁴ This more or less indicates that authorities were evil and their warnings were to advise you that if you disobeyed their prohibitions they were ready to hurt and punish you. But it wasn’t just those in highest authority, In response to 1 Chronicles 29:11, Rabbi Hanan ben Raba once said that according to one Jewish teacher, even the Superintendent of a Well is appointed in heaven.²⁵ This is corroborated by an entry in German Hebraic scholar Johann Buxtorf’s writings where he quoted: “Nulla potestas est nisi à Deo, quae Dei sunt potestates, sunt à Deo ordinata.” (There is no power but of God, of which the authorities are established by God).²⁶

Later on, well-known Rabbi Rashi would comment on the same text: “Yours is the kingdom and [You are He] Who is exalted over everything as the Leader.” In other words, if a flesh and blood king promotes one of his servants to a position of leadership in his kingdom under one of the princes, he still remains his servant wherever he is. The same goes for the Holy One, blessed be He – the servant appointed to rule is His, and also the kingdom is His. For even the superintendent of the city well is appointed from heaven.²⁷ This is simply the Hebraic way of saying that no matter who appoints who as their subordinate, nor how long the list may grow, in the end they are all subordinate to God who approved their appointment.

Judge Sherman Finesilver (1927-2006), United States District Judge for the District of Colorado once stated: “Do not confuse notoriety and fame with greatness. . . . For you see, greatness is a measure of one’s spirit, not a result of one’s rank in human affairs.”

Well-known motivational speaker and author James Arthur Ray agrees greatness and expertise cannot be defined by accolades or societal rewards. It cannot be defined by money or material things acquired. Greatness does not drive a certain brand of car or have a certain business or career path. In fact, a quick perusal of history will prove that even those who society now eulogizes as great, were never spoken of that way until they departed from this world. At the same time, many who were truly great were never known or recognized by society. But they were known, even if it was only by you or me. In fact, that someone may be you.

So what is greatness and how does it apply to being the best? Greatness can be defined as the ability to achieve what you choose to achieve in the area you choose to achieve it and to achieve it with excellence and a level of expertise. Here are some thoughts on greatness I found and want to share with you:

You’ve no doubt read articles about narcissistic individuals, and you’re probably fed up with self-important people. But, let’s leave outward grandeur and focus what people are on the inside. It is not narcissistic to pursue greatness in your life. Human beings are on this planet for a very short time. And, many of us yearn to be important in some specific way. So how can anyone do that if they’re not rich or famous? First, look at how some create their greatness by playing a role that others admire.

There are some who take the Celebrity Route to Greatness. When we look at celebrities and see why they are so special we wonder how great their lives really must be? As in Tom Cruise who must live an interesting life. We look at all these stars, read about their loves, losses, children and more. They become a symbol of greatness to their fans. But the greatness is in the roles they play, not they themselves.

Others take the Sporting Route to Greatness. Nowhere are people admired more than in sports. We may love a recording artist or a movie star, but the All-Star in baseball, basketball, or football is our ticket to greatness – by proxy. For instance, Morgan Freeman does not “belong” to Boston, but Tom Brady certainly does. That’s why cheating is so problematic. We need sports clean so we can idealize. Like the great Aaron Rodriquez of the Yankees, once they cheat, even the most admired athlete falls.

Then there is the Money Route to Greatness. America is the land of capitalism, and we do admire (and are envious of) people with money. The big house, the expensive car, the leisurely vacations, the way they are treated in public and at charity events; all this adds to their “greatness.” It’s probably why colleges have produced too many finance majors in the past fifteen years. But, make no mistake, you may want more money in your pocket, but remember – the rich have their problems and worries too.

Trying to find greatness vicariously through others just doesn’t work. Root for a good athlete, applaud a great performance, but keep greatness as a project unique to you. Each of us can be great. It is deeply human to find that path. It’s a crazy and confusing world. There are five billion people here and we are all, ultimately, wisps of protoplasm passing from birth to death. How can any of us achieve greatness? What does it mean and why does it matter? The human drive for dignity – for greatness – is sidetracked when we idealize others like celebrities, or when we feel special for dysfunctional reasons. Let’s look at how you or someone you love can discover their greatness.

We shouldn’t idealize greatness in others as something we can use for ourselves. One of the great psychoanalytic thinkers of the last century was Heinz Kohut, an Austrian Jew who barely escaped Hitler’s rise to power. Kohut tells us that all small children naturally idealize their parents. After all, they are small and helpless – and their mom and dad are so important and reliable. Soon, they feel comforted in the “greatness” of mom and dad. Healthy children idealize their parents and feel bigger and safer because of them.

We must also realize that greatness is not synonymous with fame. That is an ancient and false equation. Yes, there were great leaders like Churchill, Lincoln, Jefferson, Ben Gurion, Mandela, Walesa, and others. While their greatness was defined in the public arena, most heroic acts are infinitely more private. They’re found in small lives that are elevated out of the human will to always do their best. It is true nobility.

So what does it really mean to be truly great? It means to be a servant. Really! How can you be considered great and be a servant at the same time? Unfortunately, much of the world has the wrong definition of what greatness really is. The Bible tells us that true greatness is being a servant, and the greatest person of all time is Jesus of Nazareth – the Messiah. Being a servant is having an attitude exemplified by Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”¹

Isn’t it extraordinary when a CEO is a true servant of those that they are called to lead? Think about it this way – have you ever had a boss in the past that cared so much about your success, cared so much for you as a person, that you didn’t want to work for anybody else? That boss is being a servant! To care and to show love is what greatness it all about. And it begins with serving God because our love for God will be expressed in our love for others. And that, my friends, is true greatness. True greatness merely refuses to change in the face of bad actions against one—and a truly great person loves their fellow beings because they understand them.

After all, doesn’t the Bible tell us that God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”² So by creation, you are already great.

One of the wises and most stalwart men in the Bible was named Job. He faced obstacles that you and I will never witness, let alone go through ourselves. But he never lost hope in God restoring him to his original place in the lives of this family and friends. In speaking of God Job said, “God thunders wondrously with His voice; He does great things that we cannot comprehend.”³

And later, King David who suffered for years waiting for God’s time to make him King of Israel and Judah did not despair. He once told God, “You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.”⁴ David knew where his original greatness came from and that all the greatness God has for us is never exhausted.

And after all the persecution and attempted disgrace that the prophet Jeremiah had been through, yet he relied on being restored to greatness because God had already told him, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to make you great and not for failure, to give you a future and a hope.”⁵

So when Yeshua the Messiah came, His followers no doubt wanted to know what He thought of greatness. How could they be great in His eyes and God’s eyes? So one day they went to Jesus and asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? That’s when He called a child out of the crowd to him, He had the child stand in the middle of them and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”⁶

Why is it important that we remember this? Because while He was teaching on the side of the mountain in Northern Galilee, Jesus made it clear that anyone who tries to take a shortcut so they don’t have to practice what they preach and teach others that they can do the same without penalty will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.⁷

And to get their attention Yeshua pointed to the way worldly people run things. Those who achieve positions of power then use that power to get their way over others. But His followers were not to have this kind of attitude. They should aspire to get no higher among their fellow believers than God wants them to get. Rather, to find as many ways as they can to help others achieve their goals. That will give them a much better chance of getting promoted. Then pointing to Himself, Yeshua, the Son of God, the Messiah stated that He did not come to be served but to serve, and eventually to give His own life so they might live.⁸

But Yeshua wasn’t finished. He advised His followers not to try to become another source for the truth when He is the only source for truth. If they want to be great then they must become servants, or as we would say today, facilitators or mentors. That’s because whoever those who strive only for the top of the pile will end up at the bottom, and those who are happy to remain at the bottom will often end up on top.⁹

This enlightenment led the Apostle Paul to write the conclusion on being great that he had come to. For years he had tried to be great on his own. The best he could achieve was to be known as a hothead zealot who riled against the new Jewish sect called “The Way,” whose members believed an unknown prophet from Galilee named Yeshua was the true Messiah. But after he saw the light on the way to Damascus to persecute these followers of Yeshua, he realized that he had no greatness within him at all.

So in his letter to the Galatians, he openly confessed that he allowed all of that to die, all his personal aspirations and desires to be great. Then he invited Christ to come and live in him, to be his source of inspiration and motivation. And he no longer attempted to be great by what he did, but by what Christ did through him.¹⁰ In other words, Paul learned that when looking for something within ourselves to be the sign of our greatness, we should look for how much of God we have within us as a sign of His greatness, not ours. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN TO YOU?

A grandfather recently told a story about his granddaughter, Peachy, who had just turned five. She has carried around a baby Jesus doll from a very young age. Unfortunately, she is an orphan because both her mother and father died in a car accident not too long ago.

When she was about two years old, her mother gave her a baby Jesus doll that was used in a Christmas play at church. Due to her young age, Peachy called him “Dedus” because she hadn’t yet mastered the English pronunciation of His name. When someone would try to correct her by saying that His name Jesus, Peachy would respond, “No, his name is Dedus.”

Dedus is not a very big doll, only twelve inches long. Over time he has lost his gown and long hair, but his rubber ring halo was still attached to his head. That didn’t bother Peachy. She loved him for who he was, not how he looked. Her grandfather admitted that he ended up calling him Dedus out of respect for his little granddaughter. However, at the age of five, she has begun to understand who the historic Jesus really is and that her baby is a representation of Him. She has been offered and given new, expensive and fancy dolls which lay untouched in a corner of her room because Dedus is the most one important one to her.

People have tried to entice and bribe her away from Dedus, all to no avail. Grandpa said that he has never tried to offer her another doll. If she really wants a new one, it will have to come from inside her little heart. But why worry? Perhaps Dedus is meeting all her needs and in him, she is completely satisfied; she never shows any attention to other dolls and is not much interested in other toys or activities which don’t involve her Dedus. When she is shown other Jesus dolls with a robe, hair, and a halo, she’s not interested because Dedus is her Jesus.

No matter where Grandpa takes Peachy, she is forever holding her baby Dedus up to passing strangers. The other day we drove through McDonald’s where she got her Happy Meal, and while she was looking down stuffing her beautiful little face with french fries, she never missed a beat when we passed another car to keep feeding herself with the left hand and holding up Dedus with the right so that the people driving by could see him.

But if you want to see the cutest thing in the world, you should see her when grandpa takes her into a store and she has her Dedus with her. Every time somebody comes near her she holds Dedus up to them at arm’s length and will keep looking at them until they recognize her doll so she can proudly tell them who he is. In most cases, they will respond to her in a very friendly way. It’s not your average child’s type of doll and they often ask her where did you get him? She just replies “from my Mama.”

Peachy has beautiful blue eyes and medium length loose curls of white blonde hair; even when people who pass by are in a hurry, they will look back, appreciate, and study those eyes. So naturally nine out of ten people who see that adorable scene lean down to her and say, “You’re such a beautiful girl,” or some such things, often flattering her. She doesn’t seem to care at all about compliments to herself but she takes great pride and satisfaction when they compliment Dedus.

Grandpa said he still hasn’t figured out the true relationship between Peachy and Dedus. He woke up from a dream one night with the thought that the girl is suffering those feelings of abandonment and that the displaying Dedus is an enactment of her hidden desire for her mother to be in her life and available to love her, to be proud of her and to show the world how important her baby is to her as the mother. Maybe that is what she has missed in her life and she is compensating for it by living out that desire through Dedus. In her imagination, Peachy assumes the role of her mother and the baby symbolizes Peachy herself. Or perhaps it’s no more complicated than a little girl loves her doll and wants everybody to know it.

She knows more now about Jesus from Sunday school and it just makes her even prouder of her Dedus. She refuses to call Dedus by the correct pronunciation of Jesus. And that’s fine with everyone who knows her. They have come to appreciate her attachment to baby Dedus because they realize that he is no imaginary person, but a real person to Peachy. That’s why his unique name Dedus has had a profound effect on everyone.

Early in the evening Peachy goes to prepare Dedus for bed and tuck him in. Grandpa always gives them that time alone. But one night he stayed by the door to see how she put Dedus to bed. After laying him down and covering him up, in her little voice as sweet as an angel she sang him to sleep with the only song she knew and in which she does pronounce the name correctly when she sings: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” So one night, Grandpa secretly recorded it and played it for relatives at their big family Christmas get together. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Peachy knows the difference between Jesus and Dedus, but she might know something else that we don’t fully understand: that Jesus the Man and Dedus the doll may be much more closely connected than the rest of us realize. This little raggedy doll may have been thrown away long ago by some but not by Peachy, he has a very important place in her life. To others, maybe he should be replaced, but not to Peachy. Their connection is unbreakable.

What this story has helped me understand is that Jesus is not just a religious historical figure to all Christians, but that to each Christian He has a special meaning. When believers gather together to worship Jesus, it’s not just the Jesus in the picture up on the wall, but the Jesus that they hold dearly in their hearts. To all of us as a group Jesus is our Savior, Lord, and Master, but to us individually Jesus is a personal friend to whom we may have given a special name. Don’t worry if others don’t understand, it’s what you and your Jesus understand that is most important. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER TWELVE

Paul had just completed discussing how being baptized into Christ makes us dead to sin. Once he makes that point, then he also shares some ideas for Christians who really want to live in harmony with each other and be close to God.

Christians should give their whole being over to God as instruments of righteous holy living so He can fill them up with everything that is good and wonderful and all around awesome in His eyes. They do not want to be doing what everyone else is doing (it’s too much like a fad), but they want to be transformed into new people who can intimately know God. In other words, now that they were saved by faith, God wasn’t through with them yet.

For the benefit of his Jewish readers in Rome, Paul now carries the concept of death and freedom one step further: the Jewish believers must become dead to the Law so that they might be joined to Christ. He illustrates his point by referring to the marital relationship. The result of being freed from the Law is that they might “serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter of the Law.”

Lest his Jewish readers think he is implying that the Law was sinful, Paul is quick to dispel that notion. The Law, he says, is “holy and just and good.” The problem is that the Law only makes known that which is sinful but provides no remedy for it. That’s why sin took the opportunity to produce evil desires and deceived them into thinking they could still get free by doing good works but it only resulted in spiritual death.

To further illustrate his point, Paul pictures himself as man under the Law in a terrible dilemma. With his mind, he knows that which is good and wants to do it. He also knows that which is evil and wants to avoid that. But he finds a sinful tendency in his flesh which wins over the desire of the mind to do what is wrong instead of what is right. As a prisoner, he cries out for freedom. He wonders, is there no hope? Yes! There is hope. God provides the solution through His Son Jesus Christ.

Paul is also saying that Christians should see themselves as different parts of the body. Every body part – arm, leg, toe, gallbladder – has a different function, but they all play an important role in keeping the body functioning. Everyone has different gifts, too. Some people are good at predicting the future, some at ministering to others, some at teaching, some are generous, some are natural leaders, and some are just plain compassionate. All these gifts are important and God’s way of using us as parts of the body of Christ.

Overall, Christians should do what’s loving and give a swift kick to the face to everything that’s evil. Figuratively, of course. They should love each other a lot, serve God wholeheartedly, be patient when bad things happen, welcome strangers who need their help, be kind to people who are out to get them, and basically live in harmony with everyone and everything. As for people who upset you, don’t let it fill you with anger and vengeance. Give it to God and let Him handle it.

To prove his point Paul quotes, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” You should even be cool to your enemies. If they need food, give it to them. If they’re thirsty, share your water with them. In a sense smother them with kindness, Paul says. It’s the only way that you might make them feel ashamed of what they’re doing to you. Basically, Paul sums all this up with a final piece of advice: don’t let your good be taken over by evil but take over evil with your good. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Henry David Thoreau, American poet, philosopher, and historian gained fame in his book called “Walden,” named after a pond up in Connecticut that he sat by for some two years as he reflected upon simple living in natural surroundings. In his writing on the duty of civil disobedience Thoreau said, “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”

The English word “prejudice” comes from a Latin term that simply means to “pre-judge.” In other words, without any facts, thoughts, or reasons, a person has already made up their mind that something is favorable or unfavorable according to their preconceived opinion on the subject. That means their mind is not open to any new information or advice that may conflict with their decision to either be for or against something.

King Solomon must have had some individuals like this in his realm because he warns that if you try and reason with such a fool, you will only be making a fool of yourself.¹ Prejudice is not a learned reaction, it is part of those attitudes that were instilled in us from our infancy by our parents, friends, teachers, mentor’s, favorite celebrities, etc. Since we did not feel qualified to make up our own minds, we accepted what other people thought who were more informed, intelligent, and mature than we were. So it really isn’t our opinion, it’s their’s until we make as our own.

Prejudice deals primarily with other people as they are judged by us based on such things as race, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, level of education, deformities, age, and so on. It is not “what we know” about them that contaminates our thinking, but “what we don’t know” about them. In an effort to make sense out of the world around us, we form mental categories based on how our society is organized. It’s not so much what something is, but what something represents.

Prejudices are not easily overcome. The smaller the world we live in the better we can control our circumstances. There is an old saying attributed to William Turner in his 1545 work called The Rescuing of Romish Fox. We know this saying today as, “Birds of a feather will flock together.” We are much more comfortable around people just like us. So it seems obvious, that any effort to confront our prejudices must begin with widening our circle of friends and acquaintances. Prejudices just don’t go away, they must be challenged.

Whether we know it or not, our prejudices are often tools that we use to keep up our self-esteem. If you don’t have a college education, one way to keep that from making you feel inadequate or lacking in intelligence is to attack those who have completed college as being too smart for their own good or braggers who don’t really know what they are talking about. Getting a good education doesn’t mean all you have to do is go to school. We can learn on the job, at home, by reading, in order to find out more about something we know little about, even if it’s out of curiosity.

If any change is going to come, it requires that we be open and accept ourselves for who and what we are. Often you may hear someone make a judgmental statement, and then follow it up with, “That’s just my personal opinion.” This can be said while confessing that their personal opinion has all the earmarks of being faulty or even dead wrong. Or it can also be said as a challenge for someone to give you a better opinion – if there is such a thing. It is far better to indicate that your opinion is based on what you know, but that you are open to hearing more.

Prejudice always seems to involve “us” versus “them.” We don’t want to be in the minority or part of those called losers. We want to count for something so we state our opinion and then stick to it. But that doesn’t mean we are unwilling to learn, grow, and mature. Yes, we can state our opinion but then be ready to have it challenged. That doesn’t mean we are wrong, only mistaken. If we do not deal with our unconscious prejudices it will lead to discrimination. We were not put here on earth with the idea of always being at war with one another. As far as I know, I’ve never seen puppies playing with one another, rolling over, and having a good time, but only sticking with those puppies of the same colored fur, same size ears, nose, etc. If they can do it, why can’t we humans?

The Bible has a lot to say about dealing with prejudice. The prophet Samuel was still dealing with hurt feelings over the people of Israel rejecting his leadership for that of a king. So when the king they selected fell out of favor with God, and God sent Samuel out to find a replacement, it was obvious that Samuel may have already had in mind the type of person he would look for. But God told Samuel not to judge that person by the way they look on the outside or how tall they are because that’s not what God was looking for. That’s not how God judges a person’s worth.²

Again, King Solomon advised his subjects that if a person already had an answer before they hear the question, they only make themselves look foolish and embarrassed.³ And by the time Jesus came, such prejudice was still growing. In fact, our Lord was invited to a dinner at the house of the local tax official because Jesus had invited him to come and follow Him. It wasn’t the dinner that upset the elite class in town, it was the clientele that showed up. They included other tax collectors, people of disrepute who were of low standing in town. The religious leaders got word of the dinner, and when they came to see what was going on, they went over to Jesus’ disciples and complained that this man they called the Messiah, was eating and drinking with sinners. When Jesus heard that they were saying, He sent back this message: “People who are well, do not need a doctor. Only those who are sick need a doctor. I have not come to call good people. I have come to call sinners to be sorry for their sins and to turn from them.”⁴

So it is no wonder that the Apostle James warned against prejudice. He wrote to his friends and told them that as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, they must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Go stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on faulty motives.⁵

I agree with Thoreau’s statement that it’s never too late to give up our prejudices. However, I would add that it will be too late to give them up when they have resulted in the loss of friends, family, neighbors, and even family members. By that time, giving up the prejudice will come too late to save any of these relationships. So be willing to examine them now and make the necessary changes so that you will become known as someone who doesn’t pre-judge, who listens in order to understand, someone a person can talk openly to. It’s hard to go wrong with that kind of reputation. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Sometimes a story out of ancient writings that are not Christian or Biblical can still teach us lessons that we need to learn. Here is one such story that I read that is possibly based on a saying attributed to the wise King Solomon, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”¹ I hope it will be an inspiration to you as it was for me.

WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY MAY RETURN WITH MORE THAN YOU GAVE

There was a woman who was known for being very wise. One day she was walking in the mountains toward a village when she went to get a drink of water from a mountain stream. As she looked in, she saw a large, red stone that she knew was considered very precious. She reached in and took the stone and put it in the bag that hung from her shoulder. The next day she encountered a man who was coming the other way. As they met, he told her that he was very hungry and asked if she could share something from her bag. The wise woman gladly opened her bag to shared her food.

When she opened her bag, the hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman if she would give it to him so he could use it in the next village to buy some food. She quickly reached in her bag and gave him the precious stone without hesitation. The traveler continued on, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a long time.

After the wise lady concluded her visit to the village she was going to, she started on her way back home. Lo and behold, when she entered one of the villages on her way back, there was this traveler to whom she had given the stone waiting for her. He ran up to her and told her how happy he was to see her. He then shared with her that after they met he began to feel convicted. He knew how valuable the stone was and felt bad that he had taken if from her with such pretense. So he wanted to give it back to her in the hope that she would give him something even more precious. He asked her to please share with him what she had in her heart that made her to give him that stone without hesitation.

The wise woman smiled laughed. “Young man, there is nothing more for me to share with you. By returning the stone you have shown that you already have what is most precious, within yourself as well. You have an open heart of compassion. That is all you will ever need to make you a wise and happy man.”²

Some scholars say that the saying from Solomon about casting bread upon the waters came from the grain trade practiced by merchants along the Mediterranean Sea. It referred to their loading up ships full of grain and shipping them off to foreign lands without any prepayment, in hopes that it would sell and bring back a good sum of gold or silver in return. So it was more of a statement of encouragement to be ready to give something away even without any guarantee that you will get anything in return. That’s the only way to find out if what you have is valuable enough for someone to pay you back.

So what do we pilgrims on our way to heaven have to give away that may bring a similar return that we find in this story? What bread or grain do we have that others may find valuable enough to return something of equal value? If I were to pick anything from Scripture to answer this question, it would be that precious stone Jesus gave His disciples to take with them. He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER TWELVE (Lesson XLVII)

Charles Hodge looks at the doctrinal implications of what Paul says in these concluding verses. For one thing, abstaining from evil is just one half of the equation. It is not enough to avoid wishing evil upon our enemies; we must sincerely desire and pray for their welfare. Nor is it sufficient just to avoid returning evil with evil; we must return good for evil. The choices of judgment and vengeance belong to God, we have no right, therefore, to claim them for ourselves. All condemnation of others for self-gratification is inconsistent with the message and teachings of the Gospel.”¹

Hodge then adds that one of the most beautiful exhibitions of the character of our Savior was how He acted under persecution. “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter;”² “When He was reviled, He reviled not in return; when He suffered, He threatened not.”³ We read that even martyrs died for the truth while being respectful to their persecutors.⁴ It is one thing just to refrain from returning evil for evil, but it’s another to really love and pray for the good of our enemies.

But, Paul feels that this is our Christian duty. This is part of the transforming power of the Gospel. Up until now, Paul has encouraged the believers (and all of us) to find it in their hearts to bless those who cursed them. They were not to harbor any ill feelings against their enemies to the point of having secret satisfaction when evil come upon the worst of them. Besides love, there are very few things as powerful as goodness, which is a transformed virtue of love. It works as an effective way to subdue enemies and put down opposition. People who will not listen to reason, whose hearts show no fear of threats, are still not proof enough that the persuasive influence of genuine love through goodness is ineffective. So for Hodge, there is no more important confirmative reason for being good, than that it increases our power to do good.⁵

Charles Spurgeon preached that returning good for evil is not only appropriate but is compatible with the spirit of the Gospel. The spirit of the Law is “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”⁶ But the spirit of the Gospel for Spurgeon is expressed this way: “Freely I forgive you: your many wrongdoings and vast misconduct are all erased for Christ’s namesake.” That’s why we need to feel sad for those who are still slaves to sin. We are all acquainted with the Fruit of the Spirit, but for Spurgeon, forgiveness is one fruit of the Gospel, and doing good in return for evil is another. Shouldn’t the spirit of every Christian be one of unconquerable love? It is by unconquerable love that the worst of sinners are saved.⁷ And Charles Ellicott tells us that the imposition of vengeance is not a sign of strength, but of weakness. When we are able to control our desire to take revenge, we have gained a moral victory over self. This is a noble success in itself, but it becomes even more of a triumph when it disarms the enemy, and turn them into a friend.⁸

Modern Bible scholar Gerald Bray in his excellent summary of verses 9-21 explains that love is able to fulfill the law and should be the ultimate goal of all we do. Having sincere love for one another is the hallmark of our Christian fellowship at all times. But love must be accompanied by zeal and service if it is to be effective. Christians are called to rejoice because of their hope of eternal salvation, to be patient in times of suffering and persecution, and to make prayer a regular part of their lives. In all these things the future dimension of hope will govern everything we read that the early Church scholars had to say on the subject.

The early Christians understood that persecution promotes spiritual growth, and, therefore, they ought to bless their persecutors. Christian pastoral care must not only be marked by a graceful disposition and understanding for others but also by wisdom on how to treat their struggles at any given moment. Humility and peacefulness are the universal marks of a Christian. Christians repay evil with good and never seek revenge, which belongs to God alone.

The early church scholars believed that if Christians did good to their enemy they would be shaming the enemy into repentance. The coals of fire were understood as a kind of treatment that would burn away all their rebellion and malice, and its warmth would open their hearts to receive Christ. The Christian demonstrates the superiority of good over evil by refusing to succumb to bitterness, even when provoked.⁹

Paul had dealt with a lot of issues in this letter to the church in Rome, complicated by the fact that he had never visited this church and was only going by what he heard from some members he knew who attended there. He begins by telling them that God’s plan of salvation was no surprise, it had been unveiled by the prophets beforehand. But what was an astonishment to many is that God had planned all along to include the Gentiles in His kingdom.

However, Jews and Gentiles worshiping side by side, all believing in One God, One Messiah, One Baptism, one Faith, one Spirit, and one Way to salvation was not an easy task. In some ways, the Jews resented that Gentiles who had done nothing to recognize God or worship Him in the past were now counted as equals in the Kingdom of God. But the Gentiles pointed out that they were only there by the grace of God and their faith in Christ while the Jews kept pointing to there membership based on merit accumulated by their obedience to the Law.

So Paul uses Abraham as an example of how obedience can be accomplished by faith, not just good deeds. The Jews were continuing to live for God in the flesh while the Gentiles were living for Him in the spirit. It was God’s personal choice to choose the Jews as His people, and likewise, it was God’s personal choice to include the Gentiles. So who was going to argue with God? God had it planned all along, but it took one monumental event to bring it to fruition.

When the Jews refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah, God then allowed the Gentiles to hear the Gospel. And once they accepted Yeshua as God’s Son the Messiah, then everything God had planned for the Jews was equally distributed to the Gentiles. But the day was coming when a remnant of the Jewish nation would also accept Jesus of Nazareth as the true Messiah. Paul illustrated it by using the olive tree as an example. The domesticated olive tree, Israel, had stopped producing the fruit that God expected. So He went out and got some branches from wild olive trees and grafted them into the domesticated olive tree of Israel. This was done so that both would grow together. No longer as Jews or Gentiles, but Christians who were the embodiment of Christ.

Having said all of this, Paul now in Chapter Twelve calls on all of them to offer themselves as living sacrifices so that God could work His will and plans to save the world through them. God did all He planned to do, now it was up to them to make a choice. They were to live in peace with each other and those around them. Returning good for evil would be the best way to prove that Salvation through Christ was the ultimate victory over mankind’s sinful tendencies. It wouldn’t be how you dressed, or how you worshiped, it would be how you conducted yourself and your behavior among fellow believers and unbelievers that would open the door to your their testimony of the influence of the Gospel and its saving power. In the end, believers would not get credit for anything they had done, but all praise, glory, and honor would go to God through Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.

THE END OF CHAPTER TWELVE