Did you know that in the King James Version of the New Testament, the word “ordain” is found in 21 verses and it’s translated from 14 different Greek words? I had no idea it was such a complicated subject. It’s related to the blog post I was working on for this week, but between recovering from a horrible stomach illness and traveling for the Feast of Tabernacles, I did not have time to complete a study that turned out to be more involved than I expected.
So instead today, I’m just going to share a reflection on one verse that is pivotal to understanding the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot). It’s one that describes something that ought to be easy, but was surprisingly difficult to do this year.
You shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates. You shall keep a feast to Yahweh your God seven days in the place which Yahweh chooses, because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful.
Deuteronomy 16:14-15, WEB
I remember growing up and thinking of the Feast as the highlight of the year. It’s not that way yet for a 1-year-old, though, who doesn’t understand why she had to sit in the car for a whole day and have her routine upended for a week then spend another whole day driving home. Plus, everyone in our cabin got sick. There was a lot more feeling altogether miserable than feeling altogether joyful, at least from our perspective.
“Joy” is an interesting subject in the Bible. It’s not just a happy feeling; it’s a conscious choice. Joy is an enduring quality that people can have even when things are going bad and there’s no apparent reason for happiness. We grow to have joy-filled lives as we walk with God through life’s trials and see His consistent trustworthiness. I saw that this past week in my dad, who was so glad to be spending the Feast with his family and grandchildren that none of the bad things that happened affected his peace or joy. I realized this past week that I have a lot more growing to do before I have that kind of inner peace and joy, but maybe I’ll also manage to learn that lesson by the time I’m a grandparent.
Today’s post is the second in a three-part series. In these posts, we’re looking at the introductions of Paul’s epistles and examining how Paul talks about himself, how Paul talks about God, and how Paul talks about us in the introductions to his letters. We’ll be focusing on the epistles he wrote to church communities rather than the pastoral epistles (Timothy, Titus) or the letter to an individual (Philemon). This series will also exclude Hebrews since there’s a good chance Paul wasn’t the author. That leaves us with nine letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians.
If you’re wondering why I didn’t post this two weeks ago like I typically would, I broke my foot and I’ve been struggling to keep up with everything that needs doing. Subscribe to my newsletter if you want to stay up-to-date on news like that and changes in post schedules.
Grace and Peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
All of these introductions except two have Paul using the phrase, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2; 2 Thes. 1:2, NET) There’s a similar phrase in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, and Colossians 1:2 just says, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father!” (Paul mentions Jesus elsewhere in the introduction, just not as part of this phrase). We could call this Paul’s standard greeting, and it tells us several things about how he views God.
For Paul, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are a source of grace and peace. There are a lot of other things that God supplies us with (love, mercy, and justice, just to name a few), but grace and peace are the ones Paul uses in his salutations. According to “Grace to You and Peace: An Analysis of the Pauline Letter Openings” by JPT Aquino, “Paul used the epistolary conventions of his time” in the way that he structured his letters (p. 2) but he chose his own signature opening phrase to communicate “the theology that underlies his letters, as well [as] his life and ministry” (p. 109). As we think of Paul’s focus in his letters, “grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” does seem like a good introduction to what he typically emphasizes. He focuses a lot on God’s grace toward us, the internal peace He gives us, and the peace that He wants to see between those in His church.
From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh,who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:1-5, NET
Paul only mentions the gospel in the salutation to one letter. He also brings it up in the prayers for churches that make up what I think of as the second half of his introductions in several other letters, but those have to do with our response to the gospel so we’ll save that for the Part 3 post in a couple weeks (Eph. 1:13; Phil. 1:5-7; Col. 1:5-6; 1 Thes. 1:4-5).
In Romans, though, Paul lays a foundation for talking about what God’s good news is doing in us by describing it as “the gospel of God” that “he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son.” There is to be no confusion: the gospel is about Jesus, who is the Son of God, and what He and the Father are doing and have done for us. It’s also not a new thing; the gospel that Paul preaches is something that God promised in the scriptures we now call the Old Testament. Christianity wasn’t a new religion, it’s just what people started calling those who understood that Jesus is the Messiah/Christ and followed Him as He showed the way to continue following God faithfully.
The One Who Calls and Chooses
God is the one who called Paul to be an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1), called us to belong to and fellowship with Jesus (Rom. 1:6; 1 Cor. 1:9), and called us to be saints (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2). He also chose us (Eph. 1:4; 1 Thes. 1:4) and is the one who “began a good work” in us (Phil. 1:6). All the things that Paul is (which we talked about in the previous post) and all the things that we are (which we’ll talk about in the next post) happened because God made choices. He chose to call us into His family, offer us eternal life, and make us holy (that’s what the word “saint” means).
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will
Ephesians 1:3-5, NET
This focus in the intro to Paul’s letters on God the Father’s and Jesus Christ’s action in our lives carries through the rest of Paul’s writings. He’s constantly pointing to Them and what They are doing. Take Philippians, for example. Right at the start of the letter, Paul focuses on “the onewho began a good work in you” and who “will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6, NET). We’re here, reading Paul’s letters to learn more about God, because He started working in us and He won’t give up until He’s brought us to perfection. A little later in this same letter, Paul wrote, “continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God” (Phil. 2:12-13, NET). We’re participating in our salvation, but God’s doing the work and as long as we don’t reject Him, He’ll make sure we succeed.
Continuing in Philippians, Paul also talked about rejecting human credentials, power, or prestige and focusing only on the calling of God. Paul encouraged all his readers to join him: “with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let those of us who are ‘perfect’ embrace this point of view” (Phil. 3:14-15, NET). Just as Paul put the calling of God at the forefront of many letters, so we should put God’s calling at the forefront of our lives.
In several of his introductions, Paul emphasizes the redemptive work that God accomplishes in saving and sanctifying His people. We are “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:2). He “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal. 1:3, NET). It is “In him” that “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7, NET).
God’s aid didn’t stop with accomplishing our redemption, though. He is all-in when it comes to the work of bringing children into His family. Jesus’s work of sanctifying, rescuing, and redeeming His people is ongoing, and it includes love (Rom. 1:7; 1 Thes. 1:4), grace (1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 1:6-7; Phil. 1:7), and comfort.
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NET
Even just looking at the openings of Paul’s letters, we see the depth of his devotion to God, the awe he feels for the Father and Son, and the wonder of God’s incredible work in our lives. God’s grace, peace, calling, and salvation are at the forefront of Paul’s mind and his letters. In one of these letters, Paul wrote, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1, NET). One of the ways that we can imitate him is by similarly prioritizing God and cultivating a relationship with Him that’s at the center of our lives and our focus.
I decided to spend this week studying peace as part of the fruit of God’s spirit. This month in my local church’s lady’s scripture writing group, I shared the topic of “Sing Praise.” When I went to upload it here on my website so all of you could download it if you want, I realized that I never finished my Fruit of the Spirit scripture writing series. I still have “peace,” “faith,” and “gentleness” left to finish.
The Greek word for “peace” is eirene (G1515), a tranquil, blessed state with security and no strife. The Hebrew equivalent is shalom (H7965), wholeness; nothing missing, nothing broken. As I read through the 294 verses containing one of these words, I realized a lot of them aren’t about peace as something we do, or even necessarily as a character attribute that we develop. Most of them (208) are in the Old Testament, and a lot of those verses talk about people asking each other if they have peaceful intentions, or lamenting a lack of peace that’s associated with rebellion against God, or God assuring His people that He can provide them with peace.
I suppose I think of the fruit of the spirit as something we do. When the spirit is in us, then we practice “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23, WEB). But the verses about joy and peace at least make it seem more like something you have inside you because of who you are when transformed by the spirit. I suppose rather than thinking about this fruit as something we do, we should think of them as descriptions of who we become as people transformed by God, which will of course influence our actions.
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Peace In Relationship With God
Over and over, scriptures on peace link it to our relationship with God. He either promises to “give peace” to those who follow Him, or people following Him speak of the peace that they experience when they love Him and His law.
Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, “This is how you shall bless the children of Israel. You shall tell them, ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you. Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’ So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
Numbers 6:23-27, WEB
Those who love your law have great peace. Nothing causes them to stumble.
Psalm 119:165 , WEB
Peace is something intimately associated with God. We’ve talked about it before on this blog, so you might remember that in Hebrew, names are intimately associated with a person’s character and reputation. In one Messianic prophecy, Jesus Christ is called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In the book of Judges, Gideon “built an altar … and called it “Yahweh is Peace'” (Jud. 6:24, WEB). Those are the only two places in the Old Testament that “peace” is listed as a name for Yahweh or the Messiah, but peace is consistently described as something He provides.
Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: “I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
Isaiah 48:17 , WEB
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.
Ephesians 2:13-17, WEB
There’s a lot more to godly peace than simply feeling peaceful or being a peacemaker. Thinking about those Greek and Hebrew words I mentioned in the intro, peace involves tranquility, blessedness, security, and wholeness. There’s peace in God leading us in His way of life, in the redemptive work of the Messiah, and in our covenant relationship with the Father and Son.
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Peace as Something We Do
In the Old Testament, peace is mostly described as something God gives us or which naturally occurs in our lives when we keep covenant with Him and obey His commandments. A few times, though, peace is something we’re commanded to do.
Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14 , WEB
These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate,” says Yahweh.
Zechariah 8:16 , WEB
These sorts of instructions become more common in the New Testament. Peace is still something God gives us (John 14:27; Rom. 5:1-2; 2 Thes. 3:16), but it’s also more often described as something that we choose to participate in.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.
Romans 12:17-18, NET
Peace between ourselves and other people is a topic that comes up frequently (Mark 9:50; Rom. 14:19; 2 Cor. 13:11; Eph. 4:1-3). This is especially important to God in our relationships with other people in His church. Unity, peace, and interactions that build each other up are something He repeatedly commands (in contrast to condemning disunity, strife, and tearing each other down).
Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife. The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient.
2 Timothy 2:22-24 , WEB
Peace As Part of Our Lives
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As part of the fruit of the spirit, peace is something we choose and something we’re gifted from God. His spirit inside us, which is part of our New Covenant relationship with Him, enables us to have peace inside us and to cultivate peace around us no matter what else is going on.
Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-9, NET
When the God of peace is with us and filling us with His spirit, peace should be a natural fruit of our lives. We’re still human, though, and we need to work on living in the spirit rather than the flesh, including choosing to live lives of peace. That involves cultivating peace inside us and making peace with those around us as much as we possibly can.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:17-18 , WEB
As people whose lives are being transformed by God, “peace” should be one of the key characteristics that His spirit produces in us (Gal. 5:22-23). If we lack peace, we can ask God to cultivate it inside us. If we struggle behaving peacefully with other people, and can repent of any associated sins and ask for God’s help to choose peace and make peace. He is the God of peace–Yahweh Shalom–and He is perfectly capable of putting His peace into the lives of people living in relationship with Him.
Earlier this week, my dad mentioned to me that he noticed the word “debate” is never used in a positive light in the Bible and yet people in the church sometimes argue that debate is healthy. Dad’s observation matched what I’ve heard, and I wondered where the line is between healthy discussions of scripture and unfruitful, even sinful, debating. I wanted to study it more.
Though we’ll spend quite a bit of this post on definitions and examples from scripture that highlight things we should not do when speaking with other people in the church, I think the take-away message is positive. There are so many things that God and His writers tell us that we should be focusing on in our interactions that there’s no need to dwell on the negative things. We need to know what we shouldn’t be doing so we can avoid them, but the bulk of our attention should be on building up, encouraging, teaching, growing, loving, and cultivating peace and unity in the church.
Some Background Definitions
In English, the word “debate” either refers to “a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting” or to the action of arguing “about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.” Originally, the word came into English from “Latin dis- (expressing reversal) + battere ‘to fight’” (definition from Oxford Languages via Google). Arguing and fighting certainly doesn’t sound like something a Christian ought to be doing, particularly in light of how often God expresses His intention for there to be peace in His church.
Hebrew words translated “debate” include rı̂yb (H7378) “to strive, contend” either verbally or physically. This one is used of human quarrels, but also of God’s legal right to “chide” or “reprove” people” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [TWOT] 2159). The word medan (H4090) or madon (H4066) is another word with a root that has judicial connections, and it means “strife, contention” (TWOT 426c). Another word used is matstsâh (H4683), which also means “strife, contention” and comes from a root that means “to struggle” (Brown, Driver, Brigs (BDB) definitions). Here are some of the verses where these words refer to human activity.
The beginning of strife (madon) is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention (riyb) before quarreling breaks out.
Proverbs 17:4, WEB
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’ …
Behold, you fast for strife (riyb) and contention (matstsah), and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Isaiah 58:3-4, WEB
There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord (medan) among brothers.
Proverbs 6:16-19, WEB
Clearly, discord strife, and contention are not good things for humans to engage in. In fact, God says that He absolutely hates people who go around spreading discord/strife/contention among other people. Strife and contention can even block our voice from being heard by Him.
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Ways of Speaking Together
It’s a similar situation in the New Testament as in the Old, with strong warnings against strife and contention. The Greek words that could be translated “debate” can be grouped roughly into two groups (based on synonyms listed by Zodhiates in The Complete WordStudy Dictionary: New Testament).
On the one hand we have eris (G2054), “strife, contention, wrangling.” Synonyms include “eritheia (2052,) contention, rivalry; antilogia (485), verbal dispute; mache (3163), fighting; philoneikia (5379), love of quarreling or contention; logomachia (3055), strife of words; paroxusmos (3948), paroxysm, incitement” (Zodhiates, entry G2054). Eris is the word that the KJV translates “debate,” and it’s not a good thing. This word and its synonyms have to do with fighting, contention, and strife. All together, eris and its synonyms appear 28 times in the New Testament. The only time one is used positively is Hebrews 10:24 (“provoke,” G3948). All the others are negative, as demonstrated by these verses:
For since there is still jealousy and dissension (eris) among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?
1 Corinthians 3:3, NET
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife (eris), jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries (eritheia), dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!
Galatians 5:19-21, NET
But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels (eris), and fights (mache) about the law, because they are useless and empty. Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings. You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself.
Titus 3:9-11, NET
On the other hand, we have suzeteo (G4802) and its derivatives, which means “to seek or examine together” or to “discuss, dispute, question” (Thayer). In general, it means “to question, reason, dispute with someone” (Zodhiates), and the NET sometimes translates it “debate” because “this term implies emotional dialogue” (NET footnote to Luke 24:15). Synonyms listed by Zodhiates include “dialegomai (1256), to question, argue, dispute; dialogizomai (1260), to reason, discuss; eperotao (1905), to ask, to question” (entry on G4802). As we read these definitions, I think we can see that if someone’s trying to argue that debate is a good thing, they probably mean it in the sense of question, reason, or discuss. But are these words used in a positive light in the New Testament?
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Discussions: Accepted but Not Commanded
Suzeteo and its synonyms appear 103 times in the New Testament. 60 of those are eperatoa (G1905), which is used simply for asking questions and whether it’s positive or negative depends on the question and the motive. For example, its used of Jesus’s disciples asking Him questions, but also of people questioning Him in an attempt to trap Him (Matt. 16:1; 17:10). Paul even tells women they “should ask” their husbands if they have questions about something going on at church rather than disrupt the service to ask (1 Cor. 14:35). Whether or not a question is positive depends on the motives of the person asking.
Dialegomai (G1256) and dialogizomai (G1260) appear 29 times. These are used of “reasoning together” with other people or of pondering something in your heart. Often it’s negative or has negative consequences (Matt. 16:7-8; 21:25; Mark 2:6-8; 9:33-34), but occasionally it’s positive or neutral (Luke 1:29; 3:15). Outside of the gospels, dialegomai is most often used of Paul’s preaching style in the book of Acts (Acts 17:2, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8-9; 20:7-9; 24:12, 25). Much as with eperatoa, the how and why of how you’re reasoning with other people determines whether such reasoning is good or bad. It is worth noting, though, that I find no instructions saying that God’s people should engage is such reasoning/disputing. Paul did it and it was okay in that setting, but that doesn’t mean we should all teach or interact with people like this, particularly not all the time.
Suzeteo (G4802) and its derivatives (G4803 and G4804) are used in a similar way. It’s used in the gospels of people questioning and reasoning together, sometimes innocently and sometimes with bad motives (Mark 8:11; Luke 24:14-15). It also appears several times in Acts, sometimes of people outside the church debating with Jesus’s followers, but also of Paul disputing with Jews and even with other apostles (Acts 6:9; 9:29; 15:2, 7; 28:29). Such disputes are not really framed positively, and the words are never used in the New Testament epistles as something we should be doing (though they’re not expressly forbidden, as the eris-type words are).
How Should We Talk With Each Other?
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If contention, strife, and disagreements are prohibited and reasoning, discussion, and disputes are not framed positively in most cases, then how should we be talking with one another?
You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice.Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Ephesians 4:29-32, NET
Our focus shouldn’t be on questioning or disputing with one another, but on finding ways to strengthen each others’ faith. For some people, discussing questions of doctrine in a peaceful way may be beneficial so long as it does not stray into the realm of unprofitable disputations or foolish questions (1 Tim. 6:3-4; 2 Tim. 2:23; Tit. 3:9). But our focus should be on building up each other, being kind in our communication, and forgiving quickly when that’s needed.
Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy,complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had
I can only speak for myself, but I always feel encouraged and motivated coming home from church if I’ve had positive, uplifting conversations about God’s goodness, His great work in our lives, and the depth of understanding to be found in His scriptures. Asking questions of other believers and turning to scriptures to find answers can also be uplifting, provided the interaction is focused on learning together rather than lecture or debate. In contrast, it can be upsetting, confusing, and discouraging to be ambushed by someone who wants to debate things that really have no clear answer (e.g. some finer points of prophecy) or which have already been settled to most people’s satisfaction (e.g. the divinity of Jesus Christ).
If I do have the opportunity to get into a debate, I often find myself eager to show-off my scripture knowledge or defend my beliefs, but based on Paul’s instructions to the Romans, Timothy, and Titus that’s the wrong response. The best thing to do is avoid such arguments. After one or two attempts to warn or correct a person who consistently starts this kind of contentious debates, we’re even instructed to avoid them (Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:23; 3:1-5; Tit. 3:9-11). Rather than engaging in pointless debates, we should take the higher ground and model a more excellent way. We should seek to be the kind of people who engage in, start, and create the opportunity for positive, peaceful interactions at church.
What is your first reaction when someone else makes you feel hurt, confused, or belittled? Where does your mind go if you observe someone doing something you think they shouldn’t, or going somewhere you don’t expect them, or not being where you think they should be?
For many of us, our first reaction is to assume something bad. They were trying to hurt us or put us down. They’re slacking on their duties, they don’t value their commitments, they’re trying to get away with something. For others among us, assuming positive intent comes more naturally and we’re inclined to give people a little more grace.
Whatever our default response, we need to learn how to assume positive intent. Psychologists counsel that assuming positive intent is a great way to move forward constructively from disputes. It’s a concept that’s often related to resolving conflicts in a work environment, but it works in other relationships as well. Brené Brown counsels people to approach all our interactions with the assumption that the other person is doing the best they can.
Positive intention isn’t just a new psychology trend. It’s linked with the philosophical notion of charity, which is also a Christian virtue. When you have the option to interpret a situation negatively or positively, assuming positive intent means you choose the more charitable or love-inspired option.
I started to write about this idea in last week’s post as part of the “Do Not Forsake Each Other” section, but I quickly realized there was way too much to say to fit in a concluding paragraph. Even in the church, I think we’re often too quick to jump to conclusions about peoples’ behavior. We may complain about, expose, ridicule, and cut them out of our lives without so much as a conversation to try and resolve our differences. That’s not how things are supposed to be. There has to be a better way.
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A Way Beyond Compare
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he addresses their desire for spiritual gifts. It’s a good desire, since gifts used rightly benefit the entire church body. But Paul is also concerned that the way they’re approaching gifts might lead to conflicts and people thinking that one person’s gift or role is better than another’s. So he makes sure that they know there’s a better way.
But you should be eager for the greater gifts. And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, NET
This is how we’re supposed to interact with each other. Without love guiding our actions, all the good things we do are empty. In the King James Bible, “love” was translated “charity.” It’s from the Greek word agape, or “brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence” (Thayer’s dictionary, entry G26). This is the same word Peter used in his letter when he wrote, “Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8, NET).
Peter doesn’t mean that love ignores sins or says they’re okay. The full Proverb that he quoted says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs” (Prov. 10:12, WEB). There’s a stark contrast between how love handles things and the type of reaction that generates dissention, disagreement, strife, and broken relationships. The NET study note on Proverbs 10:12 says, “Love acts like forgiveness. Hatred looks for and exaggerates faults, but love seeks ways to make sins disappear.” Love is the way God interacts with us, and it’s how He wants us to interact with each other.
If we are patient and kind, avoiding envy, bragging, pride, rudeness, selfishness, anger, and resentment, then we’ll be acting in love and assuming positive intent on the part of people we interact with. Rather than looking for reasons to find fault or jumping on people the moment we spot what might be a sin, we should try to find ways to resolve things peaceably.
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When We’re Tempted to Give Up on Church
All too often, we see churches that are full of rifts and squabbles between the members and misunderstandings or even abuses of power from the ministry. There are times when we need to discontinue fellowship with someone because they are sinful and toxic, and times when accusations must be brought against those in ministry (1 Cor. 5:9-13; 1 Tim. 5:19-20). I don’t want to downplay those serious issues, but (as I mentioned in last week’s post) I suspect they’re less common than situations where pride, selfishness, impatience, and miscommunication are getting in the way of godly conflict resolution.
On the one hand, I understand why some people want to move away from organized church groups and how some develop antagonistic relationships with ministry. As an older teen and in my early 20s, there were several times I wanted to walk away from church even though I didn’t want to abandon my relationship with God. I found myself nodding along when people said that nothing was going to change until all the old ministers died off. I’d get irritated or even outraged when I heard of situations where a minister imposed stupid rules like no colorful socks at church or did something that seemed unbiblical like telling people not to host private Bible studies. I’ve felt stifled by church traditions, alone in congregations, and irritated that some people and/or rules seemed to get in the way of how I want to experience God.
But then I started listening to people more carefully. I heard more about behind-the-scenes reasons for some of the seemingly arbitrary rules in certain congregations. I built relationships with people in the ministry who are truly, deeply committed to doing things God’s way. I joined a small women’s group at church and learned more about their experiences and viewpoints. I don’t always agree with or understand the reasoning of everyone I encounter at church, but I believe that on the whole both ministers and my fellow church members have positive intentions. We all want to follow Jesus, honor God, and contribute positively to His church.
And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16, NET
This is how the church is supposed to work. It doesn’t always look like this, but that’s what we should all be working toward. And I think it will go a long way toward making the church more like this if we learn to assume positive intent on the part of other people. When you assume positive intent, you talk with people about your concerns instead of jumping to the conclusion that they’re intractable, malicious, or stupid. And we need to be able to talk with people to build real relationships and resolve conflicts.
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The Necessity of Godly Conflict Resolution
Matthew 18 is an interesting chapter. In some Bibles, it’s divided up into four different headings but the whole thing is part of Jesus’s answer to a questions the disciples asked. They came to Him and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matt. 18:1, NET).
He called a child, had him stand among them, and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:2-3, NET
“Who will be greatest?” is not the right question to ask. That attitude needed to be turned around if they wanted to get into the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus goes on, He warns them against causing one of the “little ones” who believe in Him to sin. It would be better to cut off your own hand or foot than to be a stumbling block to yourself or others.
He then hammers the point home with the parable of the lost sheep. God is like a shepherd who notices if just one little lamb wanders off, and He cares deeply about keeping all His people in His flock. With that background information about how important it is to God that His flock stays together and the members don’t cause each other to stumble and sin, Jesus immediately goes into addressing Christian conflict resolution.
“In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that atthe testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
Matthew 18:14-15, NET (bold italics in original, marking a quotation from Deut 19:15)
The first step Jesus gives for resolving disputes in a godly way is much easier if you assume positive intent. Ideally, this first step is where it starts and stops. Something comes up, you go to your brother or sister in Christ and talk about it, and you mend the relationship. And yet, this is the step that is most often skipped. We often want to jump ahead to the “take one or two others with you” or “tell it to the church” steps, but that’s not the way to practice truth in love or build up the body (as Paul told us to do in Ephesians).
At this point in the conversation, Peter had a question. He came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” Jesus told Him he must be willing to forgive way more than that, and then illustrated His point with a parable.
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“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed 10,000 talents was brought to him. Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18:23-35, NET
This is serious stuff. Forgiveness from God is among the most precious gifts we receive. Our eternal lives depend on it. So when Jesus says the way we treat each other is so important that God’s forgiveness of us depends on our forgiveness of others, we need to sit up and pay attention. Forgiveness and conflict resolution among God’s people isn’t just God’s preference. It’s an imperative affecting our salvation.
God wants peace among His people and He intends for us to grow together as a whole church (i.e. followers of God who may attend different congregations but are united under the Head of the church, Jesus Christ), not simply as isolated individuals. We are admonished to “take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other” (Heb. 10:23-25). There are times when it’s physically impossible to get together with other believers, and God understands that. But if you can gather with other believers and be part of a local church–or even set up something like virtual Bible studies, if you can’t meet in person–it’s far better to do that than to try to live as a solitary Christian. Let’s each commit to doing our part to live peacefully with all people–especially those who are brothers and sisters in the faith–, assume positive intent as we navigate our relationships, and refuse to give up on fellowshipping together as part of God’s church.
If you’ve been following this blog for the past month and a half, you know we’ve been studying Isaiah 40-66. After six weeks, you might think we’re starting to run out of material, but that’s not the case. I feel like we’re only about halfway through mining the rich treasure trove of the last 27 chapters of Isaiah. This section of the book is an extended dialog where God speaks about redemption and reconciliation, but that isn’t the only thing He talks about.
In the first post for this study, I made a list of key themes that I want to study more extensively in this section of scripture. The list included (among other things) a sharp contrast between prosperity for the righteous and no prosperity for the wicked. This is also connected to another theme that runs through this section of scripture: the importance of obedience. Since God’s nature and character are unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8), we can conclude that He cares just as much about this topic today as He did thousands of years ago when He talked with Isaiah. Therefore, reading these words and figuring out what message He had for His people then can also help us learn what He wants to say to us today.
Outcomes for the Righteous and Wicked
In Isaiah 40-66, there are several passages showing a sharp contrast between two groups of people. On the one hand, you have the righteous people who listen to God, treat Him with respect, and follow His commandments. On the other hand you have the people who disregard God’s words, spurn Him and profane His ways, and disobey His commands. God discusses the outcomes of these two groups in clear-cut language.
This is what the Lord, your Protector, says, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had obeyed my commandments, prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea.” …
“There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 48:17-18, 22, NET
I’m sure this message put Isaiah’s readers in mind of the blessings and cursing section of Deuteronomy. Near the end of that book, Moses reminded the people of Israel about the blessings God promised for faithfulness to His covenant and the curses that would come upon them if they disobeyed (Deut. 28-30). Isaiah’s original readers were in the position Moses talked about when he said, “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will reflect upon them in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you” (Deut. 30:1, NET). Now, the people of Isaiah’s day had an opportunity to turn back to God, receive deliverance, and inherit the prosperity that comes with obeying God’s commands.
The curses that God lays out in Deuteronomy and the statement in Isaiah that “There will be no prosperity for the wicked” are straightforward facts. It’s not a threat so much as it is a revelation about how the world designed by God works. If you do things that align with God’s righteous character, your life will turn out better than if you live wickedly. Sometimes, this rule is difficult for us to see evidence of. It often looks like people who disobey God have all the good things while righteous people are beset by trails.
We’re not the first people to wonder why there seems to be so much evidence contradicting this rule of “prosperity for the righteous/no prosperity for the wicked.” David, Asaph, and Jeremiah all said they saw evildoers prospering, and they wrested with how those observations might relate to God’s promises. All three concluded that the answer is found by looking at the end result of people’s lives (Pss. 37; 73; Jer. 12). No mater how prosperous the wicked seem, they often lead bitter and violent lives and–unless they repent and change (Ezek. 18)–they will be cut off from God in the end.
Similarly, David, Asaph, Jeremiah, and many other people throughout history wondered why righteous people struggle when God said they will prosper. Here again, we need to consider the end result. Even when following God, there will still be ups and downs in your life. Things might even seem downright terrible (just look what happened to some of the people in the faith chapter), but ultimately God works all things out for good in the lives of those He calls into His family (Rom. 8:28). Even during the midst of trials, the righteous can have peace that transcends outward circumstances. Interestingly, the word translated “prosperity” in Isaiah 48 is shalom, which is more typically translated “peace” and also means “wholeness.” The righteous get a sense of “wholeness” that comes from being in relationship with God. The wicked, having rejected God, do not.
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The Importance of Obedience
God wants us to follow Him with genuine hearts–hearts on which the New Covenant is written. This covenant is not engraved on stone tablets like the kind Moses carried down from Mount Sinai, but on “tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 8:7-10). Our hearts. And when our hearts are following God, that results in obedience from the inside-out. We’ll walk in His ways because we’re being transformed by His spirit. Just as in Isaiah’s day, God is looking for obedience that shows our hearts are in the right place.
This is what the Lord says, “Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly. The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.”
For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” … “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near,” says Yahweh; “and I will heal them.” But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can’t rest and its waters cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Isaiah 57:15, 19-21, WEB
As in the verses we looked at earlier, God reveals a sharp contrast between the wicked and righteous. One prospers, one does not. One is full of peace, the other has none. Having peace/wholeness and experiencing blessings is a natural state for those who walk in relationship with God. Even if their circumstances aren’t great right now, they know things will work out for good in the end and their relationship with God can give them a supernatural peace.
In contrast, the wicked don’t enjoy the peace and prosperity that comes with being in relationship with God. They’re not necessarily stuck in that state, though. God is always eager for people to reconcile with Him and if they do, God promises, “None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him” (Ezek. 18:22, WEB). There’s always the opportunity for us to move from one category to the other (Ezek. 18; 33).
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Hoping and Praying for Good Outcomes
The sharp contrast between long-term outcomes for the righteous and wicked might seem harsh. But as I mentioned before, what God lays out here and in other passages throughout the Bible is simply a revelation about how His world works. He designed and created the universe, and He has the “inside scoop” on how to live in a way that results in a good outcome. We can either listen to Him or reject His counsel. Either way, we’ll reap the consequences (good or bad) that He tells us about beforehand.
“But you who forsake Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny; I will destine you to the sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you didn’t answer. When I spoke, you didn’t listen; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn’t delight.”
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry; behold, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, my servants will rejoice, but you will be disappointed; Behold, my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry for sorrow of heart, and will wail for anguish of spirit.”
Isaiah 65:11-14, WEB
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These aren’t the sort of feel-good, reassuring verses that we like to spend our time reading. If it just said, “My servants will eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy of heart,” then we might spend a lot more time reading Isaiah 65. But it also contains information about what will happen to those who forsake God, ignore His voice, and do things He calls evil. And those verses give us pause, as they should.
When we read these hard verses, it’s an opportunity to take a look at ourselves. If we see ourselves in any of those descriptions, then we can repent and recommit to following God with our whole hearts. He is always eager to hear sincere repentance and grant forgiveness. He also offers us help through His own indwelling Spirit, His words written in our hearts, and His energetic working inside us to accomplish salvation (John 14:16-7, 26; Phil. 2:12-13). We’re not left alone on this journey. Jesus and the Father work in us, and apply their righteousness to us (Jer. 23:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).
These verses might also make us think about others and grieve because we don’t want these terrible things to happen to anyone. That is also a godly response. God “desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4, WEB). He is “not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, WEB). When we wish that people wouldn’t need to go through such terrible things, it’s a desire God shares. And even though we can’t make people come to God–He’s the one who opens eyes and draws hearts to Him (John 6:44; 14:6)–we can share our hope with people around us and pray for others to come to know God (1 Peter 3:15-16; 1 Tim 2:1-4).
We can also take comfort from scriptures like these in Isaiah. When we’re walking with God, we are among those blessed by His favor. These good, comforting, and encouraging words are for us. He teaches us how to succeed. He sends deliverance over us like ocean waves. He vindicates us, revives us, heals us, and gives us peace. He fills us with joy. There is a “day of vengeance of our God” proclaimed in this section of Isaiah, but it is also “the year of Yahweh’s favor,” filled with comfort, provision, and joy for the Lord’s people who faithfully follow Him (Is. 61).
Like An Anchor 