It’s fascinating to see responses to godly instructions.
There is a type of thinking that says that each situation should be judged on its own merits and so whenpeople hear what sounds like a universal principle, they look for the exception with those scenarios that start with the phrase, ‘what happens if …’. We look for the exception almost to look for an escape and the admission that maybe what sounds like something to do all the time, is really a good idea to apply as often as you can, but no pressure all the time. And from no pressure all the time, to an accommodation to just do it when its convenient. and then we can choose whenever its convenient as well as when its inconvenient and what was once an instruction for right living, becomes an interesting suffestion to consider before moving onto something far less taxing.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:18
People read this and rush to the safety zones of the exceptions. It is not always going to be possible to live at peace, we assure ourselves. Some people just don’t want to know, some people are antagoistic and hostile. There’s no point looking to live at peace with some because it is far too much hard work.
The challenge with this instruction is not to look for the exception but live in the heart of the message. The Christian community is marked by a desire to live in harnony with each other. That desire to live that way comes from a view of each other as made in the image of God and called from darkness to live in the light and celebrate that light in how we interact and engage with each other. Not just in a cordial or amiable fashion, but also with the knowledge that we’re engaging with living stones being built by God to be a place He can be comfortable to call his home. Those living stones, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ look to be shaped and modelled by that foundation keen to build others up, build alongside others even as we ourselves are being built by others.
That harmonious living in the faith community has bearings to how we engage with others outside of the community. As people marked in being sons of the God because we’re peacemakers, it’s no surprise that our first step and desire in relating to others is to look for those opportunities to build them, support them, see the worth of God in them and celebrate its expression. This is something that is done in the individual engagements, but it’s the hallmark of how the Christian community and cells in that behave. You see a group of those Christian types and it’s not just that they’re friendly at arms length. This group clearly have a desire to see how they can engage with others around them and show the love, share the peace and build on that as the opportunity presents itself.
The normal Christian life is about expressing such tendencies. Not merely peace-keeping or conflict-avoiding, but actively making the most of peace-making opportunities. From what can be done to buld relationships with others, to what can be done to support the local neighbourhood, to how can disagreements at least be understood by both sides and where possible a better state of existing can emerge. Living peaceably with all, is not about having plastic smiles on faces and looking not to upset people. Being one who stands up for love, truth and righteousness can be off-putting to some and perceived as offensive by others. The response to that is not to retreat to the confines of a holy huddle and limit outside engagement to what is palatable. The response is rather to pursue the best way possible to make peace where possible. Even where it’s not, that state only comes about after the extended hand of peace has been firmly turned away.
Jesus presents to those who follow Him a picture of peace. He shows it in action with the insight into how nature was to reflect that wholeness in a flourishing and thriving and interdependent ecosystem. He displays it in the marvellous work of the cross bringing together Jew and Gentile to be become one new person in Him. He demonstrates it in how His love can make enemies become friends, and friends to see each other as family and so multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-lingual peoples find a deep and profound bond and a connection with each other through Him. He does not give this insight for His believers to find consolation whilst hunkering away from the barbs of a hostile, dark world. He offers this vision to shape, direct and inspire His followers to push for this within and without the community aspart of the norm of who they are, just as it is part of the norm of who He is.
This is a mark of a true Christian in true Christian community.
(This blog series was inspired by the Christian meditation on The Marks of a True Christian from the Encounter podcast.)
(Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 