Romans 2:9-10 Amplified Bible (AMP)
9 [And] there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).
10 But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).
The bible speaks quite a bit about doing evil and doing good and there are many people in religion who interpret for themselves what they believe “good” and “evil” are and what that means for society. We do have the Jewish Law and all of the “thou shalt nots” in the Pentateuch that outline for the Jewish nation what God expected and what good and evil was. The Jews were all about right doing. God gave them laws to follow and rituals to perform that would bring them to a realization about Him first and themselves as a people and a nation second. Good action, for the Jews, led to good minds and hearts.
With the coming of Jesus, we become focused on two things above all others; love of God and love of neighbor as oneself. In the New Testament, the whole concept of “doing good” stems from an attitude of love and faith in God, not an attitude of selfishness and greed. Being too inwardly focused or concerned about oneself over others only leads to selfish action. Jesus had a lot to say about that in his Sermon on the Mount and in some of his parables. His preaching was consistently emphatic about making amends with those you’ve hurt, making sure your oaths or your anger stem from a righteous state of heart, and not neglecting the normal things that make us good citizens and members of our community. The lesson I take away from the New Testament is that a good disposition leads to good action.
Psychology anyone? Are these two stances mutually exclusive or symbiotic? In one of those strange reversals found everywhere in the bible, Peace comes from good action, even though we also know that good action comes from a heart and mind filled with peace. It is like a law of reverse spiritual thermodynamics. Turning the other cheek. Giving your brother two cloaks instead of the one he asks for. Etc. Focusing too much on ritual and doctrine makes you neglect the very people you should be serving and focusing too much on love and service turns your mind too much toward “the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1: 25b). A fine balance is called for. This tension, and sometimes outright conflict, is something I’ve found demonstrated in all of the churches I’ve worshiped in or been a member of.
English: Detail of stained glass window created by Louis Comfort Tiffany in Arlington Street Church (Boston) depicting the Sermon on the Mount. March 2009 photo by John Stephen Dwyer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I became a Christian because I believed that only God could change me from the inside out. I firmly believe that only the Spirit of God can truly change a selfish, greedy, and inconsistently foolish heart and mind into a loving, selfless, and calm heart and mind. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be a Christian. Sometimes I falter in my belief, especially when I see Christians being hateful to each other or neglectful of the poor or abusive of the vulnerable. Although I know none of us can be perfect, I sometimes wonder if what I believe to be the “answer” for a painful society truly is the answer. But that is what faith is all about and despite all of the worries and failures, I believe it to be true. It just takes time……and faith.
Filed under: 365 days, Christ, Death, diary, Faith, God, journal, Light, postaday, prayer, Quaker, Religious Society of Friends, writing Tagged: Amplified Bible, Gentile, God, Greek, Jesus, Jew, New Testament, peace, Sermon on the Mount, Torah
