The Terrible Speed of Mercy

Here lies Martin Elginbrod

Have mercy on my soul, Lord God

As I would do were I Lord God

And Thou were Martin Elginbrod

—Scottish Epitaph

"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I have received mercy..." (1Timothy 1:15,16a).

Years ago, I read a story about a fractious congregational meeting in which a young man rose to his feet and shouted “I demand my rights!" An elderly gentleman seated in the pew behind him, tugged on his shirt tail and muttered, “Sit down, son. If you had your rights you'd be in hell.“

Exactly. If God gave me what I rightfully deserve I would be in one of the nine circles of Dante's Inferno. "But I have received mercy."

That thought clears my head when I think that I'm entitled to the good life, or at least one better than the one I have. No, my salvation and every other good thing that comes my way is mine not because I deserve it, but because "I have received mercy." 

How then can I be angry at friends who disappoint me when it's by God's mercy that I have any friends at all? How can I envy old folks that enjoy better health than I when it's solely by God's mercy that I enjoy the measure of health that I have? No, if I got what I deserved I'd be in pure hell. But, thank God, through the Cross, "I have received mercy!"

And, dear reader, so have you!

David Roper

10.26.18

As I wrote this morning I thought of Flannery O’Connor’s would-be hellfire and damnation prophet, Francis Marion Tarwater, who received his long-awaited commission from a burning bush: “Go warn the children of God of the terrible speed of God's mercy.” As Miss O’Connor herself might say, “May God strike you down thisaway.”

 Some Low, Unworthy Thing

Why is it that so often I return 

From social converse with a spirit worn, 

A lack, a disappointment—even a sting 

Of shame, as for some low, unworthy thing?

—George MacDonald

An inspired apostle enjoined Timothy to “flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2Timothy 2:22).

"Youthful passions," in this context (2 Timothy 2:22-26), are not sexual passions, but the immature impulse to wrangle and win. To engage in "foolish and ignorant controversies" that engender strife and ill-will (2:23). These are the ends the unfledged achieve. 

Mature men and women seek righteousness (right thinking and living); faith (trust in God's wisdom and power); love (for God and neighbor); and peace (tranquility and rest)—attributes they long to see in others.

I ask myself, "Have my words and manner achieved those ends?" Or have I left behind some "low, unworthy thing”?

David Roper

10.25.18

The Mouse That Roared

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet"  —Romans 16:20

A number of years ago our boys and I spent a week driving across the Magruder Corridor, a hundred-mile long jeep track through the Selway–Bitterroot Wilderness in Northern Idaho, one of the least populated areas in the lower forty-eight.

It's grizzly bear country so we took precautions, but anticipated no major difficulties. 

One evening, in the middle of the night, Randy give a blood-curdling yell and scrambled to his feet while still in his sleeping bag. I frantically felt around in the darkness, located my flashlight and aimed it into the woods, expecting to see an outraged bear. 

There, sitting upright on its haunches and waving its paws in the air…

…was a field mouse about 4” tall with Randy’s watch-cap clenched in its teeth. The little creature had pulled the cap from his head. Randy yelled at the mouse; it dropped the cap and scampered away. 

But my heart kept pounding.

Everyone else went back to sleep, but I couldn’t. I was so adrenalized I lay awake for several hours. With nothing else to do I began to consider another predator: the devil.

We do well to be aware of the devil. Jesus said he is “a liar and a murderer. His goal is to destroy the human race and his strategy is deceit. He is not to be taken lightly.

We Christians are not dualists, however, believing in two equal and opposite spiritual powers. The devil is a mere created being. His only power is the power that fear gives him. Indeed, as Luther said, "one little word shall fell him."

Consider the temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4). On each occasion, Jesus' countered Satan's enticement with a word. Here is the third temptation:

The devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve'” (Matthew 4:8-10).

It's important to understand what's going on here. Jesus is not quoting scripture to Satan. (That brings to mind an old Sunday school song about the “gospel gun”: “Shoot it at the devil if you want to make him run.”) 

No, Jesus is quoting scripture to himself! Satan offered Jesus the whole world if he would serve him. Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:13), reminded himself what God has said and asserted that he would not act contrary to it. It was Jesus' utter submission to God's word that caused Satan to flee (4:11).

That's why it's so important to know God's word and store it in our minds: "Your word (Oh, God), have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you,” the psalmist wrote (Psalm 119:11).

And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed 

His truth to triumph through us

The Prince of Darkness grim, 

we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, 

for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him—Martin Luther

David Roper

10.17.18

Christ plays...

“God—who is establishing us in Christ, has anointed us"  (2Corinthians 1:20).

Paul loved paradoxes: "When I am weak, I am strong.” And puns: “God—who is establishing us in Christ (the anointed) has 'Christed’ (anointed) us.”  

Thus...

Christ plays in ten thousand places, 

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his 

To the Father through the features of men's faces" (G.M. Hopkins).

We are "Christs"—manifesting his beauty in arms that hug, eyes that crinkle and smile with compassion, faces that are as love-filled as his, feet that carry the good news of God’s love to the weary and heavy–laden. In this way Christ “plays” in ten thousand places, in gentle influence wherever his children go, a witness to goodness, truth and beauty that cannot be ignored. As Paul himself wrote, “I live, yet not I; but Christ lives in me.” 

May Christ so “play" in you and me.

David Roper

10.14.18

Showing Up

"But as God is faithful, our word to you was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’" (2Corinthians 1:18). 

Woody Allen said that "Eighty percent of success is showing up." I would add, "on time." 

I once had a friend who was always late for appointments. He justified his tardiness by saying he had so much to do. I 'lowed as to how, if he couldn't keep his word, he was busier than God. 

God always keeps his word: He doesn't say “Yes” and mean “No.” 

Nor should we. 

David Roper

10.13.18

Goodness Personified

"May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all...so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father…” (1Thessalonians 3:12,13).

It is as we grow in love that we become holy. How can that be? Well, it's because love “is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1Corinthians 13:4-7). 

Holiness of life is made perfect in and through love. Aim at holiness and you'll become a fusty, finger-wagging prude. Aim at love and by God’s grace and in due time you will become holy—goodness and beauty personified. 

David Roper

10.10.18

Two or Three

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or against us?’

‘No!’ the Man said…” (Joshua 5:13,14a).

As an individual I have opinions about political issues and vote accordingly; but as a spokesman for the Church, I don’t take sides. If folks ask me if I’m on one side or the other I just say, “No.” Like the Man.

For one thing, I don’t want to limit my witness to members of one party. If I lean left how will my brothers on the right hear the gospel? If I lean right what will happen to those on my left. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” (I wonder how many Christians consider that issue when engaged in angry debate over some moot political point? They may win the debate and lose that soul for the gospel. That’s tragic.) 

Additionally, I don’t embrace one political system or the other because I don’t believe that there is one human system that is necessarily biblical. Every human system is a combination of good and evil. The key to a good society is good men and women. Good people can make a bad system good; bad people can make a good system bad. Character matters.

(For the record, the only political system the Bible endorses is a benevolent monarchy.)

But I do want to address an issue that has political implications because I have a bit of pastoral concern. It has to do with the issue of uncorroborated witness and the way we relate to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m not thinking of a particular individual involved in the current debate, but of a principle applicable to all. 

The evidentiary principle of corroborated witness is well-established in our judicial system in the West. Some say the concept has its roots in Roman law, but actually the principle is sourced in scripture and predates Roman law by 1500 years or more.

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).

"But," you say, “that's Old Testament thinking. We're free from the Law." Indeed, but the principle is restated in the New Testament: "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” (2Corinthians 13:1). 

Paul quotes this old text because he is preparing for a showdown with the Corinthians. Some of the leaders there had questioned his authority as an apostle and considered him a charlatan. They wanted the church to put him on trial. Bring it on, Paul says, but let's be true to the scriptures: "Any charge against me must be supported by the evidence of two or three witnesses."

The same requirement is incorporated into Jesus' instructions to his disciples (Matthew 18:16), and occurs in other contexts in the New Testament (John 8:17; 1Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:8).

This principle, imbedded in the Old Testament and reiterated in the New applies to us as Christians and is relevant to personal relationships as well as judicial proceedings. It’s a biblical mandate. 

For me there is another biblical idea that is equally apropos: “Love believes all things, hopes all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). This is the Law of Love. 

Love is not naive, but it does assume the best of others and does not judge a brother without compelling evidence of wrong-doing, a biblical parallel to the legal principle that we are innocent until proven guilty.

All of which goes to the notion that we must not permit our culture to establish our parameters. We have a higher standard. 

David Roper

10.3.18