Remembering
We humans are so prone to forgetting. Perhaps that is why the Scriptures often reminds us (more than 40 times) to remember the commandments of the Lord, His love, and that we are sinners in need of God’s grace.
As I have observed believers over the past few years, it seems we need to be reminded of a few things that I think we have forgotten. Here are a few:
· God loves the world (John 3:16), not just a part of it. He loves the people of all nations, regardless of their religious beliefs or political leanings, whether they are rich or poor, upstanding citizens or criminals. Thus, we as followers of Jesus need to have love for them as well. Why is this important now? Because we are being incentivized to hate people by folks on social media, politicians, and people who see the financial benefits of pitting us against one another. It may be inconvenient and unpopular, but the fact remains that we are commanded to love one another. We need to remember that.
· In Christ, there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). I see so much condemnation of fellow believers, particularly on social media, because they have different points of view. I saw a comment from a fellow believer recently wondering how anyone could vote for President Biden. It takes little imagination to understand how they would feel about the Christians who would do so. The reality is there are churches organizing themselves around political beliefs because they only want to fellowship with people who agree with them. We need to remember that our unity is not based on political viewpoints, but rather on our love for and commitment to Jesus. We should be lifting people up rather than tearing them down (Eph. 4:29-32) Among the disciples chosen by Jesus were a number of different political viewpoints and biases toward others. Yet, He put them together. We need to remember that.
· We are commanded to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us (Matt. 5:43-48). Even if we consider certain individuals or groups our enemies, Jesus gives us no right to hate them or treat them with contempt. Rather, we are to love them and bless them. It seems easy today for believers to justify hate and contempt toward those they view as “unAmerican,” anti-Christian, or “on the wrong side of history.” Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience under Roman occupation. Yet, Jesus told them to love their enemies and bless those who persecuted them. We need to remember that.
· God is love (I Jn. 4:8). The Church and individual believers are to be known by their love (Jn. 13:34-35; I Jn. 4:11). How many churches today are known primarily by their love for one another? Most are known for their pastor, their doctrine, their programs, or their political leanings. Jesus said that we are to be known by our love for one another. We need to remember that.
The function of remembrance in the Bible is either to keep believers in right relationship with the Lord, or to help to return them to Him if they have veered off the path that leads to life. Today there a lot of believers who are flirting with ways of thinking about and doing life that are not in line with the teachings of the Scriptures. And there are also many who have veered off the path to chase power, fame, wealth, or some other idol.
Now is a good time to remember the teachings of the Scriptures and to return to practicing them.
© Jim Musser 2024 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
