The Romance of Romans-Part 123

[Michael]

Romans Chapter 16 cont'd

I urge you to take note of and avoid those people who cause divisions
and offenses by embracing or promoting doctrines that are contrary to
the ones you have learned. These kinds of people are not concerned
with serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but with filling their unsatisfied
desires. They employ good-sounding words and manipulative monologues
that deceive the hearts of the undiscerning.
The testimony of your faithfulness to God has been reported throughout
the whole world and I am glad that you've been honored like this. Just
make sure that you preserve your spirit of innocence- be "streetwise"
in good, but not in evil! And soon, the God of peace will crush Satan
under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Yes,
Lord, let it be!

Comments:

We are nearing the end of this extensive and intensive world-changing
letter and seems to me as if Paul keeps thinking of final words to say
and blessings to offer and, as a result, we end up with several
benedictory closings in this final chapter. He is like a proud father
who boasts in the well-being and well-doing of his children...though
he had never had the opportunity to visit the believers in Rome in
person. It was a great victory for the believers throughout the world
to have a faithful and vibrant congregation of Christ-followers in the
capital city.

It would be so wonderful if church communities never had to deal with
negative influences or deceptive and destructive people in their
midst. Sadly, it has never been and will never be in this age. The
Church is planted in the earth in the midst of a spiritual battle zone
and God's ancient enemy, given that he cannot overthrow God himself,
is always at work to assault and tear down the people of God...and
God's beloved creation...on every possible front. Satan does this
primarily, on the visible level, by using both witting and unwitting
people...as ambassadors of error, disruption and deception.

Still, though it is tempting to use unholy means of dealing with these
kinds of people and their influences, believers must rise above evil
and overcome it with good. The Church has been compared to a mighty
rescue ship in the ocean waters where people are drowning from
shipwrecks in the sea. Many are saved by the efforts of the ship's
crew. The ship is "in the sea"...by design...but if "the sea gets in
the ship", then the ship will ironically and tragically lose its
purpose for being and fail in its mission. The Church is called to
navigate within the broken and sinful cultures of the world, but it
must be on guard to not allow sinful cultures to invade and run
unchecked within it. How can we do this without becoming overly
defensive, unloving, self-righteous, negative, controlling and
fearful?

The New Testament offers us a godly "polity"...a way of governing the
community of faith...that equips us to deal effectively with
troublesome people and influences in a way we can live out the
challenge of Michah 6:8--to do justly, to love mercy and to walk
humbly with our God. Believers need to be forearmed for the
inevitability of dealing with these kinds of situations and people so
that we are not left to our own reactive devices when such events crop
up.

More to come....