Proverbs 25-27, Romans 15

Romans 15:14-15a

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again.


Proverbs 27

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.


Proverbs 27

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another


Good old Paul with a pat on the back and a slap up side the head at the same time for the Christians in Rome. Not too different than, say, the pastor of my church. We collectively, and I myself have lots of knowledge and competence. But I am always in need of some bold, in-my-face "reminding" of just what I should be doing and how I should be living. How loving would it really be for somebody to stay silent and not rebuke a brother when they veer off the right path?

Unfortunately is seems in our culture that rebuke, trying to "sharpen" somebody else or words of correction are taken as an insult. We throw up walls of defense around us, the individual. We pay lip service to the concept of "body" but don't really understand how to reconcile that with the American concepts of individualism and pioneer spirit that have evolved.

I know we cannot be certain of the motives of others. But just imagine this. What if each of us resolved to always assume a brother or sister really had our best interest as well as the best interest of the body of Christ in mind when they approached us to address a concern about something they have seen in our life. If we both agree that the goal is to follow Christ and obey God's Word how could I not desire you to examine my life.

This also frees us from the fear wrought by the shackles of ego and pride. At the foot of the cross there are no secret things of which Christ died to cleanse me. If the only One who knows all my failings yet still loved and forgave me, then what do I have to fear from men who want to see me live in the fullness of all that life in Christ offers. We are also complete equals, not me measuring your life by my own or you measuring mine by yours. We look at the template in the Bible and try to conform to that. Sure there will be points where we disagree about what some things mean and how that is lived out. But if we are all looking at Christ we stand shoulder to shoulder in unity instead of eyeball to eyeball in conflict.