Saints who build virtue
Contents
Romans 14:13-23
edifying saints
Jephthah defeated and improved the Ammonites who were harassing Israel. But again, the people of Ephraim intercepted Jephthah's triumphal procession and quarreled. “Why didn’t you call us when you went out to fight the Ammonites? We will burn you and your house on fire.” Then Jephthah heard this and said, "When we had a hard time fighting with the Ammonites, I called you, but you didn't come. Then he cut off the escape routes of the Ephraimites and killed forty thousand Ephraimites.
Gideon virtuously overcame the immediate crisis with Ephraim. However, Jephthah overcame Ephraim by force, causing a tragedy of kinship. The country is cluttered both inside and outside. On the outside, it is cluttered with the global economic downturn, and on the inside, it is dealing with the problems of the former president. That's why I miss people with virtues like Gideon. In the military, officers of the rank of first lieutenant, such as lieutenant, lieutenant, or captain, are called mercenaries. Field-level officers, such as major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel, are called jizos. And generals such as brigadier generals, lieutenants, lieutenants, and generals are called deokjangs. A leader who leads an army needs courage and wisdom, but above all, it needs virtue. I miss the duct. Both the country and the church need virtuous people.
In order to overcome this chaotic situation, we need a virtuous man who is neither a brave nor a wise man. There is a saying in the Three Kingdoms '有道伐無道不德讓有德'. It means, “Return to rudeness, and those without virtue give the world away to those who have virtue.” Even the equipment of the fortune teller will get stuck when he encounters the Jizo, Cao Cao. However, even Cao Cao, the chieftain, cannot be defeated by Liu Bei, the chieftain. So, isn't it called 'The long-distance fire lord' (勇將不如知將) and the 'jjjang-bul-yeo-deok-jang (智將不如德將)'? It is said that a courageous longevity cannot be met with a wise longevity, and a wise longevity cannot be met with a virtuous longevity. The politics and economy of this country are not difficult because there are no brave people. This country is not cluttered because there are few smart people. On the contrary, there are too many brave people and too many smart people. The problem is that there are no virtuous people. Only virtuous people are missed.
So is the church. There are many brave members in today's church. When there is a problem, there are many believers who turn on their twin wicks in their eyes and roll up their arms, claiming that only they are righteous and that they are the problem solvers. There are many wise saints. Quoting the Bible, citing the law, and knocking down others.
We passed the church bylaws last week. In fact, while setting the bylaws, I was not without fear that we might lose grace because we were bound by these bylaws. What is more important than my rules is grace. The church must precede grace. All problems should be solved with grace. Nevertheless, there must be a bylaw because it is the last sword. Bylaws are the last resort. A sword is beautiful when it is in its sheath. When the sword is pulled out of its sheath, it calls for blood. Therefore, before using the sword, it must be solved with grace. May all problems be solved by grace so that we all do not have to use swords.
Indeed, there are many brave members in today's church. There are many wise saints. However, the virtuous saints are fewer and fewer than in the past. The problem lies right here. Whenever a problem arises, no one comes forward and says, “It’s my fault,” and everyone tries to pass the blame on to others. Lists are all over the place, but everyone on the list says they are innocent. I really miss virtuous people, virtuous saints.
1. God has given us freedom to edify.
God has given freedom to all human beings. Depending on how you exercise that freedom, you can become either Dr. Chikil or Hyde. Depending on how freedom is used, it can either edify or destroy the church. Verse 13, the text God has given you and me today, tells us two ways to use freedom for edification. Let's read verse 13 together. “Therefore, let us never again judge one another, but take heed that we do not set before our brethren anything that may bump or sting.
1) First, we must not criticize each other.
Criticism is meeting your own standards. In other words, we measure others by our own standards. Trying to put one's clothes on someone else. Therefore, the critic always puts his own standards first. put your argument ahead. Ultimately, the critic expects everyone in the world to be like him.
A man named Sangjin, who served as the ruler during the reign of King Myeongjong, said, “There are a lot of special side dishes in the world, but there are no side dishes that are as delicious and appealing as others gossip. After work, a westerner heard that office workers stopped by the food stalls and said, “Who are you going to eat for snacks today?” and the title of a superior, and ran away saying, “I am a cannibal.” When Koreans talk about other people, their faces become lively and their eyes glow. However, in the United States, where the Puritan spirit is based, it is considered evil to slander or slander people when there is no one else. If you slander in the absence of the person you are not in, you do not form a consensus as in Korea, but rather are criticized for a personal flaw.
A psychologist named Rolo May said that internally anxious people use an aggressive method to cover up their weaknesses by blaming others. Emotionally weak people who are afraid to admit their own shortcomings are often self-justifying and blaming others. In fact, mentally sound people are not stingy in admitting their mistakes. However, those with internal weaknesses do not hesitate to criticize others. That's right. Criticism is a disguise to cover up one's weaknesses.
You shouldn't criticize. When we cover and embrace the other person's faults rather than criticizing them, we become a beautiful family, a beautiful church, and a beautiful country. Please be a saint who does not criticize.
2) Second, you must not put anything that will bump or be rough in front of your brother.
When the crawling child starts to walk, tape the drawers and apply a thick sponge or cloth to the corners of the furniture. Put braces on your knees and elbows. Dangerous objects such as medicines and knives are placed high up out of the reach of children. Things that don't really matter to me who have mature faith may stumble or discourage a brother or sister who is weak in faith. Therefore, the believer first, the believer with good faith, must remove the obstacles to the faith of those who believe later or those with weak faith. It should be removed. In verses 15 and 16, Paul says, “If food causes your brother to grieve, because you are not acting out of love, do not let your food perish the brother for whom Christ died, so that your goodness may not be reproached. ” he said. If eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols becomes a stumbling block to believers with weak faith, it means that they will not eat meat forever.
The church is a community of saints. If a community is to be sustained, it must not assert its own standards. The community can be maintained only when we abandon the selfishness or self-righteousness that says everything is right just because it is right for me. It may be right for me, but not right for others. Also, what is right for me and what is right for others may not be right for God. It is difficult for a relatively smart person to build virtue. It is difficult for a person who is right and wrong to build virtue. It's good to be right. It's good to be clear and thorough. But if my right, my correctness, my clarity is to stumble my brother, I must not hesitate to give it up. Because that is how the church is built. I hope that you will become a saint who will not bump into others or put harsh things on them.
2. Freedom to edify is not to offend others.
Verse 21 of the text tells us what freedom is for edification. Let's read verse 21 together. “It is beautiful that you neither eat meat nor drink wine, nor do anything that makes your brother a stumbling block.”
In the early days of missionaries preaching the gospel to Korea, alcohol and tobacco were allowed in the church. There was a large house called Jang Jeongseungdaek in the place where Ewha Girls' High School used to be. Sakyunghoe is a Bible study in today's terms. However, during breaks between Bible studies, alcohol and cigarettes were provided. So, in the middle of the Bible study, I took out a long teddy bear that I carried around my waist and smoked cigarettes. However, as alcohol and tobacco gradually became a hindrance to a healthy religious life, and as more and more families broke down due to alcohol and tobacco, he realized that drinking and smoking could not fulfill the mission of light and salt in society. Esau created a guide for living by faith and started teaching abstinence and smoking cessation.
In this guidebook, the seven principles are recorded, and I was baptized only after memorizing them and making a vow to put them into practice. The seven principles are, first, to attend worship thoroughly. Second, it should be Holy Week. Third, be filial to your parents. Fourth, be monogamous. Fifth, let's pray. Sixth, be diligent and sincere. Seventh, I will quit smoking this week. A few years later, in 1914, the Council of the Presbyterians of the Jesuits promulgated the principle that a smoker should never be appointed an elder.
The saints have the freedom to smoke by using their nose, which is made in the image of God, as a smoke chimney, and they have the freedom to drink alcohol so that their noses are crooked. You have the freedom to gamble all night long. But in order to build virtue, it is right not to smoke, not to drink, and to be temperate. Because if we drink, smoke, and gamble, we can offend others. We must not forget that a Christian is one who has the freedom to limit his freedom for the sake of others.
That's why Paul said in verse 18, "He who serves Christ by this is pleasing to God, and is also praised by men." Believers should be praised not only by God but also by people. I am abusing my God-given freedom if my words or actions at my disposal cause others to stumble. A saint who abuses his freedom cannot be said to be a saint who builds virtue.
3. Freedom to edify means that one's conscience is free.