“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21,22).
This is from my reading this morning. Whenever I’m reading
in the Old Testament, I like to keep my eyes open for places where the text is
quoted in the New Testament. These doublets from Proverbs are quoted by the
apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans: “Never pay back evil for evil to
anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as
it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge,
beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written [in
Deuteronomy 32:35], ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.
[And, as it says in Proverbs 25:21,22,] ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed
him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap
burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good” (12:17-21). Paul doesn’t quote the last line of Proverbs 25:22, but
take note that there’s a promise for obedience: “...the LORD will reward
you.” There’s nothing deep or complicated about either the Proverbs passage
or how it’s quoted and applied in Romans. I want to draw your attention to what
comes immediately after this: Paul’s teaching on living as a Christian and a
citizen under the authority of a government (Romans 13:1-7). Sometimes chapter
and verse numbering causes us to read sections with more separation between them
than the original inspired author intended.
Think about this: Paul’s teaching on living with enemies
flows smoothly into his teaching on living as a Christian in an earthly State.
I’ve looked at the Greek text – there are no contrastive conjunctions or any
hint that Paul intends a separation between Romans 12:21 and 13:1. And, living
as Christians in 21st century U.S.A. ,
we would do well not to separate what God has joined together. We need to
consider how we treat our political enemies – especially when they are in
power. Paul’s teaching on this subject (and that of 1 Peter) was inspired under
an Empire which was exceedingly hostile against Christianity. We would do well
to listen to the Scriptures more than our own fleshly rage (which we dress up
as righteous indignation) or the voices of politicos who are on our side but
are sadly Christ-less.
* * * * * * *
I continue to be grieved over how Christians comport
themselves in the view of the world (I’m considering primarily social media
here). Where is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I’m not talking about your choices
of entertainment or habit or even apparent morality. I reference how you speak
of your political enemies – not just the people in public office, but by
extension the majority that put them into office (despite the conspiracy
theories, our leaders did not steal or violently take their offices, but were
put there by your neighbors). What are you saying to them? Let’s listen to Paul
again - this time to the Corinthian Church: “...I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,
and Him crucified...I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached
to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are
saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed
in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that
He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:1-4). There is an absoluteness to Paul’s
statements that we need to have in our lives as believers, especially in the
sight of the world. Where is that determination or “first importance” in
your posts and re-posts? Where is Christ and the salvation that comes through
Him alone?
I am a Southern Baptist. Our confession says this about our
work in this world on behalf of the Kingdom
of God
Blood moons, geopolitics, the U.S. Constitution, Senate
hearings, political saviors, Confederate flags...none of this will save. If I
were “the serpent of old,” though, I would certainly be delighted at
your obsession with these things, knowing that only “the blood of the Lamb,”
a Christian “testimony,” and “the commandments of God” can
successfully resist the ancient adversary (Revelation 12:11,17). It would seem from your
speech, though, that these things are not your hope and foundation. But,
hypothetically speaking, if the economic system collapses in a few months and
you’re right (which I seriously doubt), how does that change the eternal place
of the souls of our neighbors and political enemies? If the President resigned
tomorrow and the former Secretary of State was thrown in prison the day after
that, it wouldn’t change a thing about the reality that hell is waiting for
most of the people around us. And some of these things you guys are lifting up
as important are barely a step above inflammatory, baseless gossip. Barely.
Some of the people you’re touting as worthy of hearing are without Christ, just
as godless as the political enemies you seem to hate so much. As is popularly
said, only God knows the heart (which ought to break and humble us all), but
from what you lift up as important in the sight of all, the only difference between you and your
enemy is philosophy. Certainly not Christ and His Father’s Kingdom. It would
seem, at least from what you say and don’t say, that you must really hate these
people not to give them the only protection from the wrath of God. You must
really hate these people to be yelling at them about how stupid they are
politically as they are falling headlong into the eternal fires of hell. That’s
how it seems. Your posts will only distract from Christ those who already agree
with you (and many on your political side need Christ, too!). They will not
change the minds of your enemies, who have their own funny pictures mocking
your guys, sarcastic statements describing how ignorant you are, and “facts” either
interpreting the past or showing that your point of view is dangerous to the
future of this country. It’s a stalemate, whether you know it or not.
Christ is the only Person Who can change the equation. Some
day, it will be said, “it is time for judgment to begin with the household
of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who
do not obey the Gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Where is the Kingdom
priority (not conservative political priority) in all you do and say (Matthew
6:33)? Think about who has your ear. Think about what you’re publishing for the
world to see. Where is the truth of Scripture (the only thing that God has
promised to use to open the eyes of the blind)? Where is Christ (the only name
under heaven by which men may be saved)? Think. It is part of the Bible’s
greatest commandment, so this is something a believer must do: “You shall
love the Lord your God with all your...mind” (Matthew 22:37//Mark
12:30//Luke 10:27, from Deuteronomy 6:5).
“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21,22).
There is only one food and drink our enemies need – the body
and blood of Christ, the Savior. Serve Him to them in every way you can.
* * * * * * *
Speaking of thinking, let me strongly commend to you Openness
Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and
Union with Christ, by Dr. Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Crown &
Covenant Publications, 2015). I have not read Dr. Butterfield’s previous book, The
Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, and probably wouldn’t have read
this one if I hadn’t seen a few quotes from it. I can’t remember which quotes –
there are few pages in my copy that don’t have something highlighted. Here are a
few possibilities:
- “Stepping into God’s story means abandoning a deeply held desire to make meaning of our own lives on our own terms based on the preciousness of our own feelings” (pg. 5).
- “It is not the absence of sin that makes you a believer. It is the presence of Christ in the midst of your struggle that commends the believer and sets you apart in the world” (pg. 8).
- “If personal testimony does not reflect the Bible’s account of a life of faith and repentance, then for the sake of your friend and for the sake of Christ’s witness, bring the Word of life to bear upon the claim of conversion” (pg. 9).
- “If God is the creator of all things, then the Bible has his seal of truth and power, then the Bible has the right to interrogate my life and my culture, and not the other way around” (pg. 17).
- “...Jesus is the Word made flesh, and...‘knowing Jesus’ demands embracing the Jesus of the Bible, not the Jesus of someone’s imagination. The whole Bible” (pg. 21).
- “It is sinful to write people off because they sin in ways that offend you. God holds up the same mirror for us all, and none of us reflects the image of God in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge apart from Christ” (pg. 32).
- “...my personal experience must always be surrendered to what my triune God has done and who my triune God is” (pg. 38).
I’ll stop there, but it was one of those quotes that made me
get the book. Dr. Butterfield doesn’t just lift up the Gospel, she thinks
carefully about the Gospel and what it means in today’s cultural environment
and in our lives as believers. She doesn’t just think “carefully,” but, more
importantly, she thinks biblically and confessionally. I did two things with
this book I’ve not done in ages: I read it in only two days and shed tears on
its pages - the Gospel is a beautiful thing and I can't hear/read it enough. The final chapter on “Community” is one all those interested in
evangelism and community outreach need to consider.
We need to have the Gospel in the center of our thoughts and
identity. Dr. Butterfield has written a book that leads us in that direction –
while writing in a very personal way overflowing with the love of Christ. This
is a unique combination in modern Christian books. They’re either all anecdotes
and feelings or unreflective theoretical theology. They’re merged here. Read
and think. In Christ.
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