|
CHRISTLIKENESS
IN RELATIONSHIPS
by
Lowell C. Cooper
Associate Secretary
General Conference
1995
| Theme:
Building an atmosphere of Christlikeness—love, respect,
beauty in relationships—in our relationships at home and
in society. |
| Theme
Text: Matthew 5:48 |
| Presentation
Notes: Throughout the following outline, numbers in
parentheses (1), (2), (3) will indicate items from the section
called Sermon Illumination which may be used for illustration.
The addition of your personal illustration will enhance the
presentation. |
The text for
our consideration is one which we have often heard. Its simple message
hides a depth of meaning that challenges the greatest intellect.
What does it mean to be perfect, like God and Jesus? Perhaps most
Christians think of this text in connection with being free from
sin. We have probably heard preachers explain that being perfect
is being sinless. Surely this must be one of the important dimensions
of perfection. Could there be others as well?
This command (or is it an invitation?) of Jesus is found in the
Bible record of the Sermon on the Mount. Before saying these words
Jesus had talked about righteousness (Matt. 5:17-20); about the
spirit of true commandment-keeping (Matt. 5:21-30); about sinful
thoughts; and about loving our enemies instead of taking revenge
on those who wrong us. It is in connection with these ideas that
Jesus calls for His followers to be perfect like their Father in
heaven is perfect.
More Than
the Absence of Sin
We may conclude then that perfection deals with more than just the
absence of sin. It also includes a correctness and beauty in attitudes
and actions. Two people might play the same piece of music on the
piano. One, who is beginning to learn how to play, may carefully
play all the right notes yet we would not say that the music is
perfect. The second player, an accomplished artist, will play the
same notes but with a touch that brings a new dimension to the sound,
and we respond enthusiastically because the music was perfect.
Doing the
Right Thing in the Most Beautiful Way
Similarly, in the normal activities of everyday life perfection involves
more than just avoiding mistakes. It can also mean doing the right
thing in the most beautiful way. For instance, it is right for parents
to discipline their children. But there are poor ways of disciplining
children and there are beautiful ways of doing it. Married people
should speak to each other. But there are inappropriate ways of speaking
to a marriage partner just as there are beautiful ways of doing so.
(1) When Jesus invites us to be perfect I believe He is calling us
to much more than the absence of doing wrong. Instead He is challenging
us to demonstrate the art of perfection in all that we are and do.
Ellen White reminds us that "higher than the highest human thought
can reach is God's ideal for His children. Godliness—godlikeness
—is the goal to be reached" (Education, p. 18). Suppose
a friend of yours has a twin brother whom you have never met. You
try to imagine what this twin brother is like. Then your friend says:
"Why, he is just like me." Can we think of Godlikeness,
or Christlikeness, in that way? Can you imagine Jesus describing you
to the angels and saying, "Oh, that person, he/she is just like
Me." What a magnificent tribute that would be.
I believe it is the Christian's privilege to develop the likeness
of Jesus. In our meditation today we shall look at Christlikeness
in human relationships—the way we think about and treat each
other in families and in society. The hard part of Christian leadership
in the home is how to be successful in working with people, in building
an atmosphere of love, respect, and beauty in relationships. How easily
two people can disagree over an incident or an idea. The matter that
sparked the disagreement is insignificant—but the disagreement
isn't. Words and actions are misunderstood. Feelings are disturbed.
Tension heightens. Suspicion discolors viewpoints. Barriers come between.
The life spirit is broken.
In our roles of correcting, advising, encouraging, counseling, supporting,
and sometimes confronting, we are admonished to keep in mind the goal
of Christlikeness. What can we learn from our Lord and His dealings
with us? Perhaps the following points can be of some help to guide
our thinking:
•
He expresses constant good will toward us.
• He does not treat us as we deserve.
• He takes the initiative to bridge the distance between us.
• He forgives us readily.
• He knows our weaknesses and our strengths.
• He is committed to loving us.
Characteristics
of Jesus
Let us briefly consider each of these beautiful characteristics
of Jesus.
Constant good will toward us. God holds people in high regard.
He is attached to us by a stubborn love that will not let go. The
Bible uses captivating word pictures to describe His commitment
to us: "As a father has compassion on his children . . ."(Ps.
103:13); "As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings . . .
" (Matt. 23:37); ". . . shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye" (Deut. 32:10); "You
did not choose Me, but I chose you . . . " (John 15:16).
Every person has a high value in God's eyes regardless of talents
or the lack of them. Our measurements of human worth—beauty,
brains, wealth—are not the instruments God uses to determine
our value to Him. He loves us regardless of what we are in human
terms. (2)
We are not loved because we are worth much. But we are worth
much because we are loved.
So often human love is expressed with conditions attached. We say
"I love you," but we often mean "I love you if you
are always good," or "I love you when you treat me nicely,"
or "I love you because you get good grades in your schoolwork."
But God does not attach conditions to His love for us. He says "I
love you" and His love is not dependent on what we do or say
to Him. See Romans 8:35-38.
Doesn't treat us as we deserve. Most Christians have a firmly
held opinion about the absolute justice of God. And justice means,
sooner or later, that wrong is punished and right is rewarded. In
this troubled world it is sometimes comforting to think that all
human behavior is weighed in an unerring balance and dealt with
according to merits or deficiencies. But is this a correct picture
of God?
"He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according
to our iniquities . . . As far as the east is from the west so far
has he removed our transgression from us . . . He knows how we are
formed, he remembers that we are dust . . . " (Psalm 103:8-14)
.
It may be a great injustice to Him if we view God as the cold, impartial,
unfeeling judge of human conduct. It may be more correct to say
that God makes mistakes, consistently—on the side of mercy.
We would all cease to exist if justice were applied. In His dealing
with our weaknesses God is not trying to get even with us.
When discipline and standards need to be enforced in our homes it
would be well to remember not only the Golden Rule but also the
way that God deals with His erring children. Someone observed that
a child can endure any amount of discipline as long as he knows
that he is loved. Let us remember that His discipline is with a
view to our development, not our destruction.
Takes the initiative to re-establish harmony. It is a natural
human tendency to maintain the distance between ourselves and those
who have hurt us. We leave it to the other person to take the first
step in removing a barrier. But God is not like that. "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
The plan of redemption is not an afterthought. Nor is it a response
to mankind's helplessness. It is not the intervention of a reluctant
God finally answering the desperate plea of doomed humanity. The
story of salvation is not about a lost person seeking God, but about
God seeking and finding lost people. Someone described the Scriptures
in these terms: The Old Testament is a record of humanity seeking
God, the New Testament is a record of God seeking humanity. The
stories of Luke 15 (the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost
boy) are powerful illustrations of God doing everything He possibly
can to restore harmony.
Incidentally, this is a basic argument in favor of active witnessing
and evangelism. There are some who feel we should adopt a more passive
witness. We must remember that God took the initiative in the divine
rescue of a lost world. Today His ambassadors must find their place
as partners in that divine initiative.
Christlikeness calls for us to take initiatives too. When relationships
are broken, let us take the first steps to repair them. When people
suffer, let us be about the business of rescue. "Is not this
the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break
every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to
provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked,
to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
(Isaiah 58:6, 7).
Forgives us readily. A sinner does not need to beg forgiveness
from God. It is His desire to forgive. "If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive . . . and purify us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness is a gem in human
nature just as it is one of the most beautiful attributes of God.
Forgiveness enables us to rewrite history. The forgiveness of God
is so complete that we become, in His sight, as though we had never
sinned.
Does forgiveness become less valuable because of the ease with which
God dispenses it? If we readily and quickly forgive, do we lessen
the weight of wrong and thus encourage more of it? No! The one who
experiences forgiveness knows its power to immunize against repeated
offense. Recall the story of the woman who anointed the feet of
Jesus. (See Luke 7:36-43.) Evidence suggests that this woman was
Mary Magdalene who had experienced the forgiveness of Jesus in a
most remarkable way. (3)
Knows our weaknesses. One of the contributions of the Roman
Empire to modern civil law is the concept of equality. It is often
distorted to convey the idea of equal punishment or equal reward.
Equality, however, is not an arbitrary thing determined by some
policy or code book. Circumstances differ, people are not always
the same. A parent may discipline one child by the use of words.
Discipline, to have the same effect on another child, may have to
be physical.
In His dealings with us God takes into consideration the uniqueness
of our own background and individuality. He knows where (and when)
we were born. He knows our frailties. He does not allow us to be
tempted beyond what we are able to bear. He shapes His treatment
to fit the situation and the individual. His policy book is not
an inflexible document.
Committed to loving us. One of the dominant characteristics
of God revealed in Scripture is that He has bound Himself to us
by an oath and a covenant. God has made up His mind about us. He
is not waiting to decide whether or not we qualify for His blessings.
Ellen G. White observes that in the gift of Jesus to this world
God has identified Himself with us by ties that are never to be
broken. It is our appreciation of His constant and steadfast love
that motivates the spiritual life.
Love within a family grows best in an atmosphere of mutual commitment.
Isn't that really what the marriage vows represent, a commitment
to love even when there are obstacles and challenges to continued
love? "I take you to be my lawfully wedded spouse, to have
and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer
for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until
we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."
Someday there might be vows that we can take as parents. Vows which
we would express, over and over, to our children so they will be
surrounded by an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance. Vows that
will make our homes a haven of refuge where our children will always
feel safe and cherished. That is the way God deals with us.
It may seem, at first glance, that these characteristics of His
dealings with us present Jesus as a weak and yielding God. However,
the more we consider these elements of His relationship to us, the
more we shall come to appreciate His commitment to us. From Him
we learn the principles of conduct, of human value and of restoration.
Being perfect is not just refraining from sin. If that were so,
we would all be perfect in our sleep.
Perfection is the godlikeness that can be demonstrated in our words,
attitudes, and behaviors toward one another. Jesus Christ our Lord
is the pattern for our lives. Through appreciation of His ways with
us we will grow to be like Him in our earthly relationships.
|
Sermon
Illumination
|
One
(1): A story that comes from Jewish literature tells of
a Rabbi who sent his servant to the local market to buy something
good. The servant returned with a package of tongue. The Rabbi
next sent his servant to the market to buy something bad. The
servant returned, again with a package of tongue.
The Rabbi sternly questioned the behavior of his servant. Why
should he bring the same item when what the Rabbi wanted was
something to contrast between good and bad.
The servant replied that when tongue (speech) is good there
is nothing better, but when tongue (speech) is bad there is
nothing worse. |
Two
(2): Many years ago, while we were holding pastoral responsibilities
in northern Canada, my wife demonstrated some loving care to
an elderly member of the church. She prepared special meals
which we then took to his house. She washed the dishes and cleaned
the house on many occasions. After the man died we discovered
that he had written a small note in his will to say that the
kitchen stool in his house should be given to my wife. It was
a homemade stool, a thing for practical use, and really not
worth much. In each of our subsequent moves, in Canada and overseas,
I felt that we should sell the stool because it wasn't worth
much and could easily be replaced.
However, my wife has steadfastly refused to permit the sale
of that stool. It's value to her cannot be measured in terms
of money. She insists on keeping it, not because we need it
but because she loves it. For a long time I could not agree
with or understand my wife's views about that old piece of handiwork.
Gradually I have come to learn that it was her love, not its
usefulness, that gave the stool its amazing value. I think that
this is the way God looks at us. |
Three
(3): Corrie Ten Boom, one of the heroes of World War II,
assisted many Jewish people in their escape from the dangers
of arrest, and possibly being killed. She and her sister were
caught and detained in the infamous prison camps. Corrie's sister
did not survive the prison camp experience. Corrie did, however,
and following the war she traveled extensively to urge a spirit
of reconciliation and forgiveness among all peoples.
After one of her meetings, in which she spoke about the beauty
of God forgiving us and the need for us to forgive one another,
she stood at the church entrance to greet people as they left
the meeting. Among those who came past her was a man she recognized
to be one of the prison guards who had so violently mistreated
the prison camp inmates. He now reached out his hand to greet
her. Corrie was frozen with resentment, and could not speak,
or shake the man's hand. She silently prayed, and suddenly felt
the warmth of forgiveness flow into her heart. After a brief
silence she clasped the man's hand and exclaimed, "Isn't
forgiveness beautiful." |
References
White, Ellen G. (1952). Education. Mountain View, CA: Pacific
Press Publishing Association.
|
