Today's Scripture Reading (April 14, 2024): Galatians 6
During the 1980s, a post-punk musician named Steve Taylor sang
satirical songs about the church. Taylor tried to speak directly to the Christian
Church; his music was not intended for people outside the Christian community
by making fun of some of the things we do. The title track on his debut record
was a song called "I Want to Be a Clone."
I'd gone through so much other stuff
that walking down the aisle was tough
but now I know it's not enough
I want to be a clone
I asked the Lord into my heart
they said that was the way to start
but now you've got to play the part
I want to be a clone
Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'cause I could never know the way
to serve him on my own
I want to be a clone
The song pokes fun at Christian Culture, which seems
to require everyone to be the same. Writers from "The Babylon Bee," a
satirical Christian website, argue in their book "How to be a Perfect
Christian" that "to become perfect, you need to be
baptized in the glorious waters of Christian culture." To be perfect, you have to act right. The argument is that the
church often functions like a Junior High campus. You must be cool and hang out
with the right people to be perfect. And it is incredible how many people have
given up on the church because this is their impression of us. People are going
to hell because we want to impress others rather than embrace Christ and those
Christ embraced.
So Paul writes, "See
what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand" (Galatians 6:11)! The reality is that
Paul used a secretary to write his letters. Paul would dictate his thoughts
while another person would write them down. But, at this point, he grabs the
pen and writes these thoughts with his hand. Paul says, see the different
writing. I am writing this to you. I don't want you to think this may be
someone else's idea. It is from me. Some people are trying to compel you to be
circumcised and keep rules that they believe are important. They want you to be
baptized in the glorious waters of Christian culture, but they are just doing
it because they are trying to impress people, not because they are trying to
embrace Jesus. They argue that they want you to be a clone, "If you want
to be one of his, then you have to look like one of us." Paul's message,
written in his own hand, is to resist this with everything you have because
that is not what Jesus taught.
One of the most
foundational commands of Jesus was that we are to love those who are unlike us.
It is in the command to
"'Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew
22:37-40).
To embrace Jesus means
embracing God by loving him and your neighbor. Jesus's definition of neighbor
is someone with whom you cross paths. Do this, and you have kept all of the Law
and all of the prophets. These people trying to compel you to keep their rules
are doing an end around the commands of Jesus. They argue that because they
keep the rules, they don't have to love those who are different from them. But
that is not what Jesus said. Being a part of Christian culture and making sure
that others know how generous and great people we are does not excuse us from
embracing Jesus and those he embraced.
We will likely be
persecuted when we decide to love as Jesus loved. There will be people who say
that we are going too far. They will tell us that we don't need to love these
people. It is one of the criticisms that I receive about my teaching. I talk
too much about love. But the problem is love was what Jesus taught. And if I,
as a Christian, want to keep all of the Law and the prophets, the first step is
not to keep the rules; it is to love as Jesus loved.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Acts 20
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