Keeping
the Church Faithful
By
Stephen Terry
Commentary
for the September 29, 2012 Sabbath School Lesson
“So
then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed
on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15, NIV
I once had a 1963 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport convertible
that I enjoyed restoring. It was a rare automobile that represented a meaningful
tie to my teenage years. As a teenager, I viewed the world as fresh and
wonderful and full of promise. No doubt some of that golden aura attached
itself to the Nova. When I drove it, old memories would come flooding back, not
just mental memories but physical ones as cars of that era felt and handled
differently than cars today. While my experience might have felt alien to a
younger driver, it felt very familiar to me. That familiarity was the gateway that
made those memories possible.
While it can seem pleasant to revel in nostalgia, we
nonetheless understand that things often change for the better. That old car
did not ride or handle as well as modern machines. When it was made, seatbelts
were not mandatory. Today we not only have seat belts and shoulder belts, but
we also have airbags that surround us in the event of a collision. Cars that we
consider classics today were often death traps in a collision with their hard
metal interiors. Prior to Ralph Nader’s book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” most of us
gave little thought to the fact that we were hurtling down the roads at high
speeds with virtually nothing between us and eternity. There was no safety in the distance between
our bodies and the steering wheel or the hard, metal dashboard. We concerned
ourselves more with style than safety. Many of us saw the film “Mechanized
Death” with its gruesome scenes while taking driver’s education, but no one,
including the instructors, perceived there was any other option than driving
these dangerous metal projectiles. With vehicles separated by no more than
painted lines on the road as they hurtle headlong toward each other, perhaps
safety should have been more of a concern from the beginning.
With style being the primary design focus there is
little wonder that cars of that era are so appealing to collectors and
restorers, today. In spite of the other issues, we tend to focus mainly on the
positive aspects of the automobile’s history. As it is with cars, so it is with
many things in life. We tend to interpret the past through the lens of what in
our own experience was positive about it. While this is not necessarily bad, it
can cause us to find it harder to see the flaws in our past experience, while
readily identifying flaws in the present. For instance, we can wax nostalgic
about the wonderful western cowboy movies of the past while forgetting the
stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans. In movie after movie, they are
portrayed as stupid, savage, drunken and cruel. Since this stereotype did not
apply to most in the audience, it was overlooked - never mind that after seeing
these scenes at the movies and on television, children acted out these same
stereotypes in their play.
The same is true of music. Along with the movies, cowboy
themes were popular in music as well. A certain style, known as Country and
Western was very popular and continues to be, today. It so shaped an entire
generation that the newer genre of Rock and Roll struggled to find its musical
place. Yet, Rock and Roll survived and as a younger generation grew up to its
rhythms, it has become established, too. Each generation looks back on its
musical experience as the epitome of good music, often forgetting that what
they remember as a golden musical era was perhaps once unfamiliar and jarring
to the previous generation.
The reason it is important to understand all of this is
that each of these things is a cultural expression that informs our experience.
We tend to see these cultural manifestations as essential tests for what is
true and good. But we should not allow the cultural aspects of our lives to become
foundational, because culture changes over time. Instead we need to find our
foundational security in those things that are consistent and eternal. Mankind
was created in the image of the Godhead per the creation account in the book of
Genesis. As such, man was created for eternal consistency no matter what his
environment might be, for God is eternal and consistent. Culturally, man might
live as Asian, European, African or any cultural subgroup thereof. Racially, he
might be white, black, brown, red, yellow or various shades of these hues. Economically,
he might be a member of the plutocracy or might run barefoot with only the
clothes on his back. He might write and speak with erudition or have spelling
and grammar so atrocious every school teacher would wince. He might play the
cello in a chamber orchestra or bang the drums in a garage band. In spite of
these cultural variables, a common humanity means a shared foundational bond.
We might reject that bond in favor of more ephemeral
values, but because it is foundational, the image of God still calls us for
fellowship. That bond is the very essence of Pauline theology as presented in
the New Testament, including his letters to the Thessalonians. John, who is
arguably the disciple who was closest to Jesus, put it most succinctly when he
described the singular attribute that is the objectif principal of the image of God. He wrote, “God is love.”
(See 1 John 4:8, 16)
If one is created in the image of God then one is
created to love. It cannot be otherwise. A mirror can only reflect what it sees.
If it is shown love, it cannot reflect evil. But in order to reflect the image
of God, it must stand in his presence. We must daily seek His face by setting
aside time to make that possible. We can find His image through prayer. We can
find it through the reading of the Bible. We can even find it through our relationship
with others. After all, God did not create only Adam in His image. Just as the
Godhead consists of Father, Spirit and Son, His image may be seen in father, mother,
and child. Perhaps the family is the only complete revelation of that image.
We often hear it said that the Decalogue is the
representation of God’s character. If so, it is an incomplete one. At no time does
the Bible state it is the fullness of God’s character. It is true that the
first four commandments may be limited expressions of our love to God and the
last six of our love to our fellow man, but if we stop there we fall woefully
short of God’s image. The image of love is incomplete if it is only about what
must be avoided. If I am careful not to steal from my neighbor but fail to
share my blessings with him, my image of God is broken. If I am careful not to
take God’s name in vain, but never lift my voice in prayerful thanksgiving, the
image is broken. These things are not culturally dependent. They are
foundational and eternal. They are who we were created to be.
When Paul writes to the Thessalonians to “stand firm and
hold fast,” he is calling them to declare in their lives the image of God. His
desire is that they not allow that light of love to be extinguished. It is the
only thing that distinguishes the Christian from those who do not follow our
Lord. As Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another.” John 13:35, NIV In other words, it is only as the image of God
can be seen in us, that others may know we are His children. Since “God is love,”
only love can reveal Him in us.
Love transcends culture, race, education, wealth, or
even the kind of music we enjoy. Because it does, God’s image may be reflected
in places we might never have expected to find it. His image is not dependent
on what we wear or what we eat. It is not dependent on how sinlessly perfect
our lives are. His image is love, nothing more nor less. This is why Mary
Magdalene reflected the image of God when, in spite of her less-than-perfect
life, she lovingly anointed Jesus with
costly perfume. This is why those who had seen Jesus had seen the Father for His
act of ultimate love virtually shouted the image of God from the cross.
We can chose to make our lives about everything that we
feel we must deny ourselves in a vain attempt to achieve an austere perfection
in order to please a demanding God. Many others have certainly chosen that
path. However, if we truly wish to reflect the image of our Creator, we would
do well to make ourselves conduits pouring forth at every opportunity streams
of God’s reflected love into the lives and hearts of others in the parched world
around us. Not everyone has the ability to do that, but God’s children
certainly do, by design.
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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