1 Corinthians 13:5
[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Are you loving, Christian? I know that's not an easy question to answer, if we're being honest, but it's still one we should keep in mind. Jesus commands us, as believers, to love one another, and so we must (John 13:34).
Paul writes that Christian love, true love that comes from Christ, keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). There you go. Just don't keep a list of wrongs, and you'll be loving more like Christ in no time. Well, sure, but it's not that easy for us to stop keeping lists of wrongs. Isn't it? As sinful people, we are prone to doing alot of wrong to others. We seem hard-wired to want to get something in return for wrongs done to us. We want justice, but we don't want to wait for God to dish it out. We want to seize on an opprotunity to dish it out ourselves. How are we gonna know on whom to dish out our justice, if we don't know who wronged us? Who are we going to know who wronged us, if we don't keep a lists of wrongs? See, that line of thinking; there's our problem. There is why we have to be told to keep no record of wrongs.
We're not the first group of Christians to have this problem. The Corinthians to which Paul wrote suffered from this malady. It was so much so that Paul had to tell them to stop suing each other in court. These were lawsuits amongst Christians. Paul worte to them, "I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!" (1 Corinthians 6:5-6). The suits filed amongst the Corinthian believers was such a problem that Paul told them, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). It may seem foolish for Paul to tell the people of Corinth to let themselves be wronged by other believers rather than file a suit over it, but Paul points out that the Corinthians do wrong to each other all the time, to even members of their own family (1 Corinthians 6:8). They know not to hold justice above the heads of their loved ones, so why should they do so with other believers? They, like us, should not be so caught up in getting justice against each other now, when they know full well that God will dish out justice to everyone in His time (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). His justice will be perfect, and His justice on everyone is coming. We just have to be patient.
You and I have been wronged. That is for certain, but you and I, as believers, should not even think about keeping a list or a tally (whether in our heads or otherwise) against others for the wrongs they do to us. I'm not saying we should forget or ignore the wrongs done to us, but we don't need to get justice for ourselves, or bare a grudge against others. Scripture is clear on this, where it is written, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). Instead of keeping a grudge or vowing for revenge, let's forgive others. Forgiveness is releasing someone from the anger we feel towards them for the wrongs they have done. Jesus says we are to forgive more than ten times what we think we ought (Matthew 18:21-22). In other words, we should forgive others more than we believe is necessary. In that same vein we should also expect to be wronged more times than we think we will be. For as long as we live on this Earth, all kinds of people (friends, neighbors, family members, people from church, employees, customers, students, teachers, team members, politicians, etc.) will do us wrong. We, as believers, should in love keep no score of any of it. I know it's not innately easy, but it is loving.
Sources
- The Bible (New International Version)
- Got Questions: Love Keeps no Record of Wrongs
No comments:
Post a Comment