In a word. . .accept one another . . .

Last updated on: September 20, 2020 at 1:52 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

In a word. . .accept one another . . . 2020-09-20T13:52:15-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In a word, accept one another as Christ accepted us, to the Glory of God.*

Circe

So says the sage Paul and so I should do, but this is hard to do. How can I love my enemy when they are opposed to all I deem good? How can I even love my neighbor when he keeps doing petty evils that are more annoying due to their total lack of necessity. My neighbor gains nothing with his selfishness.

I see who he is!

We are too often like the wise woman without pity Circe** who saw men rightly and so made them pigs. The men of the hero Odysseus came to her island and she enchanted them, but this was only possible, because they were rooting for ruin. These men wanted the world, flesh, and devils. She matched the inner reality to the outer appearance. She was merciless, but truthful.

We see injustice in the world, fleshy men, and devils and we judge them pigs. We transform them to something other than ourselves by the magic of our words. We rage on social media and so, at least in our circles of influence, make them less than they are. As another wiseman put it, we follow our own enthusiasms, for we have seen no vision.*** We see only what is, the piggishness of our fellows, and so judge without mercy. We miss what ought to be: the image of God that is within those piggish men.

Yet the danger is that if we judge with no mercy, then we will find no mercy when we face God. There is a reason Socrates suggested that we must “know ourselves.” If we do not see that we fall short of the glory of God, that we too are piggish in our own ways, then we judge others as we should judge ourselves. Who would claim that they are as they ought to be?

There are so many ways to lie to others and to ourselves. If one lie is saying that all is well, when nothing is good, then there is another lie that cries hopelessness when redemption is freely available. How?

God sees what ought to be and so has mercy. He transforms any who will consent to His great love. God accepts us not because we deserve this grace, but out of love. He made us to be happy and our piggishness is not allowed to stand. We can hope in His love to be better than we are: actual men! This is good news and only hard to believe, because the fulfillment seems distant.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick; a wish come true is a tree of life.”****

Hope is not deferred, transformation is gradual. If not, if the process of becoming like God was done quickly, then nothing would be left of us. Instead, slowly, over our lifetimes, the very root of our piggishness is removed and we are made as we should be. In the end, our deepest wish comes true: we feast at the tree of life- the Cross of Christ. As a result, when we see others, when I see my neighbor or even my enemy, I must accept him as he would be in Christ.

—————————–

*Romans 15:7

**Odyssey X

***Ezekiel 13:3

****Proverbs 13:12

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

September 18, 2020

Stop. Think about it. Don’t write it.

Next Post

September 20, 2020 Marriage Songs

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What metaphor is often used for the righteous in Psalms and Proverbs?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A tree A mountain A river A sun

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »