Thursday, April 10, 2008

Great Commission Conversations


Something I feel strongly about is that the Christian's theological passions should be proportionate with the theological passions of Paul and Christ. Here's a brief portion of a journal entry I wrote about 2 Timothy for a New Testament class. This is the concluding application for Paul's exhortation to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:1-26, particularly in respect to his commands to “not quarrel about words” (v. 14), "avoid irreverent babble” (v. 16), have nothing to do with “foolish, ignorant controversies” (v. 23), and to not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone (v. 24). All of this is geared towards God granting repentance to our peers “so they know the truth” (v.25).


Paul’s commands in respect to serving others
also offers challenges, particularly while in seminary. Recognizing that one’s words have such an impact on outsiders makes me realize that I must always sacrifice my desire to speak to the priority of whether or not my words are going to honor Christ in such a way that will also edify an outside listener. I do not have the right to always give my opinion in every controversial topic or engage any debatable issue. If the matter does not honor Christ then my lips should remain shut—this is where my passion should reside. No longer should we seminarians fly the flag of the non-essentials, but instead we should let all passions be dictated by what Christ is passionate for. Humility is really at the core of this command. Will my words be about me so that I can get in the last word or try to “win” some sort of theological debate, or will I let my words and passions be Great Commission words and Great Commission passions? Our words should reflect that the least important person in a conversation is ourselves. This is rarely the case in my own conversations, and this leaves me with a part of my life that must change.

1 comment:

Tyler Smart said...

Nice piece of literature, brother. I hope that you continue to most more excerpts from future papers.