Biting thoughts
Love begins to be lost when we think wrongly about one another. This can happen in two ways, one of which is ‘envying one another’ (Gal. 5:26). It is in our nature to dislike others being better or better off than we are. We don’t take kindly to having to look up to others and we tend to be covetous; we want what other people have got and in the process we become envious and jealous of them. Paul was telling professing Christians to avoid this danger. After all, ‘love does not envy’ (1 Cor. 13:4).
On the other hand, the strange thing is that, while we dislike looking up to others, we rather enjoy looking down at them! How easy it is to see the faults of others and to become their judges! Paul asked, ‘Who are you to judge another’s servant?’ (Rom. 14:4). Who am I? Why, just another miserable, wretched sinner like the person I am judging. In judging that person I am condemning myself as well (Rom. 2:1—see also Matt. 7:3–5). Paul goes on to ask, ‘But why do you judge your brother?’ (Rom. 14:10) and this time I have no answer. So he sums up by saying, ‘Therefore let us not judge one another anymore’ (Rom. 14:13).
Terence Peter Crosby, Opening up 2 and 3 John, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 34–35.
No comments:
Post a Comment