We’ve been exploring what Paul might have had in mind when he wrote:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. (Romans 6.17, ESV, emphasis mine)

What is the standard of teaching? The Greek word for “standard” is typos, also translated “pattern” and “example,” the very word used in 1 Timothy 4.12:

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example

• in speech,
• in conduct,
• in love,
• in faith,
• in purity. (1 Timothy 4.12, ESV), bulleted for clarity)

Yesterday, we talked about conduct; today, love.

We all understand that love is the central message of the gospel, yes? But let’s explore a bit anyway. Andy Stanley argues in his book Irresistible that the early church’s governing behavior was love. They didn’t have “chapter and verse” like we have today, but they did know Jesus’ “new commandment:”

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13.34, 35, ESV)

Andy says that he teaches his congregation the following mantra:

WHEN UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY OR DO, ASK WHAT LOVE REQUIRES OF YOU.

Andy has some really good applications of this principle to today’s issues. I don’t want you to miss them so I’ll finish this blog tomorrow.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13.8 – 10, ESV)

We’ve been exploring what Paul might have had in mind when he wrote:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. (Romans 6.17, ESV, emphasis mine)

What is the standard of teaching? The Greek word for “standard” is typos, also translated “pattern” and “example,” the very word used in 1 Timothy 4.12:

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example

• in speech,
• in conduct,
• in love,
• in faith,
• in purity. (1 Timothy 4.12, ESV), bulleted for clarity)

Yesterday, we talked about speech; today, conduct.

Here’s another area in which our culture is not doing so well. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during this year’s Oscars, and on May 27, a baseball player slapped an opponent before the game in a dispute involving fantasy football. When asked why, he said something like, “He said some stuff I can’t condone so I had to address it.”

“I had to address it”…by slapping the dude? Really? Did you have to address it? And the only way to address it was by slapping?

But what about believers? And I shouldn’t have to say “so-called” believers, but you don’t have to look hard to find examples of bad conduct whether it’s a major denomination covering up sexual abuse, which, of course, shouldn’t have happened in the first place or any of us popping off at someone (I speak of the latter from experience).

Scripture is full of appeals to good conduct. For example:

• Don’t always demand your rights.

To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? (1 Corinthians 6.7, ESV)

• Don’t make jokes at another’s expense.

Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12.10, ESV)

• Give generously

This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too. (2 Corinthians 8.5 – 8, MSG, emphasis mine)

• Be kind

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4.31, 32, ESV)

“Set an example…in conduct.”

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1.27, NIV)

Yesterday I introduced the idea from Romans 6.17, that we are called to live by a “standard” or “pattern.” The Greek is typos and is variously translated pattern or example. As I was asking myself, “What might the pattern include?”, I went to 1 Timothy 4.12, and bingo! Not only is there a nice list, but also the word translated example is our word typos:

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example

• in speech,
• in conduct,
• in love,
• in faith,
• in purity. (1 Timothy 4.12, ESV), bulleted for clarity)

All five of these are contrary to the current spirit of our age.

Paul leads with speech. Very important, and the scripture is clear:

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. (James 3.5, 6, ESV)

We would do well to “set the believers an example” by our speech. My friend Thomas Black, pastor in Illinois, posted this on Facebook the other day:

It is so easy to sin with the tongue or the keyboard. I easily typed out another scathing response to a post, but could tell the Holy Spirit was not pleased. Deleted it. Praying Psalm 141:3.

Good word and good example, Thomas!

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! (Psalm 141.3, ESV)

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4.5, 6, ESV)

I’ve been meditating for the past few days on something I saw in Romans 6 for the first time:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. (Romans 6.17, ESV)

The “standard of teaching,” and several translations cross-reference to 2 Timothy:

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1.13, ESV)

The “pattern of sound words.”

My first thought was that we’re to follow a pattern. That seems a bit more doable than keeping a long list of dos and don’ts. That was certainly the Pharisees’ problem. And some of ours. Growing up, we had certain things we were supposed to avoid. Playing cards for example. I used that as an example in a sermon that I preached three times in a certain church. After each service, someone came up and said something like, “Oh, you must have grown up in __________ church as I did!” All three named churches were different and none was the flavor of church that I grew up in. It seems that this kind of thinking is widespread!

I want to explore this idea for a few days. What are the aspects of the pattern we should be living by?

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4.9, ESV)

After our Alaskan cruise in 2019, I wrote several blogs (beginning here) on the skilled service we experienced onboard. I applaud excellent service wherever it appears, and we, of course, are called to serve:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20.25 – 28, ESV)

But Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, beautifully took it one step further in an editorial published in our local newspaper, the Colorado Springs Gazette. Jim urged us not only to admire, but also to follow the example of, the 5-star Broadmoor Hotel, here in Colorado Springs.

Jim writes:

The “Broad­moor Way” mod­els the way we should live indi­vidu­ally and cor­por­ately. In this increas­ingly coarse and cor­ros­ive cul­ture, we would be wise to heed the resort’s com­mit­ment to good man­ners and its tire­less devo­tion to both its staff and guests.

For example, Broad­moor employ­ees are trained and required to acknow­ledge and make eye con­tact with each guest they encounter. It’s more than just a good busi­ness tac­tic. [We have stayed there, and this practice is one of the most memorable aspects. EVERYONE, from the maître d’ at one of the restaurants to the housekeeping staff on their way from one building to another, makes eye contact and greets you cheerfully.]

To be “seen” is among the greatest long­ings of the human heart. In an auto­mated and imper­sonal world, it feels good to be per­son­ally greeted, and espe­cially by name.

So, instead of just silently passing someone on the trail or in a store and look­ing down or look­ing away the next time you’re out, smile and say hello. – Jim Daly, emphasis mine

Here’s another snippet:

With well-fun­ded and trained land­scape crews, the hotel’s exter­i­ors are exquis­itely kept and well-man­i­cured. The lawns are mowed, and the trees are trimmed. Flowers are col­or­ful and sea­sonal. While we may not all be able to afford such opu­lence, keep­ing our yards neat and attract­ive shows respect and care for our neigh­bor­hood. As the old Dutch say­ing goes, “If every­one sweeps in front of their own door, the whole world will be clean.”

Col­or­ado Springs is a bet­ter place because of The Broad­moor — and the city and its people will be bet­ter off if they adopt some of the habits and policies that con­tinu­ously make it one of the finest and highest-ranked resorts in the world.

A good word.

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man… (John 9.1, MSG)

…there is none who takes notice of me… (Psalm 142.4, ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2.14, 15, ESV)

Barna, the Christian polling organization, has just released a new factoid that I find depressing:

• The vast majority of pastors (85%) believe missions is a mandate for all Christians.
• Among practicing Christians, that number falls to 42 percent.
• And for all Christians, it drops all the way to 25 percent.

They call it the Great Disconnect, and I find it sad because Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few,” and there are all those potential laborers that don’t even know they’re supposed to be laboring! On mission!

What’s the problem? It can’t be that it’s not a good message. It’s the best message ever, as I wrote a few days ago.

The problem could be that we have failed to equip people to carry out the mission in their day-to-day lives. I write about this often. Mission does NOT mean going to some foreign country although some are called to do that. Mission does NOT mean “going door to door” as some believe and have been taught. On mission could be as simple as the simple action plan about which I wrote in my first book, Join the Adventure!

• Be there
• Pay attention
• Do what you can
• Tell the truth

Debbie Friley illustrated this action plan on a bicycle ride, as I wrote on May 15.

It’s doable by ordinary people – Jesus demonstrated that in his choice of the twelve. As the woman at the well demonstrated – a very ordinary woman with a bad reputation.

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4.28 – 30, ESV)

My friend Hanh, a Jesuit priest from Viet Nam, has accepted another assignment and will be moving soon to Louisiana. I will miss him. He doesn’t really want to go: he enjoys his work at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat Center in Sedalia, Colorado, and his family lives nearby in Denver. His father was imprisoned for 10 years by the communists after the fall of Saigon in 1975. In 1990 the US government had an agreement with the Vietnam government to bring all political prisoners and their families to the US.  So the family came to Denver as refugees on Oct. 23, 1991.

When he told the family he was being reassigned to Louisiana, his mother was clearly disappointed and just said, “That’s a long way from here.” His father has dementia, and this is what his father said:

It’s far away. But you are a priest; you should go where the church needs you. Think of the missionaries who left their homes and families to go to Viet Nam. If they hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t know about God.

Did you catch that his father has dementia? Hanh took that as a direct word from God, speaking through his father.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19.29, ESV)

It’s Memorial Day whose purpose was succinctly summarized by our former pastor John Ed Mathison last week:

We can casually sit back and enjoy backyard barbecues, boat rides, and beach bashes, but the meaning of Memorial Day is that almost 1.5 million men and women have died so that you and I might enjoy our freedoms. We look to Thanksgiving as a day when we pause to give thanks for the things that we have. Memorial Day is a day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought and died for the things we have. – Dr. John Ed Mathison, May 25, 2022

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15.13, ESV)

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5.6 – 8, ESV)

Romans chapters 1 – 3, specifically 1.18 – 3.20, leave us with a dreadful problem:

• We have all sinned
  • Non-religious people have sinned (1.18 – 32)
  • Religious people have sinned (2.1 – 29)
  • All have sinned (3.1 – 18)
• We are all guilty (3.19)
• We are all helpless to do anything about it (3.20)

None is righteous, no, not one…Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3.10, 19, 20)

It’s amazing how many people, many of them church people, don’t understand these basic facts. My friend Jim Singleton, former senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, used to tell this story – maybe it was a composite. Jim would say:

So I’m visiting Mary in the hospital. She’s old, a lifelong church member, and on her deathbed. I say to her, “Mary, it’s unlikely you’re going to get out of here alive. When you meet Jesus, and he asks you why he should let you into heaven, what will you say?” And Mary replies, “Oh, pastor, I’ve worked as hard as I could. I taught children’s Sunday School, I served on every church committee they asked me to, I’ve been as kind to my neighbors as I know how. I hope I’ve done enough.”

Jim continues:

At this point, I have a choice. I can pat Mary’s hand and say, “Mary, of course, you’ve done enough. You’re a faithful Christian.” OR, I can tell her the truth: “Mary, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you haven’t done enough. Do you have a backup plan?”

The good news (that’s why they call it “The Gospel” – the good news) is that there is a “backup plan” – really the main plan, and it’s right there in Romans 3:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… (Romans 3.21 – 24, ESV)

“For all who believe” – no matter who you are or what you have done.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2.8, 9, ESV)

On the heels of the sins of Romans 1, we have this promise opening Romans 2:

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2.4, ESV)

“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”

• God’s KINDNESS… Maybe, if we’re trying to lead people to repentance, we should try kindness instead of yelling at them. Maybe we should tell them God loves them. Maybe we should be leading the way in kindness and temperance if we insist on posting our opinions on social media, which I’m not sure is a great idea no matter how we do it!
• God’s kindness is meant to lead you to REPENTANCE. God’s love is not a mushy sort of love. It’s a love that says, “I love you just the way you are, but there’s no reason for you to stay that way.” Paul calls for repentance in no uncertain terms:

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2.5, ESV)

Jesus calls for repentance too, also with love:

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3.19, ESV)