Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Phil 4:8).Clear, straightforward, pretty simple. Not a lot of controversial or difficult concepts there. Not a lot of debate about word meanings. It seems to be a basic command from Paul to Christians.
Here's my question. How in the world do we do that? I don't use "in the world" in that question lightly. We live in the world. We are to be "in the world but not of the world". You know, like when Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). So, we live here, but we aren't to be driven by this place. We are to operate on a higher power, citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20) on temporary assignment in this world. All well and good.
But ... we know that the world is not a good place. We know that "the creation was subjected to futility" (Rom 8:20), that sin is in the world, that there is a worm in everything. We only have to turn on the news or read a newspaper to find that we're not surrounded by truth, honesty, justice, purity, beauty, good news, virtue, praiseworthiness ... you know, the list Paul gives. So, how do we operate in this world in the manner that Bible commands?
I'm thinking of the Christian news agencies that complain about the way that Christians are being treated in this country or others. I'm thinking of the authors who write books about the sorry state of the Church. I'm thinking about bloggers who point out the problems in our society, our politics, our churches, our world. I'm thinking about those who are open about their belief that homosexual behavior is a sin or that there is no such thing as "gay marriage" or ... you get the idea.
I'm wondering how we maintain integrity -- recognizing sin when we see it, understanding foolishness when it presents itself, that kind of thing -- while still dwelling on the types of things that this passage commands us to dwell on. Are we to be Norman Vincent Peales, thinking only of the positives? Are we being called to be "pollyannas", only seeing the bright side? I don't think so. Jesus wasn't particularly "pollyannic" when He faced the moneychangers in the Temple. Paul wasn't particularly cheery when he turned someone over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. So maybe you can help me understand how we obey this command to "think on these things" while still recognizing sin and error in the world.
7 comments:
Perhaps this response is much too simplistic, but your answer is in your question, is it not? "...we obey this command to "think on these things" while still recognizing the sin and error in this world."
We can't help but recognize all the detestable situations on this earth around us and sometimes we discuss them and feel terrible about them and should come against them but, using the word you used, we should NOT perpetually DWELL upon them. That would be allowing them to weaken us and bring us down into states of depair and loss of hope, rendering us ineffectual in battle.
Instead, we strive to dwell on what is true, of GOOD report, etc. It is a call to reign in our thoughts, thoughts that too often result in words and actions that could be damaging not only to ourselves but to others.
Paul is exhorting us to stay focused on what is THE TRUTH and those things that will keep us from falling in line with the rest of this hurting, dysfunctional world. With God's help we can see past this present darkness.
Jesus was ANGRY when he faced the moneychangers, but he likely didn't go to bed that night still seething over it, then get up the next day and start rehashing it all over again or encouraging much talk about it again with those around him. I would imagine he only wanted those around him to talk about it IF they had the right attitudes and came to understanding of why he did that.
I must say, though, that in your recent Sunday morning post "In everything give thanks ..." where you quote
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess 5:16-18)", I wondered myself if we weren't being encouraged to be "Pollyannas"!
I mean, c'mon, who in his/her right mind could possibly be thankful for a neighbor dog who wakes you up 4 nights in a row and then keeps you awake for hours so that you must go to work the following days exhausted?! Especially when you must be alert and have very steady hands in order to do things like perform multiple prescheduled procedures on peoples' brains! We are supposed to "rejoice" in this?!? Right off hand I'd say I don't think so! (And that is only choosing one of the lesser things off your list!)
But somewhere in that situation (or maybe I should say in the rest of your day) there must be something to learn and in which to rejoice and be thankful. Earth's hardships and ugliness can make us more compassionate, more undertanding, more patient in the long run, or they can cause us to finally have had enough and to rise up and fight hard against the enemy! The neighbor's dog? No. It's flesh and blood. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
In this struggle, it's primarily just a matter of upon what and Who it is we focus, right?
Good question, Stan.
I agree with where Sherry's going with her response that sin and error is something we have to deal with but not dwell on, something we recognize but don't have to "seethe" or "rehash" or "despair" over because as Jesus said, there will be tribulation in this world but He has already overcome it! He reminded us not to despair over such things when he said "And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be . . . " (Mark 13:7). He warns us often that deceivers and false teachers would come, but He also said "the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:4-5).
We know that bad and evil things are out there, but this knowledge gives us even more reason to rejoice and meditate on God's goodness and grace.
And since you brought up Polyanna... It wasn't that she denied that there were bad things in the world; she just encouraged people to find something to be glad about in the midst of the situation, which I think is exactly what we're supposed to do.
Your post about God's sovereignty on the anniversary of 9/11 reminded me of the right perspective of things: with God in charge of a world His precious Son has already overcome, there is reason to rejoice and there are wonderful, lovely, virtuous things to think about despite the sins and problems of the world.
If we thought about good things in a world where only good things exist and if we rejoiced in situations that were altogether happy and joyful, that wouldn't really be saying much, would it? It's God's will that we find lovely things to think on in the midst of a sin-ridden world; take away the problems, and part of that will would be gone, right? Like Job, true servants of God don't just rejoice and think on all the blessings God gives but we rejoice and think on God Himself. And of course, without discernment to recognize evil and sin, we also wouldn't recognize that good is good or be able to dwell on the beauty and wonder of it! Only when the Spirit revealed to me just how sinful and wicked a place this world is and just how sinful and wicked a person I was could I also revel in the wondrous truth of God's goodness and mercy and justice. So, I think if we can sincerely rejoice and if we can recognize what is true and honest and just and pure and lovely, etc., we have already received (or at least begun to receive) discernment. So...perhaps in an odd way, obeying "this command to 'think on these things' while still recognizing sin and error in the world" are one and the same ... or at least stem from the same gift from the Holy Spirit of understanding and Godly wisdom.
When I started typing, I wasn't expecting to end up there, so I'll have to keep thinking about that one... and I'd like to get your thoughts.
Sherry: "I mean, c'mon, who in his/her right mind could possibly be thankful for a neighbor dog who wakes you up 4 nights in a row and then keeps you awake for hours so that you must go to work the following days exhausted?!"
I think the answer lies someplace outside of the circumstances.
Ruth: "Your post about God's sovereignty on the anniversary of 9/11 reminded me of the right perspective of things."
I think the answer lies in God. Be grateful for a neighbor dog that destroys your sleep? Not necessarily. Be thankful for the certainty that God works all things together for good, that He is sovereign, and that, even though we may not see it, He will use this.
A song I really like is by two writers named Babbie Mason and Eddie Carswell. The song is titled Trust His Heart. The chorus goes like this:
God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
When you don't see His plan,
When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.
Paul wrote, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Phil 4:11). His contentment in all circumstances didn't come from finding a silver lining or figuring out what was good about an unpleasant event. His contentment was based on the fact that "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). Or, like Jeremiah in his despair, we are to find our greatest comfort not in circumstances, but in the Lord (Lam 3:18-26).
And maybe that's what it means. Maybe we are to recognize the truth of sin in the world and the problems we see and the errors all around us and the pain and suffering others and we are enduring ... and then view it through God's eyes. You cannot recognize good without a contrast, so evil and unpleasantness is unnecessary if we are to recognize good and comfort. It's just that we are to seek that comfort not in this world, but in Him. So ... see those things, sure, but let your mind dwell on something better. From that perspective, those things would even be an aid to that kind of dwelling, serving as a contrast. Maybe.
Paul wrote, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Phil 4:11). His contentment in all circumstances didn't come from finding a silver lining or figuring out what was good about an unpleasant event. His contentment was based on the fact that "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). Or, like Jeremiah in his despair, we are to find our greatest comfort not in circumstances, but in the Lord (Lam 3:18-26).
Thanks, Stan. That's a very good point; I guess any other way of looking at it is watering down the power of the Lord Himself to sustain us and empower us in all things.
This reminds me of part of Angus Buchan's story that I heard in an interview: his nephew died after being run over by a tractor; even though it was an accident, Buchan said, "I killed him" because he was driving when it happened. He said he experienced a period of feeling indescribably guilty but took his pain to the Lord, as he did with everything, and his prayer was answered with the conviction that this death happened for a reason and that God was sovereign. My retelling is very poor! but listening to him tell this amazed me; his complete trust in God and his joy in knowing that all was well was beautifully evident. To me, this man is an example of someone who has been transformed by the Holy Spirit to someone who can be genuinely content in all circumstances because he trusts God that much.
Amen, Ruth
A couple of things I'd like to add here.
First, I think some of us have an extra propensity to love hate. We are indignant at what we see, and then we point our finger at it and shout for all to join us in our love affair with what we hate. Politically, this seems to happen uniformly. I count myself in this number. But could it be that God put into some to be a certain way, and as such, that certain way can be redeemed? The prophets and Psalms seemed to be filled with lament, as well as praise. Indeed an entire book was named Lamentations, which brings me to my second point.
Anthrocentrism seems to be a sprit of this age that has infiltrated the Church. This can be seen when I no longer ask what is good, I ask what is good in, for, about, according, etc, for me. Lot’s of first person personal pro-nouns there. Now I'm not talking about materialism here, but rather what materialism reflects from our spiritual life. For another look in the mirror on this matter, one need only to listen to modern Christian music.
But there are two words in I Cor. 13 that haunt me. "love protects". When we become so enamored with our own personal peace; our own personal well being, if you will, that we are no longer able to lament over what we watch in the news and also realize that we, as the Church, are the only ones with an answer, or a hope, then we are, in my opinion, growing cold in our love in the world to which we are ambassadors. This reality is also marked by our increased hostility to sound doctrine, and abundance of personal peace sermons.
When God was summarily evicted from our schools, we were naive in thinking that he would not in a couple of generations be evicted from our society; and in a couple more from our laws; each step increasing suffering. Love is a big word in the Church today, and we hear it ad-nausem, but it almost always rings hollow in my ears because we are no longer willing to "think" about peaceless thoughts such as the suffering incurred in a nation, by those we supposedly love when Yahweh is no longer its God.
Dan, I wondered with Ruth and Sherry "Maybe we are to recognize the truth of sin in the world and the problems we see and the errors all around us and the pain and suffering others and we are enduring ... and then view it through God's eyes." Or, to put it another way, I think that there are people God has put around us (and you give a prime example in the Old Testament prophets) who are in this world to recognize and warn against error. It must be from the motive of love, and it shouldn't be our "dwelling place" (I suspect), but it surely has its place. I mean, even Jesus went there, didn't He?
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