Douglas Wilson

The Spirit Groans

Christ Church on May 11, 2008

Introduction:
On Pentecost Sunday, we rejoice in the fact that the Comforter has been given, poured out upon us, so that the world might be prepared for the final consummation. This is a central role of the Spirit in the world, and it ties in directly with the purposes of God for this world that we have already addressed.

The Text:
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh . . . For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body . . . Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose ” (Rom. 8:11-12, 19-23, 26-28).

Overview:
The Spirit of resurrection is the Spirit who indwells us (v. 11). Because our bodies will be raised, we should behave with those bodies now (v. 12). Those who live for the flesh will die; those who do not will live (v. 13). Those who are Spirit-led in this way, these are sons of God (v. 14). Our relationship with the Father is intimate and holy (v. 15). This is how the Spirit bears witness, by cleaning up our act (v. 16). But childhood and adoption cannot be separated from the issues of inheritance (v. 17). It is an inheritance of glory (v. 18). The whole creation is longing for this moment, looking forward to it (v. 19). The creation was originally subjected to vanity, but in hope (v. 20). This is because the creation will be liberated into the same freedom from corruption that we will have (v. 21). The whole creation groans in the pains of childbirth (v. 22). Not only does the creation groan, but we who have the Spirit also groan—with the resurrection in view (v. 23). This groaning is in hope and patient waiting (vv. 24-25). The Holy Spirit helps us with this task of groaning (v. 26). The Spirit prays for us toward this end (v. 27). And this is what Paul is talking about when he says that all things work together for good (v. 28). This provides us with a straight line to glory (vv. 29-30).

Creation Groans:
When Adam sinned and fell, the whole creation was subjected to the bondage of corruption. Adam was the lord over the creation, having been given dominion, and as the vice-gerent this meant that when he fell the whole thing fell. In the same way, when the second Adam came into the world, it was to do a work of restoration. But the fall was great and the restoration will not be accomplished without much groaning. The groaning here is an image taken from the pains of childbirth, the pains of delivery (v. 22). The created order is pregnant, and at the consummation of all things, will give birth to the new order. This is not something we watch as unaffected by- standers. The creation groans this way (v. 22). We—because we have the Spirit—groan in a similar way also (v. 23). And the Spirit knows our weakness—He knows that we don’t even know what kind of baby it will be. We are like Eve before her first child—imagine what it would have been like to not even know what was happening. And so the Spirit participates in this groaning of childbirth (v. 26).

Two Mistakes to Avoid:
We are talking about a complete transformation—not a minor refurbishment. There are two mistakes to avoid here. One is that of thinking this creation will be burnt to a cinder and not replaced, or replaced by something completely unrelated. The other mistake is that of thinking that this creation will simply be tidied up a bit, with a certain amount of polish and shine. But take a cue from Christ’s resurrected body, and our resurrected bodies. These bodies are part of this creation, right? And yet they will carry over into the next. Your resurrected body will need something to stand on.

The body that goes into the ground is like a kernel of corn (1 Cor. 15: 36). There is continuity between the old body and the new, of course, but there is a discontinuity of glory. It is the same with the creation. The whole creation will die, and be gloriously raised. Or, to use another image, the old creation will give birth to the new, and we cannot even begin to fathom how glorious the new will be.

But What About . . . ?:
Remember that Jesus was born here too. He is longing to come back as well. But when it first begins to sink in on us that God has not given up on this world, but intends to transform it in glory, certain common questions arise. Didn’t Jesus tell His disciples that He was going up into heaven in order to “prepare a place for them”? In my Father’s house are many mansions? Yes—the word is mone, and the ESV has “rooms.” The word denotes temporary lodging, as you would find in a hotel. In this case, it is the nicest resort hotel you ever heard of.
But doesn’t Peter tell us that the elements will melt with a fervent heat, and good riddance (2 Pet. 3:10)? The word for elements is stoichea, and is the same word that Paul uses in Galatians for the elemental spiritual forces that had kept them in bondage in the old covenant. When we read elements, we tend to think of the periodic table, and not of the spiritual forces that governed the old world. But Peter is talking about the government of the world—he compares this event to the flood which had done the same thing (v. 6). But even if you don’t see this, and take it as referring to the meltdown of the cosmos, Romans 8 requires that this be a transformative meltdown, not an annihilating meltdown. If your body melts down in this conflagration, your body will nevertheless be raised.

The Spirit’s Presence in the World:
We should return to the nature of the groaning. What is the Spirit helping us do? The Spirit releases us from our debts to the flesh (v. 12). The Spirit leads us into virtue (v. 13), putting to death the misdeeds of the body. The Spirit stirs us up to pray to our Father (v. 15). The Spirit seals our coming inheritance in glory (v. 17). The Spirit teaches us to groan for better days (vv. 23, 26), and not to interpret the word “better” in our own limited, truncated, and pathetic categories (v. 27). He is the one who searches the deep things of God, and He is the one who knows what is coming. He is the one who groans most eagerly.

Colonies of Heaven

Christ Church on May 4, 2008

Introduction:
On Ascension Sunday, we mark the glorious coronation of the Lord Jesus. After His resurrection, He established to His disciples that He was in fact alive forever, and then He ascended into the heavens. When He did this, He was received by the Ancient of Days, and was given universal authority over all the nations of men. Earth now has a new capital city—heaven—and we are called to learn how to live in terms of this. And as we learn, we are to teach.Earth now has a new capital city—heaven—and we are called to learn how to live in terms of this. And as we learn, we are to teach.

The Text:
“For our conversation [lit., citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).

Overview:
Caesar Augustus established the Roman colony of Philippi after the battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. and the battle of Actium in 31 B.C. He did this by settling his veterans there, who were Roman citizens. This is the backdrop for Paul’s comment to the church that was located at this same Philippi. The Roman citizens of Philippi were there as Roman colonists, intended to extend the force of Roman influence throughout the Mediterranean world. They were not there in order for them to leave Philippi in order to come back to Rome for retirement.
In this passage, St. Paul is using this striking metaphor for a reason. He says that our citizenship is in heaven (v. 20). We look toward heaven because that is where Jesus went, which means that heaven is the place He is going to come from when He returns to earth. The metaphor translated, this means that Jesus was going to come from “Rome” to “Philippi.” He was not going to take “Philippi” to “Rome.” And when the Savior, the Lord Jesus, comes, He is going to transform our lowly body so that it becomes like His glorious body (v. 21). What He does in this final transformation is in complete accord with the authority He is exercising now as He brings all things into subjection to Himself (v. 21). In multiple places, the New Testament tells us that He is doing this.

The Line of the Story:
If we take this simple metaphor of Paul’s, it clears up a great deal for us. Christians now are living in the colonies of heaven. Now colonies are not established as feeder towns for the mother country—just the opposite actually. The mother country feeds the colonies.

How you take the line of the story matters a great deal. Many Christians believe the cosmos has an upper and lower story, with earth as the lower and heaven as the upper. You live the first chapters of your life here. Then you die, and you move upstairs to live with the nice people in part two. There might be some kind of sequel after that, but it is all kind of hazy. The basic movement in this thinking is from Philippi “below” to Rome “above.”

But what Paul teaches us here is quite different. We are establishing the colonies of heaven here, now. When we die, we get the privilege of visiting the heavenly motherland, which is quite different than moving there permanently. After this brief visit, the Lord will bring us all back here for the final and great transformation of the colonists (and the colonies). In short, our time in heaven is the intermediate state. It is not the case that our time here is the intermediate state. There is an old folk song that says, “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.” This captures the mistake almost perfectly. But as the saints gather in heaven, which is the real intermediate state, the growing question is, “When do we get to go back home?” And so this means that heaven is the place that we are just “passing through.”

The Image of God:
The ideas here—Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Lord, citizenship, a return that transforms—are all regal and political images. And what this means is that the emperor is coming here, and we are the advance team. But though Paul draws on this imagery from certain concepts in the Roman Empire, there are places where the analogy (obviously) breaks down. The pagan emperors did not elevate the people they ruled, but rather just sat on the top of a mountain of peons. But Christ intends to transform our lowly bodies so that they become like His. This means we are becoming royalty. And the colonies will become as glorious as the motherland.

Representing and establishing royalty on earth has been God’s design and purpose from the beginning. One of the indicators of this purpose and intent that is frequently missed is that famous phrase, “image of God.” The phrase image of God was one in the ancient world that indicated a divinely-imparted royal status. But unlike the pagan use of this, this royalty in Genesis was bestowed on all men and women, and not just a solitary ruler. Through our sin, we succeeded in marring this royal image, but God never relinquished His determination to establish it among us regardless. This is why Jesus came in the way that He did—to restore the image of God in man. This is why Peter can say that we are a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9), and it is also what Paul is talking about in this place. Christ is going to transform our lowly bodies so that they become like His glorious body.

Heaven Misplaced:
Christ is going to come from heaven when He returns. And until He returns, He rules from heaven—which we know on the basis of the Ascension. Consider what was given to Christ when He came back into the throne room of God. “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Ps. 110:1). “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). And so we wait and work in preparation, patiently, knowing that our labors here are not in vain. In this hope, we take care not to “misplace heaven.” The kingdom comes; the kingdom does not go. So Christ is going to come from heaven, and in the meantime, He rules from heaven.

The Great Descent:
Our faith when we consider the Ascension is the basis for our faith in the coming Descent. If you stop the story at the Ascension, you are misplacing the point of heaven. If you stop the story when we follow Christ to heaven at the time of our deaths, you are misplacing the point of heaven also.
Christ has ascended, and this is why the earth is going to be redeemed. And the whole creation is groaning, longing for this to happen. We who have the Spirit long for this as well.

Amos 1:1-2: The Roar of God

Christ Church on April 27, 2008

Introduction:
As God gives us the grace, we will now begin to work our way through the prophecy of Amos. Apart from what is revealed in his writing here, we know nothing about the man. Among the minor prophets, he occupies the vanguard in this period of Israel’s history, even though he is placed third in the canonical order.

The Text:
“The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither” (Amos 1:1-2).

Overview:
Tekoa was about ten miles south of Jerusalem, and this small town in Judah is where Amos was from (v. 1). But Amos was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel, and so it was that he conducted that ministry as a satiric outsider. He prophesied two years before the earthquake, a notable event remembered in Zechariah 14:5. The most likely date for his ministry is between 760 and 755 B.C., right near the end of Jeroboam II’s reign. The earthquake serves as a great metaphor for Amos’ message of impending judgment. As mentioned at the first, Amos was a shepherd, and if there is anything that a shepherd dreads, it is the sound of a lion’s roar (v. 2). The Lord, who was Israel’s shepherd, had become Israel’s predator. In the prophecy of Amos, the Lord was roaring. Moreover, He was doing this from Zion, and His voice was from Jerusalem. That was where God had established His name, and yet the northern kingdom had established false worship at Dan and Bethel. As a result of God’s predation, the pastureland of Carmel was going to wither, and the habitations of the shepherds would wither.

A Host of Sevens:
Amos is from an obscure place because God loves to rebuke the sleek and fat of this world with those who are little in the eyes of the world (1 Cor. 4: 9). But Amos is far from being some kind of hick or cornpone. This is a book of magnificent poetic force, and the literary abilities exhibited by the prophet are considerable. He is no court flatterer, but his abilities are not at all beneath the task of rebuking a corrupt aristocracy. One of his favorite literary and structuring devices is that of the organizing power of seven. There are at least twenty-three places where Amos relies on the number seven to organize his material, which we will note as we go through the book. He asks seven rhetorical questions (3:3-6), there are seven empty rituals that Israel performs (5:21-23), there are seven plagues (4:6-11), seven verbs of exhortation (5:14-15), and so on. Moreover, the entire book is structured in a seven-fold chiasm.

a Judgment coming toward Israel and her neighboring countries (1:1-2:16)

b Destruction of Israel and Bethel’s cultic worship (3:1-15)

c Condemnation of fat cat women (4:1-13)

d Call to repentance (5:1-17)

c’ Condemnation of fat cat men (5:18-6:14)

b’ Destruction of Bethel’s cultic worship (7:1-8:3)

a’ Judgment coming toward Israel and promised deliverance (8:4-9:15)

The Great Themes:
The book of Amos is a book of rebuke and denunciation. According to Amos, the two great sins committed by Israel were, first, compromised and corrupt worship, and second, a resultant abuse of power. The same thing comes up in the book of James, a New Testament book with a strong similarity to the book of Amos.

What is pure and undefiled religion? The answer to that question is two-fold, not solitary. The famous part of the answer is to visit widows and orphans in their affliction (1:27). But James also says that pure and undefiled religion keeps itself “unspotted from the world”(v. 27).

It is not the case that good deeds stand alone. Good deeds cannot justify a sinner, as we all know (Eph. 2:8-9). But good deeds cannot even justify themselves. All true living flows from true worship. Any one who worships at Dan and Bethel will inevitably grind the poor. And any one who tries to implement a syncretistic alliance between Zion and Bethel will do the same. Wisdom says that all who hate her love death (Prov. 8:36).

This is why the great order of the day today is reformation of the Church, and restoration of true worship. This is not because we want to bottle true worship up to hide it from the world, but rather because we want to unspotted religion to be what visits the widow and the orphan. To skip over the question of right worship, discarding the question of immoralities and heresies, for the sake of the poor and oppressed, is extremely short-sighted. To say, as one evangelical leader (Jim Wallis) has done, that we should not be that concerned about sodomy in the church because we mustn’t get distracted by secondary issues when the question of global poverty is so pressing, is to fly in the face of the message of Amos. To argue this way is to assume that Amos would agree that so long as we quit grinding the poor, worship at Dan and Bethel are fine with God. It is to assume that it would be fine with James to be corrupted by the world so long as we visited widows and orphans. But not only is it not fine, we need to flip this around. So long as you worship at Dan and Bethel, no matter what you say, or how eloquently you say it, the poor are going to catch it. False worshippers always stand up for the poor the way that Judas did.

The Engine and Drive Train:
To say that worship is the center of everything, is not to say that worship is everything. In our worship of God, we have our names and identities established. Once we are named by God, we are then commissioned to go out into the world, and to represent Him there. One of the central tasks that God has assigned to the Church in this regard is the task of mercy ministry. But this is just like everything else we do. We worship God on the Lord’s Day. Everything else that we do—art, literature, education, business, politics, economics, and mercy ministry—must be connected to this worship. The drive train has to be connected to the engine, which is true and faithful worship.

Promise Fulfilled:
Amos is a fierce and biting book, and we need to be prepared for its message. We need to be ready to be convicted, prodded, encouraged, and rebuked. But the book drives inexorably toward a glorious conclusion, one where the promised salvation of God does come into the world. As we allow the unbending righteousness of God to speak to us, we must constantly fix our eyes on the promise fulfilled in Christ.

Real Ambition

Christ Church on April 20, 2008

Introduction:
So we have considered desire, envy, and competition, and we now come to ambition. To address the subject rightly, we have to recall what we learned thus far. There is a certain kind of desire that every human being has to deal with, and this is a desire that tends to veer toward envy. If God has not given us the grace of being able to see this in ourselves, we will come into competitive situations motivated in the wrong way entirely. And the same thing is true of our ambitions. Our ambitions will lust after what God has never given.

The Text:
“And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any [man] to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:7-11).

Overview:
Christ tells us a parable that reveals His shrewd humility. But at the same time, if we understand Him, we see it is a true humility—this kind of thing offered up to God as a “trick that He won’t see through” is obviously crazy. This must be done before God openly. On one occasion Jesus saw a bunch of people jockeying for position somewhere, angling for that elusive place of honor (v. 7). He then told them a parable about the seating arrangements at a wedding, and He said not to take the seat of honor (v. 8). If you do, a more honorable guest will certainly show up, and the host will have to take you down a few notches, perhaps all the notches (v. 9). Voluntarily take the lowest place, He says, and you will be invited up—to the applause of all (v. 10). And having said all this, Christ gives the principle. The man who exalts himself will be taken down. The man who humbles himself will be exalted (v. 11). This is because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). This is a principle that runs throughout the Lord’s teaching, and throughout the Bible. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

Up Pride Mountain:
Our culture has been profoundly shaped and affected by the Lord’s teaching. This is the case even though numerous individuals don’t have the heart of the matter within them. The obvious rightness of the Lord’s requirement is nevertheless reflected in our customs and manners in a way that was not true in the ancient world. But all this means is that the subtlety of sin has to take an extra hairpin turn in its way up Pride Mountain. We now have folks taking the lowest place as the way of manipulating situations and looking humble to boot. But just saying the right thing (like the Pharisee in the temple) is not good enough. We don’t want to be like the woman in the old blues song with “a handful of gimme, and a mouthful of thank you, honey.”

Confusion and Ambition:
We need to know what the adversary is—because if we have been paying attention, we already know where the adversary is: in our own hearts. “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work” (James 3:14-16). The word rendered as strife here is a particular kind of strife—it is not the strife of two armies colliding, but rather the strife that results from electioneering or campaigning. Positioning would be another word for it. The NIV renders it well as selfish ambition; we might say striving ambition. Now, who is the running mate in this campaign? Two times James tells us—envy, bitter envy. If this is the condition of your heart, don’t lie to yourself about it (v. 14). This ambition does not come from above, but is diabolical (v. 15). And where you have envy and this kind of ambition together, you have “confusion and every kind of evil work.” Always. This striving, this ambition, comes from a love of honors, a love of glory (Mk. 12:38-40), which is coupled with a hatred of the road that God has required for all who would come to His kind of honor and glory. We don’t like that road because it runs through a deep valley.

A Two Way Street:
The person who is ambitious like this is begging for the opposition of God. Confusion and every evil work will dog him. God does not just make positive promises (“if you humble yourself, you will be exalted”). He also makes negative promises also (“if you push yourself to the front, He will see to it that you are set back”). When the disciples on the road got into an argument over who was the greatest, He spoke to them this way. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, [the same] shall be last of all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35; cf. 10:42-44). There are two ways to take this, both healthy.

Pyramid World?:
We do not live in a pyramid world—which is another way of saying that glory and honor are not zero-sum games, any more than anything else in God’s plan is. If you think that only one can occupy the top spot, and that you want to be that one, this will result in confusion and every kind of evil work. But God has created a rich, textured, and organic world, with an almost infinite array of options for godly ambition. There are two things to recognize—the first is that God is the master composer, and His symphony is going to be glorious beyond all reckoning. The second, just as important for your joy, is to find out what instrument you have been assigned and stop starting greedily at the first violin. In his introduction to a discussion of spiritual gifts, Paul says, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3). Godly ambition does not mean that any Christian can be at the top of the pyramid (making faces at the archangel Michael) provided he just humbles himself enough. This is not the spiritual equivalent of “any child can grow up to be president,” which is (incidentally) a lie. Godly ambition means that those who humble themselves in accordance with God’s word will find themselves blessed to the maximum capacity that their gifts and calling will allow. To want anything more than that is to take hold of the wrong kind of ambition. Drop it; it is your death.

The Way Up Is Down:
Jesus does not teach us that there is a problem with wanting to be great in the kingdom (Matt. 5:19). On repeated occasions, He instructs how to strive for that. He tells us how live in such a way that God says well done. If you don’t want that well done, then something is really wrong. But if you want the well done, here is the thing—you have to do it well. And doing it well involves imitating the Lord Jesus, who certainly had more reasons to not “stoop” than we do.

A More Excellent Way

Christ Church on April 13, 2008

Introduction:
We are continuing to consider the problems posed by desire, envy, competition, and ambition. We have now come to competition, something dear to the heart of most Americans. But because of this we must guard our step. You have heard many times that we must repent of our virtues, and this subject is a good place to start.

The Text:
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

Overview:
This passage is taken from the chapter in which the perfect humility of Christ was exalted to the highest place. This is not presented to us as a striking anomaly, but rather as being central to what we as Christians are called to imitate. How many things are we allowed to do because of our striving (v. 3)? Nothing. How about vainglory (v. 3)? Nothing again. What should our mindset be toward others? St. Paul replies we should consider them “better,” that is, more important than we do ourselves. This is to be our central disposition. This is to be characteristic of how our mind goes. Paul then says that we are not to look on our own things (v. 4), but also on the things of others (v. 4). This word in the second half of the phrase helps us to understand what is meant in the first half. This is a comparative statement, not an absolute statement. It is similar to when Paul tells each of us to carry our own burden (Gal. 6:5), carry his own weight. This is fully consistent with his exhortation for us to carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). Only the mind of Christ can sort this out.

Devil Take the Hindmost?:
There is a laissez-faire approach to competition that is very important for the civil magistrate to remember when it comes to the question of him restricting, regulating, organizing, or otherwise botching economic activity. But, as you have been reminded many times, there is a difference between sins and crimes. And just because something ought not to be criminal, with penalties attached, does not mean that it is healthy and automatically non-sinful. Lust ought not to be against the law, but that doesn’t make it okay. The civil magistrate is not competent to outlaw greed either, and all messianic attempts to do so have been disastrous. However . . .
There are Christians who see this, and who conclude from it that a “let ‘er rip” attitude should be allowed everywhere. But the civil magistrate is not prohibited from addressing greed because it is an invisible sin. It is not invisible, and other governments are required to deal with it. A family can see and identify what their problem is. “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live” (Prov. 15:27). The church is required to exclude from ecclesiastical office men who are greedy. “Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous” (1 Tim. 3:3; cf. 3:8). The civil government must not give way to this sin itself (Ex. 18:21). The Bible requires us not to elect officials unless they hate covetousness. We have taken this to mean that we shouldn’t vote for them unless they are steeped in it. Our political parties taken together constitute a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Money.
Now the fact that even a good civil government is not competent to outlaw greed does not mean that no entity is competent to deal with it. The family and church must deal with it.

Better How?:
In our text, the word “better” is a rendering of hyperecho. What does lowliness of mind require of us in this? Remember we are trying to build the mind of Christ, which cannot be done out of two-by-fours. We tend to read the English here as requiring us to believe that the other person is better at doing whatever it is we might be comparing, which is obviously crazy. Having run into this superficial roadblock, we dismiss the entire problem from our minds. But this is dangerous. The word hyperecho can also be rendered as “to be above, to stand out.”

That does not make the other person automatically right, or superior in his abilities. Remember that the one we are imitating in this is the Lord Jesus—when He became a man, He did so because He believed we were “better” (in this sense) than He was. This obviously has to means the sense of “more important, more valued.” Jesus did not die for us because we were better than He in some moral sense. He died for us because He loved us more than He loved His own life. So the issue is humility and love, and nothing in this requires us to embrace absurdities.

Bearing Burdens:
Now our task is to learn how to bear our own burden (providing for our own family, meeting our own responsibilities) at the same time we are careful to bear one another’s burdens (holding to a true fellowship of goods). The early Christians kept their own property (Acts 5:4) and they held all things in common (Acts 4:32-33). Here are a few basic principles as we pursue the mind of Christ, as we long for “great grace to be upon us all.”
We began this series with desire and envy, which run down the middle of every human heart. Deal with all the big problems there first. And don’t think that thirty seconds reflection or mere intellectual assent is going to do the trick.

Secondly, learn how justice fits into grace. Don’t go the other way, trying to fit grace into justice. Grace corrodes when stored in justice. Justices thrives and grows strong in grace. It is better to be taken to the cleaners because you loaned money, expecting nothing back (Luke 6:35) than to have an evil eye, tight fist, and wary heart (Mk. 7:22).
Third, work hard and intelligently, expecting your work to not only provide for your family, but also to be a blessing to any brother who is “competing” for the same customers you are. That’s impossible, you say. Tell it to God, who traffics in impossibilities. Zero-sum thinking is the logic of unbelief—where more for you means less for me.

Living in a Cut-Throat World:
Keeping ourselves free from strife and vainglory seems like an overwhelming task sometimes. What are to do about the outside world, which does not appear to be functioning with this calculus at all? What grasping and ravenous entities are out there? Besides Microsoft, the U.S. Government, assorted televangelists, the Republicrats, the United Nations, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and more? What should we do about all that? First, we must not envy them (Prov. 3:29-32; 23:17-18). Second, we must not imitate them or their ways (Matt. 20:25-26). And third, we should live in our communities such that we teach them a more excellent way (1 Cor. 12: 31)