Outdo one another in showing honor
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18).
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10).
A week ago the world did not come to an end. Emotions range from triumph to relief to fear, and everyone is allowed to feel their emotions. But there is a time to put emotions aside and move forward — not to continue divisions and fighting, but to reconcile with our neighbors. A divided country cannot stand for long, and politicians on either side of the aisle cannot mend the relationships broken during the last decade. It is up to the people to extend generous affection and honor to each other, no matter whom they voted for last week.
Affection and honor must begin with Christ-followers. A world focused on winners and losers, lost in the idolatry of personality, cannot see well enough to recognize what is True and good. Those who don’t know Jesus cannot be expected to act like him. But Christians are supposed to reflect the light of the Son in this dark and broken world. How can we do that if we cling to our politics and desire to be “right?” When the Church acts like the rest of the nation (and the rest of the world), she fails in her mission to both teach and live the gospel of Jesus, making disciples and observing the command to love God and love others in his name (Matthew 29:19–20). To fail in that mission because of political idolatry makes Christians more like ancient Judah than the first century Church.
God spoke to Isaiah during the time of Judah’s rebellion 700 years before Christ, warning the nation that God’s patience was wearing thin. Isaiah said that the people were “laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly” (Isaiah 1:4). Judah rotted from within long before it was conquered. Isaiah told the people that their offerings, given out of habit, not devotion, became an abomination and a burden to God. Isaiah admonished his listeners to remove the evil of their deed, learn to do good, seek justice, and correct oppression (Isaiah 1:16–17). In short, start acting like God’s chosen people. Then he said,
“Come, now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; those they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword;” for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 1:18–20).
It’s interesting that some translators chose “let us reason together” in verse 18. The Hebrew word, יָכַח (yāḵaḥ) denotes judgment, reproof, conviction, and rebuke, not a discussion about how to go about making things right. When Isaiah says that God wants to reason together with the people, it’s more like saying, “Sit down, y’all. I’m about to ‘splain you some things.” It is a reproof within an argument that ends the dispute. The people argued with God in their behavior and attitudes. God called out their sin and reminded them who they served. Faithful service led to blessing, but the people chose destruction.
Similarly, Christians whose minds are set on things of this world separate themselves from the blessing of God. In Christ they have salvation, but their lives do not reflect the call of Jesus to love their neighbors. Their sanctification is blunted by their attention on politics, power, and position. The calling of God to this generation is to reach out and reason together with their neighbors, their local communities, and fellow believers for the sake of unity. It’s an exhortation toward genuine love, consistent prayer, and remembering whose Kingdom reigns forever. We can end the argument by pursuing harmony over being “right.” Paul wrote to the Romans “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). Winners and losers in the political arena change every couple of years. A competition to honor one another has eternal ramifications.
What would the United States be like if every follower of Jesus took up Paul’s challenge to “outdo one another in showing honor?” How might the Church look to the rest of the world if we all loved each other with genuine affection? What begins in the Christian community would overflow to the cities where they are sent (Jeremiah 29:7). World peace may be an impossible dream, but a more unified Christian community is a taste of heaven on earth, God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). It is time for Christians to break out of our silos and engage our communities, putting away both gloating and fear. It’s time for Christians to humble ourselves, love our neighbors well, and trust in the Sovereign God who calls us to honor one another.
Resources
The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.
Book of Isaiah | Guide with Key Information and Resources
John H Walton & Craig S. Keener (Editors). NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Context Changes Everything), Hardcover, Red Letter: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Zondervan, 23 Aug. 2016.
“H3198 — yāḵaḥ — Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (ESV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 11 Nov, 2024. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3198/esv/wlc/0-1/>.
Defaulting to Grace 