… ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people …
Summary: Paul says he heard about the church in Ephesus. This gives rise to questions about when he wrote his letter. Then his words that follow put those questions in their proper context.
What do you think of when you hear Paul say, “ever since I heard about your faith…”? Does it sound like Paul knows these people personally?
I can think of two possible explanations for Paul’s sentence structure. One is that Paul wrote this letter before he visited Ephesus and stayed for three years. If this is true, then Paul would have written this letter before he was a prisoner in Rome. Another possibility is that years after his extended stay in Ephesus, as a prisoner in Rome, he writes to a church that has grown substantially since he last visited. If that is the case, then he would not know all the people there personally. The only way he could know about their faith would be to hear about it from a third party.
I don’t have an opinion about which of these views is true, but I mention it because it is a good example of a “disputable matter” (Romans 14:1). Paul’s advice regarding such things is “whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” (Romans 14: 22)
But what about the rest of the phrase?
When asked about the “greatest commandment in the Law,” Jesus summarizes “all the Law and the Prophets” this way:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22: 37-38)
We touched on this in our last meditation, yet it is worth looking at again. Loving God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves is a theme that runs throughout Scripture. There is nothing more important or more life-changing that learning these two things.*
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-13), the entire prayer is structured around these two things. The first two verses are about loving God above all else. The rest of the prayer deals with personal needs and forgiving others as we want to be forgiven by God.
The Lord’s Prayer, in turn, is modeled after the Ten Commandments given to Moses (Exodus 20: 1-17). The first four commandments are about honoring God above all else. The other six are about loving others (albeit by not killing them, or stealing from them, etc. ).
When Paul says, “I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people…” he is, perhaps unconsciously, reflecting the whole of God’s Word. Our ‘faith in the Lord Jesus’ is how we express our love for God. Our “love for all God’s people” is how we honor God’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Do you want to know what Paul thinks are important criteria for the church? The answer is simple: “faith in the Lord Jesus and … love for all God’s people.”
Application: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself.
Food for Thought: Where do “disputable matters” fit in with loving God and loving our neighbors?
*If you are thinking that knowing Jesus is the most important thing, you would be right. Remember that Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
Another good Reminder, Thanks Jeff
Thanks Jim!
I appreciate you sharing in Paul’s words here! 🙂
In todays’ devotion, Paul’s timeline may be in dispute, but his reason for saying is undisputable: he found joy in knowing how others were growing in faith, loving God, and loving their neighbor.
Getting caught up in disputable details can cause the very opposite of what you are disputing. It ok to discuss, but do so in love for God and your neighbor. Once you get “emotional” about a topic you have to understand that your pride is becoming a barrier.
Chris,
Well said! I have seen this happen too many times. People get caught up in their point of view and the battle becomes more important than the mission: Love one another!
I like Chris’s response. Arguing and becoming emotional to win an argument at the expense of unnecessarily hurting others reveals a pride problem.
We also have to know what is a disputable matter verses a hill we should die on. Those things can differ from person to person. It takes some wisdom, biblical understanding and spiritual discernment to come to a healthy position.
Rich,
I really appreciate your point today. Thank you!
You write: “We also have to know what is a disputable matter verses a hill we should die on.”
Now, for the sake of discussion, allow me to reframe this statement just a little. What if we say the following:
>> Outside of faith in Jesus Christ, every matter is a disputable matter if it is causing a disagreement (or dispute) in the body of Christ. <<
Of course Paul also instructs us:
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” (1 Corinthians 5:12)
So let’s postulate a church with no rules except one, that members put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Of course, the body of Christ has the Holy Spirit, which affirms God’s written Word as true. So the Body of Christ believes in Jesus and studies the Word of God.
When disputes arise, they disturb the body. Like a wound in the physical body, the spiritual blood of Christ brings resources to the wound to heal it. We know that the blood attacks invading organisms, protects against invasion, and heals the wound.
So how is that different than the Body of Christ we see in our modern world?
The answer seems to me that we have calcified our differences. Instead of allowing the Spirit to lead the Body in dealing with disturbances on a case-by-case basis, we instead rely in past decisions of the Body and assume that the Spirit has decided the case. Obviously, God is not divided (Matthew 12:25). So the divisions in churches do not testify to the truth, but to our weaknesses.
So, to get back to your point: anything can be a disputable matter. (Even such things as the color of wall paint or coffee in the pews!) Perhaps the question is not “Which hill we should die on?” but rather “Which process should we use to deal with disagreements?”.
Yeah, it is complicated isn’t it. I could dispute this, but that might appear counter productive 😊.
For example, just today we saw the statement of faith of our church insurance coverage. A supposedly Christian organization, yet every elder instantly wanted to go a different direction (myself included). And we are. Yet, the issue wasn’t Jesus directly. Thankfully everyone is united. But it was a strong reaction about something other than “Jesus.” If you knew what it was, my guess is you would agree with the decision. Yet many Bible based churches are insured by this group.
Like I said, complicated.
In other words, I agree with you but this is a bigger subject that we can figure out here. It simply is not that simple.
Thank you, brother!
I know you are right – this is a big issue. I wasn’t intending to complicate the discussion … much. 🙂
Thank you for your leadership and your courage. We are so very blessed to have you as our pastor!!
I am humbled sir. We are grateful for you too.
03-03-2023, Where do “disputable matters” fit in with loving God and loving our neighbors?
The entire Bible is the eternal Word of God, who inspired men to write as He directed them, while allowing them retain their style as they recorded His truths.. Pretty mind boggling!
A disputable matter, should be discussed as all parties refer to scripture, God’s Word as the foundation for their position and their discussion which will then be profitable for doctrine, reproof correction, instruction in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
If a subject like when, in the years of Paul’s life did he pen, or quill a specific writing, is considered to be a priority and requires we enter into a conversation about something not biblical, but this person has considered it to be important. Then I would say we are being drawn into a discussion which is a complete waste of time and is being introduced to take us away from God rather than bring us closer to Him. We should quickly excuse ourselves and move forward, continue doing God’s business rather than allow ourselves to be drawn into satan’s trap.
Romans 14
Well said, Ron!
It is important to keep our eyes on the prize! (Jesus!)