Pastoral Reflection
God commissions true unity; it is grounded in covenant with Him. The bible teaches that it is good to live in unity with others (Psalm 133:1 NRSV). Ephesians chapter 4 verse 3 says, “the church should make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3 NRSV). Furthermore, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 13 tells us “the church must come to the unity of the faith of the Son of God in order to determine the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13 NRSV). In other words, God desires unity among His believers based on His purpose for the kingdom. He wants the church unified in Spirit, Faith, and the mind of Christ working together for the kingdom building. Unity is essential to the livelihood of the body of Christ. Therefore, unity that is not grounded in covenant with God is false unity.
Consequently, the people at Babel lived in unity, but God did not commission it. The unity was established to fulfill a plan contrary to God’s plan. The plan was motivated by pride, and God hates pride. He hates pride because pride breeds disunity and destroys our relationship with Him. According to scripture, pride results in quarrels, disgrace, a haughty spirit, and finally the wrath of God (Prov. 11:2; 13:10; 16:18 NRSV). Therefore, the unity at Babel was false unity.
Consequently, in the eyes of God the problem was not unity but pride. God’s views on pride differ from our views. In the eyes of God pride is good if that pride is in God, or pride in other people. In addition, Pride in one's self without comparing oneself to others is also good. (Psalm 34:2; 1 Cor. 1:31; 1 Cor. 7:4; Gal. 6:4 NRSV). However, pride in appearance, riches, and achievements are disrespectful in the eyes of G...
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...mble believers are not fame seekers; instead, they exalt the name of Christ. Next, humble believers are not offended when others are given praise and thanks. Then, humble believers acknowledge their own weaknesses.
As members of the body of Christ and God’s representatives, we must stop working for our own causes and work for the kingdom. Our lives must reflect God’s grace and mercy. The best lesson we can learn is to acknowledge God in all of our plans. In the end, His plans will be realized, and He will protect us from ourselves. Finally, unless we humble ourselves and unite in the name of Jesus, we will live our lives plagued by confusion. Teresa of Avila suggested that in order to perfect our soul we should “Let humility be always at work like the bee at the honeycomb or all will be lost”. God will not allow plans contrary to His plans to succeed.
In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, Unity is a reflecting theme of this novel and in life. Unity is "the state of being one or a unit; harmony, agreement in feelings or ideas or aims, etc." Unity is first introduced by means of the river and by the mystical word "Om." Direct commentary from Siddhartha and the narrator also introduces the theme.
Engagement with others is the most fertile ground for spiritual growth. Yet, salvation cannot come through individual questing nor good works in the community of the world alone. Salvation can only come when the journey and the work become
Much of the religious practice of the ancient world was polytheistic. The Hebrews embrace of monotheism is noteworthy, because it distinguishes Judaism from the ...
When considering the connotation of pride and whether it is a good or bad characteristic it is important to consider the definition applied. Pride, according to the Oxford Press Dictionary, is defined as “a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction that you get when you or people who are connected with you have done something well or own something that other people admire.” While this definition does not insinuate a faulty or sinful perception, and a healthy measure of pride is acceptable, there is a line of demarcation that cannot be crossed. Pride has become a customary and unquestioned value that has been ingrained in culture because society the structure and precepts of God have been removed from the worldview. Pride has evolved beyond a beneficial characteristic and, for some, has morphed from an acceptable satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, to an unreasonable desire or love of one 's own excellence.
we are all one person in Christ and God sees us all the same. There is
was in that time- peoples' beliefs were to be the death of them. Pride was
existence of a single god. (“Monotheism”) “For the Pharisees, God is primarily one who makes demands. For them, the Scriptures of the Old Testament were a set of rules that must be kept at all cost.” (“Jesus Challenges the Pharisees”)
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
As Christians we need to keep this theory of Covenant Obedience in mind as we see our nation trying to change the moral foundation of its people to be built on anything but the word of God. This break down in the covenant with God can only mimic the patterns of the past which is separation from God.
...fe of the Israelites. But God never intended that people should view it as a way to earn salvation, namely: by keeping it perfectly.”
World Religion is an important course of study, because people have the opportunity to learn from an insider, as well as outsider, concerning different beliefs, practices, deities, and perspectives of other religions. The Bible records the deities and religion practices in the Old Testaments, which concerned the Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and Babylonians. The New Testaments, on the other hand, populated with “many gods and lords.” Paul’s letter written to the Corinthians express the understanding of knowing that the idols did not represent a real God. Paul writes, “For although there may be so-called gods in the heaven or on earth- as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”-yet “for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and from whom we exist and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through who are all things and through who we exist” (1 Cor. 8:5-6, EVS). In other words, the sovereignty of God is what rules the heavens and the earth concerning the humanity of different religions.
The books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings introduce us to a society that have faith in God (the Lord of hosts), people believe that by being obedient to the will of God they could be protected from the enemy, their houses would be prosperous and their families would be free of diseases. Their men would be protected during war and the victory would be always on their side. However if they do not follow God’s plans then they will be in chaos. From the beginning of 1 Samuel to 1 Kings, we can see how the people who did not obey the commands of the Lord fell into crisis, their family members die and the men were defeated in war.
Clifford, Richard J., A Commentary by… Proverbs, The Old Testament Library. Editorial Advisory Board; James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, David I. Petersen. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1999.
to do, we will never experience true joy and peace. Our calling is what God has planned