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Thoughts on Christian Harmony

Romans 12:15-20 gives a very strong command to get along with one another.  This command was written to the churches in Rome, so it was written to Christians.  When people get saved, many things happen in the spiritual realm.  Our sins are atoned, we are forgiven, we are adopted, we are redeemed and we have moved from death to life.  Our spirit is actually regenerated.  Some people who come to Christ while on the rock bottom may have a miraculous deliverance and change.  Our church has Teen Challenge, a Christian recovery program, come and share every year.  The testimonies of those people are passionate and dramatic.  Other people are saved while growing up in a Christian home and there is no visible miraculous change.

After a person is saved, they must continue to live their life.  If they are obedient, these new Christians will join a church and will find that there are people just like them and people very different.  Everyone in a church is still human and is still living in the flesh.  This means that every Christian in a church will sin and offend and be annoying and be bothersome.  This is normal and was normal 2,000 years ago.

So Paul tells the saved church members in Rome to live in harmony with one another.  He says to do this by not being boastful and prideful but by being humble.  He also says, Never be wise in your own sight.  This is great advice for Christians.  Christ did all the work in saving us.  The Holy Spirit is sanctifying us.  No one can rightly come into a church full of boasting a pride, because they have nothing to boast over.  We are saved by grace, not works.  We all rely on Christ.  God hates pride because a prideful person is putting themselves above God.  God loves humility because Christ was humble and lowly and we are to be Christ-like.

Paul says as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  In other worlds, if there is someone in a church that you cannot get along with, for whatever reason, make sure it is not because of your sin or your pride or a misunderstanding.  If you are in the clear and they are still against you, leave them alone.  If the church is small and you cannot get away from them, then maybe find another church.  Do whatever it takes to keep the peace.  At the end of time, all will be glorified and there will be no conflict.  We are not there yet.

Paul finished by saying never take revenge.  Most people, except in the movies, actually takes revenge but I have known several people who think about it and fantasize about it.  This sort of thought life will destroy relationships and remove a person from a close walk with Christ.  Christians forgive, Christians humbly ask for forgiveness and if at all possible, we live in harmony with all Christians we meet and know.

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