As I walked the stone streets of the ancient city of Pompeii, I couldn’t help imagining what it might have been like to be an early Christian living in ancient Rome, walking streets just like this, when the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Romans.
As I pondered on this, I was suddenly struck with how incredibly proud and haughty Christians of today are. We live here on the completely opposite side of the world … debating and arguing and nit-picking over theological points … condemning and criticizing each other when we disagree! Christians of today, in the western world, have a tendency to view ourselves as somehow superior in holiness.
We view ourselves as “God’s chosen and favored” because the way we do things is “God’s way.”
We view our own moral standards as “God’s way” … and if someone has different moral standards than us then they are obviously “wrong.” They are not “favored by God” the way we are.
We view our own preferences for music as “God’s way.” We view our own preferences for the order of services in church as being “God’s way.” If someone else listens to a different style of music … then we feel they are “wrong.” If another church has worship music which we do not approve of or has a different order of church services than we are comfortable with … then we feel they are doing it “wrong.”
The early Christians in ancient Rome had a tainted past of worshiping false gods and goddesses. Their daily groceries probably came from street markets where the food had been offered to idols. They lived in a culture where 25-40% of the population were slaves … so they probably viewed slavery as completely “normal” and commonplace.
And yet it was to them God chose to send a letter. Not to us … here on this side of the world, in our “perfect” churches, with our “perfect” and “holy” way of doing things. God chose them.
The early Christians in ancient Rome wore a completely different style of clothing to their worship gatherings than we do today. They had a completely different order of worship services than we do today. They had a completely different style of music than we do today. They sang completely different songs in worship and praise to God. They did things completely differently than we do today.
And yet it was to them God chose to send a letter. Not us. God chose them.
They didn’t read the “correct” translation of the Bible. They didn’t even have the Bible to read at all. And yet it was to them God chose to send a letter. Not us. God chose them.
God chose them simply because he loved them. God chose them because he wanted to have a relationship with them. God chose them because he wanted them to learn what faith in Jesus Christ means. God chose them because he wanted them to grow in holiness.
God chose them because he loved them.
A life that is “marked” by Jesus Christ is a life which is characterized by humility. Humility which recognizes that God loves us all! God doesn’t play favorites. God loves everyone!
A life that is “marked” by Jesus Christ humbly recognizes that someone might live for Jesus in a different way than we do … and its ok. Just because they are different than us does not mean they are “wrong.”
A life that is “marked” by Jesus Christ humbly recognizes that someone might worship God with songs and in a style of worship which we don’t particularly enjoy. And it’s ok. Just because their preferences are different does not mean they are “wrong.”
A life that is “marked” by Jesus Christ humbly recognizes that every person’s gifting matters! Some people will serve God in completely different ways than we will.
Humility recognizes that we all are part of the same “body” … and we all have a part. Even if their part is completely different than our part.
In the letter to the Romans:
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
“If a person’s gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.”
– Romans 12:3-8
A life “marked” by Jesus Christ is a life characterized by humility.
