Author of Romans: The Apostle Paul
Date and Occasion: Paul wrote Romans shortly before his visit to Jerusalem (Romans 15:25; Acts 24:17) and it was most likely written between 54 AD and early 57 AD.
The Romans church seems to have begun early and grown rapidly. Romans were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:10-11). It seems likely that they grew without an apostolic visit and they were a congregation that included both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 1:13).
Romans is the most developed and complete exposition of the Gospel in one book in the canon of Scripture. A famous preacher of the 5th century named John Chrysostom had Romans read aloud to him once a week. This book has had a tremendous impact on leaders of the Church throughout history.
Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
We are accustomed to Paul and his credentials but think of how this would strike you if you didn’t know Paul. Here is a guy who claims to be a servant of a guy who was killed as a criminal over 20 years before. This places the resurrection in the forefront of the epistle since this would be a nonsense statement otherwise. You can’t be the servant of a dead guy and a dead guy can’t call you to do anything and in particular can't call you to be an apostle. We don’t have apostles in the Church since they were gifts to the early Church. God used these men in a special way to build the early church. Their teaching had scriptural authority and made doctrine. Generally when someone claims to be an apostle today they simply mean that they are a church planter with a unique combination of evangelism and pastoral skills. However, you do get the occasional individual who actually claims to be an apostle and they generally become heretics somewhere along the line.
We are not apostles but we are called to be servants and we are set apart for the Gospel of God. As servants we need to remind ourselves constantly that we serve a living and active God who has plans for us and good works for us to do. These works are not for our salvation but simply for His glory. We are saints in the biblical sense and therefore by definition sanctified or set apart for the Gospel by the Grace of God.
Romans 1:2-3
which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
It is important to God that we understand that He didn’t send Jesus without abundant prophecy. Jesus is foretold in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. God has been merciful to make His will clear and to tell us well (sometimes thousands of years) in advance that what He promises will take place. And we can trust Him because He isn’t guessing or predicting but rather He is seeing the end from the beginning.
Note that Jesus was “descended from David according to the flesh” so we had 14 generations from Abraham to David; 14 generations from David to Babylon; and 14 generations from Babylon to Christ (Matthew 1 and Luke 3). Matthew focuses on Jesus’ royal line and Luke on Jesus’ human line (Gospel of Mark is Jesus as servant and Gospel of John is Jesus as God).
Romans 1:4
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
The resurrection is a testimony of Christ’s position in the godhead and notice that the Trinity once again testifies in the unity of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Three in person and one in essence.
Romans 1:5-6
through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Paul certainly was a recipient of Grace and his testimony makes that clear. Someone who was a persecutor of Christians became the one God used to write more of the New Testament than any other person. Grace is undeserved blessing from God and Paul was always aware of this. Grace is not a feeling God has; Grace is a thing God does. You see Grace as action very clearly in Paul’s life. And if you understand what I’m saying and desire to please God then you are called (by God) to belong to Jesus Christ. What a blessing in our lives.
I also appreciate that Scripture here makes preaching the Gospel equivalent to bringing “about the obedience of faith”. The world is in rebellion against God and is hostile toward God. Sometimes we see it in little ways such as apathy toward the things of God and sometimes we see it in larger ways like false religions.
Romans 1:7
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We (just like those in Rome) are loved by God and called to be sanctified. If you are called to be sanctified then you seek holiness. The world, our flesh, and the enemy of our soul will work against holiness in our lives. You really need to run the race we call life with patience. We can't let disappointment defeat us in this race. Grace and peace are a traditional greeting and we really need to remember to pray for Grace and peace for each other and we need to remember that it comes from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pale Rider is a movie that provides an valuable case study in the way our emotions are manipulated by film and art, how civil government relates to Christians, and also just war theory. In the movie a young girl named Megan prays when the bad guys kill her dog and asks for God to answer them. The Preacher (played by Clint Eastwood) then rides into town saves her prospective father from the bad guys and begins to protect the community. Most guys have seen this movie (I have called it Touched by an Angel for guys) so I'll assume a general familiarity with the movie plot.Manipulation of Emotions
Standard plan for the plot of westerns results in a manipulation of our emotions. The bad guy does something really nasty to the good guy and/or his family and/or his friends. Then the good guy gets revenge and we are expected to find the process enjoyable.
We should exercise great care and certainly not simply sit and allow our emotions to be moved without the benefit of scripture when we see this type of movie.
Vengeance
“An eye for an eye.” The original intent of Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:20, and Deut. 19:21 is that punishment should be equitable and should fit the crime. These limitations prohibited exacting a greater vengeance (such as Lamech boasted in Gen. 4:23) or having different penalties for different social classes. Jesus contradicted those who saw in this principle grounds for personal vengeance. Mankind had taken God's law that was given to suppress revenge and used it to justify their actions of revenge.
It takes faith to trust God to make all things right/fair/just in time because we don’t see the end (final just resolution to all wrongs) in this life. However it is also foolish to not trust God because your sense of what is right/fair/just comes from Him and He is perfectly righteous/fair/equitable/just (Deut 32:35). He has said there is a judgment throne but our impatience keeps us from trusting Him and drives us to see revenge.
Romans 12:18-21
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Prov 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
As Christians we need to be careful not to allow a manipulation of our emotions to cause us to rejoice in violence. Even though that is often the objective of some films in which we feel satisfied to see the bad guy get what we think he has coming. Our sense of justice is good but we shouldn’t rejoice to see destruction and violence. I’ve been in theaters in which the entire audience applauds and cheers when the bad guy gets killed or blown up.
I understand that it is make believe and justice is a good thing but keep your heart with diligence and don’t rejoice in the things that are really tragedy.
I'm not sure how aware the movie makers were of what they were doing but if you pay attention in the movie you'll see Preacher has six bullet holes in his back. Six is the number of man and there are six who shot him in the back who appear later in the movie. The movie brings some difficult questions regarding civil government to light. You can ask where civil government is within the context of the movie and how each individual relates to government.
How do you relate to civil government? Is it ok for you as a Christian to serve in government and what does scripture teach about the way you related. The following sections from the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith are very good at drawing together the scriptures related to our behavior as citizens living with a government.
Chapter 24 – 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
Rewritten in modern English by
Andrew Kerkham, 1st ed. 1999, revised ed. 2001
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
24.1
God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil authorities to be under him and over the people, for his own glory and the public good. For this purpose he has armed them with the authority to use force, to defend and encourage those who do good, and to punish evil doers. (Psalms 82:1; Luke 12:48; Romans 13:1-6; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Genesis 6:11-13 with 9:5-6; Psalms 58:1-2; 72:14; 82:1-4; Proverbs 21:15; 24:11-12; 29:14,26; 31:5; Ezekiel 7:23; 45:9; Daniel 4:27; Matthews 22:21; Romans 13:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:2; 1Peter 2:14; Genesis 9:6; Proverbs 16:14; 19:12; 20:2; 21:15; 28:17; Acts 25:1; Romans 13:4; 1 Peter 2:13-14)
24.2 It is lawful for Christians to accept and carry out the duties of public office when called upon to so. In the performance of such office they are particularly responsible for maintaining justice and peace in accordance with the wholesome laws of the nation. For that purpose they may (in terms of the New Testament) lawfully engage in war if it is just and necessary. (Exodus 22:8-9,28-29; Daniel; Nehemiah; Proverbs 14:35; 16:10,12; 20:26,28; 25:2; 28:15-16; 29:4,14; 31:4-5; Romans 13:2,4,6; Luke 3:14; Romans 13:4)
24.3 As civil authorities are established by God for the purposes given, we ought to be subject to all their lawful commands for the Lord's sake, not merely to avoid punishment, but for conscience' sake. We ought also to make supplications and prayers for rulers and all who are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. (Proverbs 16:14-15; 19:12; 20:2; 24:21-22; 25:15; 28:2; Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Daniel 1:8; 3:4-6,16-18; 6:5-10,22; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:29; Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4)
In the case depicted in the movie Pale Rider; there is an absence of government in a traditional sense. “The Government” is not there for the small mining community as depicted in the film. The miners are governing themselves democratically and are being attacked by corrupt men who are outside the law and attempting to use force. Even the Marshal and deputies are corrupt and not part of any legitimate government.
Consequently, you could say that “Preacher” was acting as the agent of the temporary government established by the group of miners. If you want to argue the point you must then argue that he is not acting as a vigilante because we are biblically forbidden to be a vigilante. Even Jesus’ rebuke of Peter when he pulled out a sword was, in a sense, a rebuke of vigilantism.
The movie makes the 'government' established by the mining community very visible. They essentially have a town meeting and Pale Rider essentially describes a war. Stewart taught based on the following material a few years ago just after 9/11 and the Church has worked through these questions in previous centuries.
Hannah More was an acquaintance of John Newton and Wilber Wilberforce as evangelicals working against the slave trade. She was writing about the slave trade but it what she said has wider application. She was troubled about the way people separated doctrines and duties. She said, “it is of importance to point out the mutual dependence of one doctrine upon another, and the influence which these doctrines have upon the heart and life, so that the duties of Christianity may be seen to grow out of its doctrines." We need to make sure that we don't let the duties of our life in any aspect grow apart from the doctrines that God has given us to teach us how to live.
Thomas Aquinas was one of God’s great gifts to the church. It is unfortunate that we hardly mention his name most of the time. We have the shoulders of giants to stand on. We may come to different conclusions about a particular war around the globe but at least we as Christians should be working from Scripture.
Part II, II, Q. 40
These notes are based on a selection from the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, Second and Revised Edition, translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 1920. This translation is now in the public domain.
Augustine says in a sermon on the son of the centurion [Ep. ad Marcel. cxxxviii]: "If the Christian Religion forbade war altogether, those who sought salutary advice in the Gospel would rather have been counseled to cast aside their arms, and to give up soldiering altogether. On the contrary, they were told: 'Do violence to no man . . . and be content with your pay' [Luke 3:14. If he commanded them to be content with their pay, he did not forbid soldiering."
I answer that, In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary:
First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged. For it is not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redress of his rights from the tribunal of his superior. Moreover it is not the business of a private individual to summon together the people, which has to be done in wartime. And as the care of the common welfare is committed to those who are in authority, it is their business to watch over the common welfare of the city, kingdom or province subject to them. And just as it is lawful for them to have recourse to the sword in defending that common welfare against internal disturbances, when they punish evil-doers, according to the words of the Apostle (Rm. 13:4): "He beareth not
the sword in vain: for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil"; so too, it is their business to have recourse to the sword of war in defending the common weal against external enemies. Hence it is said to those who are in authority (Ps. 81:4): "Rescue the poor: and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner"; and for this reason Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxii, 75): "The natural order conducive to peace among mortals demands that the power to declare and counsel war should be in the hands of those who hold the supreme authority."
This is probably “Preacher’s” biggest problem with Aquinas and just war theology. While there is no government in an immediate sense there is a government present in a larger sense. The problem they are having is that the federal and state governments are not active in the frontier where they are living.
Secondly, a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked, should
be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault. Wherefore
Augustine says (QQ. in Hept., qu. x, super Jos.): "A just war is wont to be
described as one that avenges wrongs, when a nation or state has to be punished,
for refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to
restore what it has seized unjustly."
Naturally in a western the cause of the good guy against the bad guy is well established but we can’t just ignore the spiritual consequences of what we are watching because what we watch has an impact on us and doctrine is supposed to have an impact on us and on our actions. One technique that westerns often use is to make the bad guy so bad that we lose sight of any mercy or pity that we might otherwise feel. It makes the suffering of the bad guy satisfying. God says that vengence is His but we take pleasure in vengence that we judge to be right and just.
Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil. Hence Augustine says (De Verb. Dom. [The words quoted are to be found not in St. Augustine's works, but Can. Apud. Caus. xxiii, qu. 1]): "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, of punishing evil-doers, and of uplifting the good." For it may happen that the war is declared by the legitimate authority, and for a just cause, and yet be rendered unlawful through a wicked intention. Hence Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxii, 74): "The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such like things, all these are rightly condemned in war."
While “Preacher” fits this criteria pretty well you might object to his methods as in some cases cruel but they certainly provide such a bunch of bad guys and in this case attempt to motivate “Preacher” purely by rightful intention. In fact the movie makers stress Preacher's reluctance to take up his guns again.
To have recourse to the sword (as a private person) by the authority of the sovereign or judge, or (as a public person) through zeal for justice, and by the authority, so to speak, of God, is not to "take the sword," but to use it as commissioned by another, wherefore it does not deserve punishment. And yet even those who make sinful use of the sword are not always slain with the sword, yet they always perish with their own sword, because, unless they repent, they are punished eternally for their sinful use of the sword.
So did “Preacher” act lawfully. He was only commissioned to use the sword by the provisional government of those citizens under attack by the corrupt marshal and deputies as directed by LaHood.
It is necessary sometimes for a man to act otherwise for the common good, or for the good of those with whom he is fighting. Hence Augustine says (Ep. ad Marcellin. cxxxviii): "Those whom we have to punish with a kindly severity, it is necessary to handle in many ways against their will. For when we are stripping a man of the lawlessness of sin, it is good for him to be vanquished, since nothing is more hopeless than the happiness of sinners, whence arises a guilty impunity, and an evil will, like an internal enemy."
Those who wage war justly aim at peace, and so they are not opposed to peace, except to the evil peace, which Our Lord "came not to send upon earth" (Mt. 10:34). Hence Augustine says (Ep. ad Bonif. clxxxix): "We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace."
Preacher really wasn’t seeking to bring anyone into a prosperity of peace that he was at war with. Vengeance was also part of his motivation. However, he did tend to leave the bad guys alone except when they attacked him or one of the small mining community.
Article 3
Whether it is lawful to lay ambushes in war?
Objection 1.
It would seem that it is unlawful to lay ambushes in war. For it is written (Dt. 16:20): "Thou shalt follow justly after that which is just." But ambushes, since they are a kind of deception, seem to pertain to injustice. Therefore it is unlawful to lay ambushes even in a just war.
Objection 2. Further, ambushes and deception seem to be opposed to faithfulness even as lies are. But since we are bound to keep faith with all men, it is wrong to lie to anyone, as Augustine states (Contra Mend. xv). Therefore, as one is bound to keep faith with one's enemy, as Augustine states (Ep. ad Bonif. clxxxix), it seems that it is unlawful to lay ambushes for one's enemies.
Objection 3. Further, it is written (Mt. 7:12): "Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them": and we ought to observe this in all our dealings with our neighbor. Now our enemy is our neighbor. Therefore, since no man wishes ambushes or deceptions to be prepared for himself, it seems that no one ought to carry on war by laying ambushes.
On the contrary, Augustine says: "Provided the war be just, it is no concern of justice whether it be carried on openly or by ambushes": and he proves this by the authority of the Lord, Who commanded Joshua to lay ambushes for the city of Ai
Joshua 8:2. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
The object of laying ambushes is in order to deceive the enemy. Now a man may be deceived by another's word or deed in two ways. First, through being told something false, or through the breaking of a promise, and this is always unlawful. No one ought to deceive the enemy in this way, for there are certain rights of war and covenants, which ought to be observed even among enemies.
Secondly, a man may be deceived by what we say or do, because we do not declare our purpose or meaning to him. Now we are not always bound to do this. You ought to conceal plans from the enemy. Concealment is what is meant by an ambush which may be lawfully employed in a just war. Nor can these ambushes be properly called deceptions, nor are they contrary to justice or to a well-ordered will. For a man would have an inordinate will if he were unwilling that others should hide anything from him.
Preacher makes extreme use of ambushes … and you can’t fault him for that. What seems prohibited by Scripture is to lie to an enemy. For example, waving a white flag and then shooting your enemy when he comes out is forbidden since it is a lie. Scripture never teaches that you can lie. In fact, only Rahab gets away with it and that was when she was still a prostitute and before she began to live with the Children of Israel.
Preacher finally finishes Stockbridge with 7 shots – the number of completion in Scripture. The movie has some moral problems apart from the issues of government and just war. Preacher's morals are still not Christian. However, I think that they way in which the movie can cause us to remember Aquinas and Just War Theory are instructive and can help us keep those concepts clear in our mind as we live as citizens of the United States.
Fellowship
We don’t generally attach enough importance to Christian fellowship as a Means of Grace. Even if we participate in Christian fellowship we may forget that it is something that God uses to strengthen us and build us up (i.e., as a Means of Grace). Scripture give us clear encouragement to fellowship. For example:
Acts 2:42
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:46-47
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
So we are to be devoted to fellowship, think about how to provoke one another to love and good works, and encourage each other to fellowship. We are each to minister in this way to each other. We have an inclination to allow responsibilities and ministries that should be embraced by us to move to the church staff. The function of Christian fellowship, in part, is to meet needs that would otherwise be met by the staff.
We see examples of that when we organize and visit and meet physical needs and when we pray and share from Scripture in times of spiritual need.
Another point that we need to consider is that when you contact class members or Christian friends it is not a small thing. If you allow the Holy Spirit to rule in your life then you’ll find Him using those times to minister Grace to the Body of Christ. That’s important. In addition, you should expect the Holy Spirit to prompt you to contact other members of the Body of Christ.
Fellowship in Spiritual Gifts.
God give us all gifts to use to bless the Church. If you have been through the Body Life Training that all our new members get these days then you will have taken a test that helps point the direction in which you are gifted for the Church. You don’t want to view these as natural abilities for you to use as you decide for the benefit of the Church. You need to try to do what God calls you to do at His time, in His way, and with no thought but for His glory. You are a steward who administers what God has given you as He directs. Peter says that:
1 Peter 4:10-11
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
So with our gifts, we serve as stewards of Grace so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ since we are the Body of Christ. This should be an active
Ephesians 4:11-16
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
So we only had a sort list there but all the ministries including administration and helps along with the more visible gifts like preaching have the purpose of ministering Grace to build up the Body of Christ so it (we) work properly that is we grow and build ourselves up in love. Grudem says that, “This should remind us of the abundant favor that God has given us as undeserving sinners, and should also make us realize that many different Christians, with diverse gifts, can be the channels through which grace comes to us.”
We don’t all have the same gifts and that is OK. God is in control and we just need to submit to Him. You trust Him to lead you into the ministry He has for you and you should be looking for that. You’ll be suited and enabled for what God calls you to do although you’ll be stretched and may be tempted to whine.
Sometimes the ministry is very specific for an individual and not general or to a group. Also the ministry is sometimes from a group to an individual. This is all part of fellowship as a Means of Grace. For example, John warns us that, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1st John 3:17-18).
Physical touch is also a common practice when praying for healing in the New Testament. Jesus often touched the individuals that He was healing. Those were the lucky ones since at least once He made mud with his spit and put it in the eyes of a blind guy. That would surely get you in trouble these days whether it worked or not. Probably the healed guy would just use his healing so he could find a lawyer in the phonebook.
In addition to laying hands on folks who need to be healed we are instructed at least in some cases to anoint the sick person with oil and have church leadership pray for them (James 5:14). Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit so we are using a physical symbol of what we are praying for spiritually.
We are so oriented toward physical causes and the blessing of medical science that we’ve made it an either or situation and we neglect prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil when we are sick. God uses medical science to bless everyone. He has given us tremendous blessings in modern medicine and that is His Grace as well but we need to remember Him and what He has told us to do. Laying on of hands was the normal way that Jesus healed others and we should obey God and anoint with oil at least in prolonged illness to simply pattern in the physical world what we are asking for in the spiritual. Even as we lay hands on another we ask God to lay His hand on someone for healing or even for an anointing for additional ministry or for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:6; 9:17; 13:3). We aren’t looking for a procedure or a magical trick we are just obeying God and the practice is considered an elementary doctrine (Hebrews 6:1-2)
Footwashing
And I bet you’re sitting out there wondering, “Hey why hasn’t he said anything about footwashing?” That would be foot washing as a Christian ceremony and not just part of normal personal hygiene.
Every once in a while you find a group of Christians who practice footwashing as a ceremony based on Jesus statement:
John 13:14
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”
Some Christians think that footwashing is just as important as baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The question for Christians revolves around what Jesus meant or what He intended in what he was saying. Baptism and communion have clear reference to our rebirth and His sacrifice for us. They are symbolic and they were symbolic at their institution. When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet they were dirty and it was a custom.
The more mainstream interpretation of footwashing is lost if we accept it as a symbol in contrast to the purpose we find in the symbolism found in Baptism and Communion. What I mean by that is that footwashing and Jesus’ command is to serve each other with humility and love. If you turn it into a symbol then you think you’ve met the command when you wash somebody’s feet. In this day and age you haven’t begun to fulfill the command to “wash one another’s feet” when you wash one another’s feet. It isn’t even a problem anymore. So we have to look at our Brother’s and Sister’s and think (ouch) about how to serve them with humility and love. They no longer need their feet washed but what do they need? A cup of coffee? Breakfast on Sunday morning? Ask God, He has pretty good ideas and He’ll lead you to service in humility and love.
Also note that Scripture makes it clear that baptism and the Lord’s Supper were practiced as sacraments but we don’t see footwashing as an ordinance. The majority of the Church throughout history has understood the Scripture to be telling them to serve one another (remember to interpret Scripture with Scripture) and Scripture tells us that over and over.
If someone wants to practice footwashing then they should really make it clear that what they are doing isn’t really addressing the meaning of Jesus command. It would seem a little awkward but it is best to stress that footwashing is an anachronistic expression of serving each other in humility and love rather than give the impression that we’ve actually done what was commanded.
Conclusions
So I’ve generalized some topics and we’ve covered the following 5 Means of Grace. God has given us these things for our use to work together with Him to purify our lives and grow us in Grace.
1. Teaching of the Word (including Evangelism and Bible Study)
2. Sacraments (Baptism and The Lord’s Supper)
3. Prayer and Worship (including Giving)
4. Church discipline
5. Fellowship (Including Spiritual gifts and Ministry to Individuals)
As we embrace these Means of Grace in our lives we release the Holy Spirit to use us in the lives of others to minister Grace.
