Responsibilities One to Another, Part 1

The point: Recognize that sinning against a weaker brother's conscience is sinning against Christ himself, and be prepared to stop activities that cause grief or stumbling.

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 8:12 about a strong conscience causing a weaker brother to stumble illustrates how duties to one another grow out of the nature of the relationship, where sinning against a brother is sinning against Christ.

Paul is dealing with a very delicate and vexed subject, the subject of Christian liberty. What are church members to do when they discover that certain church members have a conscience that condemns them for certain activities that other church members don't? Church members don't find trouble then. The thing's not clearly addressed in God's law.

9:07 - 9:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When I feel and own and acknowledge my guiltiness before the perfect standard of divine law, I can only come to true rest of conscience and acceptance with God when I utterly repudiate any efforts I have made to keep the…

Martin uses the analogy of lawkeeping not contributing 'one millionth of a gram' to justification to clarify that while love fulfills the law, it is not the basis for salvation, but an expression of gratitude.

As those who recognize that when it comes to the great question, on what grounds can I, a guilty lawbreaker, find acceptance before God, the whole lawgiver, in that theater of concern? We say, we will allow nothing of our works to enter, not one millionth of a gram. We are not justified by the works of the law in any sense whatsoever. When I feel and own and acknowledge my guiltiness before the perfect standard of divine law, I can only come to true rest of conscience and acceptance with God when I utterly repudiate any efforts I have made to keep the law in the past, utterly repudiate all of ...

29:08 - 30:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For when he loves most passionately and purely, he never loves perfectly, and there is enough sin in his most lovable act to damn him. So that never becomes a fabric that God lifts up and weaves, a thread that God lifts …

The framework of the Heidelberg Catechism (gratitude for redemption moving believers to keep the law) is used to explain how lawkeeping, specifically loving one another, functions as a response to salvation, not a means of it.

lawkeeping doesn't enter into the question of our acceptance with God as to grounds. In chapter 13, he talks about lawkeeping, about fulfilling the law. This, in the framework of the old Heidelberg Catechism, is that wonderful framework of gratitude for redemption, for salvation received, moves us to want to keep the law, so that every true believer wants to keep the law. He wants to please God.

31:55 - 32:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For when he loves most passionately and purely, he never loves perfectly, and there is enough sin in his most lovable act to damn him. So that never becomes a fabric that God lifts up and weaves, a thread that God lifts …

The metaphor of holy deeds never being 'threads to be woven into the fabric of the perfect righteousness of Christ' emphasizes that even our best acts of love are imperfect and do not contribute to our justification.

And here we are told that as a man experiences in the concrete realities of interaction with his brethren a love that is not working ill to his neighbor, that love is the fulfillment of the law. It is filling up the requirements and the demands of the law, not as the basis of his salvation. For when he loves most passionately and purely, he never loves perfectly, and there is enough sin in his most lovable act to damn him. So that never becomes a fabric that God lifts up and weaves, a thread that God lifts up and weaves into the fabric of Christ's righteousness. No. May I say it reverently? Wh...

32:24 - 33:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Receive one another even as Christ received you, without reservations, hidden agendas, hypocrisy, or dissimulation.

An imagined scenario of a church member, Bruce, standing on a step looking at the congregation, is used to frame the question of duties to brethren in ordinary circumstances.

Love acting in respect to the general duties to all the brethren in ordinary circumstances. What are the major responsibilities of love? If you were one by one, suppose I was to start with some of the members here and just say, come on up here, Bruce. Why don't you stand on the second step and look out over the congregation.

43:17 - 43:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He expounds on taking one another into our hearts, using 2 Corinthians 7:2-3 and Philippians 1:7 as examples. This means embracing others in affection and concern, being…

Paul's plea in 2 Corinthians 7:2-3 for the Corinthians to 'open your hearts to us' and his declaration that they are 'in our hearts to die together and to live together' illustrates what it means to take one another into our hearts, even when hurt.

Turn to 2 Corinthians 7. Here's a picture of a man who's desperately longing to take a people into his heart, but in a sense they won't let him, but he still does it anyway. 2 Corinthians 7, verse 2. He says to the Corinthians, Open your hearts to us.

49:02 - 49:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Be prepared for the vulnerability of heart reception of less than perfect people, allowing them into your heart even if they may break it, just as Christ received you.

The metaphor of living on an 'icy island of insulation' with a 'barred heart' is used to describe the consequence of not allowing vulnerability in heart-level relationships, contrasting it with the biblical command to receive one another.

They broke Paul's heart, but he didn't push them out. The only way to live and never have a broken heart is to have a barred heart into which nobody is allowed to enter. And you can live in the icy island of insulation from any heart relationship to people. And the world is full of people like that, and I'm afraid the church has got altogether too many.

51:38 - 52:08 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have something against a brother, either avoid greeting him or get right with him before offering a physical expression of affection.

The common experience of a husband and wife having a spat and feeling uncomfortable holding hands during prayer illustrates how physical expressions of affection reveal the true state of heart-level reconciliation and can prompt resolution of tension.

I've either got to avoid him and not greet him or get right with him. Isn't that right? You husbands and wives know this. You've had a little spat, huh?

56:59 - 57:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Husbands and wives should use physical affection, like holding hands during prayer, as a tangible expression of unity and a prompt to resolve any unresolved tension.

The context of the Corinthian church being divided into factions ('I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos') is used to highlight how Paul's command to 'greet one another with a holy kiss' would force them to confront their party spirit and reconcile.

At the end of this epistle. Now imagine what this meant. Here are these people all going around. I'm of Paul.

58:24 - 58:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Manifest love physically through hearty handshakes or hugs, ensuring that these expressions are 'holy' and accompanied by genuine heart affection.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about not coming from a 'hugging home' to explain why he intentionally adopted physical expressions of affection in ministry, demonstrating his commitment to biblical commands despite personal background.

But because I'm not quite sure, I don't stop there. I'm a hugger. I came out of a home where my own father, I can't remember him hugging me since I was a little kid until just two years ago, and he'll be 80 his next birthday. I've got a cousin, nephew here who can validate when I say I didn't come out of a hugging home.

62:49 - 63:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin discusses the practical challenges of receiving one another, particularly regarding personal biases (ethnic, social). He emphasizes that genuine reception, including…

Martin's observation of people avoiding him at the church doors (starting with eyes, then feet, then bodily presence) is used as an analogy for how a heart drawing back from someone manifests physically, contrasting it with the affinity of love.

Because I can often tell when someone's heart's drawing back, it first of all starts with studious avoidance of me. It starts with the eyes. Then it goes further to the feet. And then to their bodily presence.

66:56 - 67:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin discusses the practical challenges of receiving one another, particularly regarding personal biases (ethnic, social). He emphasizes that genuine reception, including…

A hypothetical scenario about a prejudice against 'Yugoslavians' (bad breath, body odor) and the command to greet all brethren with a holy kiss is used to illustrate how biblical commands force believers to confront and overcome ethnic or cultural biases.

Dear people, do we love one another? You see what it will force you to do? Let's be honest. Suppose you had all of these misconceptions that Yugoslavians...

67:28 - 67:36 Read in full sermon