New Testament
In Romans 12:1-2, Paul is addressing congregations
which had both Jews and Gentiles. The latter were probably converts from pagan
religions. Material sacrifice was a common element in the religious background
of both groups, even the practice of human sacrifice. (See Numbers 21:2-3;
Judges 11:31; 2 Samuel 21:5-9; Micah 6:7.) Paul echoed the position of Micah who
protested against any form of material sacrifice and called for spiritual
regeneration as what God really wants. Paul’s emphasis on a living sacrifice
(12:1) is important. Both Jewish and pagan sacrifices involved the killing of
the victim (whether human, animal, or birds) and sprinkling its blood on the
altar. But God seeks dedicated followers, living beings who are “holy and
approved by God.” In verse two Paul indicates the sort of sacrifice which God
approves. The mere fact that someone offers a sacrifice to God does not mean
that it meets with God’s approval. There are inappropriate sacrifices, some of
them sacrifices of which religious groups approve and which give the sacrificer
a sense of righteousness which is deceptive. Just saying that something is a
religious act does not mean that it is one. (See Psalm 40:6; 51:16-17.)
Later, in Romans 14, Paul discusses Christians’
relations with one another. Midway in the passage, he says that the kingdom of
God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (14:17) and that “the
one who serves Christ in this way is approved by God and has human
endorsement” (14:18). At this point there is no vast chasm between what God wants
and what people like in us. Remarkable!
In 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 Paul is dealing with our
relationship with Jesus Christ in life and in death. He says that whether living
(in the body) or dying (out of the body) his only concern is to be approved by
Christ. Paul is not thinking of heaven as a place with streets of gold, heavenly
choirs, and wonderful palaces and gardens. He sees both life and death in terms
of his relationship with Jesus Christ. All the wonders of human imagination
cannot compare to that.
In the first twenty verses of chapter five of
Ephesians Paul warns against thoughtless going along with the crowd and engaging
in practices socially acceptable to some but contrary to Christian behavior. His
readers had been part of a society that accepted such behavior (5:8) and have to
learn to draw the line. He urges them, “Try to discover what is approved by the
Lord” (5:10). And he has some clear advice about what conduct is approved by the
Lord (5:15-20) and what is not (5:3-5).
At the end of his letter to the Philippians, Paul
traces the long history of his relationship with the church at Philippi. It was
one of constant cooperation in which the Philippians supported Paul in many
ways. Most recently they had sent Epaphroditus, one of their members who had
worked closely with Paul, to deliver presents to Paul. He thanks them warmly for
“gifts you sent, a fragrant perfume, an offering approved and pleasing to God”
(4:18). (This was intended as thanks and high praise, not a literal description
of the gifts.)
Among the list of admonitions to members of the
Christian families in Colossae (Colossians 3:18-4:1), Paul addresses the
children, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is approved by
the Lord” (3:20). It stands as one of the admonitions which even the changing
social mores of twenty centuries has not modified. The list as a whole does not
sound so modern, but the underlying emphasis — from addresses for wives and
husbands to those for masters and slaves—is an enduring one. The relationships
are to be governed not by human rules or psychological proclivities but by what
God intends us to do and to be.
In Titus 2:9 Paul tells Titus to instruct
Christian slaves to be obedient to their masters, “to be approved in everything”
so that they may be examples of Christian conduct for all to see. Living a godly
life not only affects those who live it, but those who see it lived. Christian
love in action is influential.
In a benediction at the end of the letter to the
Hebrews, the author prays that God will make the readers complete,
“accomplishing in you what is approved before him through Jesus Christ” (13:21).
There follows what appears to be a handwritten
paragraph calling the preceding thirteen chapters a brief note, and exchanging a
series of greetings.
Today
The letters of Paul applied the teachings of Jesus to
the conditions in the Roman Empire of the first century. Most of those
conditions exist today, though some have changed greatly in the course of twenty
centuries. In the Western world slavery is no longer the generally accepted
institution it was in the ancient world, so advice given masters and slaves
about what God approves for their respective stations does not apply; but in
many parts of Asia and Africa child labor and other substandard working
conditions come close to slavery and we can see analogous applications. God’s
approval or disapproval of many of today’s practices is fairly easy to establish
on the basis of Jesus’ teachings and Paul’s applications in his day. The
cultural differences must not be ignored, however, and a literal reading of a
New Testament text as if it spoke the language of the television set is not the
way to understand what God approves for us. (Paul’s extensive argument in 1
Corinthians that a woman should keep her head covered while worshiping and a man
should not is an example of texts which should not be applied inconsiderately
from the first century to the twenty-first century.)
Terence Mullins
is a pastor, writer, and editor of curriculum. He lives in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. |
