The bible says that the dead are conscious of nothing at all, so then can you torment some one in a burning hell forever, if they are unconscious?

From time to time I receive questions regarding the Bible from some of my readers. Instead of trying to answer each one individually, I thought that I would try to deal with some of them on my blog. Show here is the first one…

tperrymandias writes: The bible says that the dead are conscious of nothing at all, so then can you torment some one in a burning hell forever, if they are unconscious? “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

Personally, I do not believe that this scripture is meant to teach us that, once we die, we are unconscious of everything around us. This is certainly not what Jesus believed. In His teaching on Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus describes the condition of both men as the entered into Hades after their death.

“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.’” (Luke 16:22-25)

In this account, both men are very aware of their surroundings and are able to communicate, feel pain, and express emotions. Peter also reminds us that,

“Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah , during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)

During the three days following Jesus’ death, He descended into Hades and preached the Gospel to those who had died before. Even the dead were given a chance to receive the Gospel. Three days later, when He rose from the dead, He took with Him those who believed. This is why many who had died were seen alive after Jesus’ resurrection. “The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53) I think this is what Paul meant when he said of Jesus, “He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” (Ephesians 4:8) I believe that the captives He is talking about are those who had died and were being held in Hades. Either way, how could Jesus preach to those who where unconscious?

I believe that what King Solomon was trying to say is that the dead are unaware of what is happening among the land of the living. I honestly do not believe that my dead grandmother is in heaven looking after me. She is in heaven, but she is totally consumed with Jesus. There is, however, one who is watching out for me and that is Jesus.

I hope this helps.
David Robison

Love is not Provoked: Part 2

Rejection

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to die. Along the journey He neared a city of Samaria and sent his disciples ahead to make arrangements for them to spend the night. “But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:53) James and John, the “sons of thunder” were incensed and asked with anger, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54) But Jesus rebuked them saying, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:55-56)

Why were the disciples so quickly provoked to anger? It was because of the rejection the felt from the Samaritans. The Samaritans not only rejected Jesus but James and John understood that they were rejecting them as well. It was this sense of rejection that provoked them to anger. Being provoked to anger by rejection is a common problem that goes as far back as Cain and Able. Cain and Able were commanded by God to bring an offering, yet “the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” (Genesis 4:4-5) Cain’s response was predictable. “So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:5)

We all will face rejection from time to time and, when we are rejected, we may be tempted to respond with anger, but Jesus showed us a better way. Speaking of His own life and death, Jesus said that the Son of Man must first “suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:25) Yet His response was not anger but forgiveness. As He hung dying on the cross, dying a death to pay the penalty for all our sins, He uttered these words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus was rejected by His own, yet He still chose to die a death that would pave the way for all mankind to be reconciled back to the Father. It was His love for mankind that enabled Him to respond with forgiveness in the site of their rejection.

There is a secret to loving others in spite of their rejection. We must understand that Jesus never called us to be loved by all people but rather to love all people. Our life is not about being loved by others but rather showing the love of God to those around us. We need to settle it in our hearts that there will be some who will not appreciate us, who will not love and accept us, and who will reject us. However, there is one in heaven who will always love us and “will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5-6) Love is not about what you get but about what you give. We can love others, even the unlovely and the unlovable, because He has first loved us. If we have the God who is love living in us, then we can love others with that same love. It is this kind of revelation that will help us not to be so quickly provoked by the actions, attitudes, and words of others.

David Robison

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David Robison

Love is not Provoked: Part 1

While we have discussed this topic in other postings, specifically those in reference to “Love is Patient”, I would like to highlight some ways in which we are easily provoked and in which our love is often tested.

Failed Expectations

Naaman was the captain of the army of Aram. Naaman was a mighty and valiant warrior but he was also a leper. Naaman’s wife had a Hebrew slave, a little girl taken captive in battle with Israel. This girl told Naaman’s wife of the prophet Elisha. “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:3) Naaman’s wife told Naaman, who in turn told the king of Aram. It pleased the king of Aram to send his servant to the prophet Elisha that he might heal him. The king of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:6) This greeting frightened the King of Israel, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” (2 Kings 5:7) Yet, upon hearing of the request, Elisha agreed to receive Naaman that he might be healed. Finally Naaman arrived with his men, his horses, his chariots, and his gifts for the prophet, but Elisha refused to come out of his house. Instead, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.’” (2 Kings 5:10) Naaman was incensed, “‘Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:12) As he turned to go, his servant reasoned with him, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (2 Kings 5:13) In the end, Naaman obeyed the prophet and was cleansed of his leprosy. It says that his skin was renewed “like the flesh of a little child.” (2 Kings 5:14)

Why did Naaman explode with anger at the prophet’s command? It was because of his preconceived expectations. “But Naaman was furious and went away and said, ‘Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’” (2 Kings 5:11) Naaman had an expectation of how the prophet would heal him. He was expecting a grand display of authority and power, yet all he got a simple command “go and wash.” The prophet himself did not even show up but sent his servant. Naaman was a great man and he was expecting a great healing. When his expectations were not fulfilled he was furious and was ready to leave in a rage.

Our unmeet expectations are often a source of anger for us. When we hold tightly to our expectations of how things should be done, how others should act, and how we should be treated, we set ourselves up for failure. Our expectations can be a kind of shackle by which we hold others captive, with the punishment for failing to meet our expectations being our anger. Love seeks to free others from our expectations. Love desires to see others fulfill God’s desires for them rather than them being conformed to our expectations. When we free others of our expectations we not only free them to fulfill God’s will for their life but we also free ourselves to enjoy God. We are no longer dependent upon our expectations being met to be happy but we are free to experience the joy of the Lord, even if things do not work out they way we had planned.

More to come… David Robison

Love does not seek its own

We have discussed this topic in previous posts yet it bears repeating. Love does not seek its own. The command in the scriptures is quite clear. We are commanded to consider the needs and interests of others before our.

“Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” (1 Corinthians 10:24)

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

This was certainly the kind of life lived by Jesus. Jesus lived His life not for Himself but for those whom He came to server. Speaking of Himself, Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Jesus did not gain personally from His ministry on the Earth, in fact it cost Him everything. Jesus sacrificed not only His life for us but also His relationship with the Father when, for a brief but excruciating moment, His Father turned away from Him while He hung on the cross. Jesus did not have to die for us but He chose to. What could motivate the pure and spotless Son of God to lay His life down for us? The writer of Hebrews tells us that it was, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) His joy was seeing many sons and daughters brought into glory though His sacrifice. Jesus’ life of sacrifice is a clear demonstration of the love of God for us and for the whole world.

While, in previous posts, we have looked at some ways we can seek our own, there is one more that is worth mentioning. Speaking of Timothy, Paul says, “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:19-21) With the early expansion of the church, many went out as ministers of the Gospel, yet Paul observed that, for many of them, their motives were not pure. They did not go out seeking to advance the Kingdom of God and the interests of Jesus Christ, rather they went out seeking to satisfy their own interests. They were motivated more by their own desires and interests than those of Jesus. In writing to the church at Galatia, Paul warns them of some who had come to “minister” in their midst. “They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.” (Galatians 4:17) They did not come to help the believers draw closer to Christ but rather to make a name for themselves. They wanted the love and affection of the believers for themselves rather than for Christ.

Timothy was one of the exceptions. Timothy had no hidden agendas. Timothy’s ministry and care for the Philippians was not a guise to gain an advantage over them. Timothy cared for them with the love and care of Jesus. His selfless sacrifice on the behalf of the Philippian church was a testimony to the love of Christ that dwelt within him. Timothy provides a standard by which we can judge our own ministry and service.

Living for others is not only the way of love but it is also the way of living an abundant life. Jesus taught us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” (John 12:24-25) If we want to live life and live it well, if we want to show the love of Christ to all around us, then we must first die to ourselves. We must die and burry our life into the kingdom of God. Only then will it sprout and grow and yield the fruit of the Spirit which is, above all else, Love.

David Robison

Love does not Act Unseemly: Part 4

Social Rudeness

The church at Corinth, like many churches, had a diversity of people. Among them were the very rich and the very poor. Jesus told us that the poor would always be with us, implying that so would the rich. The problem at Corinth was not the disparity between the rich and the poor but the way the rich were flaunting their abundance to the shame of the poor. Paul writes to the church to correct them of their behavior.

“Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.” (1 Corinthians 11:20-22)

Apparently, when they came together to share the Lord’s Supper, the rich would bring their food and eat it before those who had nothing. Paul chastises them for despising the church and shaming the poor. Paul rebukes them for their actions that were not in keeping with, or motivated by, love. Love would not act in a way as to bring shame on others, yet this was the very thing that the rich among them were doing. Paul also warned them that, not only had he judged them, but God had judged them as well. It was because of the judgment of God than many of them had become sick and some had even died.

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

This verse is often applied to our need to examine ourselves in reference to our own personal sin prior to partaking of the Table of the Lord. But Paul was speaking specifically of those who had “not judge the body rightly.” Another translator translates this verse as, “not discerning the body of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:29 YLT) Those who were stuffing themselves and drinking themselves drunk were not discerning that even the poor among them were part of the Body of Christ. In bringing shame upon the poor they were also bringing shame upon the Body of Christ. When we despise and treat our brothers and sisters with contempt we are despising and treating with contempt the very Body of our Lord, and it was for this very reason that so many in the church had become sick and even died.

Paul concludes his rebuke with some very simple guidelines. “So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11:33-34) In essence, Paul was counseling them to be considerate of others and to put the interests of others before themselves. Jesus put it this way, “You shall love your neighbor as your self.” (Matthew 22:39) In other words, “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” (Luke 6:31)

Rudeness does not care about the feelings of others. Rudeness does not care how our actions affect other people. Rudeness cares only for itself. But love genuinely cares for others. Love understands how the rude actions of others affect ourselves and seeks not to do the same to others. Love treats others with the same kindness and consideration that we would appreciate. Love recognizes that we have a lot in common with others; we are all part of the human race, we are all sinners, and we are all in need of the love of God. More than that, we are all created in God’s own image. When we treat others with love and respect, we are showing love and respect to the one who created us. When we love others, we are also loving God.

David Robison

Love does not act Unseemly: Part 3

Relational Rudeness

Love does not behave in a way to uncover the sins or weaknesses of another. A beautiful example of this is when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant. Mary was betrothed to marry Joseph, but before they were married Mary was found to be with child. By right, Joseph could have brought her before the elders and had her publicly humiliated and even stoned, but instead Joseph sought to deal with the matter privately. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” (Matthew 1:18-19) Out of love, Joseph decided not to expose Mary to public humiliation but rather to handle it in a way that would cover her sin. “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Love covers sin and, even in the most extreme cases where sin must be exposed to the church, love does so in a final effort to bring about the redemption and restoration of the sinner. When sin enters a relationship, it should be handled within that relationship without the involvement of others unless absolutely necessary. Consider how Jesus taught us to handle the sins others. “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17) When offended or wronged, love does not run around telling everyone they meat how they were wronged. Instead, love tries to resolve the issue, one on one, keeping the involvement of others to a minimum. When we expose another’s sin, it is gossip. Gossip, not only poisons the hearer, but ruins even the closest of relationships. “He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.” (Proverbs 17:9)

One other form of relational rudeness is when we expose the weakness of another and open them t0 riducule and shame. “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.” (Romans 15:1-2) This weakness that Paul is referring to is a weakness of faith. Not everyone is at the same place in the Spirit as we are. We are all growing in the Lord at our own pace and along our own path assigned to us by the Lord. When love sees the weakness of others its desire is to build them up, to edify them. Love does not ridicule or belittle them, love does not think less of them, but love reaches out to build them up and to help them grow. “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” (Romans 14:1) When we pass judgment we are not acting in love. When we give in to the temptation to “share” our judgments of others, we are acting contrary to love. Love covers and love protects.

More to come… David Robison

Love does not act Unseemly: Part 2

Sexual Rudeness

Our culture has blurred the line between love and sex. To many, sex is the highest expression of love. We see this throughout the media and entertainment industry. Love is pictured as a fire that grows between two people and it climaxes with the two having sex; with or without the benefit of marriage. While the significance of sex between two loving individuals united by the bonds of marriage cannot be overstated, sex does not equal love.

God not only fashioned us for sex, He also created sex to be a tremendous uniting force between a man and a woman who are joined by marriage. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24) A husband is to leave his home and cleave to his wife and, through sexual intimacy, they are to grow together as one flesh. God created sex yet in His wisdom He has given it to be experienced only by those who have entered into a covenant of marriage. “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4) Throughout the scriptures God has condemned sex outside of marriage. Fornication, adultery, incest, homosexuality, and bestiality are all condemned by God. What we need to understand is that love does not behave in these ways. For example, if we are involved in an adulterous relationship, our passions may be the result of lust but they are not the result of love. Love does not express itself through improper and inappropriate sexual conduct, contact, and advancements. These things are the fruit of lust, not of love.

Some may say that there is no harm when sexual relations are entered into by two consenting adults, yet someone is always hurt by illicit sex. “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:18-19) When we sin sexually, not only do we sin against ourselves and our body but we also sin against God. Someone waling in love would not do this to themselves, to another person, or to their God and creator.

So how do we know if we have crossed the line sexually? Paul instructs Timothy, “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2) Here is the test: are you treating other people (other than your spouse) as your mothers and sisters and you fathers and brothers? Men, is your behavior with another woman consistent with how you would behave with your sister? Women, do you relate to other men as you would to your brother? These boundaries will not only help us to stay pure sexually but also help us in living out love to one another.

More to come… David Robison

Love does not act Unseemly: Part 1

The Greek word translated as rude, unbecoming, and unseemly is aschemoneo. This interesting word is used only one other time in the New Testament, in a strange passage referencing a father’s relationship to his unwed virgin daughter. “But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.” (1 Corinthians 7:36) This word is also used five times in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) where four times it is translated as “be naked”.

The cognate noun of aschemoneo is aschemosune and is used twice in the New Testament. Once in reference to male homosexual behavior, “and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1:27) It is also used a second time in reference to being naked, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” (Revelation 16:15) This word also appears in the Septuagint and often with reference to being naked, specifically with reference to genitalia.

The adjective form of aschemoneo is aschemon and also appears in the Septuagint when describing the rape of Dinah, “Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.” (Genesis 34:7)

So what does it mean to act rudely or in an unseemly or unbecomingly manner? Consistent with the use of these words throughout the scriptures is the idea of uncovering someone else’s nakedness, often to their shame. Paul, in teaching on the Body of Christ, tells us that there are things that are meant to be covered, there are part of the body that are not meant to be exposed. “And those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked.” (Corinthians 12:23-24) While Paul was writing this in regard to the Body of Christ, the same is true in the natural. Not only do we cloth the parts of our body that are “less presentable”, but even spiritually and emotionally, there are things that are so intimately personal that we do not expose them for public viewing.

So what does it mean to be rude? Rude is when we expose another’s “nakedness” and bring upon them shame, disgrace, and ridicule. This could be a physical nakedness, in reference to inappropriate sexual contact, or an emotional or spiritual nakedness. As we grow in fellowship with one another we get to know each other’s “stuff”; their sins, difficulties, and weaknesses. When we expose someone else’s “stuff”, we are acting rudely, unseemly, and unbecomingly. Love does not do this. Instead of exposing, love covers. “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) Love does not go around exposing other people’s sins; rather love covers a multitude of sins with forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

In the coming posts, we will look at some ways that we can become rude to others.

David Robison

Love is not Arrogant: Part 5

Deflating Arrogance

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

The first step in eliminating arrogance from our lives is to begin to think of others first. This does not come naturally but takes practice. We must ask the Holy Spirit to show us when we have become self-focused and to help up to considers others as more important that ourselves. We must become aware of the needs and wants of those around us. “What is it that my wife needs the most?” “What are the things that my children are most concerned about?” Paul says that the Body of Christ is so constructed that we might “have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:25) The Greek word for “care” can also be translated “distraction”. We need to be distracted with the needs of others instead of being totally absorbed with our own needs.

“Listen and give heed, do not be haughty, for the Lord has spoken.” (Jeremiah 13:15)

We need to accept the fact that the Word of God is not just to be read but also to be obeyed. It is not enough to listen to God’s Word but we must also “give heed” to His word; to let it effect us and bring change into our lives. We must conform our lives to His Word not His Word to our lives. It was said of Ezra that he, “set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10) The heart of Ezra was not just to know the Law of God but also to practice and obey it. The stronghold of arrogance is loosened when we begin to believe that the Word of God has something to say to us and allow it to teach and change us.

“My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” (Psalm 131:1 NIV)

It is humbling to consider that there are matters and things that are too wonderful, too profound, and too high for us to comprehend. The hot air of arrogance is deflated when we are humble enough to admit that we don’t know everything. We don’t always have to have an answer. We don’t always have to be able to figure it out. Some things are too great for us to know, and that’s OK. There are problems in this world that we cannot solve by our own wisdom, knowledge, and thoughts. How much time I have wasted debating the solutions to life’s problems with others when, in truth, I really didn’t have a clue? Sometime, the most appropriate response to life’s problems is not to become concerned with trying to understand them but rather to humble ourselves in prayer over them.

“Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:16)

Arrogance isolates us from others; we are the superior and they are the inferior. The real deception of arrogance is that we think we are better than others when, in truth, we are no different; we are all sinners for whom Christ died to save. One of strongest weapons against arrogance is to form vital relationships with other believers in the Body of Christ, especially with those who are different from us. When we learn to live in fellowship we begin to understand that we are but a part of the body, not the whole body, and that we are in need of each other. Paul reminds us, “But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” (1 Corinthians 12:20-21) We need others and others need us and the sooner we learn this the sooner we will find freedom from arrogance.

David Robison