Living by Faith - Romans

The Community of the King

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Living by Faith

Lesson: 50-64

Genre: Talk

Track: 050

Dictation Name: RR311Z50

Location/Venue:

Year: ?

Let us worship God. Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing; enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name, for the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations. Let us pray.

Oh Lord our God we give thanks unto Thee for the days past, for our todays and our tomorrows, knowing that all things come from Thine omnipotent and all merciful hand, and that Thou art ever ready to make all things work together for good. We thank Thee that Thy purpose for us in Jesus Christ is altogether righteous, altogether merciful, altogether holy. Give us grace therefore to move in joy and in gratitude, to serve Thee with all our heart mind and being, and to know that victory is ours in Christ. In His name we pray, amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 12:6-13, Romans 12:6-13, and our subject: The Community of the King.

“6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”

As we have seen, Paul undercuts elitism. He declares that what we have is a gift from God, not a self created talent, and that we are members of one body. He stresses, however, that in that one body we have gifts which differ according to the grace that is given to us, and therefore he undercuts with his concept of the body in Christ, with Christ as the head, equalitarianism also.

Equalitarianism, contrary to a current impression, is not a modern idea. All to many think that because it has been so triumphant since the French Revolution, it must be a modern conception; but the fact is it was very prevalent in antiquity. Aristotle deals with it in his politics, and he says, I quote: “Everywhere inequality is the cause of revolution, but an inequality in which there is no proportion, for instance a perpetual monarchy among equals, and already it is the desire of equality which rises in rebellion.”

So Aristotle stressed inequality as the cause of revolutions, and a desire for equality, and then second he implied that an inequality with proportion is valid and necessary for society. Now, Aristotle has in mind, and says so in his Politics that society is like a human body, and the state, he says, is composed of unlikes, like a body which has all kinds of functions; and so in terms of this he justifies master and slave. In democracies, he said, false notions of equality prevail.

Quoting again from Aristotle’s Politics: “For two principles are characteristic of democracy: the government of the majority, and freedom. Men think that what is just is equal, and that equality is the supremacy of the popular will, and that freedom means the doing of what a man likes. In such democracies everyone lives as he pleases, or in the words of Euripides, according to his fancy. But this is all wrong. Men should not think it slavery to live according to the rule of the constitution, for it is their salvation.”

Aristotle gave a great deal of attention to equalitarianism, because it was a major undercurrent in antiquity. Euripides in The Phoenician Maidens had Jocasta say that: “Nature gives men the law of equal rights.” By the second century A.D. the Roman lawyers were commonly in agreement that this was true, in fact this was not only an undercurrent of thought in the Roman Empire, but beyond it. In ancient Persia it was a constant undercurrent, and in the four hundreds of the Christian era, the Mazdakite rebellion took over the country and insisted on the total communization of property, money, and women; so that you had a radical equalitarianism which for many, many years controlled and virtually destroyed Persia. So it was a problem in Antiquity.

Thus when Paul uses the image of the body, he is taking something familiar to Elitism. But then he says the head is Christ, not an elite group, and then he undercuts Equalitarianism, because he says that we have gifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us.

Thus Paul takes the focus from man and his elitism and equalitarianism, man and his rights, to God’s order. Because Paul’s emphasis is on predestination, on God’s sovereign and electing grace, he speaks not of our abilities or rights, but our gifts. We have, he says, gifts; differing according to the grace that is given to us. Society cannot exist with all competing for power, for preeminence.

Now the word ‘gift’ is in the Greek ‘charismata’ as in our word, Charismatics. The word ‘grace’ is ‘charis,’ and this meaning is basic to gifts. Our usual approach to the meaning of gifts stresses what is received, but Paul’s emphasis is on the giver and his gift. The gift is an act of grace by God to enrich His kingdom, so that what we are and what we have received has as its purpose God’s kingdom. The doctrine of grace of course arises out of the pardon and acquittal that is ours in Christ. From start to finish Paul holds that our life is anchored in grace, and this grace uses man’s weakness to accomplish God’s purpose. Our gifts are personal endowments. These gifts are various, we saw last time that they cannot be considered as offices. This is especially emphatic because these gifts include such things as giving and mercy, so that we must understand these spiritual gifts as covering the whole Christian life. In verse four of the King James we have the statement: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office,” we have one of the serious mistranslations in the King James version, which I regard as the best, and that is ‘office’ which tends to warp the Protestant outlook on the church, so that very often Protestants while accusing Catholics of stressing office, become themselves the most to stress it.

The word translated as ‘office’ is ‘praxis’ a doing, a deed. Luther and the King James both translated it as office, as did others; giving the church a primary emphasis. It is interesting that the modern Catholic version which is now combined with the (Duweigh?) of the Old Testament to be the approved text, read ‘function’ having not the same function. And that is a clearer, better reading. The heavy focus on office has warped many churches, and Paul is not discussing the organization of the church, but its life, which is a very different thing.

These gifts are to be exercised according to the proportion of faith. The word ‘proportion’ is ‘analogion,’ right relationship. The gifts are to be exercised in faithfulness to the Lord, not as a means of self-exaltation. There are seven varieties of gifts that Paul cites; they are prophesying, rendering practical service, teaching, exhorting, contributing to the needs of needy people, exercising leadership, and finally, mercy. We cannot reduce these too offices, they are functions, they are deeds.

Moreover we have to add something further. In the Biblical perspective, offices themselves are functional, and in this the church needs to rethink all office. Whatever office there is in a church, it has to be used as a function under God; it is not the office that is important, but the function.

Now as Paul gives us these deeds, these functions, he begins with prophesying, a word that is used in the Old Testament sense; speaking for God. setting forth His law word. Now, prophesying at times can mean prediction, this can be God revealing something to us, or it can mean predicting in terms of knowing the consequences, that the wages of sin are death; so that when we prophesy we set forth Gods word, and we declare, we predict that if you violate this law, such and such things happen. We know for example that if you put your hand on a red hot stove you are going to get burnt, and if you tell someone so, that is a prophesy, a prediction. It is in terms of God’s order; and so it is with His law.

Thus prophesying is spoken of as a function.

Then in verse 7, ministering and teaching are listed among the gifts. The word ‘ministry’ is ‘diakonian’ as in deacon, and ‘teach’ is ‘didaskon.’ The ministry has reference to service to Christ in the community, and teaching to giving instruction, and neither word can be limited to the life of the church.

Then in verse 8, exhorting is listed as a gift, exhortation. As so often happens, words get cheapened by use, and we think of exhorting somebody as in a sense nagging them, going after them hammer and tongs. But its literal meaning is to call someone to your side, to align yourself with someone to help them; so exhortation means encouraging, helping someone with your words and with your readiness in life to further that help.

Giving again is spoken of as a gift, and here again the Greek original is very important, because it means: ‘sharing’. The stress is upon community. The same word is also rendered at times in scripture as ‘impart’ and we are told our giving is to be done with simplicity, which can be translated also ‘liberality.’

Those who rule, that is, take the lead, are required to do so with diligence, that is with earnestness, with business like dispatch.

Mercy is recognizing a need and meeting it. Cheerfulness is a very interesting word, one of the more interesting: “He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.” We have the same word, the Greek word that is translated as cheerfulness as ‘hilarity’ and ‘exhilaration’ so that we are to feel exhilarated at an opportunity to help in Christ’s name.

Then in verse 9, Let love be without ‘dissimulation’ (or hypocrisy). And the word love is ‘agape’ which is almost the same word in meaning as grace, it means love, but it is unmerited love, it is love as an act of grace, it is God’s love, and there is to be no hypocrisy in all that we do. We are to be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love; and to abhor that which is evil and to cleave to that which is good. We are to prefer one to another in honor; we are to be repulsed by evil Paul says, and to plead to join ourselves to what is good. Brotherly love is ‘philadelphia,’ literally, in the Greek. Honor is to give precedence to others, rather than to seek self honor.

In verse 11: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;” This is in contrast to the idea of giving honor to oneself, we are to give honor to others, prefer them to ourselves. In verse 11 the word for ‘not slothful in business’ means shrinking back, slothful, to shrink back. And so Paul is saying “Some people do not shrink back from self honor, but we are to shrink back from honoring ourselves, but not from our work, not from our business, not from our calling.” And too many people, he says, are ready to shrink back from work. We are to be rather fervent in spirit, serving the Lord in every sphere.

Then in verses 12 and 13, the gifts or functions in us mean also, Paul tells us: “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”

These are to be functions of all of us. Some are more gifted in one way than others, but as members of one body we are all involved in these deeds. Clearly there is no institutional orientation here, but the orientation is to our life in the Spirit. They are God’s deeds in us, and we are to exercise these in the measure of faith, in right relationship to the Lord. The necessity of the saints has reference to widows, orphans, strangers, the persecuted ones, the needy; it is a summation of the Old Testament teaching. We are to do these things, distributing to the necessity of saints and given to hospitality, and this means to communicate; it is the same word, sharing, distributing. Hospitality, given to hospitality, means literally ‘chasing or hunting’ opportunities to be hospitable. A remarkable phrase; so much so that Robinson in his study of the words says “they were to pursue hospitality as their enemies pursue them.”

We have an echo here of much in the Bible, and of what we see again in Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” This refers of course to Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and 19. It does not mean that we ourselves will literally entertain angels, but that we are to see every opportunity as a heaven sent one. When God gives us a duty, He gives us a gift, and we dare not despise it.

Moreover, hospitality such as is required, is of a kind where no return favor is likely. Our Lord made this clear in Luke 14:12-14 when He said when He was at the home of a chief Pharisee: “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”

This is surely a neglected saying of our Lord, but it is very much in the mainstream of the law and the prophets, and the apostolic teaching. Proverbs 19:17 sums up the Old Testament teaching here: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which He hath given will He pay him again.” A remarkable sentence; the only time the Bible says, I believe, that we are giving something to God, that symbolically when we give to the poor, to the needy, we are giving to God.

Thus Paul’s meaning is clear, neither elitism nor equalitarianism do anything other than warp and destroy society. Elitism means self-exaltation, equalitarianism means pulling everything down to our level. Both are ungodly, and in both people see their talents and those of others as something self created; whereas we should see them as gifts of God. This is what Paul tells us, that we all have gifts, we all have our function, and that these are from the Lord and for His purposes. We are to respect our talents as God-given, and we are to respect the gifts of others. We each have our particular function, our common ground with others is not in terms of an elitist mob or masses relationship, nor in terms of a leveling, an equalitarianism. Our common ground is our community in Christ our king, our head; from our community of the king we are able to communicate the gifts of grace to one another, as well as to those outside the community. We have been given the gifts, and they are to flow out of us to others.

We have received that we might give, and in our lives, exhilaration or cheerfulness comes not, as Paul says elsewhere, from envying’s, murders, drunkenness, and such like, the works of the flesh, but from exercising the gifts of the Spirit with grace, to separate ourselves from the works of the flesh without giving ourselves to the gifts and deeds of the Spirit is to live a barren life, in a house cleansed but not occupied.

The community of the king tells us how we are to live. Let us pray.

Oh Lord our God, make us mindful that we are rich in Christ, that we have been given gifts which we are to share with others. Make us joyful in our gifts and in the privilege of sharing, that we might do these things according to Thy word with exhilaration, with cheerfulness, knowing that this is the way of life, and of freedom. Bless us to this purpose, in Jesus name, amen.

Are there any questions now, on our lesson? Yes?

[Otto Scott] I don’t have a question but I have a comment, and that is that in my observation the people who have turned their backs on their vocations have lost those talents.

[Rushdoony] Yes, very good observation. I have a flood of recollections coming to mind of people who did turn their backs on their talents or gifts, and lost them. Any other comments? Yes?

[Audience Member] In verse 10 where Paul uses brotherly love, is that one Greek word that is translated brotherly love?

[Rushdoony] Brotherly love is Philadelphia. Philos, love…

[Audience Member] City of brotherly love is Philadelphia, so you have got to get city out of that.

[Rushdoony] …and Delphos, brother. It would have been ‘city of brotherly love” if they had added ‘polas’ on it, but it is not philadelphiapolas, but they tried to get it that meaning in the English by calling it ‘city of brotherly love,’ but literally Philadelphia is ‘brotherly love.’

[Audience Member] Are there several other Greek words for the English word love translated in the…?

[Rushdoony] Yes, there is Agape as we saw, which is God’s love to us which we are to channel to others. Then there is Philos, philos, which is human love, brotherly love, family love, love for one another on a human level; then Eros, erotic love. Yes?

[Otto Scott] What is the word intended or said when Paul said: “If you have not charity…” what is it?

[Rushdoony] Yes, it is agape.

[Audience Member] Agape, is that the love of God, or God’s love to you?

[Rushdoony] God’s love in us to be manifested to others. We are to be channels of it, you see. We ourselves are not capable of it, but we can channel it to others. Yes?

[Audience Member] Is there some reason why the translators of the King James version did not choose to draw a distinction between these several Greek words for the word love, or did they in face draw the distinction from the context in which they said it?

[Rushdoony] The problem of translation is that some languages do not have words for certain concepts, and here we have one word for love, and there are three words in the Koine Greek. So that has created a problem. Yes, John, you had a question?

[Audience Member] Yes, it was interesting, it seems like in a modern society people arbitrarily choose what their gift or what they calling might be, there is almost, I remember in many situations I have been involved in the last few years, people have been going through in church and various other places, through checklists of things; and then at the end of it, why they come out with a particular score that has a particular emphasis, but somehow or other that is supposed to be their calling; and then you find out that once a person decides on a calling or decides on a gift, or however they choose to define it, and the definitions are also very arbitrary, you find out that then they want society to guarantee them a secure place in that calling; by forming a union or leveraging the power of Civil Government, they simply don’t have the confidence in God and His law to pursue the gift, and that dates back to what was said a while ago about people not exercising their gift in some respects and having it taken away from them, and other people in other areas exercising a gift wrongly and destroying a great deal by it.

[Rushdoony] Yes, that is a very important point, the schools use aptitude tests all the time, and tell the student what he should be. First, I don’t have any confidence in the tests; I think they are like most tests that are designed, they are far from accurate. Then second, they use them to guide the students, but they don’t use just the tests, but they use other materials as well. To illustrate: sometime in the early 70’s there was a tremendous surplus of Engineers in the country, late 60’s, early 70’s, somewhere around there. And they were calculating how many engineers would be needed per year in the next few years, and how many students there were. And so on the university level and the high school level, all those who had a bent towards engineering were being told emphatically they had to get into other fields. It was an overcrowded field. Well, none of these counselors had any knowledge of the future. So many developments took place in engineering within 2-3 years that suddenly there was a shortage, and the shortage in part had been created by this kind of thinking, this kind of counseling; a mechanistic thinking, and not in terms of: “What is my calling? If it is my gift, if it is my calling, I can make a place for myself where no one else can.”

Now, you and I both know Dan Maxwell, a mining engineer. Well, mining engineers are shutting up shop everywhere; Dan has more business than he can handle. Why? It is the love of his life, it is his calling, he has gone out and drummed up business as a young man, and experts long standing in the field are shutting down their offices. That is the difference. Yes?

[Otto Scott] I misunderstood, in my opinion the tests that are put forward by establishments, by institutions, are not to select but to rule out. They are screen, in which only the individual, the student that the establishment wants to promote can pass, they are so devised that only certain people can pass. By getting into the state department you have got to be a far out liberal, because the test rules out everybody else.

[Rushdoony] Well, I don’t want to get started on this, because I have a personal hostility to all testing, having been a victim to it over and over again in my school career, at the beginning of the fourth grade I was tested, the first time I ever was, and came out a high grade moron; and I think they were wrong, I have never changed my mind about the decision of that test. Yes?

[Audience Member] It would seem to be the implication of what you are saying about the talents that are given to individuals and the need for them to be used as God has given them unto the individual, would say very clearly that God knows exactly what He is doing in terms of His creation, and what He is going to give each individual and would logically expect them to apply it. So it would seem that it would be important for us to find ways of determining which individuals talent is, and then encourage the individual in the application of it, irrespective of what may appear to be on the horizon in terms of business opportunities and college, etc.

[Rushdoony] Yes. The point is to help each individual develop their gift, and stress it as a gift; we are all gifted, not just gifted children. Yes?

[Otto Scott] I think our dreams determine, our ambitions determine, are indications. After all, midgets still dream of being the heavy weight champion of the world; and you can rely upon the innate common sense and intelligence of the individual who doesn’t dream out of context; he may be pushed into dreaming out of context by a stupid educational establishment, but if he listens to his heart he will know.

[Rushdoony] Mhmm. John?

[Audience Member] Well, part of… one last comment about the tests, the whole problem with the test is that their purpose, the purpose of testing has changed, in that it used to be the test was solely to determine how well a student had mastered a particular use of the tools of learning, and I mean, this we are talking now several hundred years ago; how well has the student mastered the tools of learning. Now it is: “How much does he know about a subject” Not, whether he has mastered the tools to study that subject on his own or not, and then they downgrade the tests, they downgrade them so far that anyone can pass now. Half the tests I guess today are nothing more than a test of functional illiteracy.

[Rushdoony] Well, I won’t comment because testing isn’t a subject I like to get started on. If there are no further comments, let us bow our heads now in prayer.

Oh Lord our God whose word is truth, and whose purposes for us are altogether righteous and good, give us grace to obey Thee, to love Thee, to delight in the gifts Thou hast given unto us, and to use them to Thy glory. And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, amen.