The Model of Christ

1 Thessalonians 5:15 – The Model of Christ

More exhortations (see yesterday). Remember this: Paul is writing to Christians. Why is that important? Because it is too easy to convince ourselves that he was addressing someone else so that means it couldn’t apply to us. Oh, but it does. “See to it that no one renders evil for evil to anyone.” Let’s break that down just a bit:

*See to it – this means that it is our responsibility to keep an eye on our brothers and sisters in Christ to be sure that they do not stray into unacceptable behavior. Understand, this lesson is taught in many of Paul’s letters and is part of Jesus’ teachings as well. We are told to remove the log from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from a brother’s eye, but we still have the obligation to help them live a righteous life.

*No one renders evil for evil – I’ve heard many Christians (including pastors) say, “Jesus said that we are to turn the other cheek, but He never tells us what to do after that.” Most of the time, people are just trying to get a laugh by saying this, but I fear that too many of us are all about retaliation. Revenge. You wrong me, and you can bet I will get you. We forget that Jesus told us that we are to forgive 70 times 7 times. Our response – “I’ll forgive if I believe they are sincere in their apology!” We miss the point. I didn’t hear the Roman soldiers apologize as they nailed Jesus to the cross, but still He prayed, “Father, forgive them….” And we should be just like Him.

*Finally, we are not to return evil for evil to anyone. That means Christian or lost person. We are to live a life of forgiveness towards all – the model of Christ – while pursuing what is good for ourselves and all others. That’s what the Christians life is all about.