Unintended Consequences

No one intended me to hear the remark, and the usual “oops-expressions” attempted to cover up for what would ultimately be a bit of embarrassment that I did. The remark wasn’t about me but was very disappointing to me. It was about another preacher and the comment was something like, “he doesn’t have anything to say to me.”

That’s an easy temptation by which any of us who have been Christians for a while can be victimized. That person isn’t as smart as I am. Or maybe that person isn’t as “spiritually deep” as I am. It might even be that the person isn’t as perceptive about the implications of the Christian gospel as I am. But whatever the reasoning, that person “doesn’t have anything to say to me.”

When he wrote his magnificent and challenging letter to the Romans, Paul begins with a reminder to the believers there of his deep desire to fellowship and worship with them. “I long to see you” is how the initial comment of Romans 1:11 is most often translated. The verb he uses has the sense of “a yearning desire,” suggesting a high level of emotional need permeating his comments.

We don’t have to wonder about what caused this “yearning desire,” he tells us that by being with them, “I can share with you a truly spiritual gift to strengthen you.” Paul uses the normal word he gives to our theological vocabulary – charisma – for “spiritual gift.” But apparently his desire to be with them suggested he needed to say more, and he modified that word with another word “spiritual” which sounds a bit redundant in English, thus the phrase above, “truly spiritual gift.”

Then in the next verse, he seems to explain what he means by this “truly spiritual gift.” Here’s what the text says, “or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:12, NRSV) There is a whole lot of “mutual” in that phrase. Look carefully – “we may be mutually encouraged,” and “by each other’s faith,” and “both yours and mine.” It is hard to miss the reality that Paul thinks that the mutual encouragement that comes when believers are together is a “truly spiritual gift.”

What amazes me about this text is not the idea that the faith of the believers in Rome would be “encouraged” by Paul’s presence with them. But it is startling to think that Paul thinks his faith would be encouraged by being with them! He isn’t victimized by the “those people don’t have anything to say to me” attitude that is so easy to fall for in our day and time.

Perhaps Paul took seriously that word from Jesus that when believers get together in His name, He shows up. (Matthew 18:20) Maybe he already believes what he will later write to the believers in Ephesus when he says that all spiritual gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11ff)   Who knows, he might even actually believe what he most likely has already written to the Corinthians when he describes the church as the body of Christ where all the various parts and members must function as “one body” in order for the church to be to the world around us what Jesus was to the world around Him. (1 Corinthians 12) I’m pretty confident that Jesus spent a few Sabbath days listening to synagogue teachers who really “didn’t have anything to say to Him.”

All of this reminds me of my favorite lines form Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when he said, “If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.” It isn’t an accident that those words, beautifully written and framed, hang on my office wall in place where I can’t help but see them!

I’m amazed at the idea that Paul would think being with me might encourage his faith. If that is even possibly true, then I’m pretty sure that I should avoid the “he doesn’t have anything to say to me” routine that reeks of a spiritual arrogance that foreign to the Christian gospel.