The Apostle Paul communicated the insights of a mature Christian thinker. He had lived through and survived experiences representative of nearly every blessing and cursing that might be visited upon a person. No matter what it was, he counted each experience as appropriate to God’s will and meaning for his life. He was fully convinced of whole life meaning related to immortality and to the redeemed person’s relationship with God. Life for him was what it was in sum, not to be evaluated on any one or several of its parts, good or ill. He might have qualified for the Incurable Optimists Club. But, that club idiom has within it the illusion of compliment, of innocence, of unreality. Matters aren’t generally felt to be quite so acceptable. In the context perceived by the Apostle, the positive perception of everything in his life was truth, not distorted or taken in conflict with others or any doubt about God. His was a whole life. He was not naïve.
He used various explanations and illustrations of his meaning. One of these was in reference to Jesus Christ in communication. Anything that in any way honored Christ was to be appreciated – even if cast in odd or contrary contexts. He did not warm to negative, legalistic, narrow persons – persons who might or might not be genuine in faith. But what of those who cast Jesus in the light of their own affinities? At least Christ was named. For that he was grateful. Paul was somewhat ecumenical. If some of these persons whom the Apostle accepted were to be utterly banished from God’s kingdom, such a decision was God’s, not his. He withheld some evaluations (judgments). He was a friend. The Apostle apparently felt that the mention of Christ in nearly any context was a clue to listeners that they needed to give attention to the meaning of the mention.
When I was newly installed in church ministry there were strong cleavages between persons of various faiths, even between denominations of similar styles of operations and doctrine. The Jews were marginalized by some, and put down in various programs, even secular ones. Hitler’s were the worst. Catholics and Protestants were serious opponents, especially in South America, but also in some areas of North American life. Al Smith, in 1928, was partly rejected for the presidency of the United States because: The Vatican will take over the White House. John Kennedy faced up to similar charge in 1960 but prevailed. The Mormon people are generally gracious, and give attention to Jesus although not in the tradition of the centuries. The Apostle would have credited the recognition even if he believed it flawed. Arnold Toynbee, the eminent world historian said he was a Christian, but felt warmly toward Muslims. He would have been one if born in that world. He apparently disregarded the claims of exclusivity. In all this variety the rights of all are to be treated with grace, and then go forward declaring the gospel of Scripture.
The point we want to make here is that any entity, affirmative about Christ, is treated as friendly. In my lifetime I have heard excellent statements about Christ from Jews. A Mormon family attended a church I served and gave testimony of their faith in the redemption of Jesus Christ. My stories can be continued at length. Comforted by positive statements, related to Christ, I can leave it to him to take care of his status. As a believer in the atonement of Christ for sin, I desire to be the friend of anyone who admits the name of Christ in positive references. It may lead to completed and necessary faith. I admit to some embarrassment in so many differences in interpretations of Christians relative to Jesus, to Scripture, even to the sacraments and varieties of theologies. I rest in the belief that Christ will manage some oddities. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020