We’re not called to be nice.
We’re not called to be friendly.
As Francis Schaeffer would say “that’s a good place to start” but that is not what we are called to.
We are called to love one another, to owe nothing but love, as in laying our lives down for each other.
Otherwise I’m just another human “bean,” just anthropos, nothing more nothing less. . .
Mere man, mere human, woman, child. . .you get it don’t you?
Tsk, tsk, tsk. . .mere Christian.
(1 Corinthians 3:3 NIV) You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Mere
- mere(a): being nothing more than specified; “a mere child”
- bare(a): apart from anything else; without additions or modifications; “only the bare facts”;
- a small pond of standing water
- wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
- Mere in British English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere (lake) - The sea; A pool or lake; a marsh; Just, only; the smallest amount
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mere - Only this, and nothing else; such, and no more; simple; bare; as, a mere boy; a mere form.
What is the missing ingredient of mere Christians?
The Spirit of God. As we walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, we receive the things of God. The Spirit adds “God-stuff” to our lives. We are no longer mere humans.
We become humans who are filled by the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14 ESV Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (13) And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (14) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
We live differently because of what has been added to our lives that raises us above a basic existence on this Earth.
The God-additive, dude.
Human bean, plus forgiveness in Jesus Christ, receive the gift of eternal life, receive the Spirit of God, walk by the Spirit, living large on God’s highway.
