A Christian Response in Grievous Times
PETER W. TEAGUE
Due largely in part to my parents love for God and His Word, I have come to treasure the Bible more and more each day.
One story etched deeply in my heart is the parable Jesus told of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37: A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was viciously attacked by robbers, who stripped him of his clothing, beat him and left him by the road to die. A Jewish priest and a Levite each passed by this dying man without stopping to help. But a Samaritan came along and compassionately attended to the man’s wounds, took him to a place of refuge, and paid for his care. To fully grasp the meaning of this parable, we must understand that the Samaritans were despised by the Jews. By making their enemy the hero in this story, Jesus was teaching that loving our neighbors extends to people outside our own social, religious or ethnic boundaries. When we judge others and pass them by on the basis of artificial barriers imposed by our sin and culture, we are behaving as hard-heartedly as the priest and Levite.
So many artificial barriers divide our world today, engendering an environment of anger, confusion, fear, disillusionment, and deadly hatred. No words satisfy or make sense in the face of incalculable challenges. Many years ago social critic Jeremy Rifkin said, “Each day we wake to a world that appears more confused and disordered than the one we left the night before. Every time we think we’ve found a way out of a crisis, something backfires. The powers that be continue to address the problems at hand with solutions that create even greater problems than the ones they were meant to solve.”¹
How should a Christian who loves God respond in these grievous times?
As I was preparing recently to teach a five-day series on the book of Philippians at a conference in northern Pennsylvania, I was struck in a fresh way with the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 1:27-28: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel and without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you….” If we can do one thing, we are to live in a manner consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So when people challenge us with their opposing attitudes, words and actions, we are to respond with the attitude of Christ—in love, humility, forbearance and respect for one another.
This manner of living is shaped and nourished largely by God’s Word and prayer. For me that begins with reading the Bible each day. Everything written in scripture is profitable for our learning and correction so that we would be trained and equipped to live a life of righteousness and love, which is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is both a challenge and discipline to live according to the principles in scripture. That is why each day I have a set time and format devoted to prayer, asking for God’s help to live for Him and praying for my growing family, my neighbors, people with particular needs, and for our elected officials and other leaders who need God’s wisdom, grace and courage to do what is necessary to carry out law and order in our country. Taking God’s Word seriously and communing with Him in prayer reorients my mind and will toward Christ, and nourishes and sustains my trust and love for Him.
I cannot be responsible for the reckless behavior and painful rhetoric of others, but I am responsible to do my best to live a life that pleases the Lord. My goal in life is to be a builder-up, a vessel of love, to influence my grandchildren and fulfill my professional and civic responsibilities according to Christian principles. I am so grateful for my parents who taught and showed me a genuine love for God, for others and for my country. They instilled in me a strong work ethic and to respect authority, even those with a different ideology. Just as my parents taught and influenced me, so I desire to influence others to love God and to love our neighbors.
We can do one thing—we can strive, with God’s help, to love and respect each person as one created in the image and likeness of God, a person for whom Christ died. His atoning death and resurrection has redeemed us from the bondage of sin and condemnation and has set us free to live as His people, peacefully with one another. Treating others as God has treated us in Christ means treating them with grace and mercy. I pray each one of us will strive to be a Good Samaritan in these trying days, and so live in a manner consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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1. Jeremy Rifkin as quoted in Richard A. Swenson, Margin: How to Create the Emotional Physical, Financial and Time Resources You Need (Colorado Springs: Nav Press, 1992), 26
Peter Teague served as president at Lancaster Bible College from 1999 to 2020. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Alliance for Christian Education.