Building Up Our Neighbors

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. … Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.  — Romans 14:13, 15:2

The philosopher Aristotle taught that there are three kinds of friendships.  The first is pleasure friendship, in which two friends find delight and encouragement in one another’s presence and attention.  Friends may share a common passion such as watching auto races or making a quilt. A second kind of friendship was described as the advantage friendship, where one or both parties to the relationship seek some sort of material or personal gain from the time spent together.  Business relationships often fit here, as one seeks a promotion, a business loan or an advantage in the social arena from the other.  But a third type of friendship was paramount to the first two, and it was called the friendship of character.  In this type of friendship, the very best in you loves the very best in the other person.  Often one or both people in the friendship are willing to sacrifice for the well-being of their friend.

This is the kind of relationship that Jesus taught about, saying, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)   Jesus came to give his life that others might have abundant life, and as he gave his life away, over and over again, a woman caught in adultery, a man born blind, a paralyzed person, a person with a rare skin disease, a sickly child, a powerful leader struggling with the emptiness of mere power over others – each one was given what they needed to live in newness of life.

When Paul wrote to the early church gathered in Rome, he desired for the new group to be a community of virtue.  We can summarize his message in words like these: Don’t judge one another or get in one another’s way to try to trip them up or knock them down. And do not become overly focused on your own search for perfection.  Instead, look for ways to be friends of character, building each other up in love.

I look forward to greeting you at the church door and in all the places where we are building one another up into the Body of Christ,

Pastor Paul