THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY #17

Temple Grounds

"...let him begin stoning her."

John 8:7

"...Love..." "...always hopes..."(I Cor. 13:6-7)(NIV) "...all things hopes..."(Interlinear)

Matthew Henry says of this description of love: "It will not presently conclude a case desperate, but wishes the amendment of the worst of men, and is very apt to hope for what it wishes."

So sad that some exclusive fellowships do not completely apply this principle of truth to its fellows. For that reason unity is not possible in some "bodies of Christ." For hope is not held out for all the saints of God.

Admittedly, there are some "mature" folk in the church who by reason of age and some spiritual attainments have perhaps reached higher levels of growth. If so though where is the hope held out for others described by Paul. Some of the more "complete" have somehow failed to even conceive of the purpose of their own conversion. Peter describes it in I Pet. 1:22..."Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, with all your hearts."(NIV)

And have such ones of high degree forgotten the mistakes they made through out their development into "exemplary" Christians. And is it even possible that they continue to make a few?(Ro. 3:23)(I Jn. 1:8-9)

Jesus scolded such folks during His ministry. What of a church that stands around the fallen with rocks or computers or telephones or stationary? The teaching of Jesus is still as applicable today as it was 2000 years ago to the upper crust of faith. And it goes something like this: If any of you is without sin then let him begin stoning, text messaging, e-mailing and writing about her.

How much more noble it would have been if those "...teachers..." and "...Pharisees..."(Jn. 8) had brought her to the "...Teacher..." and asked if there was still hope for her. Is there any way we can help her? And why they did not do that is so revealing of them.

The hope of agape love does not act like those elite of Jesus day. Certainly Jesus views the hearts of the penitent. His viewpoint of such folks is not so hopeless and calloused. The story of those who will not hold out the hope of love to their fellows is capsulized in Mt. 7:1-2.

Adam Clarke expressed it this way: "When there is no place left for believing good of a person, then love comes with its hope when it could not work by its faith, and begins immediately to make allowances and excuses, as far as a good conscience can permit; and further, anticipates the repentance of the transgressor, and his restoration to the good opinion of society and his place in the Church of God, from which he had fallen."

The problem with some fellowships is that their consciences are uneducated about The Most Excellent Way. For that Way would not make it more difficult for a "fallen" brother to find his way back to the church than it was when he was "...called a Christian first..."(Acts 11:26) What rejoicing occurred then. But now that he has fallen where is the love that "...always hopes..."? Sad note that when the repentance of a sinful brother has occurred great hesitancy occurs when the scripture says simply "...reaffirm your love for him..."(II Cor. 2:8)

The definition of hope is "desire plus expectation." Do we desire and expect the best for our brothers? If so love exists. If not love is absent.