Biblical Fellowship - Week 4

Last week, we wrapped up our class on Biblical Fellowship, taught by Kenneth Maresco (I failed to get up our last two weeks up, so I dropped them into a separate post - here is the link: Week 2-3 - Hermeneutics and Old Testament 1). Kenneth is one of the two executive pastors at Covenant Life. He humbly served us with great wisdom and care, as he taught from many years of experience as a husband, father, and pastor. He helped us see how through the power of the Word and scripture, the gospel connects to changing our lives, using the means of the the local church, community, and primarily in contexts such as Care Groups. One of the books of study this week was Jonathan Edwards' - "Charity & Its Fruits", writing on 1 Corinthians 13. The chapter we read as on "Charity (Love) suffereth long, and is kind". A very real part of life in a fallen world is that we suffer pain, injury, and hurt when people sin against us. Having a community of believers to care for us, and remind us of the gospel in those times is so vital. Edward's words are powerful, sobering, and helpful in setting our hearts right in moments of injury from others:

"...love to God tends to humility, which is one main root of a meek and long-suffering spirit. Love to God, as it exalts him, tends to low thoughts and estimates of ourselves, and leads to a deep sense of our unworthiness and our desert of ill, because he that loves God is sensible of the hatefulness and vileness of sin committed against the Being that he loves. And discerning an abundance of this in himself, he abhors himself in his own eyes, as unworthy of any good, and deserving of all evil. Humility is always found connected with long-suffering, as says the apostle (Eph. 4:2) — "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love." A humble spirit disinclines us to indulge resentment of injuries, for he that is little and unworthy in his own eyes, will not think so much of an injury offered to him as he that has high thoughts of himself. For it is deemed a greater and higher enormity to offend one that is great and high, than one that is mean and vile. It is pride or self-conceit that is very much the foundation of a high and bitter resentment, and of an unforgiving and revengeful spirit.

It is from littleness of mind that the soul is easily disturbed and put out of repose by the reproaches and ill-treatment of men: just as little streams of water are much disturbed by the small unevennesses and obstacles they meet with in their course, and make a great deal of noise as they pass over them, whereas great and mighty streams pass over the same obstacles calmly and quietly, without a ripple on the surface to show they are disturbed. He that possesses his soul after such a manner that, when others harm and injure him, he can, notwithstanding, remain in calmness and hearty goodwill toward them, pitying and forgiving them from the heart, manifests therein a godlike greatness of spirit. Such a meek and quiet and long-suffering spirit shows a true greatness of soul.."

Jonathan Edwards, "From Charity and It's Fruits-Sermon 4-Charity Disposes Us Meekly To Bear The Injuries Received From Others"