One of the most moving stories in the bible takes place early in the book of Acts. The church is gathered in Jerusalem. They've received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. They are praying together, living together, and loving each other. One concrete expression of their love for each other is their desire to meet the physical needs of each other. This even included some of them selling property they owned to create money that could be given to others for their benefit.
Can you imagine? In our culture, owning property is a goal. It's a big deal. It is often the culmination of a long struggle to save money and obtain a mortgage. When the day comes that you buy your first house, you are elated! Happy! Then imagine: selling it to benefit another person.
What those early Christians were doing was in fact a representation of God's justice. When we consider the word justice, we often think of a law court and justice being served by the conviction of lawbreakers. But in God's view, justice is much more than that--justice represents God's vision of equality and equitable living for his people.
That is why Christians would sell their property to benefit another person--because they saw that God's vision was larger than their own and was inclusive of the well-being of others.
And that is why, in Amos 5, the prophet speaks against the wealthy who use bribes and unfair practices to deprive the poor of what little they actually have. Amos says, "Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! ... Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice."
Hating evil is much more than despising sin and trying to live a moral life. Hating evil is the opposite of loving good. To hate evil, you must love good. Love, in the bible, is an action word. To love means to do something. To love good, then, means to do good, to work to bring about God's justice for all.
The actions of the early Christians, in selling property to care for others, represents God's justice, because those acts of love ensured that all were cared for. The actions of the wealthy that Amos spoke against, in trampling poor people, represented evil, because they cared for themselves and actively worked against others to benefit themselves.
God calls us to hate that kind of behavior. To hate evil. To love good. Today, look for the good you can do in the life of another person, and do good.
Can you imagine? In our culture, owning property is a goal. It's a big deal. It is often the culmination of a long struggle to save money and obtain a mortgage. When the day comes that you buy your first house, you are elated! Happy! Then imagine: selling it to benefit another person.
What those early Christians were doing was in fact a representation of God's justice. When we consider the word justice, we often think of a law court and justice being served by the conviction of lawbreakers. But in God's view, justice is much more than that--justice represents God's vision of equality and equitable living for his people.
That is why Christians would sell their property to benefit another person--because they saw that God's vision was larger than their own and was inclusive of the well-being of others.
And that is why, in Amos 5, the prophet speaks against the wealthy who use bribes and unfair practices to deprive the poor of what little they actually have. Amos says, "Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! ... Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice."
Hating evil is much more than despising sin and trying to live a moral life. Hating evil is the opposite of loving good. To hate evil, you must love good. Love, in the bible, is an action word. To love means to do something. To love good, then, means to do good, to work to bring about God's justice for all.
The actions of the early Christians, in selling property to care for others, represents God's justice, because those acts of love ensured that all were cared for. The actions of the wealthy that Amos spoke against, in trampling poor people, represented evil, because they cared for themselves and actively worked against others to benefit themselves.
God calls us to hate that kind of behavior. To hate evil. To love good. Today, look for the good you can do in the life of another person, and do good.
