Scripture: Romans 2:13-14 – “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight but the doers of the law who will be justified. When gentiles, who do not possess the law, by nature do what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves.” (NRSVue)
Is it more important to say the right things or to do the right things? I think that we would all agree that doing the right thing is more important. But increasingly, I notice that in the public sphere, saying things that indicate that you are loyal to the “right side” of an issue seem to be more important than anything else.
One of the debates I have heard recently is whether Christianity is the only arbiter of truth and righteousness. The argument goes that without the moral truths that Christian teaches, everyone would just do whatever they wanted, and the world would be full of arbitrary cruelty and selfishness. Without the inerrant truth of God, civilization will collapse.
However, this is not my experience. I have met a lot of Christians who, because they believe that Christ died for their sins past, present, and future, think they can be rejecting, hateful, and even violent towards those who disagree with them. After all God will forgive evil done for the sake of Christ. I have also noticed people of other religions as well as people with no religion at all who are kind and driven by strong moral principles about the dignity of all people and the sanctity of life. Many times, these people are more likely to be generous and charitable to those in need.
In his Letter to the Romans, Paul observed that arbitrary categories of belonging rarely lead to righteousness. He noticed that a lot of gentiles, that is non-Jews, who supposedly were given to immoral, hedonistic paganism, were actually kinder and more open to Jesus’ message than the Jews who shared Jesus’ faith in God. Of course, there were many cruel pagans and kind Jews. The truth was that righteousness came through our faithful actions, not claims of allegiance to one side or the other.
Just because you believe the “right things” for your group doesn’t make you a good person. Even if you say you stand for truth and justice, that means nothing if you treat those different from you like they are less than human. If you wish harm on your “enemies” or are gleeful when the “bad guys” suffer, that is no sign of faith in God or belief in grace and love.
Is it more important to say the right things or to do the right things? You know the answer. As you pray today, ignore any news about how awful “they” are, whoever “they” might be. Look instead for the things that bring joy and justice to the world, whether they are inspired by faith in Christ, other forms of divinity, or just a sense of compassion for others. Choose one kind thing to do today and let that be your most ardent prayer.
Prayer: Loving Lord, let me love as you do and put the righteousness of your kingdom higher than anything else. Amen.
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