Picture Perfect

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:9-12

I am no art critic, and I am certainly no artist. But I don’t let these things ruin my appreciation for artistic masterpieces. You see, even though I did not study art history in college or perfect my artistic talents beyond the drawing of stick figures, I can still have an opinion on the artistic designs of others far more talented than myself. That’s the beautiful thing about opinions, isn’t it? You get to have them even if you have no justification for them. I don’t think that I am that unusual in this – I think that just about everyone has some sort of gut reaction to the picture or painting they happen to be looking at.

So what did you think of the picture presented to you today? The picture painted with words?

 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

And on and on Paul goes – painting a picture with words – words fit to be cross-stitched, shared as a caption to a pastoral scene, and piously tweeted out.

So what’s your gut reaction to this picture that Paul gives us? Perhaps the words reach your ears only to be met with a chuckle – “Ha! If only the world were like that. If only love were genuine. If only.” But the world isn’t like that, is it? Love in the world is anything BUT genuine. Paul’s words are nothing more than wishful thinking. Paul’s words express unrealistic thinking and syrupy sentimentality that you have no time for. Paul’s picture is just not for you.

Now, I wonder, what would the artist himself have to say about this interpretation of his art? I doubt that Paul would be very accommodating. You see, this picture that Paul has painted – it’s not like other works of art. There are no multiple interpretations or ways that the piece can be read. No, the meaning is not in the eye of the beholder. There is only one way to read Paul’s words. There is only one response that Paul allows when viewing this picture. After all, it is right there in the very title of the picture!

The title of this picture painted in verses 9-21 is found in verse 1 of chapter 12, “I appeal to you, therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Right there, in verse 1, Paul gives us an introduction to chapter 12. He gives us the title of the painting in verses 9-21 – Living Sacrifices which I think Paul would subtitle: A Portrait of the Life of the Christian.  

Paul’s words present a basic, unequivocally fundamental picture of what it means to be living sacrifices before God. These words of Paul, in verses 9-21, tell us what it means to be Christian. These words paint a picture of what our reality is.

It is a beautiful painting. You can’t deny that. But far too often, I look at this painting, and I don’t see myself. Too often, the resemblance is just not there. My life – well, my life rarely looks like the picture Paul painted. And I’m willing to bet that you might have a similar response.

Unfortunately for us, there is no weaseling out of this one. There is no dismissing the painting as having no bearing on reality. No, this portrait defines who you are. This portrait defines your reality. You are a baptized child of God. Anything – anything that deviates from this picture is a rejection of who you are in Christ. To deviate from this picture is to live in a false reality defined by brokenness and sin. To deviate from this picture is to look at the Holy Spirit, who made you the Father’s child in Baptism, and call Him a liar. “NO God – This isn’t who I am! You’ve got it all wrong.” To deviate from this picture is to reject God’s will – it is to reject Christ Himself.

Beloved in Christ, this is a problem for broken people like us. What are we to do? The answer is twofold.

First, we cling to Him whose love is genuine. We cling to Him who outdid all others in acts of service towards those He loves. We cling to Him who overcame evil with good as He hung dying on the cross – the perfect picture of genuine love. There, on the cross, Christ bought you, and there, at the Baptismal font, He made you His despite yourself. There Christ made you His even while you were still dead in your sin, unable to save yourself. And so, when caught in the mire of sin, when your life doesn’t match up to the picture Paul has painted – then, in that moment, you cling to the promise Christ made in the waters of your baptism. There, you know with absolute certainty that you are a forgiven child of the Father.

That’s the first thing to do when confronted with the harsh reality that your life does not always or fully reflect the reality of your identity in Christ. The second thing we must do is a necessary result of clinging to Jesus – live like Jesus is alive (because He is). Be a living sacrifice. Look at the portrait that Paul has painted of you and conform your life to it! Why? Well, that is simply what children of God do! Children of God do not stay in their sin. No, children of God write the will of their Father on their hearts.

And so, children of God:

Abhor what is evil.

Honor each other passionately.

Serve fervently.

Give generously.

Bless universally. 

Live harmoniously.

Socialize humbly.

Repay honorably.

Clothe and feed liberally.

Children of God – until Christ comes again in glory, do what you have been given to do:

let your love be genuine.