[Note: I read the Bible to consider whether a specific passage comports to my weak-comprehension of the perhaps 5,000-year-old Sumerian philosophy, expressed by Hebrew scholars 3,000 years ago in Genesis 1:28: Female& male-human-being can& may, independent of other entities, constrain political chaos on earth. I think Genesis-1 suggests responsible-human-independence (RHI) and am interested in improving my opinion.
I think the next Bible canon should include the successive law codes of Sumer. I perceive that the 10,000-year-old Sumer civilization ought to be considered, in order to increase civic-integrity while appreciating private spiritual pursuits now and in the future.]
Appreciative-caution rather than rebuke
I arbitrarily reviewed Bible
instruction, intending to reject the Biblical rebuke-cycle: perceive victimization, rebuke the accused, await their apology, and forgive them.
I advocate: perceive error, appreciatively caution the suspected errant person, listen for their response. If they convince you you erred, apologize and reform. If they accept your caution, apologize, and reform, forgive them. If possible, be patient for a person to receive your caution and respond. Do not accommodate injury or harm to or from anyone.
I hope to practice, facilitate,& encourage
Genesis 1:28-specified responsible-human-independence (RHI). Neither a lesser
species, nor a government, nor possible-consequences-of-personal-choice
can usurp the human-being’s opportunity to practice civic-integrity in
appreciation to the-ineluctable-truth. That's a compact sentence. Let me first clarify just one part: the human-being can& may choose actions that invite negative consequences. People have the autonomy to do harm, inviting constraint.
In a civic culture, I suggest “appreciative
caution” rather than the Bible's “rebuke”. I share my opinions hoping to improve them. I
do not know the-ineluctable-truth.
Definitions, springing from Genesis 1, Merriam-Webster.com, or
cited reference (This is tedious, so skip it if not needed)
· Appreciative caution: with
perceived erroneous plan/action, mutual civic-appreciation empowers human-beings
to efficiently suggest& consider caution, without psychological threat to
either party. For example, appreciating-speaker can& may assert to
appreciating-listener, “I think I perceive harm/injury”, without lessening
mutual appreciation. The person who rejects appreciative citizenship invites/nourishes
dependency. Here are some possibly applicable words or phrases:
·p Appreciative inquiry: a
psychological system offered at positivepsychology.com/, differs from “appreciative
caution”
·
Caution: warning,
admonishment
·
Criticize: to express
disapproval
·
Constructive criticism: feedback that provides
specific, actionable suggestions (indeed.com). I prefer “appreciative
suggestion” yet choose "appreciative caution".
·
Correction: amendment,
rectification, normalizing/standardizing, rehabilitation
·
Disapprove: unfavorably
judge; reject
· Rebuke: to criticize sharply: reprimand. Archaic: to turn back
or keep down: check. [Mathis: Discourage habituating a destructive path. A
great act of love.]
· Reproof: criticism for a
fault; rebuke
Note: these definitions may/may-not belong-in
the developing civic-glossary posted on promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.
To rebuke a fellow-citizen is foreign to my civic-humility&
spiritual-privacy
I
take no interest in forgiveness as a barter with divinity and will not yield my
responsibility to civic-integrity. In other words, I want to be reliable in my relationships with people. Also, I accept no leadership that accommodates
hate among fellow-citizens of the earth. To address hate is to accommodate it. I want to reject hate as a human activity.
Most
interpretation in the Bible or commentary, I think erroneously, informs the
human-being not to expect a fellow citizen to accept the self-interest to reform when needed.
Consider 3 Bible passages and their potentials to fulfill Genesis 1:28. Write an original interpretation, then
compare it with both NIV and with the Message Bible.
For now, let me call the Genesis 1:28 interpretations “Nomads’ journal to approach the-ineluctable-truth", after my Sunday school class, Nomads.
Nomads’ journal, adapting
NIV Bible and considering the Message Bible
Leviticus
19:17-19. Do not hate a fellow-citizen in your
heart. Caution a suspected offender frankly, immediately, and appreciatively so
you will not accommodate harm/injury to or from anyone, including each other. Do
not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any person, but
appreciate them as yourself. Be humble to consequences of personal
choice.
Matthew
18: 21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive an appreciative fellow-citizen who errs
against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I told you in
Genesis 1:28 that human-being can& may independently constrain chaos to the
lesser species and to the earth. I will neither usurp nor mislead RHI.
Luke 17:3-4 Be civically alert. If you observe/opine a person-in or planning error, caution them.
If they respond, collaborate to mutually approach the-objective-truth if not the-ineluctable-truth and reach
agreement or call-in first-responders if necessary. If the cautioned citizen
repents& reforms, forgive them. If they habitually cause harm or injury, practice RHI under
necessity& justice: pursue constraint. If they present evidence that you are in error, agree, and make the necessary corrections to your person.
NIV Bible
Leviticus 19:17-19. ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke
your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. “‘Do
not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your
people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Matthew
18: 21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against
me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times,
but seventy-seven times.
Luke
17:3-4 So
watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins
against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven
times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must
forgive them.”
The Message Bible
Leviticus 19:17-19. “Don't secretly hate
your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open;
otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt. Don't seek revenge or carry
a grudge against any of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.”
Matthew 18: 21-22 At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask,
"Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me?
Seven?" Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.”
Luke 17:3-4 "Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him.
If he responds, forgive him. Even if it's personal against you and
repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, 'I'm sorry, I
won't do it again,' forgive him."
Applications to education
Most cultures inculcate popular-doctrine in their youth. Consequently, the youth
are destined to either remain adolescents or independently discover self-interest in humility
toward consequences of choice: re-educate themselves.
In my fourth quarter century, I serenely-trust my
afterdeath to my origins and, possessing the opportunity, choose to practice,
facilitate, & encourage civic-integrity among the-citizens-of-the world. I
do not think I am alone: many fellow-citizens think-they-can and therefore
choose-to independently-aid safety& security-on-Earth.
Epilogue: modern debate
Below, I share an online opinion, “the blessing of
rebuke”, and my opposition in yellow highlight, to emphasize that the topic is
of current interest.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/embrace-the-blessing-of-rebuke
AUGUST 27, 2014
Embrace the
Blessing of Rebuke
Article by
David
Mathis
Executive Editor, desiringGod.org
One of the most loving things anyone can do for you is
tell you when you’re wrong. [appreciative
rather than loving]
Call it correction,
reproof, or rebuke — Paul [an errant civic-advisor] uses all three terms in just four verses in 2 Timothy 3:16–4:2 — but don’t miss what makes it distinctively
Christian, and a gift to our souls: It
is a great act of love. The kind of
rebuke that the Scriptures commend is the kind intended to stop us from
continuing on a destructive path. [Mathis presented no reason to label this citizenship “Christian”.]
Watershed
of Wisdom
Reproof is a fork in the road for a sinful soul. [Bemusing necessary-justice as "spiritual" ruins its impact.] Will we cringe at correction like a curse,
or embrace rebuke as a blessing? One of the great themes in Proverbs is that
those who embrace rebuke are wise and walk the path of life, while those who
despise reproof find themselves to be fools careening toward death.
The Proverbial warnings
against dismissing brotherly correction are staggering. The one who rejects
reproof leads others astray (Proverbs 10:17), is stupid (Proverbs 12:1) and a fool (Proverbs 15:5), and despises himself (Proverbs 15:32). “Whoever hates reproof will die” (Proverbs 15:10), and “poverty and disgrace come to him” (Proverbs 13:18). [Christianity
lessens OT civic-advice by touting NT afterdeath-rewards. It’s a perhaps-vain hope-to
avoid ineluctable death.]
But just as astounding are
the promises of blessing to those who embrace rebuke. “Whoever heeds reproof is
honored” (Proverbs 13:18) and prudent (Proverbs 15:5). “He who listens to reproof gains intelligence” (Proverbs 15:32), loves knowledge (Proverbs 12:1), will dwell among the wise (Proverbs 15:31), and is on the path of life (Proverbs 10:17) — because “the rod and reproof give wisdom” (Proverbs 29:15) and “the reproofs of discipline are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:23).
To the one who embraces
rebuke, God says, “I will pour out my spirit to you” (Proverbs 1:23), but to the one who despises it, “I will laugh at your
calamity” (Proverbs 1:25–26). It will be said of those who reject correction, “They
shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices” (Proverbs 1:30–31), and it’s only a matter of time until they themselves
will say, “I am at the brink of utter ruin” (Proverbs 5:12–14).
And when ruin comes for
the fool who resists reproof, it will be sudden and devastating: “He who is
often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing”
(Proverbs 29:1).
[However, the Christian perceives exemption through grace --- perceives
antinomianism.]
Open
the Gift
The wise recognize rebuke
as a gift of gold (Proverbs 25:12). It is kindness, and a token of love. “Let a righteous
man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it” (Psalm 141:5). [That’s
just “OT-rule” misinformation, say some Christians.]
Often it is easier for others in our lives not to say
anything, but just let us go merrily on our way down the path of folly and
death. But reproof is an act of love, a willingness to own that awkward moment,
and perhaps having your counsel thrown back in your face, for the risk of doing
someone good. When a spouse or friend or family member or associate rises to
the level of such love, we should be profoundly thankful. [That’s true. However, such
appreciation should& could be common under Genesis 1:28’s RHI.]
Hear
God’s Voice in Your Brother’s
All of us who have in Christ
“all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), and are in our right mind, will want to “listen to
advice and accept instruction, that [we] may gain wisdom in the future” (Proverbs 19:20). We’ll not just suffer someone speaking into our lives,
but invite them to do so — and when they do, embrace it as a blessing. Even
when it’s a rebuke poorly delivered, and the timing and tone are off, and the
motivation seems suspect, we’ll want to ransack it for every grain of truth,
and then repent, and thank God for the grace of having people in our lives who
love us enough to say something. [That seems true, and such appreciation could be common under Genesis
1:28’s RHI.]
Not wanting to “despise
the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof” (Proverbs 3:11), we’ll ask, How
is it that God’s reproof most often comes to us? Answer: in reproof from a brother or sister in
Christ. We’ll beware resisting the reproof of a fellow in Jesus, especially
when it’s echoed in multiple voices, knowing that likely we would be resisting
the very reproof of God. [That
seems true, provided Christ is God. However, there’s bemusement in diluting the
power of God by attributing it to Christ. Jesus? That's a question that holds my interest as a fellow-citizen if not civic-citizen.]
When a brother or sister
in Christ goes to the inconvenience to have the unpleasant conversation
bringing correction into our lives, we should be floored with thanksgiving.
“The Lord reproves him whom he loves” (Proverbs 3:12). Count it as love from your brother, and as God’s
channel of his love for you. [Why
discourage acceptance of correction from a fellow-citizen?]
Easier
Said Than Done
But all of that, of course, is much easier said than
done. Deep down in the caverns of our remaining sin, where we can be most
callous to true grace in its varied forms, we don’t want to hear any
correction. Something wicked in us recoils.
When we hear that “all
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable,” it’s natural to be more
excited about it being “for teaching” and “for training in righteousness” than
“for reproof” and “for correction” (2 Timothy 3:16). That’s too personal. That touches a nerve.
And forces from without don’t make it any easier. It
shouldn’t surprise us that the societal air we breathe is hostile to correction
and reproof, even in their most gentle and loving varieties. If humanity isn’t
depraved in nature and sinful in practice, then rebuke is no longer a
life-saver, but an annoyance. But if we do acknowledge that we are flawed, selfish,
and arrogant and regularly sin with our words and actions, then we will learn
to see a brother’s rebuke for the tremendous grace that it is. [This paragraph attempts to
negate the Genesis 1 assertion female& male-human-being in God’s image ---
can& may provide order& prosperity to the lesser species and to Earth.]
Unlock
the Power
But however much receiving
reproof goes against our native instincts or catches us off our gospel guard in
the moment, we have this great hope to grow into: The love of Christ for us is
the skeleton key able to unlock for us the power of rebuke. With him in view,
the one “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20), no longer must reproof be an assault on our very
foundations and deep sense of worth, but it becomes a fresh opportunity for
growth and greater joy.
“With such a Savior to
steady our feet, we can embrace rebuke for the blessing that it is.”
It is another grace of the gospel that by the Spirit we
can grow skin thick enough to hear any reproof as a pathway to yet even more
grace. It is the gospel that gives us the wherewithal for truly leaning into
rebuke and receiving its bounty. [I assert that a more direct message is that appreciative-caution is
more effective than loving-rebuke.]
Only in Jesus can we find
our identity not in being without fault, but in being shown love by God when
we’re still sinners and chock-full of faults (Romans 5:8). With such a Savior to steady our feet, we can embrace
rebuke for the blessing that it is. [Presenting “Jesus” in competition with “God” seems self-defeating.]
David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for
desiringGod.org and pastor at Cities
Church. He is a husband, father of four, and author
of Humbled:
Welcoming the Uncomfortable Work of God (2021).
Updated on December 13, 2022. PRB.
