I do not like to separate a message from its concrete business. I am deliberately highlighting Roman 12:2 without the context of human bodies – balancing our godward and community obligations – because the connection lends itself to the very thing we need to do but largely ignore. 12:2 may begin like the notable Sinai covenant with its Do not conform, but it rattles a cage we need to protest.

Do not conform to the fashion of this world; but be transformed by the complete change that has come over your minds, so that you may discern what God’s will is–all that is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Romans 12:2

Stop conforming! Cooperating with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The world wants us to adopt its wisdom, fashion, and goals, but we are on a different trek. Keep decreasing the readiness to shape our lives by what the world dictates. Knowing that friendship with the world demonstrates the absence of divine Father-love we mount a strong and sustained protest. Knowing that for the rest of our lives there is transformation and renewal we contend vigorously for growth in Christ. Knowing that the world will eventually turn on us we refuse to be turned on by its pretty pictures of shallow success.

Isaiah is the salvation prophet of Old Testament times and he draws the fire of New Testament times observers who wish he has not asked. “Who believes our report?” is the dreaded question that opens his 53^rd chapter. He also exposes the lipservice rendered by people in ancient and New Testament times who reject faith in God as all sufficient. By the time we arrive at the 5th verse – one of the iconic sayings in this passage – we have seen 17 actions defined.

• verse 1: believe, reveal
• verse 2: ascend, see, desire
• verse 3: despise, be familiar, despise, esteem
• verse 4: lift, carry, esteem, plague, smite, afflict
• verse 5: pierce, bruise, heal

What we can learn from this small observation is that 7 of these actions are human and none of them are honourable, not even our seeing him, which does not end in desire for him.

Ben Carson on What is a Bad Racist
Is there an intelligent nuance to “not too bad sinner”? How does any literate person define racism if not by what a person says and does?
Ben Carson, a sometimes departed Christian, a man whose defence of African liberation is a feather in the wind, a cowardly activist for the poor, has failed to bring the fire of his medical expertise to the political arena. If he still names Christ as Lord and Saviour-God there remains much room for growth, at least a small sign of maturing.

The dives into political power with a religious mask, in Judaism, Islam, or Hinduism, are a catastrophic error. Caesar and Christ do not become genuine partners.

The ability to repent and discern truth is a function of paternal pity. Repentance and discernment help comes and goes with minimal human intervention and their progress do much better when we stay off our neighbours’ field.

There comes a time, unlike all others, when God wants nothing but a one-on-one with those he wants close to him. They can short-circuit his intentions by hanging on to testimony that says they already know about the righteous and the wicked (the ungodly, the same guys from Psalm 1).

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Malachi 3:18

We in the 21st century have to revise our concept that people in antiquity always knew the difference between the righteous and the wicked.

• Consider that 400 years go by and no one discerns the difference; in Egypt
• Imagine that 40 years (an entire generation) go by and there is no consensus; in the wilderness
• Consider that three persons out of thousands stood resolute against idolatry; in Babylonian exile
• A millennium passes from the first king to the great passover; ending in New Testament times

Killing people as service to God

A man faces opposition, word traps from religious people, death threats, and accusations of wrongdoing for doing on demand a host of things that were either rare or nonexistent in the province of Judea. Even faith for a healing was scarce in Israel.

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

John 16:2-3

This treatment of a neighbour, demonstrates poor community standards and a lack of direction, and it shows that having Abraham as ancestor and the four world-ruling powers are inconsequential.

Knowing the difference between the tsiddiqim and the reshayim is not so easy as singing a popular song (Ps 1) about the counsel of the the wicked/ungodly. It does not happen apart from God’s personal intervention.

Preachers and the bigot in the White House have been doing the same thing: trying make a hero to tie Mr. Obama’s laces. Good luck with that!

Many Christians, not only in North America, have countenanced an endless stream of doublespeak. The apostolic witness is clear: Christ is boss of everything by himself. No government or country commands equal attention with the gospel.

They flip between Baal and Yahweh in the same sentence. Elijah (John the Baptist) is cooking their goose.