“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
1 Cor 4:7
Scripture teaches us that those things that God has given us are not in any way goods originating from ourselves. Instead, they are free gifts from God.
On the other hand, we are also called to respect and commend whatever gifts of God we see in others, and to honor those in whom such gifts reside.
For it would be shameful for us to withhold honor from those whom God has deemed worthy of honor.
Moreover, so as not to insult those to whom we owe honor and goodwill, we are taught to overlook their vices—though not, of course, to encourage their vices by admiring them.
In this way, we will act not only with moderation and modesty, but with grace and friendliness toward others.
We will never achieve genuine meekness except by having our hearts saturated with self-denial and respect for others.
WE WILL MEET many difficulties as we try to dutifully seek the good of our neighbors. We won’t make any headway in this regard unless we lay aside concern for ourselves—indeed, unless we somehow lay aside our very self. For how, unless we forsake ourselves and commit ourselves wholly to others, can we bring forth those works that Paul identifies as love? “Love,” he says, “is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable;” and so on. That single command that we not insist on our own way—with what force must we resist our own nature to pursue it. Our very nature inclines us toward self-love. As a result, we don’t easily deny ourselves or our desires in order to seek the good of others. Even less are we willing to give up our right to something and give that right to another.
Let this, then, be our rule for kindness and benevolence: We are merely stewards of whatever gifts God has given to us in order to help our neighbors. We must give an account of our stewardship, and right stewardship is that which is fueled by the rule of love.
FURTHERMORE, SO THAT we don’t grow weary in doing good (which otherwise would be certain to happen immediately), we must understand the next point put forward by the Apostle—that
“love is patient”
and “is not irritable.”
The Lord instructs us to do good to all people throughout the entire world, many of whom are unworthy of such good if judged by their own merit.
But Scripture comes to our rescue with the best of reasons for doing good to all people. It teaches us not to regard others according to their own merits, but to consider in them the image of God to which we owe both honor and love.
But the image of God should be more diligently regarded in those who are of the household of faith, because it has been renewed and restored in them by the Spirit of Christ.
John Calvin. A Little Book on the Christian Life.
