Hastings: Living in perfect harmony

“May God, the source of all strength and encouragement, enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another … Accept one another as Christ accepted us, for the glory of God.” — Romans 15:5, 7 The Inclusive Bible

The Apostle Paul who wrote these words was concerned about divisions between Jewish and non-Jewish (Gentile) Christians. Each side distrusted the other and had put up walls around their beliefs. Jewish distrust went back to the post-exilic time when returning Jews led by Ezra believed the cause-and-effect of the Exile was their failure to observe an early provision of the Law — that they be a separate people. Fearing another painful Exile, they divorced their non-Jewish spouses and built a wall around their faith to keep themselves from straying. But the wall also kept other people out — people for whom the Jewish people were called to be a blessing so God’s blessings would extend to all the earth’s people.

Gentile Christians also put up walls. They believed Jewish dietary laws and other traditions no longer applied. This caused no small amount of bitterness and distrust among Christ’s followers.

As a Jew and also a Roman citizen, Paul sought to bridge these divisions. He believed Jesus who was Jewish intended that everyone be included in God’s covenant of blessing. So Paul called all believers to live in “perfect harmony.” For 325 years after Christ’s resurrection Jews and Christians worshiped together. “Church” and “synagogue” were synonymous.

But sooner or later human error, politics and greed again kicked in, and people rebuilt walls. As Gentile believers outpaced Jewish believers and Constantine became emperor and converted to Christianity, the focus of division became over which day to worship — the long-established seventh day of the week as Sabbath or the first day in celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Non-Jewish Christians chose to disconnect with their Jewish roots through the Council of Nicea which established the first day of the week as the day of worship.

Two thousand years later people of faith still struggle with divisions within their own ranks as well as with those outside their faith tradition. Paul’s illustration of the olive tree may still help envision new unity: The olive tree lives long, is deeply rooted and endures through many adverse conditions. Like the olive tree, the Jewish faith traces its roots to the patriarchs, and Christianity is grafted into this tradition. Thus everyone shares in the covenant’s blessing and its calling: “I will bless you, that you may be a blessing, and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The needs around us are great, and God still blesses, empowers and calls people to put aside divisions and live “in perfect harmony” — a harmony which is greatly needed to fulfill God’s purpose of blessing in the world.

The Rev. Celia M. Hastings has a master's degree in religious education from Western Theological Seminary in Holland. She is author of “The Wisdom Series” and “The Undertaker’s Wife.”

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hastings: Living in perfect harmony