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Romans 5:4, "And patience,
experience; and experience hope:"
This morning, pairs of ideas may be correlated, and sometimes they may not be.
For example, we have all heard the old expression, "Where there's life, there's
hope." Indeed, hope cannot be found among the dead, so life and hope do
correlate in that sense, but there are times when life exists without hope.
(Ephesians 2:12) That example serves to show one important thing: some subjects,
no matter how linked at times, are not always linked. The reason that
examination of this thought is necessary is because it is easy to commit the
logical fallacy (called "parts of a whole") that assumes if certain things
operated this way on this occasion, then they should operate the same way on
every occasion. This "parts of a whole" argument is incorrect in that it assumes
one slice of a subject (part) is the same throughout the entire subject (whole),
when in fact it may not be. The life/hope analogy above shows that each part of
those subjects may have variance and difference between other parts of those
same subjects.
One thing that is often promoted by the aged, and likewise is often scorned by
the younger, is that "age=wisdom." Another way of saying that equation is
"experience=wisdom." Now, it should not be any stretch of the mental
faculties to understand that age should equal wisdom, and experience should
equal wisdom (and many times they do), but such is sadly not always the case.
This age=wisdom argument was posed by Job's three miserable comforters (Job
15:10), which seems to indicate that they were older than Job and Job's father.
However, their years of experience did not keep them from arriving at the wrong
conclusion about Job.
On the other hand, there was a younger man named Elihu (Job 32-37) that is
apparently younger than Job and the other three who exercises more wisdom than
any of them as he is the only one not reproved by God at the end of the story.
This illustrates the point that old age is not a guarantee to be sage and
prudent. Further, youth is not an automatic rejection for consideration among
the ranks of the wise. So, if the indicator of wisdom is not wholly bound in
chronological age, what is it tied into quite heavily? What is a good earmark of
wisdom?
The other common adage that we quoted above is "experience=wisdom." This
statement is true, but it must be qualified. Many that I work with in the
secular field are quite fond of telling me, "Well, you'll find out I'm right
after you've lived a while. You may not have to get as old as I am to figure it
out, but you'll have to live some of the things that I have lived to know that I
am right." On some of these subjects, they are perhaps quite correct that I will
need the experience to better understand them and have the wise prudence that
comes from life's circumstances. However, some of the subjects are their
perception of women having been through multiple divorces, their perception of
children seeing their own only every other weekend, and financial prudence
having lost more money that I have ever made.
When I see the experience that some have, it may be wiser on my part to never
have it than to see what it feels like going through that situation. For
example, it is not wise to decide what to make of adultery by becoming an
adulterer. It is not wise to decide what is the truth about theft by becoming a
thief. It is wiser to never have those experiences and rather believe what the
Bible teaches: they are wrong. Period. So, we must qualify the "experience=wisdom"
equation. Our verse above talks about experience that comes from patience in
tribulations. What does that word experience mean?
The word "experience" means "approved," "tried," "proof." By looking at this
word "experience," the notions of having to go through divorce or other
maladies to understand and have wisdom are seen to be complete folly. Rather,
the approval of sagacity is having the ability to "try" the situation, even
without living it, to know how to proceed. This discernment can be found by
study of God's word rather than having to adopt a "try and see" approach to
every circumstance of life. We could almost use the word "seasoned" in the place
of "experience" here. What do we generally mean when we call someone "seasoned?"
In the military, a seasoned person is one that has good working knowledge of
procedure, situational awareness and analysis, and possibly combat experience.
Now, combat experience may not be a definite must as the soldier may not have
ever served during a time of conflict. His lack of opportunity in that regard
does not deter a badge of "seasoned," for there are other ways in which one may
perceive him to be good in those situations. Has he been under live fire during
training? Has he performed in simulation? These and other questions give a good
idea (proof through trial) of how he would stand up in other situations of equal
or varying degrees of intensity.
What about our spiritual warfare and daily walk and fight of faith? Do we have
to go through everything imaginable to be considered seasoned? No. If that were
true, every minister would then have to "prove his salt" by successfully
standing against every heresy under the sun, every church problem known to man,
etc. A man does not have to go through everything to be considered seasoned, but
if we understand how he has handled the "simulation," we may objectively
gather that other/like situations would be handled similarly. Solomon says that
just the composure of one's spirit is greater than taking a city. (Proverbs
16:32) One of the simplest tests of any man, young or old, is how well he keeps
his spirit/composure.
Paul's chain of connection above is that experience (seasoning) is built upon
patience. Does the trial or tribulation get met with cheerful endurance or
impatient twisting? A man's self-composure is a great indicator of his seasoning
in matters great or small. (Luke 16:10) How young does a man have to be to be
considered seasoned, or how old does he have to be to be considered seasoned? It
is simply not a matter of age, so much as it is a matter of self-control and
patience.
Indeed, it should be the case that the older we get the more seasoned we become.
As we mature in the faith with years of study and walking with God, we should
know more now than we did last year. We should know more next year than we know
this year. There is no guarantee, but as disciples of Christ, that should be our
aim to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter
3:18) Paul instructed Timothy not to let anyone despise his youth but rather to
be an example to the unbelievers. (I Timothy 4:12) Now, if Timothy was to be an
example, that implies some seasoning on his part to be able to do so. Yet, part
of that seasoning is by not lashing out at those that lash out at us. (I Peter
2:23)
What would have happened if someone attacked Timothy for being young and he
attacked them right back? That is not an example for the believers, nor is it an
exercise in cheerful endurance (patience). What is a good example is taking
things patiently when we are unjustly reviled and showing our actions to be
sound and seasoned despite the tenderness of years. What if an older person
tries to exercise authority and dominance over the a younger person as it is
"their right from years of service?" Such is not a good example for those
following after. Indeed, the aged should be respected and place should be
exercised (Elihu waited until all the older finished speaking before he did in
Job). However, the wisdom of the sage is seen in the older by a gentle and
tender approach with those that are younger and less seasoned.
Friends, Paul is ultimately showing that proof of acceptability is not found in
years of service or multitude of life's experiences. Rather, proof is found by
observing the seasoned that know what is right, what is wrong, why each is true,
and have the right approach (patience) for discussing and conveying such. One of
the added connotations of the word "seasoned" for an experience and proven hand
is that seasoned individuals should "rub off" on those around them. As the salt
of the earth, there is something of us that should rub off on those around that
shows our savoriness as well as imparts to the less seasoned some wisdom and
experience that helps them become more seasoned. At the end of the day, the goal
is that hope might abound through our life. Life and hope are not always linked,
but Paul's effort was to show the way that we - through seasoning - might bring
out hope in our lives to the glory of God.
In Hope,
Bro Philip |