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“Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” No two believers hold identical views on every matter of conscience. Experience, upbringing, personality and a variety of cultural factors contribute to our individual thinking on personal standards. One man may feel an issue is open for discussion, while another has settled the answer in his mind; both may have a tendency to believe the other is wrong. This passage commands that we leave the ultimate judgment to God. With that being said, we must be clear on the type of issues this passage is speaking about. These matters seem to be explicitly personal and generally observed to be debatable among men of righteous character. The concern doesn’t seem to be over the application of specific scriptural text, but instead comes about as a byproduct of endeavors to maintain holiness within a difficult, contemporary context. Let’s not decide to stretch the term “personal standard” too far within its Biblical context, but let us also be careful not to assume everyone must agree with us! If we are “fully persuaded” our actions (or lack thereof) please God; He alone can be the final judge.

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:” Two phrases stand out in this passage; they convey passion that is weighty and consistent. Paul has great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for his brethren. When I read this, I always wonder exactly how this zeal came about. General knowledge of scripture tells me it must come forth of genuine love and Godly care. This kind of love is fostered by rejection of self, deep commitment to Christ, knowledge of scripture and regular prayer. It doesn’t just come upon us, it is cultivated by righteous action, a clear conscience and an understanding of the Biblical reality. I am convinced that no believer will develop this deep passion for souls without first developing a pattern of obedience. Paul even came to the point of wishing his own salvation could be taken if it could save his brethren. He did not come to this place in life overnight; his relationship with Christ brought him there on a long road of sincere devotion. Let’s begin that pattern ourselves and watch our concern for souls grow.

“And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” One of my favorite phrases in all the Bible appears in this verse. Joseph “got him out”; what a wonderful, righteous action. He didn’t fool himself into believing he could pluck up the courage to resist, he just ran. I’m afraid some people believe that truly great men were made of mightier stuff than we are. The truth is, they just took God at His word. In this case we understand that God demands we “flee youthful lusts”; simple instructions that are eminently effective in avoiding sin. There are no religious supermen by nature, there are only men who choose to follow God’s instruction, and men who choose to go their own way. Anyone confronted by a situation similar to this one would be well served not to rely on inner strength. He should turn on his heels and run! If you have an inflated sense of your own ability to resist, you need to rethink it right away. The Bible describes Joseph as a man of great character, but when sexual temptation came, it was not his character he relied on; it was his feet.

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” As we begin the story of Joseph, we can’t help but feel somewhat sorry for his brothers. It was clear that Jacob loved him most, and we recognize how parental favoritism often creates resentment, therefore we are tempted to give the brothers a pass. The truth that shakes us from our momentary empathy is that all relational sins have a cause. The fact is, we are often prompted to sin against another because of something they have done (or been) to make us angry. This is no excuse whatsoever for sin. Certainly Jacob was wrong; and I would not be surprised if Joseph took a moment to flaunt his coat, which would also have been wrong. Still, no man can use another man’s evil to justify his own. Be careful not to use the actions of others as justification. Let’s be hard to offend and quick to forgive, so as not to follow in the footsteps of Joseph’s brethren.

“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” Should foolish talking be in the same category with fornication? According to Paul, neither should be once named among Christians. These type of lists in scripture often surprise us. They name what we would consider horrible sins, right along side actions we consider minor. No sin is minor, in fact it is likely the sins we have overlooked that are doing the most damage. The typical believer goes an entire lifetime without getting involved in gross sin. Still, that same average believer may have had a life-long poor witness, because he involved himself in many “well accepted” sins. They include the two mentioned here; foolish talking, and jesting, which refer to a careless way of speaking that focuses on worldly and ungodly things. Let’s be careful not to overlook any sin in our lives, no matter how common it may be.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” I wonder how many of us consider whether or not our words minister grace unto the hearers? This type of speech puts the hearer first, and the speaker second. We don’t like to be in second place; that is why we often disobey God’s commands. While our concern ought to be for the welfare of the hearer, we are too often more interested in making our thoughts or feelings heard. We get our point across and let the chips fall where they may, instead of carefully considering whether or not our “point” is even needed. Some of the most corrupt, non-edifying, non-graceful words you will ever say will turn out to have been (in the final analysis) totally unnecessary. In reality, some of the most articulate and Godly communicators around put a high premium on silence. Now I’d better stop talking and let you think about that!

“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” Someone asked me the other day how I would describe the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ. He said I could go in any direct I wanted, as long as I kept it within five sentences. Well, I think I went longer than five sentences, but in the end I applied the answer by saying we need to be strengthened in the inner man. Now I’ll try to clear up your confusion. I said I was struck most by the fact that God chose to allow His son to be crucified for us, and how Jesus chose to submit. They made these choices based upon their perfect character. This is precisely why we must focus on developing our own character, working from the inner man out. That is the only way we will build enough strength to make the kind of choices Jesus, and His Father made. The point is, God did what He did, because of who He was. In the same way, we act based upon who we are. Therefore we should concentrate on our inner man, realizing internal holiness results in external obedience.