Interesting Mottos or Doxologies

“Never expect. Never assume. Never ask. And never demand. Just let it be. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”

“Life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself”

“Work. Buy. Consume. Die.”

“You Only Live Once” or YOLO

Essentially, these are the world’s doxologies. This is what they are ascribing glory and purpose to. It is usually self-glorifying and has little or nothing to do with worshipping the One True God.

What is a doxology anyway?

The word literally means “Glory Saying”. Traditionally it’s been viewed as a statement of glory being ascribed to the God of the Bible. But really, in a functional sense, it’s anything we ascribe glory to.

All Christians must have a CHRIST-CENTERED DOXOLOGY. In everything we do, whether in times of suffering or gladness, be strengthened by the gospel, and life’s ultimate purpose; to glorify God.

We must rejoice in the victory won for us in Christ through the strengthening of the Gospel. We are made right with God through the sacrificial death of Christ in our place, and raised to life again for our promise.

THE 2 WAYS TO HAVE A CHRIST-CENTERED DOXOLOGY

1) To acknowledge that salvation, strength and hope is a gift from God

Paul’s doxology in the end Romans Chapter 16 is one that encapsulates everything He has tried to explain to us in the beautiful book of Romans. The diagnoses of sin, deliverance from it, and the reality of living out the Christian life is on Paul’s mind as he writes this. To the immediate read, one might conclude it to be quite anti-climactic compared to the rest of the letter. To the contrary, this ending is quite fitting.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

2) Joyfully glorifying God as the ultimate purpose.

No one will remember you 70 years from now. This whole idea of legacy of you is a farce. When we move on in however long the Lord has penned for us, the things we do for the most part, will be forgotten. The one and only thing we can contribute is to be involved in this great story of God where we join with Him in spreading the fame of Christ to the ends of the earth, and by God’s grace make an impact for the kingdom.

Here is a taste of what secularists and others think of life.

“We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures; because the earth never froze entirely during an ice age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a ‘higher answer’– but none exists” ~Stephen Jay Gould / LIFE Magazine / What Is The Meaning of Life

Essentially what they are saying is that there is no meaning outside of your own belief and will.

It’s ultimately irrational, because what is a purpose without a purpose? A purpose that is worth dying for should have a purpose or it is ultimately meaningless. Sure, you can like collecting cars and love feeding the poor, but why?

It’s like asking someone why they work out…. “well to be healthy”… okay why be healthy? “So I can do well at farming cause I love working the land”. Okay, why work the land? To help feed people in my community”. Okay great, why is feeding people a great purpose? “So people can live”. Then what is the meaning of life?

As for the Christian. We have a beautiful doxology. The Gospel.

When you have an awful hour, day, week, month, year… you can point to your purpose which has a purpose. Jesus.

When your life is filled with pain, negativity and death you can say…

“I know Christ suffered in my place, I know that He rose from the dead and defeated death and He is coming again. I know that death has no sting and I know that life only gets better because the only thing this world can throw at me is seeming death and there will be a new heaven and new earth where I serve Jesus for eternity in worship.”

It’s rational and He carries us through suffering and He is everlasting truth.

The Greek’s were intrigued to this idea of ‘truth’, or some sort of principle of order and knowledge that one can attach themselves to. A sense of purpose that had order, meaning and a foundation to it. They would consider this term ‘logos’ when trying to reason out the things of life together.

John, the writer of one of the gospels was keen to understand his audience being that the book was written in Greek.

In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~John 1:1-5 Parenthesis added to show original language of ‘Word’

Truth, meaning, order and purpose is not an idea or an abstraction, IT’S A PERSON! Jesus.

There are other doxologies in scripture. Peter’s Doxology, John the revelator’s Doxology, Paul’s Ephesian Doxology and Jude’s Doxology.

MY INFORMAL DOXOLOGY

Okay, really… what is my current doxology? What does my story so far say? What does Stephen’s Christ-centered doxology sound like?

Father. I know that I am a wreck, that without you, there is nothing that pleases you. Left to my own devices I would certainly destroy myself by waddling in my sin of lust, power, greed and ultimately making life all about me. How grateful I am to know that life is not all about me, but about you. That ends and means don’t point to me, but to you. That when you look at me, you don’t see my filthy self-righteousness but you see Your Son and perfection He’s put on me like a refreshing waterfall on my dry parched body. Praise to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost for my beautiful wife and family; my brothers and sisters in Christ that you have so faithfully wrapped around me to help me understand I am not alone. Let everything that has breath praise You. Amen.

What is Your Doxology?

Write out your doxology. See to it that God receives all the glory in it.

I was just a little guy at the time but what I do remember at such a young age were the anxieties and unknowns of walking into a church for the first time. My parents were wonderful people. Although the surface level we may have appeared to be disheveled and not as put together as those around us, my parents really loved Jesus and knew who they were in Christ.

With that being said ,one of the most impressionable aspects of Christ’s church happened to me at a very young age; feeling accepted into the family of God. This act of love, devotion and acceptance has shown me what church family can be.

The Church should exemplify love and acceptance like this, to be so in step with the Spirit that we are a place where walls are torn down and reconciliation is made. I believe with a deep conviction that a thorough understanding of the gospel produces actions of real love.

If you’ve been at a church for any amount of time, there are things that divide us, in regards to Christian living and ethic, that don’t really matter in light of eternity. I hope that through the power of the gospel we can understand that Christian unity is the greater good when it comes to open-handed or non-essential issues regarding Christian living, practice and ethic.

WHAT TO UNDERSTAND

Stop judging people where you have no place to judge, and accept each other as Christians in open-handed issues of Christian living and ethic, and do everything to the glory of God.

Romans 14:1-12

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

WHAT IS IT SAYING?

Paul’s desire is for the strong and weak in faith to set aside secondary issues for the greater good of Christian unity.

The Weak: Those used to laws and are often subject to moralistic purity that is sincere which includes a lack of awareness of the full implications of Gospel living
- Paul’s unifying plea to the weak is to not judge the strong and not judge what only God can judge.
The Strong: Those understanding the Christian liberty in Christ.
- Paul’s unifying plea to the strong is to not despise the weak and not exercise such liberties for the sake of love for one another.

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO US?

This chapter is speak of things that a local body needs to work out. This is NOT speaking of denominational doctrinal distinctive. This is talking about you and me disagreeing about petty things and how we must dish out grace to one another for the sake of Christian unity!

STRONG OR WEAK?

Out of the two personalities in regard to Christian ethic, which one are you?

1) The Strong

You accuse the non-intellectual, or the less theologically informed, for not understanding the ‘liberties of a Christian’.

What you say…

Those people will understand once they are educated
Everyone who disagrees with me is always wrong when is come to my way of Christian practice and ethic
I don’t care what they think, I know what I can handle
people need to ease up a bit

Have you considered those you offend? Do you rejoice in your freedom as worship to God? Or do you choose to be haughty and gloat in your freedom? If one grew up in the south and has a conscience, right nor wrong, about the use of alcohol, do you drink in front of them? I sure hope not.You never know if the one thing that is against someone’s conscience may cause them to be put in a place of destitution. Everything you say and do should be to honor the weak.

The kingdom work of Christ includes those you disagree with as being ‘fundamentalist’ or ‘legalistic’. God has them in your life and in your local body to be in your family. The deep things of God include those you disagree with as far as our lifestyles go. Don’t be a reverse Pharisee by thinking too highly of yourself and not considering others in love. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Allow the ethos of your relationship with Christ to drive your ethical practice with those around you. When I use the word ethos, what I mean is just that. It’s the very character of the value system that fuels your ethics or how you interact with others. You shouldn’t define yourself ever by what you can DO, but by who YOU SERVE. You serve Christ and love His church. The gospel of grace should incline you to restrict yourself for the sake of others occasionally

2) The Weak

You judge those around for not ‘taking extra’ precaution to live righteously.

You judge on (but not limited to):

Economic Political Views
Cultural views on work ethic
Structure of home life
Homeschool vs public school
The consumption of Alcohol
Music styles
Healthy food
Income levels
Dress code
etc…

God is asking you to receive whom he has already received. Why do you continue to question the motives of others, when those motives may not even exist? Do you trust in Christ? Paul would take this a step further by asking, ‘who do you think you are?’ Don’t you know these are your brothers and sister falling under the same banner of grace as you? No one has to prove jack to you, only to the Lord. God is the final judge. Whatever you choose to do, do it to glorify Christ, not yourself. And don’t pass judgment on others who do not live as strict as you, hopefully you do it to worship Christ. If you see the gospel, you must see freedom, and if you see and know the gospel, you must see those you disagree with as being part of your faith family. The implications of the gospel require you to be sharpened by those you disagree with. There is a reason why Paul clarifies his leanings personally by calling ‘the Strong’ as being stronger in faith because it is not in itself sinful to act out our freedom in Christ.

Don’t be a Pharisee. You can’t define yourself by what you’re against.

THE REMEDY FOR DISUNITY? THE GOSPEL.

The point is this in verse 9 Paul directs the readers’ attention to the Gospel truth of reconciliation…

“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

We need to run to the gospel of Christ every time. Not some of the time, but all the time. How do you view the person across from you? How do you view each other as we sit across from each other in these rooms as we break into small groups? I pray that we view each other with gospel lenses and the mercy of God. Nothing more, nothing less.

We must believe that the cross of Christ and His resurrection has changed things. What He did for us has changed how look at our neighbors in Christ. What Paul said in chapter 12 about the renewing of our minds, this is where it takes place by the powerful work of The Spirit.

The Weak, whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. If you don’t drink, don’t drink to make yourself appear more religious, rather do it because you choose to worship Jesus with your abstinence, but don’t call another sinful because they have a glass of wine with their steak.

The Strong, whatever you do, do to the glory of God. If you like to drink wine with your steak, do it, but not around your brother that is convinced it’s sinful.

Ephesians 2:13-16

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Stephen Mirabal

Tag Archives: Romans

What’s Your Doxology?