Scripture of the Week
Mark 4:35-41 King James Version
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto
them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took
him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little
ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves
beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a
pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we
perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the
sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it
that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to
another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Bulletin Notes
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV)
There are eight virtues Paul mentions, so let’s look briefly at each of them.
(1) “Whatever is true” – Whether it be in matters of theology, economics, political
theory, your acts of service, or in your relationships with your neighbors.
Truth is whatever conforms to the gospel and the revelation of God’s will in
his Word. Truth is whatever conforms to objective reality.
Sadly,
increasing numbers of people are drawn to the outlandish notion that there is
no objective and universal truth. There are as many “truths” as there are
individuals who believe them. Truth
for them is entirely subjective, which is to say, whatever feels true or seems
true to each individual subject, is true. Paul’s
exhortation is that we are to think and meditate on truth with regard to God,
man, the church, the world, sin, redemption,
relationships, etc.
2) “Whatever is honorable” – By this word he has in mind whatever is sublime, dignified,
majestic; whatever evokes respect and reverence; lofty and majestic things as
over against vulgar and crude, frivolous and trivial. Christianity should never
lead us to embrace mediocrity or slovenliness or vulgarity or crudeness,
whether in our speech, our appearance, our activities, our productivity, etc. He has in view things that lift the mind
rather than dragging it through the gutter.
3) “Whatever is just” – That is to say, whatever is in accord with divine standards
of right and wrong. Again, we live in a day when any such notion that there is
an ultimate righteousness, an eternal and unchanging justice is simply ignored,
or perhaps even mocked.
4) “Whatever is pure” – The word “pure” is used often in the NT and can mean chaste,
innocent, or morally pure and upright. Paul probably has in mind purity of
thought and deed and words, as well as sexual purity. He’s calling us to fix our thoughts on those
things that are untainted by evil or moral corruption; that are lacking in
defect and are morally blameless.
(5) “Whatever is lovely” – Here he focuses on whatever calls forth or evokes love and
admiration and is pleasing or agreeable to the heart; whatever stirs the
affections and awakens pleasure in accordance with righteousness. These are the
sorts of things that are endearing. It focuses on what is recognized by the
world at large as admirable, whether a symphony by Beethoven or a charitable
deed by Mother Teresa or sacrificial efforts in Moore.
(6) “Whatever is commendable” – That is to say, whatever is praiseworthy and appealing;
whatever is worthy and avoids giving offence. He has in mind those things
which, on being seen or heard or encountered, lead everyone to exclaim, “Well
done!” He’s talking about deeds and thoughts that by their very nature move
people to admiration and praise.
(7) “if there is any excellence” –Too many Christians settle for mediocrity. They’re ok with
just getting by. Good enough is the mantra. But God calls us to excel, to do
all within our power and by his grace to pursue and produce the very best. But
there is a huge difference between “excellence” and professionalism and
performance. Excellence is doing everything to the best of one’s ability as
enabled by God, and in such a way that no one is distracted by it or is tempted
to give credit to anyone but the Lord. Professionalism and performance are
man-centered and are concerned with drawing attention to us. The pursuit of
excellence should direct attention to God.
(8) “if there is anything worthy of
praise” – By this I think he means
the sort of conduct that wins the affection and admiration of others, even
non-Christians. And what is our responsibility? It is to “think” on such
things, to reflect upon them, to ponder, to meditate on, to dwell on; it means
to carefully take into account and reflect on these attributes and virtues so
that one’s conduct will be shaped accordingly. (by Sam Storms).
