As Iron Sharpens Iron

 Read Proverbs 27

This chapter has counsel old and new, and some that require concentration and meditation.  One of these proverbs should hit paydirt for every Christian.  Consider verse 17.

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

We who have been saved by the mercy and grace of God have been given considerable liberty in how we respond to that grace.

Should we go on sinning so that grace can abound even more? No.

Should we go back to strict obedience to the law of Moses?  And forsake the One who fulfilled the law?

We are told that love fulfills the law.  That sounds like a cop-out, but it is truly a challenge like none other.

Understand that when Jesus commanded his disciples—today that includes us—to love one another as he loved them—he raised the bar.

What was the command prior to this?  Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.  That’s a tall order.  It’s tough.  It’s part of two commands that Jesus said supported every other directive and communication from God.  The first part being to love God with everything that we had.

Then Jesus came and fulfilled the law.  He gave us another command—a new command. We are to love others as much as Jesus loved us.  If we consider what is asked of us, every jaw should hit the ground.  It is as if he commanded us to charge those machine gun nests armed with only a .45 caliber pistol.  He is commanding us to do the impossible—to love with everything we have even to death.

That’s a lot more than loving someone as much as I love myself.  That’s more than is humanly possible.  That’s the point.  We are to live as people who have God living within us.  We are not worried that we will comply with a written rule.  We are motivated fully by the desire to please Holy God, and when we live governed by love we can’t help but satisfy the law.

Love takes us far beyond the law.  It takes us to bringing glory to God, to being the light of the world, and to being the salt of the earth.  People should see and taste the goodness of God when they encounter us.

But the world stands in opposition. The world tries to confound us at every turn.  The world will persecute you for following Jesus.

We need help and we have it.  We have God’s holy word that judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  We have God’s Holy Spirit—the Helper—living within us. We have the body of Christ to encourage each other and to challenge each other.

It is the last one that would seem to embody the proverb.

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

We who have professed Jesus as Lord and have given our lives to follow him as Lord are to help each other.  Surely encouragement is helpful, but we also need to be challenged by one another.

We need to help each other bring out the best in ourselves.  Sometimes it’s a pat on the back.  Sometimes it’s an attaboy.  Sometimes it’s a helping hand.

Sometimes it’s a challenge, just as your lifting partner challenges you to get one more repetition. He is there to spot you if you have nothing left so the weight of everything doesn’t come crashing down, but he is challenging you to finish that last rep.  He will grab the bar when you do and put it in its resting place, but for now, he wants you to give this last repetition everything you have and just a bit more.

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

Should we not help each other be the best disciple that we can be?  Should we accept not only encouragement but counsel as well?  Can we accept criticism that helps us get better?  Can we do the same for our brothers and sisters?

Can we speak the truth in a spirit of love, not to prove ourselves right, but because we are mature enough to communicate deeply with another believer?

We have been counseled sufficiently that the fool will not receive our counsel, but our fellow believers should.  We should receive the corrections of our brothers and sisters in Christ as well.

Few know the experience of iron sharpening iron as it applies to humans.  We are too easily offended.  We are too easily distracted.  We are still too self-centered.  Too often we insist on our own way.  We have to be right.

Sometimes we are not distinguishable from the fool.  That should motivate us somewhat to seek the counsel of others and covet the correction of other believers.

We have the advantage that God will not kick us to the curb.  He loves us with an everlasting love.  We can make mistakes, receive correction, and get back in our race of faith.

Some of our mistakes call for confession, but God is faithful and just to forgive.  God always sets us up to move forward—to grow in his grace.

The grace comes from God but we can help each other with the growth.

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

Amen.