Loosen Up

You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections. – 2 Corinthians 6:12

You are not compressed nor narrowed down in us [you have ample space in our hearts; we hold you within a great love], but you have compressed and narrowed down in your affections [you have tightened up in your affection for me] -- Wuest’s Expanded Translation

“You have tightened up”. Isn’t that a descriptive phrasing? Imagine you are meeting someone with whom you have some disagreement or contention. Imagine that you feel yourself at least slightly the one who is wrong rather than the one wronged. When I am in that situation, I can feel the affection tightening up, becoming compressed and narrowed.

When my affections for a person are compressed my adversary has less leeway, less of a buffer or margin for error. If you’ve ever read Owen Wister’s classic western The Virginian, you know the origin of the phrase, “Smile when you say that.” One of the characters Steve is a close friend of the Virginian. As the narrator prepares to spend his first night in Medicine Bow he is somewhat shocked that Steve can call his friend an SOB repeatedly and evoke only laughter. He begins to think the epithet something of an affectionate term in Wyoming. Later, during a poker game the villain Trampas says to the Virginian, “Your bet, you son-of-a—.” We’ll let Wister finish it up:

The Virginian's pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding it unaimed. And with a voice as gentle as ever, the voice that sounded almost like a caress, but drawling a very little more than usual, so that there was almost a space between each word, he issued his orders to the man Trampas: "When you call me that, SMILE." And he looked at Trampas across the table.

When they were beginning to put the roof on our little country church, the lead carpenter started up the ladder with the remark, “Here’s where we cover a multitude of sins.” Of course, the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. What is threatening or obnoxious in someone we dislike may be eccentric or endearing in someone we love. To the extent that I love and trust someone I am much more open and tolerant of them.

Paul and the members of the church at Corinth had been involved in some conflict. There had been things going on within the local body of believers that were unseemly for Christians. The Apostle had been instrumental in establishing the church there and had written his first Corinthian epistle to correct some of their errors. At this point it appears that his instructions had been received and put into practice, but Paul is concerned that their affection for him had diminished as a result of his confrontation.

Thus he writes to tell them that he is not going to limit them. He holds nothing against them. Yes, he had to correct them as a parent must sometimes disciple an unruly child, but he does not love them less because of it. As Paul assures his friends in Corinth, the Lord conveys a similar understanding to the modern Christian.

Some of you may be perfect. I am not. I do things that are sinful and inconsistent. The Spirit of God is perfectly capable, however, of correcting me and has done so. When that happens, I need to avoid tightening up. I only limit myself. God does not compress and narrow me. Though I may have betrayed Him, He remains “loose”, free in His love and affection toward me. There is plenty of room in His heart for those of us with knees skinned, scarred and calloused.

And what does the Lord expect of me? He expects me to have a heart like His, with plenty of room for my less than perfect brothers and sisters.