Romans pt 16: Jealousy & Conversion
But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” (Ro 10:19)
In verse 19, Paul shows one of the ways that God draws his people, Israel, back to Him. He doesn’t use coercion, he doesn’t use threats, and he doesn’t chastise them. Instead, he acts compassionately towards their enemies, reaching out to them with love and hospitable care towards them for the purpose of stirring jealousy in their hearts.
This passage often comes across as confusing to many modern readers because we tend to have a view that envy (bad) and jealousy (good?) are synonymous terms. But in the minds of the first-century reader, there is a stark difference between the two.
The English word envy refers to wanting what someone else has, whether that be status, money, honor, etc. But jealousy, in Paul’s context, refers to protecting the status that one already has.
I am jealous for my status, but I envy what you have.
You can be envious of someone's iPhone, or their spouse, or their car…etc. But jealousy isn’t always negative. If you get the same phone that I have, and I consider it a status symbol, then I am only jealous if I somehow feel that it degrades my status below yours.
Envy asks “how can I get that?” while jealousy asks “what are YOU doing here?” It is judgement upon a person, and it reveals your own sin of exclusivity, especially when it comes to matters of the church.
There are times when God is described as jealous.
Exodus 20:5 - "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…"
So reading jealousy this way gives us a great picture of idolatry because when God’s people elevate other gods, people, or things to a sacred level, the Pentateuch argues that it lowers the status of God, putting him on the same level. This jealousy that God has for his own place in the eyes of his people is passed to God’s people, who also become jealous of their own status in the world as God’s people. That’s why they take the law so seriously because it is what sets them apart in the world!
So what?
The reason I wanted to bring this up is because it is just one more picture of a God who desires change and conversion of humans, but who will not coerce them against their own will.
Conversion in the kingdom of God works differently. There is a humbling effect in the gospel because the gospel calls to everyone everywhere and says hey, come on in and sit shoulder to shoulder with with CEO’s and janitors alike, you are equal with them. This is exactly why Jesus started his ministry by declaring that “the spirit of God us upon me to bring good news to the poor, the imprisoned, and the enslaved.” Going to those at the bottom, the most hated and despised, creates a downward pull in a world that only knows the upward climb to the top.
God is giving someone else the same status as you, and your response can be to leave, but that doesn’t remove their status in the community, only yours.
Understanding Conversion*
Several studies ove the last few decades have revealed surprising characteristics of conversion relating to how people convert, the path that conversion typically takes, and some warnings about those who prey on fear to manupulate, instead of “making the path straight,” which is how the work of Jesus is described in the New Testament.
(1) People are rarely converted by outsiders.
You have to know a person’s context to know how to talk to them; you have to listen first, you need to know them and be present in their lives.
(2) There is no such thing as conversion without a crisis.
Something that stirs the heart for change, something you see/read/experienced/awakened to…
(3) That Crisis leads to a quest.
Because nobody wants to dwell in crisis, it's too painful.
WARNING #1:
Revivalists and Evangelists are masters of precipitating crisis. They stoke fear to force conversion.
Early Christian preaching does not seek to foremost precipitate a crisis; the path of Christ is an answer to a crisis that already exists, a crisis of belonging, of purpose, and of peace.
(4) A quest leads to an encounter.
An encounter comes through an advocate; someone who offers a new vision and a new way forward. We believe Jesus is that way, that he is the Word of God, the final and complete message that God has for the world.
One of two things happens as a result of the encounter:
1) Commitment, which typically involves a ritual or initiation into a new context (baptism, a prayer, a spiritual rite of some sort).
2) Walking away.
WARNING #2:
A professor once told me: “Every conversion is an apostasy, and every apostasy is a conversion.”
When you change, when you grow, when you get up off the couch and change your mind, your life, your theology, or your faith construct, those whom you leave behind will feel slighted. They will mentally put you in the apostate column, not necessarily because you are actually an apostate, but because you have betrayed the community by rejecting something that they hold dear. Your life will act as a mirror to them, they will look at your change and growth, but what they will often see is their own lack of change and growth. The easiest thing to do when you don’t like what you see is to break the mirror, and encourage people not to look at it.
If you have changed your views of God, then someone in your life likely considers you an apostate. That is normal.
Conversion is a life-long process. The Bible is a story of God's people converting, slowly, over hundreds of years, from a tribal warring people into Christlike disciples, willing to die instead of kill for God. It is a life of journeying, surrendering, repenting, and backing up, and surrendering again.
As followers of Jesus, we should not try and manipulate people with crisis. That is a misuse and abuse of power.
We preach Christ, and him crucified, not conquering. This is very different from spiritual threats and manufactured crisis.
We tell the story of Jesus; we tell about the company he preferred, the things he taught, the uncompromising commitment to the things of God over the things of the world, and the way that he lived out his cross every single day before he was finally nailed to it.
*This material is adapted from Lewis Rambo’s book, Understanding Religious Conversion.
Discussion questions:
How does God use jealousy to draw his people back to him? Does this surprise you? Why or why not?
What is the difference between envy and jealousy in Paul's context? Why is it important to distinguish between the two?
How does God's jealousy for his people's status relate to idolatry? How does this help us understand the importance of the law in setting God's people apart?
What is unique about conversion in the kingdom of God? How is it different from other forms of conversion?
What are some of the characteristics of conversion, according to recent studies? Do these align with your own experience of conversion? Why or why not?
How do revivalists and evangelists often use fear to manipulate people into conversion? Why is this problematic?
What is the role of crisis in conversion? Why is it necessary, and how does it lead to a quest for change?
How do encounters with advocates (such as Jesus) lead to commitment or walking away? Have you ever experienced an encounter that led you to commit to a new way of life or walk away from an old one? What was that experience like?
Why is it often difficult for people to accept the changes and growth of others? How can we learn to embrace change and growth in ourselves and others, even when it means leaving behind old beliefs or communities?