The late author Michael Crichton, famous for both novels and screenplays, originally trained as a physician. After earning his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969 and completing a postdoctoral fellowship, Crichton practiced medicine.
However, the rigid structure and emotional demands of medical practice limited his true passion for storytelling. His medical background was reflected in most if not all his novels which explored complex scientific ideas and ethical dilemmas.
He is best known for the book, Jurassic Park, published in 1990, which was the basis for the multibillion-dollar movie series first released in 1993. However, the movie left out half the book which focused on a scientific mathematical field of study called “The Chaos Theory”.
The character, Ian Malcom, in both book and movie used the theory to claim that Jurassic Park would miserably fall into chaos due to the numerous unknown variables which did horribly occur. Malcolm’s most famous quote was, “”Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
And a quote by philanthropist George Peabody states that : “Our task is not to bring order out of chaos, but to get work done in the midst of chaos.”
As Christians, we need to be concentrating on ourselves, making sure we are who we need to be as members of the body of Christ, and not contributing to the chaos of disunity and confusion.
In Romans 12:1, Paul begins by defining a first step to any practical approach of working our way through the chaos: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” We need to dedicate ourselves to serving God, rather than trying to control the chaos.
About 20 years after his conversion, Paul wrote Romans 7:21-25. He still remained acutely conscious of the persist struggle with inner temptation to do as he pleased. And Paul expressed a sense of dissatisfaction with his own level of personal sacrifice for God:
“21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
When we are given God’s Holy Spirit, our minds become a battleground. The struggle for a new life involves overcoming old behaviors that oppose God’s law. However, pride pushes us to prioritize our will over God’s, fostering disobedience and feeding chaos. If Christ’s sacrifice is required for our ability to stand before God, logically part of our sacrifice is to reject the world of which our Savior, Jesus Christ, has no part in and neither does His Father. And through the sacrifice of “laboring amid chaos”, we fight the difficult battle of conversion (Romans 12:2-3).
While pride pushes our priorities over God’s priorities, fostering disobedience and feeding chaos, humility is the power which empowers us to sacrifice and not add to that chaos. Humility is a cognitive choice stemming from the understanding of our natural lust and desires caused by pride within us. We don’t want to suffer. We want our own way. But both James and Peter instruct Christ’s followers to “Humble yourselves.” (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).
God does specifically states that: “. . .But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). So, our sacrifices are in vain unless we have a certain humility as we engage in sacrificial behavior. True humility is marked by finding contentment in a single, focused aspect mentioned in Jeremiah 9:23-24.
Humility is also a core attribute the enables us to avoid adding to the chaos within the world and the churches of God. We can’t fix the chaos. Only the Father and Jesus Christ’s return can take care of that.
Note that Paul likens the Church to a human body and how it relies on each part for its health (Romans 12: 4-8). Every member of the Church has a role that is essential to its well-being, and for its unity. But when members treat each other without humility or kindness, it suggests a lack of love for the Church in those individuals. Since the Church is considered Christ’s body, who is it that they are really hurting? They are hurting the body. It’s Christ’s body. So, they are also harming their relationship with Him. As a result, it causes division. This is a serious situation because the Greek term for division encompasses meanings such as sedition, treason, subversion, or rebellion which is at the heart of war.
In Romans 12:6, “Having then gifts differing” introduces a section about diversity in the Church amid current division and confusion. Differences in gifts, if we are not careful, can lead to division and confusion. But the differences should not lead to anything negative, because there are spiritual gifts and natural gifts but “one and the same Spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
This can lead some to feel resentful toward God, as if they were overlooked when talents were distributed. And it is a bigger struggle for those who have been raised in a democratic society because that kind of society teaches that everybody is equal which is often a challenging concept to grasp and accept, prompting responses like, “ I’m just as good as you are !” On the flip side, others may say, “I’m great because I have these talents.” We begin comparing ourselves among ourselves.
But Paul says: “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
In other words, you’re boasting that you have this gift, but you don’t stop to think about Who it is that gave it to you. The issue at hand is not a question of superiority; viewing it as such reflects a lack of humility. Rather, it concerns the individual gifts bestowed upon each person to serve the Church, not the person that gift was given to. We all are to serve God’s purpose and His members are also part of that purpose (1 Corinthians 12:18).
If any member of the spiritual body is upset at, jealous or envious of someone else, they must recognize it as pride, and then through sacrificial laboring amid chaos overcome it with God’s help, because humility itself is a gift from God.
We must: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
The core of all this is faith in God, shown through our submission to Him. Inequities, injustices, and mistakes in words or actions will always exist. Christ said there will always be offenses. And it will come from Church members, it will come from the neighbor, it will come from ministers, and it will come from leaders. What shapes the outcome is humble understanding that we are all servants of God, which guides our self-perception in relation to God and the Church.
Christ says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Peacemakers don’t fuel chaos. When they see it starting, they cut it. If they stand in the middle of chaos, they create space for the fruit of God’s Spirit to grow and thrive. Though the response we receive, even when we’re being a peacemaker may sting, a peacemaker understands it ultimately doesn’t matter. They are fulfilling God’s qualifications for them by doing what is right. They are representing and living the same way as the image of Jesus Christ.
Someone who loves without hypocrisy is a peacemaker and will be blessed. There is no law against love. So, what does law do? It cuts the chaos. Lawlessness creates chaos.
What we find in Romans 12:1-9, are the starting points of our labor amid the chaos that surrounds us. We must willingly and graciously sacrifice ourselves, because human nature is going to continue to exert its willpower in order to maintain control of chaos. We must honestly and soberly evaluate ourselves, particularly our faith, as this is the foundation of healthy relationships with each other, humble, tranquil, peaceable relationships. This is crucial to avoid creating idolatry where we ourselves become the idol. Or we make an idol of some man which also leads to chaos.
Some of us may be endowed with more gifts than others, which can be a challenge for both the more gifted and those with fewer, but it is God’s decision. He made His purposes known, and He has given us those gifts to accomplish His will, and we must accept it in faith. Regardless of the extent of one’s gifts, every person is essential to the Church’s function and should not be treated any less valuable. Each must perform their role and gifts diligently.
Ultimately, it is everyone’s duty to ensure their love is sincere, without hypocrisy. It’s engaging in proper self-evaluation: Am I laboring amidst the chaos?
The phrase “kindly affectionate” in Romans 12:10 is unique in scripture. The Greek word for it only appears once right here. The Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon defines it as “cherishing one’s kindred, especially parents or children,” or reflecting the mutual tenderness between them. This verse suggests that Christians should feel a similar bond toward one another, as members of the same family, united by shared principles and the same will and the same interests just as the Father and Jesus Christ.
We need to show genuine affection toward one another as we labor amid the chaos. And as George Peabody stated: “Our task is not to bring order out of chaos, but to get work done in the midst of chaos.”
Bill Hutchison