Civility #2—Imitative Civility

Treat your enemies as valuable; do what is best suited to meet someone’s needs; and lend without despairing that you will have enough. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is usefully kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35

We call the smallest civic group the “nuclear family,” not because of how explosive it can be when its elements exert too much pressure on each other, but because all of civilized society forms around this central unit. Husbands and wives create families by becoming fathers and mothers of children made in our image. First we create our children by providing them with unique sets of DNA. Then we create our children by demonstrating to them how to live among other groups of human beings. In other words, our genetic children become our civilized children by imitating our civil and civilizing behavior. Through a similar process we become the children of God by imitating him as he has revealed himself in Jesus. Because God, through Christ, makes available to us all the resources we need to thrive, we can be fearlessly generous, especially to people who respond badly to his grace and resist aligning themselves with his purposes for creation. Because God extends useful kindness to his enemies, we can become his children by imitating his civility as we engage with our adversaries, just as Christ did. In the future our reward for this lovingly imitative lifestyle will be great; and today society will be more civil as we follow Jesus in the obedience of faith. Who knows, someone might even refer to us as Christians.

Most High God, glorify yourself, encourage us, and bless others as we imitate you as beloved children. Amen.