In ancient Israel during the time of the judges it was said that "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17: 6 ESV). What happens to a society where determining what is "right" is left to the individual? In this passage it is a sad story of idolatry, corruption of the priesthood, and theft, all for personal gain. Morality left to individual determination inevitably leads to self-interest and self-preservation. A society cannot long endure where there is no external, objective sense of what is right and what is wrong in how individuals treat their fellow humans. This week I want to explore what it means to take a stand for true righteousness in interpersonal relationships. This will not be about saving righteousness in the sight of God but about fair dealings with one another--horizontal righteousness, if you will.
As God's people we are called to treat others right. The kids in my old neighborhood had a saying that was a variation on the Golden Rule: "Do unto others--then split!" That is the way many people live today. It is evident all around us. Corporate heads take shareholders' money and "split". Then they ask for a government bailout, take the money and "split". It's the "me" generation. Darwinian evolution advocates a selfish, survival of the fittest mentality that focuses on getting what you can when you can. Better to be at the top than the bottom of the food chain. The problem is, this is no way to maintain an orderly society.
God's word has a different plan for society:
"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6: 8 ESV)
There is a lot of talk today about "social justice". From a biblical perspective, what does social justice look like? How should I treat my fellow human being? That will be the topic for this week as we examine what it means to take a stand for righteousness.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Stand for Life, Part 5
When God created human beings he gave them a blessing in the form of a command: "Be fruitful and multiply," God said. There is a reason why we are created as male and female. Nature itself should teach us that man and woman were made for each other, not man and man, nor woman and woman. We were designed in a wonderful way to enjoy the intimacy of the sexual union in marriage and to produce children as a result of it. To take a stand for life is to take a stand for children, for something more than zero population growth. Today's Western Civilization views children as a burden, not a blessing. In the recent past the campaign for zero population growth focused on world food supplies. Today it's the "carbon footprint" we leave behind that they say might threaten to destroy our planet.
But what has God commanded? God has commanded you to "be fruitful and multiply." Solomon said,
"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127: 3--5).
Why did Christianity win out over paganism in ancient Rome? One reason was sheer attrition. Christians, following biblical principles, had large families. Abortion was against Roman law, but it was routine for unwanted children to be "exposed", or left in the open at night for wild animals to find and feast upon. Christian women went through the towns in their areas every evening looking for these unwanted children, collecting them and placing them in Christian homes. In short, because of a different worldview, the Christians eventually came to outnumber their pagan counterparts. They took a stand for life in very practical terms, and it paid off.
Today most Christians are so compromised by the prevailing worldview that they have bought into the birth control mentality. Many have only two children, if that many. We are called to obey God and accept his blessing. Why refuse the blessing of a child that God sends? Christian couples should have families and accept the hard responsibility of rearing godly children who will be able to stand up and lead in the next generation. Don't be afraid of the large family. Older siblings help with younger ones. Yes, it gets messy. It's a lot harder to keep a clean house when you have five kids running around (I know). But the joy I receive from being with my five is worth all the toil and stress. Don't be afraid to adopt or be a foster parent either. Look around and see where you can make a difference in a child's life. Be a Scout leader. Be a mentor. Be a children's Sunday School teacher. Find a way to make a difference and take a stand for life.
But what has God commanded? God has commanded you to "be fruitful and multiply." Solomon said,
"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127: 3--5).
Why did Christianity win out over paganism in ancient Rome? One reason was sheer attrition. Christians, following biblical principles, had large families. Abortion was against Roman law, but it was routine for unwanted children to be "exposed", or left in the open at night for wild animals to find and feast upon. Christian women went through the towns in their areas every evening looking for these unwanted children, collecting them and placing them in Christian homes. In short, because of a different worldview, the Christians eventually came to outnumber their pagan counterparts. They took a stand for life in very practical terms, and it paid off.
Today most Christians are so compromised by the prevailing worldview that they have bought into the birth control mentality. Many have only two children, if that many. We are called to obey God and accept his blessing. Why refuse the blessing of a child that God sends? Christian couples should have families and accept the hard responsibility of rearing godly children who will be able to stand up and lead in the next generation. Don't be afraid of the large family. Older siblings help with younger ones. Yes, it gets messy. It's a lot harder to keep a clean house when you have five kids running around (I know). But the joy I receive from being with my five is worth all the toil and stress. Don't be afraid to adopt or be a foster parent either. Look around and see where you can make a difference in a child's life. Be a Scout leader. Be a mentor. Be a children's Sunday School teacher. Find a way to make a difference and take a stand for life.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Take a Stand for Life, Part 4
What is the measure of a human life? In Western Civilization today the tendency is to measure the value of a life in terms of its economic or utilitarian value. A life that can contribute more is more valuable than one that cannot. Is this the way to measure the value of a life? An unborn child's life is left subject to the whim of a mother who may either view the fetus growing inside her as a blessing (net positive) or an unwanted burden (net negative). If the fetus' mother sees the child as a net gain, then that child has a shot at life, but if she sees it a net loss, then that child is more likely to be reduced to "biological waste" and discarded as trash. What's the difference between the two fetuses? Physiologically they both have human DNA. They both came to be through the joining of man and a woman in the act of sexual relations. The difference is nothing other than the whim of the mother.
At the other end of the life spectrum people speak of "death with dignity," by which they seem to mean, "you take charge of your own destiny and end your life on your terms." There is a tendency in our society today to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, even if it means suicide to avoid the physical pain of a terminal disease. Little regard in this setting is given to the possibility of endless suffering in the afterlife. The prevailing notion in our world seems to be either (1) there is no afterlife (nihilism) or (2) everyone gets to go to heaven except maybe the really bad people (functional universalism). The notion that God may have a good purpose in someone's suffering doesn't even enter the equation. Individual self-determination, a concept from the Enlightenment, is the guiding principle.
In the middle of it all now in the United States we have the debate over government allocated health care. When you have the controlled allocation of limited resources based on government criteria, each life, and the care it will receive, have to be weighed on utilitarian grounds. How much will this life contribute to society versus what will it cost to maintain it? In that kind of equation, the elderly, rather than being honored as the Scripture says (Lev 19: 32), are viewed as a drain on the system and should be given less care so that they may cease to burden the system sooner rather than later.
In short, what is missing is a moral center from which to make beginning and ending of life decisions. Throughout the history of Western Civilization no nation's laws until now have allowed for abortion. The Code of Hammurabi banned it. The Assyrians outlawed it. The Babylonians and Egyptians forbade it. The Greeks and Romans proscribed it. The Church opposed it. But today life is not seen as a blessing in and of itself. Humans are no longer treated as persons created in the image of God. We've had a century (more or less) of evolutionary indoctrination, and it has brought us to this sad point. Life is cheap. So we kill in the clinic or through "assisted suicide" with legal sanction, and we gun down our fellow man in the street without it. Survival of the fittest has become the rule of the day.
It is time for the Evangelical community to stand in the gap for life, not just in opposition to abortion or euthanasia, but for the dignity of every life as created in the image of God. That means taking a stand against violent crime in the inner city and getting our hands dirty making a difference there. It means teaching young people about the reality of humans as created in the image of God in ways that may have to work around the government educational system. Think outside the box and take a stand for life.
At the other end of the life spectrum people speak of "death with dignity," by which they seem to mean, "you take charge of your own destiny and end your life on your terms." There is a tendency in our society today to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, even if it means suicide to avoid the physical pain of a terminal disease. Little regard in this setting is given to the possibility of endless suffering in the afterlife. The prevailing notion in our world seems to be either (1) there is no afterlife (nihilism) or (2) everyone gets to go to heaven except maybe the really bad people (functional universalism). The notion that God may have a good purpose in someone's suffering doesn't even enter the equation. Individual self-determination, a concept from the Enlightenment, is the guiding principle.
In the middle of it all now in the United States we have the debate over government allocated health care. When you have the controlled allocation of limited resources based on government criteria, each life, and the care it will receive, have to be weighed on utilitarian grounds. How much will this life contribute to society versus what will it cost to maintain it? In that kind of equation, the elderly, rather than being honored as the Scripture says (Lev 19: 32), are viewed as a drain on the system and should be given less care so that they may cease to burden the system sooner rather than later.
In short, what is missing is a moral center from which to make beginning and ending of life decisions. Throughout the history of Western Civilization no nation's laws until now have allowed for abortion. The Code of Hammurabi banned it. The Assyrians outlawed it. The Babylonians and Egyptians forbade it. The Greeks and Romans proscribed it. The Church opposed it. But today life is not seen as a blessing in and of itself. Humans are no longer treated as persons created in the image of God. We've had a century (more or less) of evolutionary indoctrination, and it has brought us to this sad point. Life is cheap. So we kill in the clinic or through "assisted suicide" with legal sanction, and we gun down our fellow man in the street without it. Survival of the fittest has become the rule of the day.
It is time for the Evangelical community to stand in the gap for life, not just in opposition to abortion or euthanasia, but for the dignity of every life as created in the image of God. That means taking a stand against violent crime in the inner city and getting our hands dirty making a difference there. It means teaching young people about the reality of humans as created in the image of God in ways that may have to work around the government educational system. Think outside the box and take a stand for life.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Take a Stand for Life, Part 3
On the surface it is curious that many who are "pro-life" also favor capital punishment and many who support abortion and doctor assisted suicide are against it. Actually, the pro-life group is logically consistent in supporting capital punishment. Here's why.
Humans are created in the image of God, and therefore each person is worthy of dignity and respect. Furthermore, each life is sacred. When one human being, with malicious intent, however, takes the life of another human being, he or she forfeits the right to his/her life. This is because of the extreme nature of the offense, not just against the person murdered, but against God in whose image that person was created. In Gen 9: 6 God said,
"Whoever sheds man's blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For in the image of God
He made man" (NASB).
This text should never be interpreted to support vigilante killings, however. God has placed in the hands of the state the authority to apply this divine law so that society will be well ordered (Rom 13: 1--5).
It should be noted that there are more ways to kill a person than actual murder. Jesus considered unjustified rage or anger a type of murder--a desire to murder even if the actual act is never carried out (Matt 5: 21). In that same passage Jesus considers any thought or action that shows a disregard for others as created in the image of God an insult to God comparable to murder. How often do we put down others, demeaning them to make ourselves look better? How often do we harbor secret grudges in our hearts against others? To take a stand for life is to take a stand also for treating each person with dignity and respect regardless of his her mental ability, economic worth, race, religion, or any other factor. Rather than mistreating others let us show them the love and grace of God. When and where we're able, let us point them to the One who has saved us from sin and judgment. Take a stand that will open for them the possibility of life eternal.
Humans are created in the image of God, and therefore each person is worthy of dignity and respect. Furthermore, each life is sacred. When one human being, with malicious intent, however, takes the life of another human being, he or she forfeits the right to his/her life. This is because of the extreme nature of the offense, not just against the person murdered, but against God in whose image that person was created. In Gen 9: 6 God said,
"Whoever sheds man's blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For in the image of God
He made man" (NASB).
This text should never be interpreted to support vigilante killings, however. God has placed in the hands of the state the authority to apply this divine law so that society will be well ordered (Rom 13: 1--5).
It should be noted that there are more ways to kill a person than actual murder. Jesus considered unjustified rage or anger a type of murder--a desire to murder even if the actual act is never carried out (Matt 5: 21). In that same passage Jesus considers any thought or action that shows a disregard for others as created in the image of God an insult to God comparable to murder. How often do we put down others, demeaning them to make ourselves look better? How often do we harbor secret grudges in our hearts against others? To take a stand for life is to take a stand also for treating each person with dignity and respect regardless of his her mental ability, economic worth, race, religion, or any other factor. Rather than mistreating others let us show them the love and grace of God. When and where we're able, let us point them to the One who has saved us from sin and judgment. Take a stand that will open for them the possibility of life eternal.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Stand For Life, Part 2
As long as people subscribe to the prevailing philosophy of the day that life simply evolved by natural processes, then life and death remain part of the natural cycle and no form of life can be considered superior, only different. Abortion and euthanasia are easily justified in such a worldview. Christians, on the other hand, must stand for life, and especially for the sanctity of human life as created in the image of God. That makes humans unique among all living creatures, with special rights and responsibilities that are given "by their Maker" as the founding fathers of the United States said.
Genesis 1 displays an orderly progression from non-living to living things as the story of creation moves forward. The culmination of God's creative work was the making of man and woman in his image: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" (Gen 1: 26--28, NASB).
By virtue of being created in the image of God, man enjoys a unique position in relation to the rest of creation. It is a position of stewardship. And by virtue of being created in the image of God, man has a unique relationship with God and with his fellow man. A stand for life takes that into account, realizing that to the extent we treat another human poorly we throw yet another insult, as it were, into the face of God. Taking a stand for life involves more than protesting abortion and euthanasia. It also involves taking a stand for respect for others, courteous behavior, and looking for ways to encourage rather than beat down or put down others. Could it be that we don't get a better hearing in the arena of ideas because our very methods sometimes go against what we're trying to affirm and support?
Genesis 1 displays an orderly progression from non-living to living things as the story of creation moves forward. The culmination of God's creative work was the making of man and woman in his image: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" (Gen 1: 26--28, NASB).
By virtue of being created in the image of God, man enjoys a unique position in relation to the rest of creation. It is a position of stewardship. And by virtue of being created in the image of God, man has a unique relationship with God and with his fellow man. A stand for life takes that into account, realizing that to the extent we treat another human poorly we throw yet another insult, as it were, into the face of God. Taking a stand for life involves more than protesting abortion and euthanasia. It also involves taking a stand for respect for others, courteous behavior, and looking for ways to encourage rather than beat down or put down others. Could it be that we don't get a better hearing in the arena of ideas because our very methods sometimes go against what we're trying to affirm and support?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Take a Stand for Life, Part 1
In the documentary movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Ben Stein explores the question of the origins of life on earth. This one question continues to plague natural science. How did life begin? Where did that first living organism come from? For the Christian the answer is simple. God, who is himself Life, by an act of his will, created all the living creatures that exist. He alone is Life in the sense of being self-existent (theologians call this the aseity of God). In Exodus 3: 14 God told Moses his name was "I AM"--the one who necessarily exists in and of himself.
Our society is one that is moving rapidly in the direction of embracing the culture of death. To stand for life is viewed as a kind of extremism by many. Western Civilization has been inundated with nihilistic philosophy that pairs naturally with the naturalistic, humanistic worldview of our day. In this way of thinking death is a "natural part of the life cycle" and should be embraced. Abortion and euthanasia are encouraged (killing of unborn infants and "mercy" killing of the weak and terminally ill). At the same time, capital punishment for crimes is viewed as "cruel and unusual" punishment by many. People are who are pro-life and support capital punishment are accused of being inconsistent, but no one accuses the anti-life supporters of inconsistency when they advocate killing the innocent unborn and the elderly or terminally ill while at the same they decry capital punishment.
Over the next few days I intend to explore the importance of standing for life, and as odd as it may sound, how standing for life involves standing for capital punishment as well. If all life derives from God, then all of life is sacred in some sense, and if humans are created in the image of God, then all human life is to be valued on that basis more than any other criteria of value.
Our society is one that is moving rapidly in the direction of embracing the culture of death. To stand for life is viewed as a kind of extremism by many. Western Civilization has been inundated with nihilistic philosophy that pairs naturally with the naturalistic, humanistic worldview of our day. In this way of thinking death is a "natural part of the life cycle" and should be embraced. Abortion and euthanasia are encouraged (killing of unborn infants and "mercy" killing of the weak and terminally ill). At the same time, capital punishment for crimes is viewed as "cruel and unusual" punishment by many. People are who are pro-life and support capital punishment are accused of being inconsistent, but no one accuses the anti-life supporters of inconsistency when they advocate killing the innocent unborn and the elderly or terminally ill while at the same they decry capital punishment.
Over the next few days I intend to explore the importance of standing for life, and as odd as it may sound, how standing for life involves standing for capital punishment as well. If all life derives from God, then all of life is sacred in some sense, and if humans are created in the image of God, then all human life is to be valued on that basis more than any other criteria of value.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Stand for the Rule of Faith, Part 12
Today I will finish looking at the regula fide, or Rule of Faith. Also, I will be taking a break until Monday, October 5, as I will be attending "Woodbadge for the 21st Century", a Scout leadership training program.
In the last line of the Apostles' Creed we read, "[I believe in] the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen." In the treatment of Christ's own resurrection I touched upon the matter of the resurrection of our bodies. His resurrection is the promise of our future resurrection. The point of Christ's work is that death doesn't get the last say. He came to save the whole person, not just the immaterial, spiritual part. The body and soul are created together such that neither is a complete person without the other. The Hebrew word nephesh, commonly translated "soul", refers to the totality of one's being. Christ came to save the whole person. A belief in the bodily resurrection is a Christian non-negotiable. Our resurrection and Christ's are so related that to deny one is to deny the other (1 Corinthians 15), and so to deny the reality of our salvation in him. The moment a person stops believing in the bodily resurrection he or she renounces the right to claim the title "Christian". In presenting the gospel to unbelievers it is vitally important to stand for the resurrection of the body, yet how many gospel presentations mention the resurrection today?
Paul certainly included the resurrection and coming Judgment in his message at Athens (Acts 17: 31). The resurrection is a message of hope for believers because we believe in "life everlasting" in a state of bliss with God. But for the unbeliever the resurrection is a message of warning. There is a judgment to face and an eternity of suffering to be endured for all who do not know Christ (Rev 20: 11--15). No wonder Paul said, "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor 5: 11, NASB). Our calling is not merely to inform. Our calling is to stand for the Gospel in its totality and do all in our power to persuade men and women to take seriously the message of hope in Christ and the reality of the coming Judgment of God on the world.
I believe our evangelism is weak today precisely because we do not feel in our hearts the reality of these eternal verities. We do not contemplate the blessing of the resurrection of the saints nor the awful suffering of the wicked who die under God's wrath. The life beyond this one is a mere shadow in our minds. The Gospel has been reduced to a selling technique based on benefits to be had in this life without serious regard for the life to come. And because of that we've lost the sense of urgency in reaching lost people for Christ. It's time for the Evangelical community again to take seriously the resurrection of the body and stand for the salvation of the whole person. Take a stand!
In the last line of the Apostles' Creed we read, "[I believe in] the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen." In the treatment of Christ's own resurrection I touched upon the matter of the resurrection of our bodies. His resurrection is the promise of our future resurrection. The point of Christ's work is that death doesn't get the last say. He came to save the whole person, not just the immaterial, spiritual part. The body and soul are created together such that neither is a complete person without the other. The Hebrew word nephesh, commonly translated "soul", refers to the totality of one's being. Christ came to save the whole person. A belief in the bodily resurrection is a Christian non-negotiable. Our resurrection and Christ's are so related that to deny one is to deny the other (1 Corinthians 15), and so to deny the reality of our salvation in him. The moment a person stops believing in the bodily resurrection he or she renounces the right to claim the title "Christian". In presenting the gospel to unbelievers it is vitally important to stand for the resurrection of the body, yet how many gospel presentations mention the resurrection today?
Paul certainly included the resurrection and coming Judgment in his message at Athens (Acts 17: 31). The resurrection is a message of hope for believers because we believe in "life everlasting" in a state of bliss with God. But for the unbeliever the resurrection is a message of warning. There is a judgment to face and an eternity of suffering to be endured for all who do not know Christ (Rev 20: 11--15). No wonder Paul said, "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor 5: 11, NASB). Our calling is not merely to inform. Our calling is to stand for the Gospel in its totality and do all in our power to persuade men and women to take seriously the message of hope in Christ and the reality of the coming Judgment of God on the world.
I believe our evangelism is weak today precisely because we do not feel in our hearts the reality of these eternal verities. We do not contemplate the blessing of the resurrection of the saints nor the awful suffering of the wicked who die under God's wrath. The life beyond this one is a mere shadow in our minds. The Gospel has been reduced to a selling technique based on benefits to be had in this life without serious regard for the life to come. And because of that we've lost the sense of urgency in reaching lost people for Christ. It's time for the Evangelical community again to take seriously the resurrection of the body and stand for the salvation of the whole person. Take a stand!
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