That's Not Fair (Part 1)

"That's Not Fair!"

We have all heard those words before in arguments. What does that actually mean? Why do we appeal to some standard of justice that is beyond ourselves. By making this appeal, are we acknowledging that somewhere there is a Law that all people are supposed to follow; something like "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?"

But where does this idea (that there is a Law that is above us) come from? And why do we yearn for it when we feel that there has been unjustness? Some people believe that "right" and "wrong" are personal decisions. They believe that we should not impose our ideas of right and wrong onto others. It seems to me that this is another way to say, that's not fair.

If I really believed that I should not impose my standard of fairness onto others then I should not condemn Adolf Hitler! Wasn't he doing what he thought was "right?" But some will say, "He was hurting others. So it is "right" for you to condemn him." That is true. But it is still a imposition of my values onto his actions. I appeal to a Law greater that Hitler and myself to judge him.

My point is this...That all of us appeal to a Law that is outside ourselves and impose that Law on others. We expect others to follow it. But the next question is "Do I, myself, follow that Law?"

Never Good Enough!

Most Americans believe in heaven. Ask someone you know if they believe in heaven. Most likely they will answer "yes." Then ask them if they will go to heaven. They will most likely respond "yes" again. It would be a rare person that believed in heaven but did not think that they were headed there.
And if we ask them why they think that they will go to heaven then we will probably get responses such as..."I'm a good person," or "I'm not a murderer," and "I go to church." People seem to think that the entrance to heaven is based on their earthly behavior. Your average Joe person believes that God is somehow weighing their behavior on a spiritual balance and that they will most likely come out on top unless they do something really bad. They have some instinct that there is a judge in the after-life. I think that this belief is innate in all of us.

But is there any information that we can glean about the nature of this balance? To what standard is our behavior being compared? Can we know? If there is a heaven and a God as most of us believe, wouldn't He let us know His standard?

Most of us respect Jesus as a spiritual teacher. He had something to say about this balance. He said that "if you are angry with a person you have already committed murder in your heart." And also, "if you look at a woman lustfully, you have already committed adultery in your heart." In Jesus' mind the balance was infinitely sensitive and tipped by the smallest wrongs.

In Jesus' day, the most holy people in society were the Pharisees. These men had devoted their entire lives to obeying God and his commands. They would be similar to monks, nuns and pastors. Jesus made this amazing statement, "unless your life is better than the Pharisees you will not get into heaven." If Jesus were on earth today, he might have said it this way, "unless you are better than Mother Theresa you will not get to heaven."

If that is the case, who is good enough?

King Manasseh of Judah

King Manasseh is described in the Bible as one of the most evil kings over Judah. I remember, as a young boy growing up in Sunday School, Manasseh was held up as the example of Evil. He was an idolater and a sorcerer. He spoke with spirits. He sacrificed his sons to the Molech and murdered many innocent people. As recorded in the book of 2 Chronicles 33, he..."misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil that the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel."

And then I was reading the other day and came across this passage..."When he (Manasseh) was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly...and He (God) was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication."

Then I rejoiced, seeing the great mercy of God. That even a wicked king as Manasseh can receive forgiveness from the Almighty. Manasseh serves us today as a witness to God's patience and love. If God is willing to show mercy to such an evil person, then He is willing to show it to me. Because in my heart, I am a manasseh.

Praise be to the Living God, who gives life and breath to His creation. He patiently endures the insults of our actions and has mercy on those He chooses. What a privilege to receive that mercy!

God is a God of Liberty

One principle that I wish people to understand is the liberty that God has granted to man. In the garden of Eden, God was very specific about what His rules were..."From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat..." All the trees were allowed except the one He expressly forbid. Imagine if God had said..."some trees you can eat from and others you can't. You will have to figure out the ones that are forbidden on your own." That is a ridiculous situation.

Even today God has given us liberty. He has given us His moral will in the Bible. All His commands are plainly stated. There are none that we must "figure out." God is very clear about what He wants from us.

Many people are in error of making up extra commands and claiming that they are in the Bible. Jesus (and Isaiah) had strong words for people that taught rules that were not actually commands. "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." Or in other words..."teaching as truth things that they have made up."

If you want to know if something is forbidden, look it up in the scriptures. If God says it is wrong then it is. If God is silent about it, He gives us freedom to enjoy ourselves.

Science or the Bible

At the beginning of every school year I introduce myself to my students. Part of that introduction is letting the students know that I believe that the Bible is true and anything that contradicts it is false. This occasionally raises some questions. Students will ask, "How can you believe the Bible when you teach science. Don't you believe in evolution?"

I can help people understand this by telling them a story from my past. I was in my Natural Science class with Professor Michael Dowler at SDSU circa 1983. Dr. Dowler and I were having a conversation about the search for truth. He said something that rocked my world..."Science is not trying to find out the truth. It is trying to find out what works!" In other words he was telling me that science cannot discover absolute truisms. Since there will always be somethings left to discover, we can never be certain that a future discovery will disprove our current theory.

So how can one know truth? The answer is that it is found in the Bible. God has revealed truth to us. Jesus said once as He prayed, "...Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth."

Truth cannot be found by science. If you are searching for truth, you must look elsewhere. Read the Bible. Start with my favorite book, The Gospel of John, and you will come to know the truth.

The Struggle with Sin: A Prayer

God of infinite mercy,

I am greatly distressed. My deeds have again revealed my true condition to myself. I am foul and unclean. How can I enter into your presence? You are so pure and bright. Your righteousness is a bright light that burns me. The difference in our natures makes fellowship impossible to me. Yet I desire to be restored to your presence.

And then You show Your Wisdom. You have sent your Son to suffer and die for us, for me. When I am hiding in the bushes You have sought me and comforted me with His blood. For Jesus said, "Look! Put your fingers in my hands. Put your hand here in my side." Thus, You have clothed me with Jesus' righteousness.

Therefore, I will resist temptation. And when I fail, (as I inevitably will) I will trust in You to restore our fellowship. Gracious Father, I sing your praise. Thank you for so merciful treatment.

Amen

Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible (Part 1)

So a friend of mine is going through a divorce. I feel the need to put into words what I believe that the Bible teaches about divorce and remarriage. God's opinion on this subject is very clear in the Bible:

1) The Bible teaches that God hates divorce. (Malachi 2:16)
2) Jesus said that there is only one reason for to divorce. (Matt 5:32) That reason being unchastity a translation of the greek word "pornea."
3) After a divorce, (except for "pornea") if a person remarries they commit adultery. (Matt 19:9)

Most of the divorce and remarriage issue is very simple. People try to make it complex to suit their personal desires.

Understanding the meaning of unchastity will require some further discussion.