November 2, 1993
A few weeks ago, in front of her own four children, a woman shot and killed another woman, apparently because the victim had insisted the first woman put out her cigarette in the non-smoking section of a restaurant.
Closer to home, a young girl from an Alberta community was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was beaten up by several other girls. Her alleged crime was expressing some sort of opinion against one of her attackers, not that day but some time previously.
These, and almost every other news story, contain an element of injustice. The innocent are abused. Con artists rip off the unsuspecting. Drunk drivers kill children. Homes are robbed and ransacked. Even people who mean well are ill-treated by spouses, children, parents, and total strangers. Life is unfair.
An elderly friend of ours repeats a platitude from one of the television religious programs: “Life is not fair... but God is good.” How would those four children react to that? Or the mourning relatives of the woman who was slain? Or the young girl whose teeth were knocked out? Does the victim ever rejoice in the fact that God is good in the face of gross injustice?
Occasionally I read some of the Old Testament prophets and find myself getting a reality-check. They not only saw things like they actually were, but bluntly told about injustices for which their readers were responsible. That includes me.
For instance, Isaiah wrote to the nation of Judah after Israel split in two. They were making idols of the gods of the nations around them but also continued with the ceremonies of worship involving the true God. Even though the contradiction seems obvious, some may have wondered why God was not listening to their cries for help. Nearby political powers threatened to conquer them, they cried to God for help, but He was not listening.
At the command of God, Isaiah told them: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
After saying that, Isaiah listed the injustice going on around them: “Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies.... Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.... there is no justice in their paths....”
Isaiah did acknowledge that not everyone was like that: “We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes.... We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.”
The problem is not that God is uncaring. God feels the same way those people did, and as many of us still do: “The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.” However, God does not hold Himself responsible for that kind of situation. He is not committing the injustices even though many people blame Him when evil people oppress them or treat them unfairly.
Isaiah goes on to talk about personal accountability and the need for each person to be right with God. If everyone took Him seriously, what would happen to the problem of injustice?
Showing posts with label we are held responsible for sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label we are held responsible for sin. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Monday, November 24, 2014
That horrible blame-game ............... Parables 200
January 17, 1990
The funerals are over and the story is off the front page. Classes will soon resume if they haven’t already; but the University of Montreal is not the same. Grief hangs there, a cloud over students and faculty who were on campus December 6th. The shooting spree that took 14 lives is a dark cloud indeed.
Yet there is another cloud lingering. It is that bitter argument regarding who is to blame. There are some, both men and women, who still insist this incident is proof the other gender is at fault for almost everything.
Some news stories said the killer expressed wrath against some women, implying they were responsible for his misfortunes. Yet those 14 women didn’t personally do anything to him. They likely would still be alive had he not appeared on campus that day.
Another story shifted the focus to the killer’s father, who apparently hated women and neglected his son. Was he (or the women he hated) to blame? They didn’t pull the trigger.
The men who left the classroom at the gunman’s request expressed feelings of guilt as they later considered how they could have intervened and maybe changed the outcome. Yet none of them killed these girls.
Some have suggested that the entire feminist movement is at fault for putting pressure on men, that women ought to take serious consideration of this kind of violence as a consequence of their demands. But those of that persuasion didn’t pull the trigger either.
And as each story aims responsibility to different targets, the flames are fanned in the battle between the sexes. Even a few attempts to avoid making this not a man/woman issue have not succeeded. But what is the real issue? What does God say about it?
Jesus once accused a certain group, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning...”
Sounds like Jesus was in a prison speaking to a group of murderers; but He wasn’t. His audience was the most religious people of His time, people who self-righteously thought they were the children of God! However, Jesus called them sons of Satan, killers, just as the devil himself is a killer.
If His statement to them is shocking, I for one am even more shocked by my own capacity to hate. Maybe you are too. Most of us, at one time or another, secretly or openly, have wished someone we didn’t like would breathe their last. Oh, not everyone carries out these desires. Most of us have had a “decent upbringing” or are afraid of being caught. Nonetheless, that hate can be there -- forming the root for murder.
Jesus isn’t shocked by our hate. He knows what’s in us. And He knows it isn’t there because I’m a woman or someone else is a man. It’s there because everyone has turned from what God intended. Instead of creatures reflecting His image, we “have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That is the real reason we hate and commit murder.
Blaming the other gender (or the devil) for the problems between us doesn’t solve the problem either. Adam and Eve tried it; their finger pointing didn’t wash with God. He holds each responsible for ourselves. Because we are, the man who killed those students will have to answer to his Creator for what he has done. He won’t be able to blame his father, his circumstances, or women, for his actions. He did them. They didn’t.
However, never forget that his father will also stand before God and answer for what he did (or didn’t do that he should have). He may not have pulled the trigger but he is responsible for his own set of sins. So is everyone else, regardless of gender.
Pointing fingers never reverses blame... unless of course our appeal is to point, in faith, to Christ. He took our guilt to the cross and died in our place, making it possible to stand before Him... blameless!
The funerals are over and the story is off the front page. Classes will soon resume if they haven’t already; but the University of Montreal is not the same. Grief hangs there, a cloud over students and faculty who were on campus December 6th. The shooting spree that took 14 lives is a dark cloud indeed.
Yet there is another cloud lingering. It is that bitter argument regarding who is to blame. There are some, both men and women, who still insist this incident is proof the other gender is at fault for almost everything.
Some news stories said the killer expressed wrath against some women, implying they were responsible for his misfortunes. Yet those 14 women didn’t personally do anything to him. They likely would still be alive had he not appeared on campus that day.
Another story shifted the focus to the killer’s father, who apparently hated women and neglected his son. Was he (or the women he hated) to blame? They didn’t pull the trigger.
The men who left the classroom at the gunman’s request expressed feelings of guilt as they later considered how they could have intervened and maybe changed the outcome. Yet none of them killed these girls.
Some have suggested that the entire feminist movement is at fault for putting pressure on men, that women ought to take serious consideration of this kind of violence as a consequence of their demands. But those of that persuasion didn’t pull the trigger either.
And as each story aims responsibility to different targets, the flames are fanned in the battle between the sexes. Even a few attempts to avoid making this not a man/woman issue have not succeeded. But what is the real issue? What does God say about it?
Jesus once accused a certain group, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning...”
Sounds like Jesus was in a prison speaking to a group of murderers; but He wasn’t. His audience was the most religious people of His time, people who self-righteously thought they were the children of God! However, Jesus called them sons of Satan, killers, just as the devil himself is a killer.
If His statement to them is shocking, I for one am even more shocked by my own capacity to hate. Maybe you are too. Most of us, at one time or another, secretly or openly, have wished someone we didn’t like would breathe their last. Oh, not everyone carries out these desires. Most of us have had a “decent upbringing” or are afraid of being caught. Nonetheless, that hate can be there -- forming the root for murder.
Jesus isn’t shocked by our hate. He knows what’s in us. And He knows it isn’t there because I’m a woman or someone else is a man. It’s there because everyone has turned from what God intended. Instead of creatures reflecting His image, we “have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That is the real reason we hate and commit murder.
Blaming the other gender (or the devil) for the problems between us doesn’t solve the problem either. Adam and Eve tried it; their finger pointing didn’t wash with God. He holds each responsible for ourselves. Because we are, the man who killed those students will have to answer to his Creator for what he has done. He won’t be able to blame his father, his circumstances, or women, for his actions. He did them. They didn’t.
However, never forget that his father will also stand before God and answer for what he did (or didn’t do that he should have). He may not have pulled the trigger but he is responsible for his own set of sins. So is everyone else, regardless of gender.
Pointing fingers never reverses blame... unless of course our appeal is to point, in faith, to Christ. He took our guilt to the cross and died in our place, making it possible to stand before Him... blameless!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Stopping feuds before they start? ................................. Parables 160
Here is a riddle. If I kicked a sleeping dog out of my way and the dog jumped up and bit me, who is responsible for the injury?
I asked my granddaughter. She said, “You are...you bugged the dog.” I asked a friend. She laughed, tongue-in-cheek, “Oh, the dog, of course.”
It is plainly irrational to expect even the gentlest of pets to control themselves under any provocation. If I raised my boot, no animal would meekly apologize, “I’m sorry. I’m sleeping in an inconvenient spot and got in the way of your foot.”
Suppose I mistreat not a sleeping canine but my neighbor. I might not kick him, but my dog (if I had one) might get into his garbage and spread it all over his lawn. Then he might retaliate and shovel said garbage over the fence for me to clean up. And I might call the police, and he might sue me, and the feud is on.
Feuds start so easy but how does one stop them? Or how do we counsel others who bring us their feud stories, especially if they are not willing to be responsible for their part in the fracas?
A man in the middle of such a feud came to Jesus. Obviously, his brother had taken what this man felt belonged to him because he said, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
It is so easy to take sides. “How unfair of your brother...” or maybe “What did YOU do to him?” But Jesus wouldn’t take sides. He responded, “Who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” Then He turned to the crowd and said, “Beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Strange answer? Not really. Jesus hit at the heart of the bickering. Human greed and covetousness can divide even brothers. Both were guilty, but Jesus refused to assume the position of deciding which was at greater fault. That would only fuel the feud. Instead, His answer to the crowd pointed to inner motives. He was saying if personal sin is in the heart, watch out. But there is an alternative.
The dog’s response is not my problem. My responsibility is finding a better way to get its attention than booting it. And if I do use my foot in impatience, that and my lack of kindness need to be dealt with. Certainly, this applies to relationships with people too.
Should that same imaginary dog rummage through the neighbor’s garbage, it’s my responsibility. A quick trip next door with my rake and shovel would pacify my angry neighbor. If he beat me to it, the same rake and shovel still needs application, even if I’m not excited about the change of location. Keeping better tabs on my dog would avoid future problems, and an apology will stop the impending feud. There are better ways to settle issues than with retaliation or going to God and asking Him to get even for me.
What about my neighbor’s responsibility? I can’t find a chapter and verse for him! Jesus tells me to love my neighbor — not demand that my neighbor loves me. And He refuses to take any sides in battles that result from my sin and self-centeredness. If I provoke my enemy (or even my friends) to anger, He expects me to make it right—even if the dog woke up with a yawn or the neighbor cleaned up the mess without saying anything. Their grace would not excuse my cruelty or negligence!
Silly riddles? Silly issues? Little spats never amount to anything? Last week’s news: a man was convicted of killing another man in a dispute that began when one tossed and hit the other with a jellybean.
I don’t think either one of them bothered to consult Jesus.
I asked my granddaughter. She said, “You are...you bugged the dog.” I asked a friend. She laughed, tongue-in-cheek, “Oh, the dog, of course.”
It is plainly irrational to expect even the gentlest of pets to control themselves under any provocation. If I raised my boot, no animal would meekly apologize, “I’m sorry. I’m sleeping in an inconvenient spot and got in the way of your foot.”
Suppose I mistreat not a sleeping canine but my neighbor. I might not kick him, but my dog (if I had one) might get into his garbage and spread it all over his lawn. Then he might retaliate and shovel said garbage over the fence for me to clean up. And I might call the police, and he might sue me, and the feud is on.
Feuds start so easy but how does one stop them? Or how do we counsel others who bring us their feud stories, especially if they are not willing to be responsible for their part in the fracas?
A man in the middle of such a feud came to Jesus. Obviously, his brother had taken what this man felt belonged to him because he said, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
It is so easy to take sides. “How unfair of your brother...” or maybe “What did YOU do to him?” But Jesus wouldn’t take sides. He responded, “Who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” Then He turned to the crowd and said, “Beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Strange answer? Not really. Jesus hit at the heart of the bickering. Human greed and covetousness can divide even brothers. Both were guilty, but Jesus refused to assume the position of deciding which was at greater fault. That would only fuel the feud. Instead, His answer to the crowd pointed to inner motives. He was saying if personal sin is in the heart, watch out. But there is an alternative.
The dog’s response is not my problem. My responsibility is finding a better way to get its attention than booting it. And if I do use my foot in impatience, that and my lack of kindness need to be dealt with. Certainly, this applies to relationships with people too.
Should that same imaginary dog rummage through the neighbor’s garbage, it’s my responsibility. A quick trip next door with my rake and shovel would pacify my angry neighbor. If he beat me to it, the same rake and shovel still needs application, even if I’m not excited about the change of location. Keeping better tabs on my dog would avoid future problems, and an apology will stop the impending feud. There are better ways to settle issues than with retaliation or going to God and asking Him to get even for me.
What about my neighbor’s responsibility? I can’t find a chapter and verse for him! Jesus tells me to love my neighbor — not demand that my neighbor loves me. And He refuses to take any sides in battles that result from my sin and self-centeredness. If I provoke my enemy (or even my friends) to anger, He expects me to make it right—even if the dog woke up with a yawn or the neighbor cleaned up the mess without saying anything. Their grace would not excuse my cruelty or negligence!
Silly riddles? Silly issues? Little spats never amount to anything? Last week’s news: a man was convicted of killing another man in a dispute that began when one tossed and hit the other with a jellybean.
I don’t think either one of them bothered to consult Jesus.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The devil made me do it? ......................... Parables 055
Remember the Flip Wilson show, where Flip became Geraldine and popularized the phrase, “The devil made me do it...”?
That line was not an original. In fact, it goes back a long, long, way! Of course Eve phrased it slightly different, and she wasn’t trying to be funny. She had disobeyed God, and when He confronted her, she admitted that she had eaten the forbidden fruit, but pointed out that the serpent (no doubt the devil in disguise) had deceived her.
Often the word “devil” conjures up an image of a red creature, with pointed ears and a long tail, poking a pronged fork into some poor victim, forcing him or her to do something that they know they should not do. Then when the deed is done, the “devil” gets the blame, and the victim is supposedly innocent.
The Bible has much to say about the devil, but does not offer him as a scapegoat for our guilt, nor as an easy-to-spot menace in red garb. Instead, he is spoken of as a master of deception, even named “the deceiver” in some passages, who seldom making himself obvious as the above picture depicts. II Corinthians 11:14 says he “disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Actually he is an angel that once served God. However, he determined to “take the place of God”. Because of his prideful ambition, he was cast from heaven, yet remained under the authority of his Creator.
Jesus Christ defeated him at the cross by taking away his only real weapon, death. (Hebrews 2:14,15). He now roams around, “as roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” before his final judgement is executed.
The devil also continues in his ambition to dethrone God by trying to influence people to reject the sovereignty of their Creator, and the Lordship of His Son. His methods consist of telling lies, swaying people into unbelief and sin. Jesus said that “he is a liar, and the father of lies..” (John 8:44) This fallen angel is a master at subtlety, so his lies are certainly not labeled as such. Instead, they seem plausible, especially when they appeal to our selfish wants and even to our legitimate needs. He uses lies to confuse our concept of God, confuse our concept of ourselves, and discredit the Word of God so that we will not believe it (see Genesis 3). This liar also knows how to make evil look good, and good look evil.
Because our actions are based on what we believe, the lies are aimed there, at our belief system. If the devil can control what we believe, then he indirectly controls what we do. Eve’s encounter with the serpent in the garden is one example. She heard the lie, believed it, then acted upon it. Note that her action was direct disobedience to the command of God, and was the beginning of human sin. Every response to this liar, other than resistance, results in sin.
This goes back to the deceiver’s original intention. The Bible says that we become slaves to whatever we obey. If we act according to anything other than the commands of God, “the devil made me do it” becomes far more than a funny line.
That line was not an original. In fact, it goes back a long, long, way! Of course Eve phrased it slightly different, and she wasn’t trying to be funny. She had disobeyed God, and when He confronted her, she admitted that she had eaten the forbidden fruit, but pointed out that the serpent (no doubt the devil in disguise) had deceived her.
Often the word “devil” conjures up an image of a red creature, with pointed ears and a long tail, poking a pronged fork into some poor victim, forcing him or her to do something that they know they should not do. Then when the deed is done, the “devil” gets the blame, and the victim is supposedly innocent.
The Bible has much to say about the devil, but does not offer him as a scapegoat for our guilt, nor as an easy-to-spot menace in red garb. Instead, he is spoken of as a master of deception, even named “the deceiver” in some passages, who seldom making himself obvious as the above picture depicts. II Corinthians 11:14 says he “disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Actually he is an angel that once served God. However, he determined to “take the place of God”. Because of his prideful ambition, he was cast from heaven, yet remained under the authority of his Creator.
Jesus Christ defeated him at the cross by taking away his only real weapon, death. (Hebrews 2:14,15). He now roams around, “as roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” before his final judgement is executed.
The devil also continues in his ambition to dethrone God by trying to influence people to reject the sovereignty of their Creator, and the Lordship of His Son. His methods consist of telling lies, swaying people into unbelief and sin. Jesus said that “he is a liar, and the father of lies..” (John 8:44) This fallen angel is a master at subtlety, so his lies are certainly not labeled as such. Instead, they seem plausible, especially when they appeal to our selfish wants and even to our legitimate needs. He uses lies to confuse our concept of God, confuse our concept of ourselves, and discredit the Word of God so that we will not believe it (see Genesis 3). This liar also knows how to make evil look good, and good look evil.
Because our actions are based on what we believe, the lies are aimed there, at our belief system. If the devil can control what we believe, then he indirectly controls what we do. Eve’s encounter with the serpent in the garden is one example. She heard the lie, believed it, then acted upon it. Note that her action was direct disobedience to the command of God, and was the beginning of human sin. Every response to this liar, other than resistance, results in sin.
This goes back to the deceiver’s original intention. The Bible says that we become slaves to whatever we obey. If we act according to anything other than the commands of God, “the devil made me do it” becomes far more than a funny line.
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