"Honesty When I'm Out of Harmony With Holiness"

 "When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD" (Proverbs 19:3). The teaching here is simple: we ought not blame God for the fruit of our folly.

Christians struggle. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8a). Christians make mistakes. “If we say we have no sin… the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8b). Christians continue to need the interceding work of Jesus Christ. “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). At times, Christians need to confess to their heavenly Father about some word, thought or deed that is out of harmony with holiness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

I MUST BE HONEST WITH MYSELF. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3). I am breathing God’s air. I am functioning within a body provided by God. I am exercising talents that are God-given. I am living on God-created (and God-limited) time. Paul asked the saints at Rome, “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). When wayward children of God are honest with themselves, the gravity of sin against a gracious God can drive them to “come to themselves” (Luke 15:17), and “grieve” them into repenting. (2 Corinthians 7:9).

Listen to this vital part of David’s prayer of confession: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:7-12). David was not an alien sinner, but in covenant relationship with God.

What does it take to be willing to pray such a prayer of confession? Honesty. My heart is not clean. My spirit is not right. Whatever joy I feel will not last. My gladness has been uprooted from the only abiding Source. I have been willing once again to trade the greatest of blessings for the most fleeting of foolish pleasures. Men who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not pray such prayers. Women who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not be grieved into repenting. And without repentance, we run the eternally weighty risk of standing before God without an advocate.

I MUST BE HONEST WITH GOD. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psalm 51:4). Isn’t it interesting what isn’t in Psalm 51? David had committed adultery, lied, manipulated, and murdered. And yet, in his classic psalm of confession, not one of those sins is specifically identified. Neither Bathsheba nor Uriah are named. Why is that? Because David’s transgressions were serious symptoms of the greatest ailment of all—the failure to treasure God above every other person, pleasure, and thing.

David’s sins didn’t stem from ignorance. On that night, David wanted illicit sexual gratification more than he wanted God. In the days that followed, David guarded his sinful secrets more than he guarded his covenant with God. When the situation grew desperate, David feared the awful truth being revealed more than he feared God. When backed into a corner, David demonstrated more of a willingness to shed innocent blood than to be honest and penitently cast himself before the feet of the God who already knew what David had done. David was exactly right when he confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). Step 1: David had to be honest with himself. Step 2: David had to be honest with God.

Again, men who are unwilling to be honest with themselves will not make such confessions. Women who are unwilling to be honest with God will not humble themselves in his sight. And without humble confession, we run the eternally dangerous risk of standing before the God of ultimate holiness and purity without an advocate.

It’s commendable to offer the Lord a passionate prayer of confession. But let us be men and women who are honest enough to live transforming, maturing, obedient lives for the glory of our Father after we say “Amen”. As Proverbs 28:13 warns, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

“BELIEVE IT OR NOT?”

In Acts 17 we find two common reactions to gospel preaching.  Some “believed” and others “believed not”.  Let us notice what the Bible explains as to WHY these are the two reactions people have toward Bible truth.  You might think that all would readily accept an offer of free salvation, but such is not the case. The reason is because of the nature of truth as opposed to error.  Truth contains commands for the sinner to submit to whereas error does not. When truth is preached today, we will find these commands mentioned.  Grace teaches man to turn from sin, not continue that grace may abound. (Titus 2:11-12; Romans 6:1).

Jesus commanded that “...repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations...” (Luke 24:47). This applied to the apostle Paul as well as the eleven on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Paul and Peter preached the same messages.

In Acts 1:2, we are told that Jesus had ‘given commandments’ to the apostles in regard to what to be preached concerning Him.  These commandments pertained to what people were to do in “calling upon the name of the Lord”.  We can determine what those commands were from what they preached in the book of Acts, as well as what was obeyed by those to whom they preached.  Let it again be pointed out that in ‘calling upon the name of the Lord’, there is a ‘form of doctrine’ to be obeyed ‘from the heart’ (Romans 6:17). It must correspond to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as seen from 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

Of those in Thessalonica, we find that Paul “…reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.”  Yet we find that others who heard the same message “believed not” (verse 5).  It is recorded of them, “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy...”  

Why did some believe while others did not?  Today, why is it that some readily accept truth while others reject and despise the message of truth? The answer lies in Jesus’ teaching about the heart of man in Luke 8:4-15.

In addition, there are three other texts that show why some can ‘see’ the truth clearly while others “see, yet see not”: 

John 3:19-21 – “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, [c]that they have been wrought in God.” Some cannot see or understand truth is because they love darkness…because their deeds are evil, and they don’t want their evil deeds reproved. The truth is not beyond their ability to understand, rather, their heart’s desire is to continue in evil.

John 7:17-18 – “If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” Some cannot see truth because they seek their own glory rather than God’s glory.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 – “and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Some cannot see or understand truth is because they have no love for truth, but their pleasure is to continue in unrighteousness.  

Those who understood the things Paul preached about Jesus had a desire to please God, hence we read of them prior to hearing Paul preach about Jesus’ authority, being God-fearing or devout.  Their heart was honest and sincere, as was Cornelius, Lydia, and Saul of Tarsus, who “lived in good conscience” even during his persecution of Christians (Acts 23:1).  These who believed not, “moved with envy”.  So likewise, will people do so today when the truth exposes their evil deeds, and their love for unrighteousness. The word of God is described as “…quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) 

How people react to the truth reveals whether they are just religious, honoring God with their lips while in reality their heart is far from Him (Matthew 15:8-9).  If one’s heart is honest and sincere, whenever they see that they are not in harmony with what Jesus commanded, they will change (repent), because their will is “…to do the will of the Father.” What about you; what is your view of Jesus' commands?

“I AM RESOLVED”

“And he said also unto the disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward. And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.” (Luke 16:1-4).

Have you ever been at your ‘wits end’? Regardless of the reason, in this life, when you are in deep despair, you are at this proverbial place of ‘wits end’. You are not alone. Everyone has been there. For some, it is a situation that they have found themselves in more than once.

The steward’s circumstances were self-inflicted. He had been unfaithful in his responsibilities as a steward. Nonetheless he was in a desperate situation. He “was resolved” within himself as to what he would do to prepare for his certain loss of employment. While his decision benefited his master’s debtors, his motivation was his own personal welfare. In other words, he was still acting selfishly.  Here was his ‘resolve’: “And calling to him each one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy bond, and write fourscore.” (Luke 16:5-7).

While his lord commended him (v. 8), it was only for his shrewdness. He was still condemned. The only benefit for his shrewdness was temporal, not eternal. The lesson for disciples of Christ is to be faithful, even in unrighteous mammon. However, there are other valuable lessons to be learned from this story:

1. We can be brought to despair, as a victim. David certainly was when King Saul sought to kill him. Joseph suffered innocently, as did Job and Mordecai. John the Baptist, and James, the brother of John. Certainly, our Lord was in despair (Hebrews 5:7). The righteous will find themselves victims to the point of despair (Mark 13:9-13).

2. God is your help in such times of despair. Resolve to cry out to Him. This is His will. It is to your glory and honor as well as His, for in your crying out to God, you are exercising your faith. This will make it strong and sure for the future. God is your shield; His word is your guide for the right decisions you will need to make. David cried REPEATEDLY in his distress (Psalms 3-41). God has promised you what He promised to David: to rescue and preserve all who put their complete trust in Him (Psalm 25:3). He has given His word to us on this. He always has been faithful to His word, and He always will.

4. God knows your distress. You need to ‘wait’ on Him (Psalm 27:14); to rescue you at the appropriate time (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). He knows when that time is, you don’t (Ecclesiastes 3:11; 8:17; 11:5). Trust His timing, for He purposes to “to do you good in the end” as He did Israel (Deuteronomy 8:16).

Embrace David’s words as your resolve:

“The troubles of my heart are enlarged: Oh bring thou me out of my distresses. Consider mine affliction and my travail; and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. Oh keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for thee.” (Psalm 25:17-21).

3. Resolve to be faithful. “He that is faithful in little will be faithful in much; and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.” (v. 10). The Lord’s admonition is clear in vv. 11-12: If you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon, He will not bless you with true riches. God’s grace which has been bestowed upon you can be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:10). In all your decisions in your time of despair, to allow His grace to lead and direct you in your decisions (Titus 2:11-12). Again, as David acknowledged, God will preserve you through these times to bless in your ‘latter end’. Solomon explained this process as follows: “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” (Proverbs 19:20).

 

“THIS MONTH SHALL BE THE BEGINNING…”

In Exodus 12:2, God, through Moses told the children of Israel, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you…”. The setting in which these words were uttered was the announcement of the last of the ten plagues upon Egypt (Exodus 11:4-7). A memorial was set up for the Israelites to keep throughout their generations (Exodus 12:26-27).

The question that was asked by the Israelite children, “What mean ye by this service?” is a relevant question in religious matters. “Why do you do the things you do in your worship?” The Israelite parents were to explain the significance of this memorial to their children. The ‘sacrifice of Jehovah’s passover’ was a serious matter. The significance of this new memorial is seen from the fact that this month was to be a ‘beginning of months’ in their religious life. The term ‘beginning’ is translated head, chief, top, and principal elsewhere in scripture. This gives us an idea of its importance. Exodus 12:26-27 states ‘why’ the sacrifice was to be offered. The determination of what, when, and where of the sacrifice was mentioned in other passages. It was not left up to the people to decide for themselves as they desired. In Exodus 12:14-20 we find that God commands were very specific as to the what, when, and where of this sacrifice. These were ‘appointed’ matters from God. They were to honor His word in their observance of the sacrifice. 

Fast forward to January 1, 2023. Today begins a new month of a new year. With the first day of this year being the first day of the week, Christians are in the same situation as Israel of old. We have been given a memorial to keep throughout our generations. We have specific language from our Savior as to the who, what, when, where, and why of our spiritual sacrifices. Israel was warned not to “appear before the Lord empty-handed”, not only in regard to this sacrifice but all of them. “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” (Deuteronomy 16:16).

We sing a song: “MUST I GO AND EMPTY-HANDED?” When we come before the Lord today (and every first day), have we appeared empty-handed? The Lord has blessed us both materially and spiritually. We have been provided faith through the blessing of His word (Romans 10:17). Are we empty-handed on our faith? We have the resource of guidance in His word (Psalm 119:105). Are we empty-handed? The Lord has blessed us with a way of escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Are we empty-handed? He has fulfilled our need for companionship in the marriage relationship (Genesis 2:18-24). Are we empty-handed? Have we been blessed with children/grand-children from the Lord (Psalm 127:3)? Are we destroying their lives by being empty-handed? Are we empty-handed in our own spiritual discipline before them?

The apostle Paul spoke of our ‘spiritual service’, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2). Have we presented our body unto God as instruments of righteousness alive from the dead or of unrighteousness? (Romans 6:13). Have we given up our love for sinning? Have we ever truly developed as yet in our lives a love for righteousness and truth? Are we empty-handed in regard to our practice of righteousness and truth? “…let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

We have been forgiven by God of our sins by the sacrifice of His Son (John 1:29, 36). What of our forgiveness to those who have wronged us? Are we empty-handed? God loves us more than any other thing He created. Are we empty-handed in our obedience to Him? (John 14:15). Jesus was crucified for us. Have we been crucified with Him (Galatians 2:20)? Are we empty-handed? We will all stand before God in judgment one day (Romans 14:10). He has blessed every one with one or more talents. Why should we appear before Him empty-handed at the Judgment? (Matthew 25:24-29). 

Every day for the children of God presents a new beginning.  Every day we awaken, it is with a blessing of life and breath from the Creator. We awake with hope of heaven before us. We awake in fellowship with Him because His Word so declared it to be. We are His because He chose us in Christ. He has blessed us with the freedom of choosing life or death. Let us choose to be filled with His Spirit; His knowledge; His goodness and His love and we will never again be empty-handed before Him.

“TO THIS END HAVE I BEEN BORN”

"To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should ear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37).

Jesus’ purpose for coming into the world, was as much misunderstood in the first century as it is today. While celebrations abound, they reflect a zeal for God, yet void of the knowledge of His righteousness (Romans 10:2-3). Ignorance of God’s will is not new. Both Isaiah and Hosea attributed it to God’s people in their day (Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6). Many can quote scripture from memory, yet their understanding of those passages in the context of God’s eternal purpose is still a mystery to them (Ephesians 3:3-6).

In the first century, it was believed that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom, of the nature of David and Solomon (cf. Luke 17:20; 19:11; Acts 1:6) This, in turn, was due to a misunderstanding of the prophecies of God about ‘restoring all things’ (Acts 3:21).

Jesus plainly stated His reason for coming: to “bear witness to truth”. Yes, this involved redeeming man from His sins, for everyone had sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus came to take away sin, yet He was equally plain in teaching that man was in sin through disobeying God’s words. We must repent of this disobedience, and Jesus taught that plainly (John 15:22-25).

Jesus also said to Pilate, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37b). What did Jesus mean by these words? Jesus was speaking of obedience. Notice:

John 8:47 – “He who is of God hears the words of God”

John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

2 Thess. 2:10 – “They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved.”

1 John 4:6 – “he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Why was it hard for Pilate to see the truth about Jesus? For people today, the same question is in order: ‘Why is it hard to see the truth?’ Jesus taught why there is difficulty in seeing truth in His parables. In Matthew 6:19-21, He said, “...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Truth is hard to 'see' when one’s real desire lies elsewhere. For some, truth is not their treasure; there are other things in this life that is worth more to them. Truth will reveal where a person’s ‘heart’ is. The truth about your heart’s treasure is declared when you disobey God’s word. Truth will exact a high price of you. Jesus said plainly in Luke 14:26-27 – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” 

Truth is the most important discovery you will make in your life. For the Christian, every relationship and all future relationships will be defined by the path of truth. Consider these four things: 

1. Your associates will be determined by truth. (Psalm 1:1-4)

2. Those whom you have fellowship with on a religious basis will be determined by truth. (Ephesians 5:8-13)

3) Your relationship with God will be determined by truth. (1 Peter 3:10-12)

4) Your eternity will be determined by truth. (1 John 4:1-6)

Consider a quote from H. L. Mencken: “For the truth-teller and truth-seeker, indeed, the whole world has very little liking. He is always unpopular, and not infrequently his unpopularity is so excessive that it endangers his life. Run your eye back over the list of martyrs; nine-tenths of them stood accused of nothing worse than honest efforts to find out and announce the truth.”

What has the truth cost you? Anyone who begins the course of pursuing “UN-denominational Christianity” will quickly discover that most religious people have no interest in such a stand. When others see that you are willing to sincerely question long-held religious practices, you will become a perceived threat to them. Those who cannot defend their practices based on the truth will often “justify” themselves by a slanderous attack on you personally. 

When you make a firm commitment to seek and stand upon the truth, then you will find those difficult occasions where you must choose between relationships with men and the truth of God. You must decide to live by principle and righteousness (Joshua 24:15). If you live by what is right, God will be with you (1 Peter 3:10-12). While many people observe Christ's "birthday", few observe His precepts...for 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments. Jesus was plain as to which "observation" defines discipleship (John 14:15).

“UNDERSTANDING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE”

A most essential need in Bible study is to distinguish between literal and figurative language.  We will begin with a brief look at metonymy. Metonymy is a figure of speech that involves the exchange of nouns or verbs, where one noun or verb is put for another related noun or verb. The word “metonymy” comes from “meta”, indicating change, and “onoma”, a name (or in grammar, a noun).

Metonymy is a common figure of speech with a wide variety of usages. “The White House said today…” is one contemporary example in which the President of the United States and his staff are represented by the building they occupy. When we say, “Give me a hand,” it is by metonymy that “hand” is put for the many useful was the hand can help.

As we will see, metonymy is integrally involved in understanding many of the verses that seem to make God the direct and active cause of negative circumstances. Metonymy has many forms, and the Biblical examples that concern us here are those related to the concepts of cause and effect, permission and prophecy. In the Old Testament, God often revealed himself as the author of both good and evil. Thus “God” is often put by metonymy as the cause of events that were actually engineered by the devil.

To get a better understanding of the complexities of cause and effect, let us consider the case of “Mr. Smith,” who gets drunk at a party one night and then heads home in his car, driving well above the posted speed limit on a two-lane highway. An oncoming car makes a left turn in front of him, but Mr. Smith’s impaired perception causes him to misjudge the distance and swerve to avoid the other car. He loses control of his car, hits a concrete bridge abutment, and is killed.

A policeman arriving at the scene might say that excessive alcohol was the cause of Mr. Smith’s death. Mr. Smith’s family might say the driver of the other car was the cause. The corner’s report would probably conclude that he died because he flew through the windshield and his head hit the concrete abutment.

In a sense, each of the statements is valid although the coroner’s report seems to most accurately reflect why Mr. Smith actually died. But did the concrete kill Mr. Smith? Not in the active sense in which one person kills another. Yet the concrete was the final cause of his death, for if he had driven into a huge pile of mattresses instead of an immovable object, he might have survived. Nevertheless, we understand that the actual cause of his death was something other than the abutment, which did not jump into his path. The actual cause was whatever made him lose control of his car, which in his case was his heavily impaired faculties and judgment.

It has been said that one cannot break God’s laws, but only breaks himself against them, because they are immovable objects. God has set up the universe to function according to many laws and principles, which He said were “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In reality, physical laws cannot be broken. A farmer who disregards the principles of soil fertility will eventually go broke. The window cleaner with a cavalier attitude toward safety, whose worn-out rope breaks while he is dangling from the roof of a high-rise office building will, because of the law of gravity, be rudely introduced to an unsuspecting pedestrian.

There are spiritual laws also. For example, you reap what you sow; evil associations corrupt good ethics; sin separates man from God. When we break these laws, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we are not actually breaking them; rather we are breaking ourselves against them. Is God to blame because he set these laws into place? No more than a state highway department is liable for fatalities caused by drunken motorists driving into concrete bridge supports.

 

In the Bible, most especially in the Old Testament in regard to the cause of evil, sin, and suffering, we find numerous records where the subject of a sentence is said to be the cause of an event, when in reality something else (another subject) is the cause. This is the figure of speech known as ‘Metonymy of the Subject’, in which one subject is put in place of another subject with which it stands in a definite relation.

A good illustration of how one subject is put for another is found in comparing the two seemingly contradictory biblical accounts of the death of King Saul. Remember that in the Old Testament, as we have noted, God was perceived as the ultimate cause of both positive and negative circumstances, and as sovereign in the sense that He controlled everything that happened. In 1 Samuel 31:4-5, the word of God states that Saul died by committing suicide, falling upon his sword. Yet, 1 Chronicles 10:14 says that “the Lord put him to death” for disobeying the word of God and for enquiring of a familiar spirit.

How do we reconcile these apparently conflicting statements? We do so by recognizing that the latter statement is the figure of speech ‘Metonymy of the Subject’. The actual subject, Saul (as stated in 1 Samuel 31) is exchanged for another subject, God, with which it stands in a definite relation. The relation between Saul and God is that it was God who gave Saul His commandments, and Saul disobeyed them. Thus God can, in one sense, be said to be the ‘cause’ of Saul’s death. By breaking God’s laws, Saul broke himself against them.

By his own choice, Saul separated himself from God and His blessings, and therefore faced the consequences of his actions without the benefit of God’s grace and mercy. Because of his own sin, Saul found himself in a hopeless predicament, and killed himself. Only in the sense that God’s Word was the “immovable object”, against which Saul rebelled, could it be said that God “put him to death”. In concluding this chapter, we will see why God used this figurative language in the Old Testament.

Just as there is a relation between Saul and God such that “Saul” can be exchanged for “God” by Metonymy of the Subject, so there is a relation between Satan and God such that they can be exchanged by Metonymy of the Subject. This relation is explained later in this chapter.

For the most part, God’s ability to alleviate for people the effects of sin is directly proportional to their obedience to Him. For instance, Romans 1:24 and 26 say that God “gave up” those who turned away from Him in the same way Jesus gave up his life, as an act of will (John 19:20). There are situations in which God reaches a point at which He knows it is fruitless to continue to attempt to convince people who are no longer willing to change their behavior. God lets them go on the road to self-destruction, to learn by experience apart from His grace and mercy, much like the father did in Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).

Why are people “permitted” to turn away? Because God highly values man’s freedom of will. If one wills to continue in his sinful disobedience, he will suffer the consequences of his unwillingness to listen to God. God is not in the business of forcing obedience, which then becomes meaninglessly mechanical. He does, however, honestly declare the consequences that result from sin so that all people have a genuine choice. Without choice, there can be no true freedom. God’s desire is that His people be set free by knowledge, understanding, and wisdom so they can make informed choices. He is fundamentally an educator, not an autocratic puppeteer.

“HE WHOM THE LORD COMMENDS”

 

Having the ‘capability’ to perform or carry out an action does not necessarily mean that one has the legitimate right to do so. Neither does having the ‘desire’ to do it, mean you are authorized to do so. Furthermore, the authority for you to undertake a task is not based upon the ‘irresponsibility’ of someone else. Assumed responsibilities do not always equate to authorized responsibilities. Many problems have arisen because of assumed rights based upon these very reasons. Having the ‘right’ to do something depends upon authorization from the proper source.

One of the most obvious examples of ‘assumed’ responsibility is seen from the action of King Saul in 1 Samuel 13. The prophet Samuel had earlier instructed Saul to go to Gilgal and “wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.” We find in 1 Samuel 13:1-7 that the Philistines had come out against Saul and the army of Israel in great numbers. The appointed time came, yet Samuel had not arrived. The army of Israel began to scatter. Saul’s desire was to entreat the favor of Jehovah. But his motivation was fear of the Philistines, not reverence for Jehovah. So, he ‘forced himself’ to offer a burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:8-12). Finally, Samuel came and said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you…” (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Saul had been given responsibility and authority to act in the capacity of KING, not as PRIEST! Although he had the capability and desire, he did NOT have the authority to offer sacrifices. THAT authority and right belonged to the (Levitical) priests. In his desire to do Samuel’s responsibility, Saul also failed in his responsibility as king.

It is also important to recognize the relationship between authorization and responsibility. A person can be a responsible person in the sense that they are reliable and trustworthy. However, being responsible does not entitle one to self-authorization. Again, apply this to the situation of King Saul. No matter how honest and sincere, no matter how strong his desire to keep the people united was, Saul, being a Benjamite, would never be given the right and responsibility of performing that which was given to the Levites: the priesthood.

The apostle Paul dealt with those who sought to be regarded as apostles. In 2 Corinthians 10-12, Paul wrote at length in defending his apostleship against false charges. One such charge was being ‘unskilled’ or ‘rude’ in speech. (On a side-note, even if this rudeness would have disqualified Paul, it did not make someone else qualified to take his place. Such rationale has been used by those who seek to justify women to usurp authority over men in the matter of public teaching, praying, and in preaching the gospel on the basis that “men won’t”, or that there is no man available or ‘qualified’). Again, desire and capability to act, or the failure of another in being faithful to his/her responsibility, does not give permission for self-authorization. Authority simply cannot be self-imposed. Authority must come from God, in His word. (1 Timothy 2:8-15).

Another ‘disqualification’ charged to Paul was, of all things, his refusal to take support (2 Corinthians 11:7-8). Paul had the ‘right’ (authorization) from God to do so (1 Corinthians 9:14-16). He explained why he refused this in 2 Corinthians 11:12, “…so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 

The matter of self-imposed authority is the seed that will sprout the fruit of division in every facet of society. For example, in regard to a most vital God-ordained relationship – MARRIAGE, it is often entered into without any consideration of God’s word as to whether one has the ‘right’ to marry, as well as ‘who’ one has the right to marry. The decision is generally based solely upon one’s desire, or upon an assumed personal right to act as he/she chooses.

The same thing is often true in regard to becoming a parent. Becoming a parent obviously requires reproducing, and God made man capable of such. But becoming a parent without regard for WHY God made man capable of reproducing has consequences both for the parent and the child. The decision to both marry and start a family needs to be made in view of man's purpose for existence (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13).

God gave authority and responsibility in the home, the government, and in the church. These three institutions are separate and distinct. Negligence of a spouse or a parent does not ‘authorize’ the government nor the church to take over the responsibilities God assigned to the home. Let us remember Paul’s admonition: “For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:18).