At times a point is raised in casual Christian discussion about if the bible teaches this or that. Often someone will object, but "it is too difficult," or, "we cannot know what it means."
Is it too hard to understand or are we avoiding the issue? If it seems that the bible may say something can we really excuse ourselves after a minute of contemplation saying the task cannot be understood. Or are we just offering an excuse to avoid the issue at hand.
Or is the teaching really too difficult to live out? If God has taught that we should live a teaching out God has given us resources to live the teaching out.
Maybe we cannot understand the teaching or feel we cannot live the teaching because we have not spent enough time. The bible is blessedly inconvenience.
I say blessedly because the bible is not satisfied with "good enough ethics" or a "not being a bother to society ethic." The bible is an active power.
God knows we will fail and loves us unconditionally, but God asks us to follow Jesus. Wherever Jesus leads us we will follow.
When God called Jonah to Nineveh it was a blessed inconvenience to save many souls. Sometimes we simply need to trust that God's wisdom is above our wisdom.
If we disagree with God it is not that God is wrong, but rather that we are limited. Even if we intend well we lack the vantage point to see God's wisdom.
Showing posts with label ethic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethic. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2015
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Christian Love
The bible says that if we have all virtue but lack love then we have nothing. Love is the ultimate Christian ethic.
The faithfulness of our Christian life stands or falls on if we act in love. There are many aspects of living an ethical life, but love is behind all of these elements.
"Love God and do what you please" said St. Augustine.
If we truly live our lives with a desire to please God then we are living our faith to the fullest. Christianity is about fellowship with God.
Christians have the power to change the world when the joy from our fellowship with God overflows in the world.
The faithfulness of our Christian life stands or falls on if we act in love. There are many aspects of living an ethical life, but love is behind all of these elements.
"Love God and do what you please" said St. Augustine.
If we truly live our lives with a desire to please God then we are living our faith to the fullest. Christianity is about fellowship with God.
Christians have the power to change the world when the joy from our fellowship with God overflows in the world.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Real Community
Real community must be joyful for its members. It is easy to try to force community or force friendships. There is a certain hollowness to community which is not based on one's heart.
It is interesting in life that there are often ethical positions which require ethicical decisions to be disinterested. If we do something out of joy the decision loses its ethical value.
The bible is clearly against such an ethic. It is better to do what is right without joy than to do evil, but the highest ethical sense is when our joy aligns with what is right.
Doing good out of love for God and with joy is much preferred to doing good and finding it drudgery. Often Christians pull a certain stoicism into the Christian life which was never meant to be there.
Disinterest has no place in the Christian life. It brings an interesting side question as to the wisdom of required Christian education.
If children are enrolled in a Christian school or are at a Christian college that requires them to attend a chapel or spiritual formation class they do not wish to attend, are they harmed by the requirement? Could forced Christian education be harmful?
My opinion is, yes. A one size fits all approach to Christian education can be harmful. It is of course why pastors do not read sermons from famous pastors when they get into the pulpit. The sermon should be a faithful exposition of God's word to the people in the church.
In my mind things such as required chapel or curriculum in Christian schools may harm those who do not wish to attend. It is a delicate balance between encouraging and fostering faith and hindering faith by making it distasteful.
It is interesting in life that there are often ethical positions which require ethicical decisions to be disinterested. If we do something out of joy the decision loses its ethical value.
The bible is clearly against such an ethic. It is better to do what is right without joy than to do evil, but the highest ethical sense is when our joy aligns with what is right.
Doing good out of love for God and with joy is much preferred to doing good and finding it drudgery. Often Christians pull a certain stoicism into the Christian life which was never meant to be there.
Disinterest has no place in the Christian life. It brings an interesting side question as to the wisdom of required Christian education.
If children are enrolled in a Christian school or are at a Christian college that requires them to attend a chapel or spiritual formation class they do not wish to attend, are they harmed by the requirement? Could forced Christian education be harmful?
My opinion is, yes. A one size fits all approach to Christian education can be harmful. It is of course why pastors do not read sermons from famous pastors when they get into the pulpit. The sermon should be a faithful exposition of God's word to the people in the church.
In my mind things such as required chapel or curriculum in Christian schools may harm those who do not wish to attend. It is a delicate balance between encouraging and fostering faith and hindering faith by making it distasteful.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Liberty in the Christian Life
The bible offers a great deal of latitude and liberty in the Christian life. The bible does have many specifics, but often you find Jesus opposed to an over zealous application of the specifics.
There is always wisdom needed in life. Situations in life are often complex. There are not easy answers to many problems. One size fits all solutions often fail.
That is why the bible constantly calls us to love. We are to love God and love our neighbor. In the unclear of situations our principle is love.
Love has a great patience, but it can also have an aggressive or adversarial edge. You see love at time forces us to act. You see that true love at time needs to take a stand.
Love also does not insist on it's own way. We might prefer certain things in the the church be this way or that way, but we cannot insist on preference or infringe upon the liberty of others because certain things displease us.
Often in life there are things others do which we think are wrong or shortsighted or maybe a bit non-ideal. But these things fall in the realm of liberty. We cannot ever take a strong stand against that which falls in the realm of liberty even if it seems shortsighted or wrong.
If we take a stand against folly which is permitted in liberty we fall into the even graver error of legalism. Liberty allows what is not always pleasing to oneself but is permitted in the bible. Legalism insists on its own way. It insists on essentials the bible does not insist on.
Legalism seeks for a higher ethic than God desires. It is a theology which has little sense of true importance and is undesirable.
We always need to try to make important what the bible sees as important and have liberty where the bible sees liberty. We need to try to make the emphasis of the bible our own.
Post: True Christian Liberty
There is always wisdom needed in life. Situations in life are often complex. There are not easy answers to many problems. One size fits all solutions often fail.
That is why the bible constantly calls us to love. We are to love God and love our neighbor. In the unclear of situations our principle is love.
Love has a great patience, but it can also have an aggressive or adversarial edge. You see love at time forces us to act. You see that true love at time needs to take a stand.
Love also does not insist on it's own way. We might prefer certain things in the the church be this way or that way, but we cannot insist on preference or infringe upon the liberty of others because certain things displease us.
Often in life there are things others do which we think are wrong or shortsighted or maybe a bit non-ideal. But these things fall in the realm of liberty. We cannot ever take a strong stand against that which falls in the realm of liberty even if it seems shortsighted or wrong.
If we take a stand against folly which is permitted in liberty we fall into the even graver error of legalism. Liberty allows what is not always pleasing to oneself but is permitted in the bible. Legalism insists on its own way. It insists on essentials the bible does not insist on.
Legalism seeks for a higher ethic than God desires. It is a theology which has little sense of true importance and is undesirable.
We always need to try to make important what the bible sees as important and have liberty where the bible sees liberty. We need to try to make the emphasis of the bible our own.
Post: True Christian Liberty
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