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Once
there was a kingdom ruled by a gentle, loving king.
His love for everyone in his kingdom was like that of a good
father’s love for
his children. Most of his time, energy, money, and possessions were
devoted to
promoting and protecting the good of everyone under his rule. Just as a
wise
parent shows no favoritism, so his love was impartial. Though he was
exceedingly generous, patient, and merciful he never did anything for
anyone
that in any way jeopardized the well-being of anyone else in his
kingdom.
Wanting
everyone to be nurtured and nourished by a love
that went far beyond good feelings and the driving forces of passion,
he
decreed that relationships built on mutual love and trust were to be
his
kingdom’s most valued treasures. He knew that obedience to
this decree would
make his kingdom one big happy family. He knew it would make the good
of
everyone the concern of everyone. And most of all, he knew it would
guarantee
that everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, would be
loved,
accepted, valued, safe, and secure anywhere and everywhere in his
kingdom.
Knowing
the value of love, he wanted his people to be
rich in love – rich enough to give as they themselves wished
to receive. He
wanted their lives to overflow with the unrivaled pleasures and
happiness of
relationships built on mutual love and trust. Indeed, he wanted for
them what
he wanted for himself.
That’s
right. He wanted to be rich in loving
relationships, too. He knew, to the deepest depths of his soul, how
precious it
was to be loved. He knew how delightful and invigorating it was to
share in
meaningful relationships of communion and companionship with those who
care
about others as much as they want others to care about them. He knew
how
wonderful it was to feel accepted and safe with everyone he knew. And
knowing
the immeasurable value and deep joy of shared relationships for all
involved,
he not only wanted them for everyone, but with everyone, too.
To
ensure his kingdom remained a safe and secure place to
live, the king enacted laws. His laws had a single focus –
love. The king
defined love as: promoting and protecting the good of others. To help
his
people understand how to do this, he said they should love everyone
affected in
any way by their choices and behavior in the same manner and to the
same degree
as they loved themselves.
It
should be obvious to us all that such noble laws, if
obeyed, would guard and advance the well-being of everyone –
from each
law-keeper to everyone affected by what each law-keeper does, be they
the
smallest and weakest or the king himself. If disobeyed, whether
intentionally
or unintentionally, harm would befall both the lawbreaker and everyone
victimized
by the lawbreaker’s wrongdoing.
But
there’s more. The unnecessary suffering caused by
lawbreaking has an equally heinous partner. When lawbreakers appear to
benefit
from lawbreaking, their success influences others to break the law.
Thus
lawbreaking, if allowed to go unchecked not only causes widespread,
unnecessary, and often irreparable harm, it increases the number of
lawbreakers
by inducing others to become lawbreakers. Since breaking the law and
the spread
of lawbreaking eventually endangers the well-being of everyone in the
kingdom,
the king decided lawbreakers would have to be dealt with severely.
So
the king established fair yet tough penalties for
breaking the law – penalties which were designed both to
discourage lawbreaking
and help lawbreakers get back on the track of doing what they knew was
right.
But he knew the real problem was not the occasional careless choice or
moment
of selfishness. The greatest threat to the good of his kingdom was the
repeat
offender. It was the lawbreaker who had so little concern for the good
of
others that he not only willingly and deliberately broke the law, he
repeatedly
broke the law. One such offender can do a lot of harm to a lot of
people in the
span of one life-time.
The
king had to protect the good people of his kingdom
from repeat offenders. So he decided to punish all who willfully
continued
doing what they knew was wrong. But to be effective, the punishment had
to do
three things. First, it had to protect all potential victims from those
who
would choose to act selfishly. Then, it had to send a strong message of
deterrence to would-be lawbreakers. Finally, it had to be equal to the
crime.
Could
there be a punishment which both protected and sent
a strong message of deterrence? Was it possible that such a punishment
would
also be equal to the self-serving, unjust, unnecessary, and thus
despicable
disregard lawbreakers had for the well-being of everyone hurt by their
lawbreaking? Though it sent a shiver of dismay through his being like
that of
an earthquake which levels a huge city, the king knew the answer. The
punishment would be banishment from his kingdom.
Though
the king decreed this punishment for the
protection of his people, he hoped he would never have to punish
anyone. He
even wondered, at times, if he could follow through with this
punishment, since
he loved everyone in his kingdom as if they were his own children. How
could he
exile someone he loved as his own child – someone with whom
he longed to have
an intimate and unbroken relationship? How could he send someone he
loved into
a cold, uncaring world where selfishness is rampant and evil prevails?
How
could he condemn anyone to a world where there is no relief and no end
to the
suffering caused by selfish people living selfishly? In such a world,
there
would be no one there to protect them, for there would be no law of
love or
loving authority to restrain the heinous evil of selfishness. Yet he
knew he
had to punish repeat offenders for the good of everyone. Love demanded
it. It
was the only way he could promote and protect the good of everyone so
no one
would suffer unnecessarily or repeatedly at the hands of unrepentant
lawbreakers.
At
first, the idea of self-centeredness – of making
one’s
own interests one’s primary concern – was unheard
of in his kingdom. Everyone
lived as if the king’s happiness and the well-being of
family, friends,
neighbors, and co-workers was their primary concern. Seeking the good
of others
was the ruling principle and primary motive in everything people said
and did.
Relationships built on mutual love and trust flourished. Truly, loving
relationships were valued above all else. Everyone was loved and cared
for. No
one lacked any good thing.
However,
that all changed the day the well-educated,
well-spoken, well-dressed outsider came to the kingdom. He began
teaching that
the best way, the wisest way, the most sane and sensible way to live
was to
make the good of self the ruling principle and primary motive in all
that was
said and done. At first, hardly anyone listened, and fewer still took
seriously
the challenge to live according to his teachings. But once people began
to see
the fast-acting, personally-gratifying benefits of self-centeredness,
it spread
like wildfire.
This
new way of thinking about themselves led them to
believe they had been duped by the king and his glorification of love.
Then,
they became suspicious of the king’s motives and laws. Soon
they were brazenly
saying cynical and derogatory things about him and his laws. Some said
the
king’s laws were petty. Others said his laws were oppressive.
Some said they
were idealistic. Many said they were impractical. Some said the king
was
dictatorial. Others said he was narrow-minded and intolerant of
anything that
wasn’t according to his wishes. Many said he wasn’t
the king of love at all
because his punishment of repeat offenders was excessive, and it seemed
he took
pleasure in banishing anyone who did not do things his way. Almost
everyone was
feeling a sense of gratitude toward the outsider for showing them the
foolishness of the king’s way.
Compared
to selfishness, the king’s love now seemed
restrictive and unnecessarily costly to the people of the kingdom. To
love the
king’s way meant denying themselves for the good of others.
They now wanted to
indulge themselves for the good of self. To love the king’s
way required
forsaking too many pleasures and being content with having what they
needed.
They now wanted more, even though they had enough. To love the
king’s way meant
using their resources and time to seek the good of others, to protect
the weak,
and to ensure that those with less always had enough. They now wanted
to use
most, if not all of their resources and time to make a better life for
themselves. To love the king’s way meant building meaningful,
lasting
relationships with as many people as possible. They now wanted only
those
relationships which met their needs, satisfied their longings, and
fulfilled
their dreams.
As
far back as they could remember they had made the
king’s happiness and the well-being of everyone in his
kingdom their primary
concern. Now that they were wiser, it was no longer going to be their
primary
concern – a secondary concern, yes, but not their primary
concern. Now their
primary concern was their own good.
So
they rebelled – some sooner than others. But in the
end, everyone rebelled. They rebelled because they were convinced that
selfishness did them more good than living the king’s love.
The
king tried to reason with them. He explained, over
and over how they were being deceived – truly duped
– by the outsider. He tried
to show them how, in going along with the outsider, they had to lie to
themselves. He pointed out the insidiousness of selfishness –
how it promises
the best of everything while actually multiplying their problems,
unjustly
harming others, and destroying relationships. He made it clear that if
they
continued to disobey, they would eventually destroy themselves, their
families,
and the kingdom.
They
did not listen. All they could think of when they
heard the king plead with them to return to living by his laws was that
his
love was too restrictive, too risky, and too difficult. They had tasted
the
good life, and they did not want to return to the king’s way
of self-denial.
They wanted the luxuries and pleasures selfishness gave them. They
preferred
the methods of self-indulgence and self-protection selfishness
provided. They
liked the feelings of happiness and security obtained through
selfishness. And
they were certain the king was selfishly trying to deny them this
wonderful new
life the outsider had shown them.
The
king disciplined them. He took away privileges and
handed out fines. At the same time, he offered them help. He made his
entire
staff available to give whatever help they needed to return to a life
of love.
He trained speakers and sent them throughout the land to explain why
selfishness, for all its promises and instant gratification, was the
worst way
anyone could live. He even offered to pay people’s fines if
they would change
their mind about selfishness and make a serious commitment to live
selflessly
once again.
Sadly,
only a few changed their minds and returned to the
king’s love. The rest remained determined to promote and
protect their own good
to the neglect or at the expense of others. They knew they were
rejecting the
king, and in so doing breaking his heart. They understood their
selfishness
victimized others. They were aware that breaking the law would bring
discipline, and that continuing to break the law would mean banishment.
They
didn’t care. For them, the life of selfishness was a good
life – too good
to give up. And, their persistent pursuit of immediate gratification
helped
them forget the ultimate consequences of their choices and behavior.
Once in a
while they felt pangs of guilt, but they repressed those feelings by
focusing
on the good feelings they got from getting what they wanted.
Finally,
the king could tolerate it no longer. Love was
compelling him to act. He loved the obedient subjects of his kingdom.
He also
loved those who, in defiance of his authority, were unwilling to be
restrained
by love. Without question, he hated what they did – how they
victimized others
for the sake of some personal gain – but he loved them. In
fact, it was his
love -- his love for everyone that made it painfully obvious he could
not
go on
forever trying to change the minds of those who clung to their
selfishness. For
the sake of the suffering victims unjustly hurt by those committed to
selfishness, he had to take further action. For the sake of the few who
returned to loving as he loved, he had to do what he said he would do.
So, with
a broken heart and tear-filled eyes, he applied the punishment for
willfully
and repeatedly breaking the laws of the land. He banished the
unrepentant
offenders from his kingdom.
When
we know what is right yet choose to do nothing, or
when we willfully do what we know is wrong, we sin. All sin, either
immediately
or eventually, brings some form and measure of unnecessary suffering
into the
life of anyone affected by it. Therefore, God rightly condemns us for
the
suffering we selfishly, unjustly, carelessly, neglectfully, or in any
other way
unnecessarily bring into someone’s life by the wrong we have
done or continue
to do.
And
though we want God to judge and condemn those whose
sin causes us to suffer unjustly, we don’t want God to judge
us this way. We
want to be selfish and do what we know is wrong regardless of the harm
it does
to others without being condemned (privately or publicly), disciplined,
or
punished.
In
other words, we want God to hold others accountable
for their sinful behavior, especially when it harms us, while not being
held
accountable for ours. We want others to treat us according to the rules
of love
while having the freedom to live according to the rules of selfishness
when it
serves our purposes.
For
example, we expect of others what God expects of us.
When their behavior directly affects us, we expect them to do what they
know is
right. In fact, we believe it is our right to expect others to treat us
with
respect and to refrain from anything that jeopardizes our interests and
well-being. And yet, when we think a selfish or sinful solution is the
only
reasonable response to a particular situation, we justify or make
excuses for
doing what we know is wrong even though others are unnecessarily harmed
in the
process.
We
believe that anyone who satisfies his own desires,
pursues his own interests, or meets his own needs at our expense has a
serious
defect in his character (he’s a bad person).
Such a person deserves to
be held responsible for the wrong he has done. Yet we see ourselves as
well-intentioned people who, generally speaking, only do what is wrong
when
forced to by our circumstances. And we claim our wrong-doing is not the
result
of a flawed character, but a flawed environment. Therefore, we expect
others to
understand our situation and overlook our wrong-doing.
We
believe that anyone who deliberately ignores us in our
time of need or crisis has intentionally wronged us. Yet we live as if
the less
advantaged, the truly needy, the unfortunate, children without parents,
abandoned old folks, the underclass, the powerless, and the victims of
disaster
are not our responsibility.
We
believe it is right to discipline, dislike, shun,
despise, and finally banish (i.e., divorce, imprison)
anyone who causes
us to repeatedly suffer or who does us great harm. Yet when we commit a
particular sin, over and over, we want those sorely affected to see it
as our
inability to be perfect, or as a flaw caused by being raised in a
dysfunctional
family, or as a part of our personality. In other words, we want to be
accepted
and approved just the way we are while refusing to extend that same
consideration to those who sin against us.
When
we live this way, we are living by a double standard
– one for ourselves and one for others. And without saying
it, and sometimes
without even thinking it, we fully expect two
judgments – one which
condemns them for mistreating us and one which justifies us for doing
the best
we can, under the circumstances.
However,
the one who willingly and knowingly sets aside
love for the ways of selfishness is a menace to everyone who is
affected by
just one of his selfish words or deeds. If he repeats one or more sins
over and
over, he is a perpetual threat. Therefore, the only realistic
protection
against impenitent sinners is to remove them and keep them separate (banishment)
from those who are seriously striving to live a godly, love-controlled
life as
described in God’s word (Note: Romans 13:8-10).
Banishment
would not be so bad if one were exiled to a
place that offered as many opportunities for love, justice, meaningful
relationships, happiness, and security as the place one was banished
from. But
banishment is not a reward for good behavior.
Indeed,
the first duty of banishment is to protect those
who are committed to loving as God loves from those who are committed
to loving
themselves, first and foremost. The second duty of banishment is to
deter
would-be sinners by punishing unrepentant sinners.
To
be an effective deterrent, the punishment must fit the
crime. Those who willfully, intentionally, and repeatedly seek their
own good
at the expense of others are cruel, heartless people – and
this includes even
the nicest sinners. They are cruel and heartless because they have
convinced
themselves that self-centeredness is justifiable given some of the
unpleasant
circumstances and unscrupulous people they have to deal with. In other
words,
they choose selfishness to the harm of others because they believe it
is their
best option. Therefore, eternal banishment from the presence of God and
into
the kingdom of Satan not only fits the crime, it is a punishment that
sends a
strong message of deterrence to would-be sinners.
To
see how strong the message of deterrence is, consider
the following. Those who are banished are sent to a place filled with
self-centered people committed to selfishness. In this place there
won’t be
anyone committed to the way of love. There won’t be any
people of conscience
fighting for justice. There won’t be any people of charity
working to offset
the effects of selfishness on its victims. There won’t be any
authority or
government enforcing just laws or protecting the weak from the will of
the
strong. There won’t be any safe place, no haven where victims
can find relief
from people eager to use and abuse them. This place will be worse than
a prison
filled with incorrigible criminals of every kind, and who have complete
control
over everything that goes on within the prison because the only guards
are
outside the walls preventing any escape. In such an environment there
is no
escaping the torment of unjust suffering at the hands of sinners or the
despair
of being victimized repeatedly. In such an environment there is no hope
for a
better life. In fact, life will grow worse and worse, forever, because
the way
of selfishness is a downward path into ever degenerating depravation
and
perversion.
In
addition, those who are banished go empty-handed. They
must leave behind all their worldly possessions, wealth, and positions
of
power. They enter their new living situation with nothing. And their
new place
of abode is a worthless land. It has no possibility of gratifying their
desires
or satisfying their needs. Indeed, it cannot give them one-tenth of one
percent
of what they had.
Now imagine the endless, desperate efforts of empty-handed, self-centered people in a worthless land trying to supply their own needs and gratify their own desires. Add to that the fact that their only commodity will be each other. This means their only hope of improving their own quality of life will come from preying on each other. And prey they will, for above all else they are self-centered. This is the saddest, and certainly the worst of all existences.
Sin
is a universal problem. No one is sin free. None of
us knows anyone who has lived a sin-free life. Some of us know a good
person –
someone who sins so seldom it seems he never sins at all. But even such
a good
person as this has a past that includes sinning at one time or another,
if not
repeatedly for a time.
Everyone
has willingly and deliberately done something
that they know is wrong. Who hasn’t, at least once,
intentionally acted
selfishly, and in the process hurt someone else? Who hasn’t
willfully refused,
or carelessly neglected to seek the good of someone in order to give
attention
to seeking their own good? Who hasn’t damaged a relationship
through
self-centered, self-serving behavior, whether it be a relationship with
God, a
parent, siblings, a spouse, children, friends, neighbors, or a
co-worker?
Indeed, we all have broken the rule of love which God established for
the
well-being of all mankind – the very same rule we want others
to live by when
dealing with us. (Note: Romans 2:1-16; 3:10-18,23; 13:8-10)
Since
we all have sinned, every one of us is rightly
under the condemnation of God’s punishment for sin. Yet many
argue that God is
grossly unfair or diabolically cruel for punishing sinners by banishing
them to
hell forever. Many are offended, and even angered that God intends to
punish
them as if they have done enough to deserve banishment. Most of us act
as if
we’ve sinned so seldom it’s almost as if we
haven’t sinned at all. And when we
do sin, we see our sin as a mistake, as a consequence of having a bad
day, as a
result of our up-bringing, as a necessary evil given the circumstances
we are
in (i.e., believing it’s necessary to use dishonest
business practices
because that is the way it is in the business world), or as a
response to
someone who is sinning against us – all things which
indicate we think we
are basically good people caught in a bad situation. Since we do not
see ourselves
as bad people deliberately choosing to seek our own good at the expense
of
others, we often think of our sin as being about as bad as a little,
unimportant, almost harmless, white lie compared to what others do.
And
who is deciding how harmless our sin is? Well, of
course, we are. But is that fair? Don’t we demand the right
to decide how other
people’s sin affects us? If we believe it is our right to
decide how their sin
affects us, shouldn’t we give them the right to decide how
our sin affects them?
If we maintain the right to judge the effect of sin in both cases, will
we do
it honestly – with a single standard? If we do not judge with
a single standard
but rather go easier on ourselves than others, it proves we are using a
double
standard that favors us.
The
problem of sin would be bad enough if we each sinned
just once in a lifetime. But as we can read in the newspaper, see on
the
television, hear from our associates, and know from personal
experience, the
problem of sin greatly exceeds "bad." It is a ravaging scourge wreaking
havoc
with horrifyingly devastating results in every corner of the world.
Why?
Because every single human being, past or present, has practiced sin to
one
degree or another. In other words, we haven’t sinned just
once. We sin repeatedly.
And we repeat many of the same sins repeatedly.
It
isn’t that we don’t do anything right. Even the
worst
sinner does some things right. I don’t know anyone whose
every thought, word,
and deed is selfishly sinful. And it isn’t that we harm
everyone all the time
by everything we do. It is easily verifiable that others have been
helped by
the good things we do. But the problem of sin is not in the things we
do right
or the people we don’t hurt. The problem of sin is that we
willingly,
deliberately, and unnecessarily hurt others when we do what we know is
wrong.
Can any amount of good make up for deliberately and repeatedly sinning
against
anyone? Absolutely not!
“Hey,
wait one minute,” you say! “How can you say that
good doesn’t make up for bad? Maybe it’s true in
relation to the evil, vile,
sinister, atrocious things some people do. But I only make a few
mistakes now
and then. Well maybe I deliberately do a few things I know are wrong.
But
what’s so bad about that? Everyone sins. And besides, what I
do is nothing
compared to what most people do. Surely the good I do far exceeds and
therefore
makes up for the bad.”
Consider:
there are basically two levels of sin. On one
level is the baseball-bat-to-the-head sin. On the
other is the kick-in-the-shin sin.
The
baseball-bat-to-the-head
type sin is that one-time
sin which does so much damage it only has to happen once to be too
often.
Examples of this are murder, rape, child sexual abuse, adultery, drunk
driving
that injures others, physically beating your spouse, and torture. When
a person
commits a
baseball-bat-to-the-head
type sin, all the good they are doing and
have
done is overshadowed by the sin. They can pay their debt to society by
going to
jail or paying a hefty fine, but they can never make up for the
suffering
they’ve caused. They can change their ways so in the future
they treat people
with love and respect, but even that cannot undo the harm
they’ve done through
their sin.
For
example, nothing good the murderer has done or will
do can bring his victim back to life. Nothing good the rapist has done
or will
do can restore his victim’s purity and peace of mind. Nothing
good the child
sexual abuser has done or will do can restore his victim’s
childhood innocence.
Nothing good Adolph Hitler (Germany) or Pol Pot (Cambodia)
did
could make up for the extreme suffering they inflicted on large numbers
of
people under their control. The
baseball-bat-to-the-head
type sins are
so
heinous they cannot be offset by any good the sinner has done or may
do.
This
seems obvious enough. But it only applies to a few
people, because most people don’t commit
baseball-bat-to-the-head
type sins.
Fewer still commit these types of sins on a repetitive basis. Of those
who
do, most
are brought to justice so as to put an end to their atrocities.
So,
what about the rest of us? We are predominantely
involved in the
kick-in-the-shin
type sins. Examples of kick-in-the-shin
type
sins are tardiness, sloppiness, compulsive perfectionism, manipulation
and
control, an angry temper, derogatory comments, put-downs, faultfinding,
argumentativeness, deceit, shirking responsibilities,
over-spending,
under-spending, late pay or no pay on debts owed, stinginess,
prejudice,
unforgiveness, insensitivity, sexual unresponsiveness within marriage,
workaholism,
neglect, holding others to a stricter standard than we hold ourselves,
conceit,
general unkindness, jealousy, envy, substance abuse, and getting even.
Generally,
society thinks these sins are not so bad. In
fact, kick-in-the-shin
sins are committed so often that many of them
seem
normal to most of us. Besides, most of them have a seemingly minor
effect on
their victims. Surely the good we do offsets this type of sin.
What
a self-serving misconception! To begin with, the
same distrustful self-centeredness which is the driving force behind
baseball-bat-to-the-head
sins is the driving force behind
kick-in-the-shin
sins.
In
other words, whether we commit the supposedly big sins or the seemingly
little
sins, we sin because we willfully, deliberately, knowingly, and too
often
eagerly do what we know is wrong – seeking our own good at
the expense of
others. It is this distrusting, self-centered mindset, this
sin-justifying
belief system, this exaltation of self-interest over the good of others
which
makes every sinner a dangerous threat to the well-being of everyone
affected in
any way by his choices and behavior.
Remember,
sin, whether great or small, is evil because it
unnecessarily harms others – from self to God to anyone else
affected by its ripple
effects. In this same way, the sinner, whether he commits atrocities or
seemingly insignificant sins, whether he commits one sin or thousands,
is evil
because he is choosing to knowingly and deliberately harm others.
Therefore, it
is not the size of the sin nor the magnitude of sins committed which
condemns us
to hell. It is our willingness to go our own way, to look out for our
own good,
to gratify our own desires, and to meet our own needs at the expense of
others
which makes us worthy of eternal banishment from God and all who love
as God
loves.
Beyond
this, consider the arenas where kick-in-the-shin
sins commonly occur. The greatest number of
kick-in-the-shin
sins are
committed
in the home, and in our active communities (extended family,
school group,
workplace, social group, church group, neighborhood). This
means
kick-in-the-shin
sins are committed by someone we know and with whom we spend
significant amounts of time. The sinner may be our parent, sibling,
spouse,
child, extended family member, neighbor, pastor, fellow church member,
boss,
co-worker, employee, or a social acquaintance. It is reasonable to
assume that
every one of these people have good qualities and do good things for
those
closest to them. Yet if they kick us in the shin once a day, or several
times a
week, or five to six times a month, or eight to twelve times in a year,
it
isn’t long before the kick in the shin becomes so hurtful, so
offensive, so
much a statement of disloyalty and disrespect and lack of love, that it
overshadows
all the good they do for us.
One
example of this is often found in divorce. The wife
who wants a divorce is not trying to get away from her husband because
he is
totally bad. He has many redeeming qualities. He does many things well.
So why
the divorce? He has kicked her in the shin so often with the same three
or four
sins that she feels she can’t take any more. She hurts too
much. And, she’s
been hurting too long. Her husband’s sin, though seemingly
small by comparison
to murder or rape, has become so large in its repetitiveness that he no
longer
does enough good to offset the bad.
Most
of us do not commit baseball-bat-to-the-head
type
sins. But we do commit
kick-in-the-shin
type sins, again and again and
again.
This is called practicing sin. We practice sin because we believe in
the worth
of sin over the worth of love and the worth of doing what we know is
right. We
practice sin because we are willing to harm others in our efforts to
benefit
ourselves. We practice sin because we do not believe God or His ways
work well
enough to be useful in our situation. And whether we admit it or not,
every one
of us has made a practice of at least one, if not dozens of
kick-in-the-shin
type sins.
Therefore,
we are guilty. We are guilty of eternal
damnation because we have willfully inflicted pain on others for purely
selfish
reasons. We are guilty of knowing better, especially since we expect
better of
everyone whose behavior affects us. We are guilty of repeatedly sinning
against
the same people, of forcing them to endure unnecessary suffering again
and
again. We are guilty of loving ourselves more than others, and in so
doing, we
become guilty of deliberately seeking our own good at their expense.
This is an
atrocity for which God rightly condemns us to banishment in hell
forever. And
be assured of this, no amount of good done can make up for the wrong we
have
done.
Too
few of us give any serious consideration to how our
sin affects God. Some even think God is completely unaffected by our
sin. And
yet, when we sin, we send God the message that we think we know more
about
ourselves and what is best for us than He does. We tell Him by our
actions that
we are rejecting His position of authority over us, and that we are
taking over
that position ourselves. When we sin, we spurn His love and reject His
truth in
order to take hold of what we suppose is love and imagine is truth.
This breaks
God’s heart, just as it would break any father’s
heart who was treated this way
by his children. (Note: Ezekiel 6:9; Psalm 78:40-41; Isaiah 63:8-10;
Luke
19:41-42; Ephesians 4:30)
Because
God’s way of love makes the good of all its
focus, we break His heart when we make the good of self our focus
– hurting
people He loves in the process. And since God loves everyone, we cannot
selfishly and unnecessarily hurt anyone without turning our backs on
God,
rebelling against His will, discounting His Word, and sending God the
message
we love ourselves more than Him. Indeed, we bear witness to the truth
of these
things every time we place our interests above the good of someone God
loves.
And
who does God love? Everyone. God loves us all –
male as well as female, child as well as adult, black as well as white,
Asian
as well as Mexican, righteous as well as unrighteous, Muslim and Hindu
and
new-age and skeptic as well as Christian, Democrat as well as
Republican, your
neighbor as well as you, and you as well as me.
God
is fighting an all-out war with evil to protect the
good of all. We break His heart when we side with His archenemy, the
devil, in
the pursuit of some selfish or fleshly or worldly good. In fact, James
says
that friendship with the world is hostility toward God, and whoever
wants to be
a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. To see this more
clearly,
imagine yourself as a good, loving parent who wants what is best for
all
your
children. Imagine that one of your children turns against you and the
family to
the harm of one or more family members, and to the loss of relationship
with
that child. Surely this would break your heart!
Consider
this second example. If I selfishly mistreat or
abuse or despise my mother-in-law, I am hurting someone whom my wife
dearly
loves. This breaks her heart and drives a wedge between us. In the same
way, we
cannot selfishly and unnecessarily hurt anyone God loves without
hurting God,
and alienating ourselves from Him.
To
deliberately and unnecessarily sin against God, the
creator of the universe, our loving Father, the One to whom we owe
honor and
respect, surely means we deserve banishment from His presence and
kingdom
forever.
But
above all this, God’s way of love includes wanting a
love relationship with us – a two-way, intimate relationship
of communion and
companionship built on mutual love and trust. Yet when we act like the
prodigal
son who took his father’s wealth and went off to live as he
pleased – we
damage and even sever our relationship with God – even if for
a time. This
would break any father’s heart, and surely it breaks
God’s heart. (Note: James
4:5)
God
promises to father us and raise us to spiritual
maturity. We break His heart when we want Him to pamper us with a
problem-free,
physically healthy, worldly wealthy life instead of using His tools
(trials and
testings) to transform us into the likeness of His son, Jesus Christ.
(Note:
James 1:2-4)
Not
only do we hurt God every time we sin, we hurt
everyone else our sin affects. This point has been made quite
extensively already, but it bears repeating.
Some
of the destructive consequences of our own sin
boomerang on us, bringing unwanted hardship, suffering, turmoil, and
loss into
our own lives. But this is exceedingly fair. What is unfair is that
some of the
destructive consequences from our sin victimize others who had no
involvement
with our decision to sin. Yet because of our sin, they are in some way
harmed
by it. This is inhumane. It is cruel to bring needless difficulty,
heartache,
anxiety, pain, suffering, and loss into the life of anyone who has had
no part
in choosing and committing our sin.
Consider
the unjust and unnecessary suffering inflicted
on children raised by compulsive or perfectionistic parents. Consider
this same
thing for children raised by domineering or critical or nagging
parents,
children of divorced parents, children of workaholics, children of
alcoholics
or drug abusers, children of religious fanatics or hypocrites, children
of
sexually or physically or emotionally abusive parents, children of
permissive
parents, children of unreasonably strict parents, and children
neglected or
abandoned by their parents.
Consider
the unjust and unnecessary suffering experienced
by a spouse who becomes infected with the HIV virus because her mate is
sexually promiscuous or an IV drug user. And what about people injured
by drunk
drivers, students taught by ill-prepared teachers, citizens whose
politicians
are more interested in re-election than good government, manufacturers
who are
sued by consumers because employees carelessly do their work, workers
who are
underpaid or exposed to hazardous work conditions because employers are
too
concerned with profits, and employers who lose money because employees
steal
from them.
Consider
the unjust and unnecessary suffering inflicted
on neighbors of people who live like pigs, or on people who are robbed
–
especially those who are robbed and physically harmed at the same time,
or on
people who undergo unnecessary surgery just so the doctor or hospital
can make
more money. And what about people who are denied the opportunities and
privileges that others enjoy because of discrimination on the basis of
color or
religion or gender or physical condition. Everywhere we look, we find
people
suffering unjustly and unnecessarily at the hands of sinners.
In
spite of the shortness of these lists, they make the
point. Because of sin, everyone who has ever lived on the face of this
earth
has suffered unjustly and unnecessarily at the hands of willful sinners
acting
selfishly. Yet the connection between a sinner’s sin and a
victim’s suffering
isn’t always clear.
An
automobile assembly line worker had the job of
attaching brake lines on the passenger side of cars. One Monday night
he stayed
up late to watch football. During the course of the game, he drank
enough beers
to get drunk. He went to work the next day, but he was neither mentally
nor
physically fit to do quality work. During his workday he made several
mistakes
in attaching brake lines. He wasn’t aware of making any
mistakes because he
wasn’t giving the kind of attention to his work that was
necessary to detect
mistakes.
As
the cars passed the next inspection point, an
inspector who had a bad sinus infection was more engrossed in nursing
his cold
than in inspecting cars. Out of neglect caused by the distraction of
his sinus
infection, he put his stamp of approval on every car that came his way
that
day, instead of giving them his usual thorough inspection.
A
computer company bought one of the cars made on this
day for business use by a new young employee. The company intended that
the car
be used for work purposes only. Yet since it was new and gas could be
purchased
on the company credit card, the young man drove the car for some
personal use
as well. One evening, after spending several hours dining, dancing, and
drinking alcoholic beverages with his friends, the young employee got
into his
company car and started for home. Within a mile of his home his
headlights
shone on a car. The car was pulled to the side of the road, but not off
the
road. It was halfway in his lane. An older gentleman was trying to
change the
rear tire on the driver’s side.
How
did all this happen? It happened because of choices –
selfish or careless choices which left victims in their wake.
The
assembly line worker chose to stay up late and drink
too much beer, even though he was old enough to know it would affect
the
quality of his work the next day. He chose late night entertainment and
the
pleasure gained from too many beers over the safety of those who drove
or got
in the path of any car he helped build.
The
sick inspector was so concerned about relieving his
own suffering that he neglected to be properly concerned about the
safety of
the consumer. He could have stayed home, but he did not want to use his
sick
leave. So he chose income and the relief of his own suffering over the
well-being of anyone who would drive or get in the way of a car he
inspected
that day.
The
young employee chose to drive the company car even
though he knew it was against company policy. He chose to take and use
what did
not belong to him because it meant he did not have to use his own
income for
such things. He gave no thought to how his dishonesty and greed might
hurt his
company. He also knew he drank more than he should.
But he enjoyed partying with his friends. It
kept him from being lonely. Like so many others, he wanted to be liked,
to feel
happy, and to have more than he had – and he was willing to
pursue these things
at the expense of others.
It
is clear that none of the choices these people made
were made with the intention of harming anyone. They were simply
looking out
for themselves, as selfish people do. They were not like premeditated
murderers
who plot their evil beforehand. They were like manslaughters who harm
others
from carelessness and foolishness. They were not intentionally harmful,
just
intentionally selfish. Yet in seeking their own good without equal
regard for
the good of others the results were just as disastrous as if they had
intentionally plotted to do this much harm.
Love
does no harm to its neighbor. Loving God supremely
and our neighbor as ourselves is the only way to protect everyone from
unnecessary heartache, injury, and suffering. If we will not repent of
selfishness and make love the ruling principle in our life, we remain a
constant threat to the well-being of everyone affected by our selfish
choices
and behavior. Therefore, banishment is the only effective, permanent
protection
against such a threat.
God
has chosen to banish everyone who willfully remains
committed to selfishness. This is reasonable in that it removes the
self-centered so those who love can live together in peace and harmony
– loving
others as each ought to be loved. Therefore, banishment (death,
eternal
separation from God, being cast into hell with the devil and all his
cohorts)
is God’s chosen way of protecting the victims of sin,
punishing sinners who
continue to deliberately do what they know is wrong, and deterring
would-be
sinners from practicing sin.
Sinners,
especially the successful ones, influence and
inspire others to sin. The apparent ability of sinners to quickly and
effectively protect themselves, satisfy themselves, and accumulate good
things
influences others to pursue sin as a reliable means of improving their
condition.
Consider
the parent who tries to control his children
through angry physical punishment, harsh words, or excessive threats.
He may
control his children, but he is also teaching them to treat others the
way he
treats them. He won’t have to sit his children down and
explain to them that
anger and abusiveness are effective means of making people do what you
want.
His example provides all the teaching they need. The truth of this is
proven in
our own society. Most children who come from physically violent or
verbally
abusive homes use abusive force on their mates and children to maintain
control
over them. This is the direct result of one sinner influencing others
to join
him in his sin.
The
businessman who seems to have all the money he wants
for personal use is often looked up to as a success. If his success is
due to
cheating on his taxes (paying cash under the table, swapping
business
services for personal-use goods, treating personal expenses as business
expenses), and underpaying his employees, those who want to
mimic his
success will be highly influenced to mimic his methods. This is how one
sinner
influences others to join him in the ways of sin.
Consider
the impact of motion pictures and television on
the young and impressionable. Movies and television often depict sinful
behavior as normal behavior practiced by decent people. They depict
seemingly
normal people participating in acts of violence, revenge, sexual
activity
outside of marriage, homosexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce,
deception,
greed as it pertains to wealth and luxury, the abuse of power, and
other
self-serving, sinful behaviors. Storylines often give the message that
these
things improve one’s quality of life, or right wrongs where
justice is lacking.
So why not participate in them? Watch the people around you, both young
and
old. See how many are being influenced to try sinful things or continue
down
the path of sin as a result of the influence movies and television have
on
them.
And
then there are hypocritical Church members.
Hypocrites are those who bear the name ‘Christian’,
who look to the Bible for
advice on how to live, who openly admit they believe in God, who claim
to know
God’s will, who talk about the difference between authentic
Christianity and
so-called Christianity, and who know enough about the Bible to teach
others.
Now these folks are hypocrites because they do not live according to
what they
claim to believe or teach others. Yet because of their status in the
local
church, they become powerful influences on others to follow the ways of
sin.
Their influence is so deadly that God tells sincere Christians to stop
associating with them in order to protect weaker Christians from the
power of
their influence. (Note:
I Corinthians 5:9-13)
The
influence hypocrites have outside the Church is just
as deadly as it is in the Church. Because of hypocrites,
God’s name and His
Word are laughed at, cursed, discredited, and even hated by
unbelievers, or those
of other religions. Unbelievers become hardened to the Gospel because
so-called
Christians live a life which includes the known, justified, tolerated,
and even
defended practice of sin. This drives unbelievers farther from God and
more and
more into a life of selfishness and sin. (Note: Romans 2:17-24)
Do
not ignore this truth. Sinners influence would-be
sinners to sin. If God let one unrepentant person, one human being who
willingly and self-justifyingly practiced known sin into His Eternal
Kingdom,
that one person would influence others to join him in rebelling against
love
and practicing sin. Sin would spread. There would be more victims.
Unjust,
unnecessary suffering would increase. And in time, the Eternal Kingdom
of God
would be no better than the present condition of earth. For the
preservation of
all that is good (such as love, justice, peace, joy, the
provisions of
everyone's needs), God must send all who willfully and
deliberately
practice known sin to their own place.
Sin
is abominable. There may be little sins and big sins,
but all sin victimizes others who had no part in making the decision to
sin.
Thus, every sin is an outrageous evil that must be stopped. To stop
sin,
unrepentant sinners must be separated from those who repent and make it
their
goal to love as God loves.
The
doing of good which secures the well-being of
everyone is completely dependent upon the practice of love –
love which seeks
the good of others in a way that is at least equal to its seeking the
good of
self. The choice to practice love is required of all who live together
in any
form of community if each individual’s well-being is to be
protected and the
greatest possible good of all is to be secure. Sin is the only obstacle
to the
existence of such loving communities. Since sin is brought into our
world and
practiced by people, sinners must either repent of sin and be converted
to a
life of love (righteousness), or they must be
removed if sin itself is
to be removed.
Repentance
or removal are the only two reasonable,
workable options for stopping sin in a world where people can freely
choose how
they will live. In spite of this, many have the idea that they can
knowingly
and willfully practice sin here on earth and still go to heaven after
they die.
They think that when we pass through the gates of Heaven, God will
mysteriously
change our willful devotion to selfishness into a willful devotion to
love. Is
this the teaching of the Bible? To me it seems like the thinking of
selfish
sinners who want the best of both worlds.
The
message of the Bible is that after we die physically,
God will put us in a place where we can live to the fullest potential,
unhindered by any opposing forces, the way of life we practiced here on
earth.
(Note: Isaiah 3:10-11; Matthew 7:21-27, 13:41-43, 25:41-46; Romans
2:4-11; II
Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 6:7-8; Hebrews 10:26-31)
If
you have repented of sin, put your faith in God, and
are verifying the genuineness of your repentance and faith by dying to
self and
becoming as godly as you can possibly be in this life, God will bring
you into
His Eternal Kingdom. There, your choice to love God supremely and love
others
as you love yourself can reach its fullest potential, unhindered by the
opposing forces of sin and the devil.
If
you are committed to keeping selfishness alive so you
can enjoy its benefits here on earth, God will send you to hell. There,
your
self-centeredness can reach its fullest potential, unhindered by the
opposing
forces of good and God. Such action on God’s part toward the
selfishly sinful
is both punishment and necessity. It is punishment for willfully
victimizing
others throughout their lifetime. It is necessity because it is the
only
suitable way to protect those who want to love as God loves from
unnecessary
pain and suffering at the hands of unrepentant sinners.
Some
people say that the penalty for sin is unfair.
However, the penalty for sin is just that – a penalty. It is
not an effort to
reclaim the sinner from a life of sin. God has been doing that since
Adam
sinned, and He will continue to do that until Jesus returns. And
because God
does not want any sinner to be exiled from His eternal kingdom, He has
gone far
beyond all reasonable expectations to win us back from our life of
selfishness
and sin.
God’s
efforts to reclaim us from the practice of sin are
made while we are living on this earth. If we resist God’s
diligent and loving
efforts until our dying day on this earth, we would only go on
resisting His
efforts if He allowed us into His eternal kingdom. Bringing us into
Heaven will
not change us into a loving, caring individual who wants only what is
best for
God and our fellowman. Therefore, the penalty is not for our good, but
for the
good of those who have chosen love as the governing principle of their
lives.
Since
we all have sinned, we are all under the penalty of
sin. There is no escape from this penalty except through the means God
has
graciously provided. He pleads with us to partake of His provision so
we can
live with Him and all who love as He loves, forever. Truly, God takes
no
pleasure in the death of the wicked. His deepest desire is that we turn
from
our sinful ways and live.
What
about you? Do you understand that sin is so horrible
that it can only be dealt with by removing it, just like cancer has to
be
removed? If God leaves even a little bit, it will grow until it
destroys
everything. God is love, and His love compels Him to be just. His
justice
compels Him to exile all practicing sinners from His kingdom. Will you
be
exiled? Or, will you repent of sin and believe on the Lord Jesus for
salvation
from the influence, practice, and penalty of sin, so you can live with
God
forever? Only you can make this choice for yourself.
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