Communication
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Expanding on question 1 from Challenge 33 :
"If we say we do not believe in God:
- Is it right or fair that we should benefit from His principles?"
I would like to answer this in two parts. Part one on whether I think it is right and part two on whether I think it is fair:
Part One:
No, I do not believe it is right that we should benefit from the said principles we rebel against. But I am human and think logically most of the times. However God ‘causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good’ (Matthew 5:45). So regardless of whether we believe or not, we still continue to benefit from His principles.
Here are some examples I thought might help to clarify the point I made:
Let’s look from the perspective of a Doctor or a Nurse:
A mother in labour needs the care of a doctor and/or a midwife in order to complete the final stage of her labour. Without that help there can be various complications with both mother and child. Such complications can be fatal. I see those professionals, offering their services, as God’s way of helping to bring a new life into this world. That service is provided to mothers whether or not they believe in God.
When we fall ill and need the doctor’s advice and medication our local doctor surgery and our hospital doors are still open to us. We benefit from the use of a hospital bed and the care of the nurses and the doctors. Then we have the medication that scientists spend years developing to cure the particular disease or ease the ongoing pain. It is God who calls those individuals into a caring ministry which falls into the category of ‘help’ intertwining with ‘hospitality’. Yes, we do continue to benefit from His principles whether we believe or not.
Let us look from the perspective of a farmer:
The farmer tends the land and prepares the soil for sowing season. He doesn’t believe in God but in order for him to reap a harvest he must follow God’s principles of farming: sowing/planting on fertile ground, watering, allowing sunshine etc. for growth to take place so that he may have a healthy crop to harvest.
We can find these principles in Matthew 13:1-8 where the farmer yields a result by avoiding the path/walk way so the seeds won’t become food for the birds; avoiding the rocky places where it doesn’t have much soil or they will be scorched by the sun and wither away as they would have had no root; avoiding thorn bushes or they will grow up and choke the plants.
The earth/ground he digs to plant seeds is not man-made. The seeds he plants are not man-made. The tree into which the seed grows is God’s creation just like the fruit it bears. For that harvest to take place the rain must come to provide water, the sunshine must penetrate the plants and growth must take place.
Once the plant has reached maturity and produces a crop, the farmer has food to eat, to feed his family and to provide for others. He as well as those being provided for are indeed benefiting from the principles that God has given us to govern our lives. The farmer may or may not be a believer but he is indeed benefiting from the principles of God and the people who receive from Him (whether directly or through a supermarket) are being provided for by God through his work. Yes, it may seem wrong or even unfair that unbelievers should benefit from the principles that they claim to reject but God is not like man. He provides for our every need.
Let’s look from a parental perspective:
A parent honours God’s Word in training up their child/ren in the way of the Lord--teaching them to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength…to be kind and loving in the way they treat others (being respectful, polite, caring etc.) That parent also corrects them when they are wrong and disciplines them when they cross the boundaries set for their own protection.
That child or those children will go out and exercise that training. They will show that care in their relationships with their relatives, teachers, friends and others they come in contact with…those people they come in contact with are indeed benefiting from the principles of God whether or not they believe in Him. That child or children will become adult(s) and exercise that care in their work place and in their other relationships. Evidently, marriage partners, in-laws and their children (if they are blessed in that department) will also experience the benefits of those principles.
Let’s look from an employer’s perspective:
When an employer treats his/her employees well (as equals and respectful regardless of their titles, pay bands, ethnicity, size, gender, religion etc.) they are exercising God’s principles in treating others as they would expect to be treated.
Let’s look from an individual perspective:
When an individual apologises for stepping on your toes in the queue or for hurting you with their judgemental or condemning words that is God’s principles being exercised. That act of kindness, allows you to be free from their hurtful words or actions so that you can move forward with your day or your life and have a healthy relationship with others. It frees you from malice and the need to try and take revenge in making the perpetrator pay for their mistakes.
Part Two:
No, I do not believe it is fair that we should benefit from God’s principles if we claim not to believe in Him. That’s not fair in our human eyes but God is not like us He is a just God. We are all His children whether we believe in Him or continue to reject Him. He said that He will not leave us nor forsake us and that He will provide for our needs. Our heavenly Father knows what we need and will continue to provide for us. He won’t stop the rain from falling or the sun from shining, punishing all for those who reject Him! No, that is not the character of God. That is man’s resentful and revengeful way of thinking. We want ‘an eye for an eye’ but this is not the teaching of Christ, ‘Bless those who curse you and spitefully use you’ overturns that aspect of the law. We find that in Romans 12:14-17:
14) If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
15) When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow.
16) Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17)Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
Also we read in Matthew 7:1-5 not to judge others, helping us to understand that, “Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
So there you have it! Our hateful ways will cause us to ‘cut off our nose to spite our face’ as my grandparents would say. It is simply a selfish way of thinking when we believe that individuals or a group of people are more deserving than another. None of us are without sin therefore if we believe that to be a justified way of living where the non-believer, for example, should be punished while the believer gets all the benefits or vice versa then that simply means we must understand that what we are wishing for others is in line with what we will also receive, ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Luke 6:31).
When we decide that someone is not deserving of our forgiveness we choose to live in a prison we do not realise exists because our eyes are blinded to the truth. We cannot experience what it feels like to be forgiven if we do not extend that forgiveness to others. What we give is also what we expect to receive. When we accept forgiveness we have the experience of being forgiven and will therefore understand the need to allow others to experience forgiveness. That’s the power that will set you free from the bondage of hatred.
If however, we do not know what it feels like to accept forgiveness we will hold on to the resentment and feel we have the right to condemn others and judge them for their wrongdoings while believing that they don’t have the right to do the same to us. That is hypocrisy.
At this point I would like to point out that the Bible does teach of judgement where a man must examine himself. This instruction is given to the believer in 2 Corinthians 13:5, ‘Examine yourself to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.’ It is for the believer to judge his/her own walk.
‘This self-judgement refers to the believers criticism of his own ways (1 Cor 11:31–33), and it results in his seeing and confessing his sin (1 Jn 1:7–9). Restoration to full fellowship through the advocacy of Jesus Christ ensues (1 Jn 2:1–2). The Scriptures teach that, under proper limitations, men should be free to form and express private judgements relative to the Word of God, to the State, and to their fellowmen. Men are to govern one another as well as to judge themselves…
Private, unofficial judgement of others is also necessary in order to protect one’s own life and character. We must constantly form estimates of the conduct and character of others for our own guidance and safety and usefulness.
For example, we are to beware of false prophets whom we shall be able to recognize by their fruits (Mt 7:15–20). We are to prove or examine all things, holding fast to what is good and avoiding the evil (1 Thess 5:21–22).
We need to be able to discriminate, abounding in knowledge and discernment (Phil 1;9-10, NEB, NASB marg.) The prohibition of judging (Mt 7:1) is not opposed to this (cf. 7:6), but refers to criticizing and condemning. We are forbidden to usurp God’s place as judge, or to pass rash, unjust, uncharitable judgements on others…’
--Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, page 976–977.
With that said, let us leave the judging to the judge (see Genesis 18:25, Psalm 94:2). God is the only one who has the authority to judge in that context (Rom 3:6) and there is a time set aside for judgement when we will all account for what we have done in our mortal bodies. Until then, let us be obedient and carry out the tasks He has given us authority to perform. While we faithfully continue to do His will, let us be reminded of Matthew 7:1-2, ‘Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them.’
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I am personally interested in the subject of judgement of others because, it is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied by even mature believers. I since did a chapter on the subject. Thanks for a good work. God bless.