11/02/2024 – Prologue – 35,000 Choices per Day – Health, hygiene, housing, diet, belief, clothing, tasks, jobs, careers, governance, voting, companions, family, family formation, mind, tongue, education, reading and travel. We must thank God for the ability to be able to make choices, it is truly a gift from God to all of humanity. In fact, the ability to make the range of choices over such a wide range and depth is what allows us to be fully human. Choices are binary, basically good or evil. The character of each choice may not be easily discernible. This may have long lasting negative consequences if certain decisions become habitual. The lists below (The Seven Deadly Sins and the counter-balancing Virtues) come from the early teachings of the Catholic church. (ca. 7th C.) The Biblical references are added to enhance our study and contemplation. (The references noted here are not exhaustive.)
Seven Deadly Sins and Virtues: Lust – Self-control – [2 Tim. 2:22]; Gluttony – Temperance – [1 Cor. 10:31]; Greed – Charity – [Heb. 13:5]; Sloth – Diligence – [Prov. 6:6; 13:4]; Wrath – Patience – [Rom. 12:17]; Envy – Kindness – [James 3:14-16; Prov. 14:30]; and Pride – Humility – [James 4:6-7; Jer. 9:23-24] These sins are especially destructive to our soul and referred to as "deadly" because they will lead to spiritual death if left unrepented and unforgiven. The avoidance of these sins is an important aspect of Christian living. The seven virtues serve as a guide for believers so they may live lives filled with dignity and self-worth.
One choice we have to make is the selection of our leaders. In our republic we do this via a system of periodic voting. We have an election in America on 11/05 which will permanently alter the direction of our country regardless of which political party wins this election. One party will attempt to lessen the control of American citizens via a coercive national government. The other party will attempt to centralize control under a single person operating in Washington, DC. One party will offer the opportunity of all people to control the direction of their lives. The other party will pick winners and losers; and will organize patron groups based on societal or cultural characteristics. One party tells you they will remove, as much as possible, the burden of taxation and regulation from ordinary citizens. The other party tells you how they will control prices and how some groups will receive benefits from the public treasury. Each party has had four years to demonstrate how they will govern and the difference is stark. And finally, look at what each party is proposing and then attempt to discern how the Bible characterizes their proposals. But above all vote; 1,304,000 Americans have died in major wars to protect your access to the ballot box. That is not a petty number and we should not carry petty attitudes with us into the voting booth.
[1 Peter 2:18-25] – Suffering as the Messiah Did – Not many decades ago, before electricity and mechanization, the work performed then, by the advancements of today, was performed by slaves. Note, this is not an advocacy statement for the dehumanizing institution of slavery. A slave was property, meaning a slave could be bought/sold, singly/in units, physically or sexually abused and treated with the barest of care. All the owner needed to supply was minimal housing and enough food to guarantee one more day of work. We may sneer at the people of past centuries for the barbaric practice of owning slaves, but - for all we have done in the modern world, millions still exist as highly marginalized subsets of society. Peter was more creative, and needed to be so, because many Christians were slaves and the Gospel of Jesus gives dignity and self-worth to allthose who believe. Peter refrained from encouraging them to revolt. He told them to respect and obey their masters. He includes all Christian slaves regardless of their attitude toward their masters, whether kind or unjust. Are we correct when agreeing it proper to urge a slave to be cooperative with an unjust master? Are we colluding with the master? Many abusive, intolerant situations exist because of the fear of speaking. However, Peter may have glimpsed a deeper truth within the moral quicksand. He wants us to follow him through this process based on the fulfilment in the messianic moments. Is there a thought process we ourselves are able to adopt into our own lives? We start by recognizing that Jesus' crucifixion was the most unjust, evil act ever seen. Jesus deserved only praise and gratitude; but they rejected Him, they beat Him, and they killed Him. We must go back to [Isa. 53] where the ‘servant’ is called to carry out God’s worldwide saving purposes. In [Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 51:4-9] the ‘servant’ serves because he is treated unjustly; insulted, but does not reply in kind; suffers and does not curse his tormentors. Peter says, He bore our sins in His body on the cross. [Isa. 53:4] We were going astray, like lost sheep, but the wound(s) gave us healing. [Isa. 53:5-6] This is one of the clearest statements in the entire NT - that Jesus, the Messiah, took upon Himself the punishment the people themselves deserved. As Israel’s Messiah, the world’s true Lord, He alone could represent all the people. Consider what Peter is saying about slaves and masters; as well as other examples. Peter is not saying people should remain passive when on the receiving end of violence. He is urging people to see that the suffering of the Messiah is not the only means by which we ourselves are rescued from our own sin. Perhaps when suffering is extended through the lives of Jesus’ followers that it may be a way by which the world may be brought to a new place. Is this a clever way of not confronting the real issue? Peter teaches that the death and resurrection of Jesus was, is now and always will be the point around which all else in the world revolves. Peter is trying to get us to accept that all the unjust suffering of God’s people is caught up in the suffering of God’s son. A powerful perspective! However, those of us who read [1 Peter], in freedom, have a deep responsibility to help our brothers and sisters for whom the persecution noted above is a daily happenstance. AMEN
Love, hank
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