Adam and Eve set the pattern. “It was that woman you gave me: she ave me some fruit.” “It was the serpent that deceived me.” Aaron pathetically followed their example: “It was the people; they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” Saul likewise: “You [Samuel] didn’t come at the set time, so I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “It wasn’t me, it was the soldiers.” And so with many more of us.
Human thinking justifies self. Can I find a loophole through which I can crawl with my valued self-righteousness intact? Can I somehow find Bible justification that will excuse my less-than-sinless behavior?
The Word of God says simply that God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16). It says that disunity and division in the body of Christ are worldly and carnal (1 Cor. 3:3). It tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and that God will make us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion (Acts 20:35; It Cor. 9:11). But with self-convincing logic we argue that God will not hate some divorces — especially my own — because they were somebody else’s fault. We cite II John 10 to justify refusing to welcome a brother or sister, or a stranger, graciously and freely into our home. We excuse lack of generosity on the ground that the recipient is certain to abuse it. We stake our right to pursue a grudge because our antagonist has not yet repented. We whitewash our controversies and disunity by claiming that we are defending the purity of the truth.
Job was typical of all of us when he burst out, “I will never admit you are right. Till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it” (Job 27:5-6). After days resisting the reality, proud Job’s vanity finally crumbled before the truth. He finally accepted that even he, blameless and upright though he was, needed to repent. He became humble Job. “I despise myself,” he confessed, “and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6).
Divine thinking justifies God. “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” is the model for us all (Luke 18:13). Away with our foolish rationalizations and self-justifications! Divine thinking does not seek to excuse our shortcomings. It acknowledges that we have fallen short of the glory of God. It confesses unworthiness, and asks for God’s help in picking up the broken pieces. It is kind and tenderhearted.
I accompanied an ecclesial elder once to interview a sister who had married an “alien.” He tried hard to make her confess that she had committed a wickedness so great that she would have to accept being expelled from the body of Christ. She spoke of her husband’s kindness and loving spirit. “I am not as strong as you are,” she pleaded. “I could not face living a single life. But I love God and He is the light of my life. Why are you sending me into the dark?” She did not justify what she had done. Can any of us?
Several important issues have been ventilated in the Caribbean Pioneer in recent months. These have been concerned with the impact of the gospel and the spirit of Christ on various aspects of our daily lives: marital matters, the workplace, strife and malice, helping the poor and needy, generosity, human love, self-righteousness, disunity, unmerciful behavior.
We have appreciated feedback from readers. Some of it has been encouraging because it has reflected divine thinking. I also have a letter from a Bro. R. Paterson, written 125 years ago, which reflects divine thinking. It is worth reading (see below).
The simple fact is that God’s analysis of the human heart is so radically different from our own. If we “cherish” or try to find an excuse for sin in our hearts, God will not listen to us (Psa. 66:18). But “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, you will not despise” (Psa. 51:17).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One