Call to Commitment

 

Soon I will be presenting my annual exposition of a book in the Bible. I am contemplating writing on John´s first epistle, but if I feel very energetic, I might take on the prophecy of Jeremiah. Please pray that I will find the will of God, as to how I can best encourage and inform His people.

 In the meantime, I continue to bring up articles, which were published earlier on this blogspot. This theme, Before the Supreme Judge was first published in three parts between July 7 and July 16, 2014. I present it again to Christians, as a tool for evangelism. Let me ask you… How have you learned to share the gospel in personal evangelism? See if it lines up with the truth presented in these three writings. They contain in detail the biblical principles concerning the subject.

 Most methods of evangelism will include the question, Do you recognize that you are a sinner? That question will usually be hurriedly passed over, in order to arrive at more pleasant and acceptable points. This thesis covers the theme thoroughly, better providing the unbeliever with the reason, for which he needs salvation. Please read this and the next two articles seriously and carefully.

A tract might be good to get someone’s attention, but it gives little aid in informing about the need for salvation and why, precisely, it is needed. This booklet will tell clearly of the justice and the love of God. If you want to give people something of value to read, you can receive this and two other installments in the form of a small book. Simply write us at loelmarga@telefonica.net. I really wish that many, who have a desire to evangelize, would use it.

 

Reflections

 Can you imagine for a moment what would happen if countries had no laws to govern them and if justice would not act to guarantee their enforcement? What would happen if murderers, thieves, swindlers, drug traffickers, and rapists knew that no law existed to condemn their acts? It is obvious that it would bring chaos. To give us a small idea, it should be enough to observe countries with corrupt governments or with a faulty judicial system, in order to see, as a result, a high rate of murder, rape, abuse, prostitution, poverty, social insecurity, economic instability, and a lack of educational and health facilities.

 For that reason, all the governments in the civilized world, in order to avert anarchy and chaos, have created their departments of justice, since it is impossible, and even against the law, that a man should take justice into his own hands. Of course, it is a fact today that justice is losing the power and even the significance that it once had.

In general, we are in favor of the law, as long as it guarantees our security and well-being, and does not impair our lifestyles. At times, we demonstrate solidarity with those who are victims, because the law has not acted against their oppressors. Almost unconsciously, something within compels us to appeal to justice and its correct application unless, of course, we are the ones who have broken a law and, in that case, we attempt to avoid facing the consequences.

 Something else that is very common and characteristic of the human race is to blame God for injustice and make Him responsible when a misfortune occurs, which is actually due to the unrighteousness in mankind. That attitude is well-defined in the Bible which, in spite of having been written centuries ago, is the most up-to-date book and very precise, when it comes to defining the behavior of human nature. As if to answer the arguments of our day, it states: “The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord” (Proverbs 19:3).

 The origin of law and justice

 After these small, practical reflections, we come to the conclusion that law is good and justice is necessary. Have you ever thought at what point and why, originally, there came a need to create laws and a justice system to secure their fulfillment?

 Man, since ancient times, elected to disobey God and since that time there has been a need to define, restrict and punish sin by means of a law. Through Moses, God instituted that law, featuring the famous Ten Commandments, which mankind has adopted in order that justice can function on the earth.

 Today, the legal systems of the civilized world are based on the justice presented in the Bible. The nations that reject or ignore this justice either quickly disintegrate or else exist in a very primitive manner. The reason is because the righteousness of God cannot be ignored and to do so brings fatal consequences to a nation, as well as to individual lives. The justice that a civilized nation applies assures its preservation even though, due to the imperfection of human nature, it can only be applied in limited form. In this world, justice is not carried out to perfection. In today’s society, many people live incorrectly and yet escape the consequences, but as far as God is concerned, that can never be, because his righteousness is perfect and never tolerates a violation. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

 God’s justice is perfect

 From the beginning, it was never God’s intention to oversee a race of slaves; consequently He gave man the right to choose his way freely. While he walks this earth, he can attempt to govern himself. During his short lifetime, he may profess what he believes and declare what he wills. He may determine and choose that, which he considers convenient, but in the end, when his heart stops beating, everything as he knew it to be and in which he confided will end and all will change.

 One day, God will judge the world according to His perfect standards and every violation of His law will be brought into account. Nothing and no one will escape. There is nothing that he ignores or can be hidden from His eyes. “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). In addition, there exists an archive, in which all the offenses of each individual are registered. Every time that he sins, it is written on his account, he soils his soul with an indelible stain and is disqualified from entering a happy eternity.

 God carefully and jealously protects His eternal home and nothing unclean can enter His presence. “Who will ascend onto the hill of God? He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalms 24:3-4). These verses signify that God demands that a human being, in order to be with Him in His glory, must be completely pure and clean without a spot.

 “Ignorancia legis non excusat”

 Now, it does not matter if you take the Lord into consideration or not, or if you are totally ignorant of His ways, because in the end you will have to give account, regardless. An ancient Roman saying translates, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”, and today every system of justice will testify to its truth. Ignorance is voluntary; therefore it does not provide an escape or negate guilt.

 As a citizen of any country, you have the obligation to be informed of the laws that govern it, because if you infringe upon any of them, you will wind up paying the consequences, whether you were aware of them or not. Justice, by its very nature, does not forgive, but demands retribution. If you drive, it is obvious that you must have knowledge of traffic rules, because if you exceed the speed limit, for example, or fail to observe any requirement, you will be fined and will have to pay. If a policeman stops you, you cannot say, “I’m very sorry, sir, I didn’t understand the meaning of the sign.” He will simply respond that you should have known it and, as a consequence, you will have to be fined. The law will not yield to your limited information concerning it. Exactly the same must be said concerning the law of God.

 The Bible clearly states that no one on earth has an excuse for ignoring his Maker for, “His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

 In addition to this, each person possesses an inbuilt alarm created by God that is called a conscience. God has given us basic knowledge of what is good and evil; that is to say, we have a natural law engraved in our nature, attuned to the law of God. There is much to say about this matter, but what is most important is to understand that God has naturally equipped us and for that reason also, we have no excuse before Him.

The written law reflects the nature of God

 Throughout the Bible, God has placed His law before us in detailed form, not leaving it to our criteria or opinion (including the opinion we might have of ourselves) as to what is good or evil, correct or incorrect, just or unjust. If we break His law, then we have crossed a clearly defined line; we have sinned and our sin has offended God.

 Our thinking concerning what is good or evil should be based, exclusively and uniquely, in that which God states. Otherwise, we are in danger of being guilty of a clear warning from His word: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…!” (Isaiah 5:20). This warning ought to be taken very seriously today, when more than ever in history, mankind has left it to government, religious institutions, schools, and the media, to decide. They tell us what is right or wrong, laying aside, as if it pertained to the past, that which God has established. Our concept of God cannot be subjected to the times in which we live. What was good or bad one thousand years ago, continues to be the same today, and we, as His creation, must submit and accept what He has determined.

 In the Bible, God reveals His personality to us. Beyond setting standards and unveiling an incomparable legal system, the law of God reveals His mind and His heart. Those things that he commands us to do are the things that please Him and those that He forbids are those that irritate Him; in fact, they anger Him. A Psalm tells us that “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day” (Psalms 7:11). That is because there are things that His nature cannot tolerate and they provoke his wrath.

 Let me illustrate what I am trying to say with an example or two. When you pass a place where an animal has died, or you have a rotten egg before you, you raise your hand to stop your nose, until you have distanced yourself from it. It is a natural reaction, because your sense of smell totally rejects those odors. Your nature refuses to accept them. God reacts in the same way to that, which we call “sin”.