Why do humans need to be constantly reminded, rebuked and admonished to do what is righteous?
We see what happens to others when they sin, the consequences that they suffer. We make mistakes in our own lives and learn from them for a time, but sometimes months or years later we find ourselves making the same mistakes again.
Not that long ago there was a TV show called “Downton Abbey” and it was mostly about the lives of the servants, maids and butlers of a wealthy family in England at the beginning of 20th century. And to me it was a sad and depressing thing to watch these people devoting their entire lives to completely serve a person or family. Because if they had that type of complete devotion to the living God, you can imagine the amazing spiritual lives that they would lead. They would be much less likely to need rebuke or admonishment because they are continually serving God through unending service just as a butler is always on call for his master.
I was searching online, asking the question “why do we do we never learn?” And there was response I found that I felt gave an honest answer to that.
It stated; What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life?
And it gave 6 points
1 We want to earn money as if we want to have enough stored up for the next thousand years.
2 We want to own material things as if they will stay with us permanently.
3 When we get angry, we hold onto our anger as if it will bring the world to a stop.
4 When we want to take revenge, we want the other person to feel so hurt it will make our lives better somehow.
5 When we speak badly of someone, we speak as if our words are going to pierce them and remain stuck to them.
6 When we join the mad rush, we run as if we are going to run non-stop. But then a day comes when we realize that we are not going to live forever and often, this realization comes too late.
The Bible has answers to all of these points doesn’t it?
1 Money doesn’t really exist yet man will do terrible things to gain it. We get paid now and they are just numbers on a screen. We transfer them to pay credit cards and utility bills, that again are just numbers on a screen, produced by the 0’s and 1’s of the computer, but there is nothing backing that currency. So did the money ever really exist at all? Our entire financial system is solely based on everyone believing that those numbers on the screen have value. And yet people will lie, cheat, steal and even kill for that artificial monetary system.
We remember the rich man who built bigger barns, thinking he was set for life (Luke 12:16-21)
“And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
2. You may remember if you’re old enough a Stephen King book that became a film called Needful Things about an antique shop that opens in a small town and everyone who enters it finds an object that they become obsessed with and want. Surprisingly the price is low, but there is a catch. The owner (who may or may not be the devil) says, that part of the deal is they have to play a prank on another citizen of the town. And even though the shop owner is new to town he knows the perfect prank for each person – to cause chaos. That’s what happens in the story. The town descends into chaos with people attacking and murdering one another, all because they will do anything to protect their cherished object.
While that may be a fictional story, how far is it really from reality?
Never in human history has there been such a vast number of material possessions that a person can own. You can go online anytime of the day and purchase almost anything from millions of different websites and have it delivered right to your home. Combine that fact with social media and it can be so easy to get caught up in the trap of “I have to have it!”, rather than “I would like to have it “.
But we know what the Bible says concerning this in Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
3. I just mentioned social media and in social media outrage, anger is something that has been weaponized, either for profit or just for attention in the hopes of financial gain.
But the Bible is clear about what our attitude towards anger should be as James put it in 1:19-21: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
4 Revenge is nothing new in society, it goes all the way back to Cain and Abel. Revenge is a dangerous thing become it can involve a multitude of sins when you are lashing out against a person, and when sins multiply usually the consequences multiply also. God’s people are expected to rise above this attitude with a certain amount of self-control. We are to allow God to have the final word when we are wronged.
As stated in Romans 12:19-21. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
And writing to the church at Thessalonica, Paul said:, “that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:4-6)
5. Closely related to the matter of anger in social media, there is also the practice of speaking badly of someone trying to harm them with words to the point of extreme malice.
Quite often, celebrities feud with each other publicly and while I think most of those are manufactured for the sake of publicity, it still has an effect on people, especially young people, who sadly think this is a normal way to act towards others.
Contrast that, with the wisdom of the Lord in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
6. And finally, in Japan there is the word Karoshi, which basically translates to “over work death”.
This is where people work so many hours per week consistently that it causes them to die young of either heart attack or stroke. In the 21st century that has expanded to include suicide. It had gotten so bad that a law was brought in around 2018 to limit the amount of overtime hours a person can work per month, after a young woman committed suicide. She had posting online she was completely burnt out mentally and physically from overwork at her advertising agency.
There is a company in China called FoxConn and they build iPhones and computers for Apple, and they actually have dormitories there for workers to live so they don’t even have to leave. But again this has caused people being overworked to the point of suicide and the company has had to place nets around the factory and dormitory to help prevent their workers from attempting to jump off the edge.
In this part of the world things aren’t that dramatic but work has certainly changed over the last 5 years. The rat race has shifted slightly from just traffic jams and crammed city sidewalks but work from home, so that you never can get away from work. The government had to bring in legislation a few years ago to keep companies from asking people to work after hours at home and to keep working hours separate from personal hours.
As God’s people we have to make a distinct effort to separate ourselves from the hectic pace of the world and to pace our lives and place on minds on the the things of God… as Psalms 46:10 encourages; “Be still and know that I am God.”
Paul wrote in Romans 14:18-19 that; “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual building up.”
When a person does something sinful, such assault, murder or adultery the media or the scientific community will say that they were just reverting back to their original animal nature; their primal instincts. This is how evolutionists and atheists understand humanity.
But there is a problem with that statement if you believe in the word of God. The Garden of Eden was the first dwelling place of man, who had been created in the image of God and was distinct from the beasts of the land and the birds of the air. Eve was created for him because there was no other suitable companion for him…there was no other of his kind.
Genesis 2:7-8 states; “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
And then verses 18-22 “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”
Thus, for man to go back to his most basic nature is to be really more like the image of God. So, by God’s grace, as extended through the sacrifice of His Son, when we are baptized into Christ, and clothed with Christ, we are returned to that original image of God.
And having done that, we also benefit from his sacrifice by sharing his preeminence, as stated in Colossians 1:15-20:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
There are further reasons why we need reminders and admonishment.
The first one is pride;
In 1 John 2:15-17 we read, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
Laziness
Right now, much of the world is suffering from mental fatigue and for many, that can be a reason to just give in to apathy. But instead, when we feel tired or beaten down, that is the best time to draw closer to God for strength as we are encouraged to do…in James 4:6-8:
“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Greed;
Greed can refer both to immediate gratification and also to a selfish desire for overabundance. Greed may motivate us to set aside God’s principles, to get what we want and to no longer trust God to provide what we need. As His people we should lean upon Him for our daily provision.
In Paul’s charge to Timothy, we read: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-1)
Temptation/Desire;
Greed is one of the temptations or desires that we experience when we want what we want now and not later. Personal desires do not respect the blessings that God has already bestowed and lead us to demand more.
The scriptures are quite clear about what will happen if we pursue temptation. James the brother of Jesus writes: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)
I was watching an interesting short video by Jordan Petersen talking about very smart people who aren’t successful in life and how they have become bitter. What they shared was an inordinate pride in their own intelligence.
In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, the apostle Paul pointed out this type of conceited pride and the foolishness of man’s wisdom when he wrote:
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Anger/ Hate blinds us to reality and godliness; When we allow anger to overtake us, especially to the point of hate, it has the disturbing effect of blinding us to reason and logic. It can also harden a person’s heart and make them forget the love that they should have for others.
James warns against worldliness in James 4:1-5,
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this; that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?”
Boldness on behalf of Self, but not on behalf of God/Jesus Christ
More people than we can count, have over the years been very vocal about their own boldness. Shameless self promotion is common among sports figures, military leaders and politicians. But when it comes to well known people who have had great boldness on behalf of God and the Son of God, the list gets a lot smaller.
Those who wish to honour God properly , must humble themselves and raising up God and His Son. We are reminded of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:1-5: “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away! I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
The world is like a powerful river and it’s easy to get caught up in its current and swept to a place where we don’t want to be. It takes concerted effort to swim upstream…to pursue the fruit of the spirit, in a lost and dying world.
Let’s look at that reminder in Galatians 5:16-25:
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Underestimating Sin and not taking seriously its penalty;
We live in visual society. Most of the information we take in is through images and videos. When it comes to ultimate penalty for sin after this physical world, we have no image to accurately convey that. What we do have are the scriptures which give us a basic idea and a warning from the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- James 5:19,20, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
- Instead our attitude should be what Paul instructed in Romans 6:12,13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”
We Don’t Pray Enough;
When it comes to maintaining our physical health or combating an illness, it’s always the same advice that medical professionals give:
- Get about 8 hours of sleep a night
- Drink plenty of water
- Don’t smoke and don’t drink alcohol.
If you follow those tips you’ll probably stay reasonably healthy.
Here are some instructions from the Bible to help us maintain spiritual health.
- Worship and fellowship often with other Christians
- Study the Word of God daily
- And pray as much as you can. Jesus was constant in prayer, spending much time with his Heavenly Father. How much more should we frail children of dust, go to the Father in prayer for strength?
As Paul put it in Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Many have forgotten that there is a standard set by God for every person and especially for those purchased by the blood of Jesus. It is absolute, unchanging and anchored in the person and character of God Himself. In order to please God, we must conform to his will and strive for his righteousness. All such efforts are counter-cultural and face the headwinds of societal pressure. We have to consciously oppose the mindset of the world around us and remember that which has been written for our benefit by the unchanging God.
As Paul puts it in Romans 3:19-26
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
We’re not perfect; we’re not going to entirely stop sinning or falling short. But neither will we stop striving to be holy as our Heavenly Father is.
Each year the company 3M sells about 50 billion Post-it notes, because, people need constant reminders. Some come as admonishments and rebukes. For all these reasons we thank God for the immeasurable grace that he has extended through his perfect Son Jesus, to an imperfect people.
Barrie ON