Miscellaneous: Let Go and Listen - Ron

I tend to learn much from my kids if I am paying attention. One thing I have learned is that more often than not, letting go of something is the only way to move forward. 

My kids love toys. It used to be that every once in a while, we would buy them something randomly from Walmart. Dylan and Ronin would hold on to them closely with a look of wonder. Donovan usually ended up chewing on the box or something. They are nearly all teenagers now, so this was admittedly a while ago. 

But there is one thing that Erin and I always knew was coming, and we dreaded it. We knew that at the end of our visit to the store, we were going to have to pry those toys from their hands to pay for them. If you have had this experience, then you already know how embarrassing it can be. The screaming and wailing that ensues is unbelievable. And no amount of “talking sense” into them ever worked. I tried it.

“Dylan, listen, Daddy just has to take this for a second to pay for it.” They don’t understand that in order to have the toy…they have to let it go. They don’t understand that I know what I am doing, and that what I am telling them is the way it has to be. It is the same when we get home. They are better with this now, obviously, but when our boys were younger, they would run up and ask me to open the toy. But they wouldn’t want to let it go. Have you ever tried to open a child’s toy with the child holding onto it and stomping impatiently? And our daughter still lingers in this stage.

Here is another example. Little kids tend to shut their fingers in doors and cupboards and that sort of thing. But have you ever seen it when they are leaning against the very door that is shut on their fingers? They are pushing against the door with one hand because they are trying to pull out the other. Our youngest son did this at least once. While he was screaming, I was trying to tell him that he needed to let go of the door in order to get his fingers out. I am an adult and I know how these things work. He just needed to trust that I know what I’m talking about. He did not, and so I had to intervene.

And we are the often the same way with God. We don’t see the whole picture. We don’t have all of the information. So many times, when God speaks, we don’t listen. God may be trying to say to us, “Listen, this is the way it has to be, you have got to let this go,” but we kick and scream and try to force God to work around what we are holding onto, just like my kids tried to make me open their toys while they were holding onto them. 

But God is not tame and He will be forced by no one, least of all me. In Job chapter 33, Elihu tells Job: “Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters (Job 33: 12-13).” Later on, God Himself asks Job, “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? (Job 40:2a)” By this point, Job understood his position, and his response in verse four was “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.”

And sometimes, that is exactly what we must do. Some of us may just need to put our hand over our mouth and listen to God. We need to stop contending with Him and just do what He says. Many times we try to work our own solutions around what God has told us. He truly sees the picture in its entirety.

God told Noah in Genesis 7 that He saw him and found him righteous.

God told Jacob in Genesis 31 that He saw the wrong that Laban had done unto Jacob.

God told Moses in Exodus 3 that He saw the affliction of His people. 

God told Moses in Exodus 32 that He saw the stiffnecked Israelites.

God told Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 that He saw his tears.

God told the people, through Jeremiah, that He saw His house turned to a den of robbers, He saw their adulteries with idols, and He saw the folly of their prophets.

Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8 that He saw that they wanted to kill him.

How vain are we to think that God does not see what is the best way? Endeavor to let go and listen.

Redefining Justice - Ben

The book of Micah was written around 100 years before the fall of Jerusalem in 605BC. Micah—the dude the book was named after—was a prophet who warned of impending doom for the Israelites if they did not repent. Among their many faults, there was idolatry (cf. Mic. 5:12-14), the unlawful seizure of property (cf. Mic. 2:1-2, 9), a crooked government (cf. Mic. 3:1-13), sketchy business practices (cf. Mic. 6:10-12), and religious leaders who sold their services to the highest bidder (cf. Mic. 3:5-11), just to name a few. Meaning, Micah was ministering during a time where corruption permeated almost every level of society. 

Now, I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, (In fact, I’m more like one of those glow sticks that only looks like it’s working if you turn out all the lights, draw the blinds, and cover your head with a blanket.) but there seems to be some striking similarities between Micah's time and our time. Idolatry? One need only turn on the TV or go on social media to notice the idolatrous worship of self. A crooked government? I tried typing that question into Google, and it just started laughing at me. What about religious leaders for hire? Prosperity preachers, such as Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, and Benny Hinn, have brought this perversion of theology into the modern age.

The solution for these modern problems is the same one that Micah gives to his own generation:

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:6-8 (ESV)

Using the power of those rhetorical questions, Micah highlights for us what the standard is: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. When a society was as messed up as Micah’s, God wasn’t looking for grand sacrifices; He was looking for a good conscience. He wanted a people that wasn’t tainted by injustice, indifference, and insolence. When His people looked at their neighbors, the Lord wanted the Jews to see their own flesh and blood; He wanted them to see a reflection of themselves (cf. Matt. 12:31).

But biblical justice isn’t only a thing we do for others; it is also a thing we do before God. I feel like, as a pastor, I'm constantly reminding those who love God that they should also love people and then turning right around and pointing out to those who love people that they should also love God. Jesus' brother defined how that balance is achieved when he said, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (Ja. 1:27) As Christians, our goal is twofold: philanthropy to others and fidelity to God. That is not only good religion, that is good justice. God’s righteousness permeates our world when we advocate for our neighbor and hold ourselves accountable to God.  Focusing too much on one will obscure the other. Our right hand ought to be reaching for God while our left hand is reaching for others.

Biblical justice is hurting for the hurting—yes…100%...amen and amen—but it is also hurting when we've broken God's heart. Biblical justice is defending God’s laws in the public sphere—sí…totally…affirmative—but it is also defending the defenseless. Biblical justice is meeting the needs of the needy—oui…true…yep—but it is also being content to allow God to meet our needs. Biblical justice is righting the wrongs when we can—да…correct...aye, aye captain—but it is also praying for God to intervene when we cannot.  To be a Christian in this world means not only standing up to the injustices we see around us, but it is also correcting the injustices we see in our own hearts. 

Redefining Justice: Fighting for Victims...Like Me? - Stephen

What do a few professional athletes, some politicians in Washington, and a person who had to wait for their fast-food claim to have in common in 2021? If you guessed victimhood you’d…ironically...be correct. 

As the countless profile picture frames on Facebook might not-so-subtly suggest our modern society likes to fight for victims and their causes. Although a seemingly good trait at first glance the griping tirades of that same person, which many times precede and then follow the posting of such a frame, reveals something far deeper. 

When you boil it down it would seem many “fight” for victims because they are all fighting to claim such a title themselves. How many times have you heard someone play the victim card and you think to yourself, “Their life doesn’t seem so bad.” You might even think, “I wish I had their ‘bad’ life.” 

Is it possible that many seek to be labeled a victim because we’ve seen the privilege it bestows—the privilege of having an excuse for the choices that follow? As long as we have that shiny victim membership card we believe we will no longer be held accountable for anything we do, say, or think. It is our “get-out-of-jail-free card.” Our endless alibi. Our gift that keeps on giving. 

But there seems to always be a dark side to things that seem too-good-to-be-true. When the masses claim to be the victim of injustice there is a consequence on the other side of this as well.  You see in order to properly define justice one must also properly define injustice. And in a society where everyone is grappling for that victim card, the definition of the latter doesn’t seem to be in the membership handbook. 

It is no secret that I am a fan of the quirky, winsome author Samuel Clemens. Or as he is more commonly referred to, Mark Twain. I mean how can you not appreciate quotes such as these:

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits."

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

“Out of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.”

Needless to say, Twain was a unique personality whose books and writings have enjoyed popularity for over a century. Yet some of those same writings are now controversial and the cause for some to yell, “Victim!” 

Is simply hearing a book of his read containing the “n” word enough to claim victimhood even if the overall purpose of its writing in 1894 was to shame slavery and racism? Students at St. John’s University seem to think so even after discussing the historical use of the word beforehand. All this resulting in the teacher we would’ve once declared the victim losing her job and source of income.[1]

Could it be that this desire for “victimship” from those outside the word defined accurately is undergirded by nothing more than selfishness? This lack of concern for others is a vicious cycle that our consumer-driven society has encouraged by using words such as “deserve” and “need” for things far from the necessities of life. When those things and feelings are not obtained it is now easy to believe it is someone else’s fault and a slight at our own self-worth. 

On the other hand, Jesus had every right to claim victimhood when His very life was threatened and yet He remained silent (Isaiah 53:7). Instead of seeking to relinquish responsibility of His foes’ accusations, He sought to relinquish the responsibility of those who were killing Him (Luke 23:34). Although a victim in every way, He did this because He considered His suffering less than the future destruction awaiting those who crucified Him. In His omniscience He also knew that the eternal fate of us all in our guilt was a far greater consequence than that which He had to endure for us in His innocence. So He remained silent.

With that example let me be clear—my opinion on this may be wrong but I believe my conclusion is close to the truth. True victimhood is not something for one to desire for one’s self but a title that is thrust upon those who have truly been abused, oppressed, and harmed. And if Jesus didn’t seek it as nails were being driven through His feet then may we think twice before claiming such a title in our air-conditioned vehicles as our drive-thru takes five minutes too long. 

Part of redefining justice is fighting for the true definition of its opposite and may that be something we never lose. Because justice for the true victim is what’s truly at stake.

Even if that means fighting for victims…unlike me.

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] https://www.foxnews.com/us/st-johns-professor-allegedly-fired-for-reading-racial-slur-from-mark-twain-book

Redefining Justice - Ron

"In the little world in which children have their existence...there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice" (Dickens, 1861, 1:86).  Little Pip, the narrator of Dickens's Great Expectations said this. We know this to be true. If you have children, you can probably remember vividly the last time cries of, "That's not fair," echoed through the house. And if you are honest, you can vividly remember the last time that same refrain echoed through your own heart and soul. 

Before we can understand how justice must be redefined, we must comprehend what is the reason we care so much about it. Simply put, only those with a certain kind of worldview should care about justice at all. Don't get me wrong, though: everyone cares about justice. The issue is that not everyone should care about justice. 

If your entire biological worldview says that humans are just more highly evolved animals--a combination of cosmic chance, survival of the fittest, and natural selection--then you have no reason to expect justice. In actuality, you have no concept of justice nor any framework for it. After all, the story of humanity, according to your own worldview, ends as nothingness. Not even a story. Forever. Fun fact: some of the gravest injustices humanity has ever known could actually be considered survival of the fittest just doin' its thang.

Only overtly religious worldviews should care about justice. Specifically, only those religious worldviews that believe in a transcendent creator that is both moral and powerful should care about justice. Christians, for example, should care about justice for at least two reasons. One, we are made in the image of God and He is just. Two, God cares about justice so much that His Son was crucified. 

"But, oh," you say, "Jesus died for me because He loved me so much!" 

I would counter that argument with the words of Nathanael Vincent, a Puritan preacher, who wrote "the justice of God arrested Christ, and cast Him into the grave as into a prison" (Rushing, 2016, quoting Vincent, 1659-1689, III: 300-302). As Paul said, "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound" (KJV, 1985/1611, Romans 5:20), but grace alone creates injustice. While "the handwriting of the ordinances" against me were nailed to the cross (KJV, 1985/1611, Colossians 2:14), so was Jesus, Who was "made to be sin for us" (KJV, 1985/1611, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am saying that those who hold to an evolutionary worldview have no reason to expect justice and so are inconsistent with their own worldview. They are being totally consistent with their actual beliefs, however, because Romans 1:19-20 says that every person knows God exists. "God by his general revelation has set eternity in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Therefore, to deny that is just to deny it—that by nature we are both invaded by God and we are surrounded by God. Therefore, we can run, but we can’t hide. The fact is that we know, but we choose not to know" (Begg, 2018). Those who care deeply about justice are acknowledging a fundamental truth about their Creator and their belief in Him.

With that out of the way, I can attempt to recapture what justice actually means. We hear the word so often, don't we? We see it in opinion pieces: "One year later, we are still waiting on justice for Breonna [Taylor]. Let us commit to...recognizing each other’s humanity by calling for and supporting justice..." (Judge, 2021, n.p.). We see it in news articles, such as the CNN article which quotes the not-quite-yet-President Biden's speech from the funeral of George Floyd: "Why does justice not roll like a river or righteousness like a mighty stream? Why? Ladies and gentlemen, we can't turn away. We must not turn away" (Levenson et al., 2020). We even see calls for justice turned into petitions signed by thousands of people (Jayasuriya, 2020).

Does this mean that all of these people have a solid understanding of what justice means? It does not. Most people think that justice has only been done if they agree with the outcome. Let us just take one circumstance that had major repercussions around the United States, the killing of Trayvon Martin. In an incredibly interesting piece, Ta-Nehisi Coates (2013) writes, "This is not our system malfunctioning. It is our system working as intended" (n.p.). She goes on to make the case for the following two points: "The first is that based on the case presented by the state, and based on Florida law, George Zimmerman should not have been convicted of second degree murder or manslaughter. The second is that the killing of Trayvon Martin is a profound injustice" (Coates, 2013).

The entire point essentially runs like this, "Okay, technically justice was served, but only because the system of justice is built on injustice." Which may or may not be true. Regardless, the genius of the piece is in the unwritten admission that recognizing injustice is so much easier than recognizing justice. Technically, Casey Anthony received justice when a jury of her peers found her innocent. It doesn't matter that her daughter's killer was never found, or that the jury of her peers are the only people on the planet that found her innocent. Justice, according to the law of the land, was carried out. 

The Hebrew word translated justice in our English version of the Old Testament carries the idea of being objectively morally correct. It may surprise you that the word justice is not found in most English translations of the New Testament, but the idea is there. In Luke 18, the widow woman is seeking justice when she says, "avenge me of mine adversary" (KJV, 1985/1611, Luke 18:3). What does this mean? She wants vindication. And so do we all, but none of us are wholly objective or capable of being so. Except, of course, One Who is transcendent and moral and powerful. Except for One Who will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 9:8, 96:13, 98:9; Acts 17:31).

The textbook, Biblical Worldview (Ward, 2016), says that we have three options when it comes to injustice:

1. Achieve justice yourself by taking revenge.
2. Let God bring about justice (Romans 12:9).
3. Let God do it through government (Romans 13:4) [emphasis in the original].

One of these options is patently unbiblical. Unfortunately, that is also the option that most choose. Injustice is going to be with us. Whether it is a killing, a politician ignoring her own Coronavirus restrictions, or someone getting the promotion you wanted, "that's not fair!" is going to scream in your head time and again. How a Christian responds to these situations, I think, is what must set us apart.

So, I guess this post hasn't actually been about redefining justice. Or maybe it has. The Bible has much to say about the term and even commands us to "do justly" (KJV, 1985/1611, Micah 6:8), so I am sure Stephen and Ben will flesh it out better. 

I guess I just figured that a good starting point would be understanding why justice matters so much to us, and then understanding that many times we don't actually know what real justice looks like. In those times, we have to trust in the One Who does.

References:

Begg, A. (2018). The sword of the Spirit - Part one [Sermon]. https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/sword-spirit-part-one/

Coates, T. (2013). Trayvon martin and the irony of American justice. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/trayvon-martin-and-the-irony-of-american-justice/277782/

Dickens, C. (1861). Great Expectations. James G. Gregory, Publisher.

Jayasuriya, D. (2020). Sign the petition: Justice for Trayvon Martin. Change.Org. https://www.change.org/p/jeff-triplett-justice-for-trayvon-martin

Judge, D. (2021). A year later: Still no justice for Breonna Taylor. Center for Constitutional Rights. https://ccrjustice.org/home/blog/2021/03/15/year-later-still-no-justice-breonna-taylor

King James Version Open Bible. (1985). Thomas Nelson, Inc. (Original work published 1611)

Levenson, E., Lemos, G., & Vera, A. (2020). The Rev. Al Sharpton remembers George Floyd as an “ordinary brother” who changed the world. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/09/us/george-floyd-funeral-tuesday/index.html

Rushing, R. (2016). Voices from the past, volume 2: Puritan devotional readings. Banner of Truth.

Ward, M., Jr. (2016). Biblical worldview. Bju Press.