We're Asking the Wrong Question

One of the biggest questions humanity has wrestled with in regards to the existence of God is: "How can a just God, who loves everyone, simply sit back and let innocent people die (ie. the Holocaust, starvation, cancer, etc.)?"

I think if we truly stopped to ask the right question, we just might get an answer, although it will probably be an answer we don't really like. You see, the question makes the assumption that there are innocent people in this world. However, the Bible says: "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). I'm not righteous, my pastor isn't righteous, Mother Theresa wasn't righteous, Apostle Paul wasn't righteous. From the moment we enter this world, we are born into sin. If you lived your whole life with a blameless record, didn't ever once steal or kill or gossip, do you think you would avoid ever having a selfish thought, or think poorly of someone, or get jealous or angry?

There is no one righteous. There is no one innocent. Does it make me upset when people whose lives are marked by evil go on living and causing destruction, and people who try to live good lives experience harm and death? Absolutely, but the bottom line is that one day we will all meet the same fate, we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives, what we did with the time we had here on earth. "Did you live for me? Did you love me? Did you love others?" Those will be the questions we hear. And it will only be by His grace that we will be saved.

"God is Dead..."?

Friedrich Nietzsche, a prominent philosopher of the 19th century, whose works still influence thoughts on religion and secularism today, was once quoted as writing "God is dead." His belief is that man had become so enraptured by science and "reason" that they felt no need for God in their society. Without anyone to believe in God, God, according to Nietzsche, had died.

Isn't it great to know that God doesn't need man to be glorified and praised? If man never existed, God would still be just as great and glorious.

Jesus said in Luke:

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Even the rocks cry out to God's greatness and majesty. Look at the mountains, the mighty seas, the vast deserts. God doesn't need us...but He wants us.

Gravity

We should feel the gravity of our sin, but not let it weigh us down.

We Don't Need the 10 Commandments

"Do or do not; there is no try". I love that line from Star Wars. Yoda urging Luke in his training to take an all-or-nothing approach. It's very black or white. Yoda is driving home a point to Luke that the only way to true one-ness with the Force is by actually doing what is necessary, putting aside your fear or apathy, and sticking to the training.

The 10 Commandments: now talk about black or white. You either believe and follow them, or you don't. There is no half way with those bad boys. God, in His ultimate omnipotence, created a set of guidelines and rules for the Jews, a way to distinguish them and set them apart from the unruly and ungodly culture of their time. The Jews were pretty good at following those rules. They wrote them on their walls, wore them on their arms, recited them constantly, just in case they forgot. But, they became so focused on the "dos" and "do nots" they they forgot something: the point! The point of the rules was never the rules themselves. The commandments pointed to a higher purpose: God. By obeying the commandments, the Jews were showing their love for God, and they were showing others that there was a better way than the path they were headed down.

Enter Jesus. This guy changed everything the Jews knew and loved about the Commandments. He basically took them, crumpled them up and said, "I'm making some changes." Matthew 22:36-40 shows us some Jewish leaders who were trying to trick Jesus. There were 10 Commandments, all very important, but if they could somehow get Jesus to prioritize them, they would show that He valued certain rules over others. "What was that, Jesus? 'Do not murder' is the most important commandment? Well, I guess you don't care about 'worshiping idols'. This guy is a hypocrite!" So they ask him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (can't you almost hear the mocking in their voices when they call Him 'Teacher'?). "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

What?? That's it? That's all we have to do? Of course, the Jews were furious. How can this Jesus basically ignore all these rules we've committed our lives to, and replace them with "love"? But think about it: if you truly love God with all of your heart, and if you truly love others as much as you love yourself, won't you, by nature of love, be obeying all of the Commandments anyway? A loving person doesn't steal from his neighbors or get jealous of their things, and a person who loves God doesn't lie or give his attention to material possessions.

Love covers all. It's that simple. And haven't we, as Christians, made our own set of Commandments that we tend to worship or cling to more than love itself? We're no better than the Jews, that loved the Commandments more than the Reason behind them. The next time you get caught up on the "church rules", or wrestle with how to handle a situation, just ask yourself one question: "Do my actions show love to God or love to others?"

Are Some Personalities Sinful?

Before I get too far into this post, I want to begin by saying I'm a recovering shyaholic. I guess you could say it's genetic. All my life I was told I was shy, I was presented to others as "he's just shy", I was excused from uncomfortable conversations, and I avoided meeting new people at all costs. So, shyness runs deep in my blood. You wouldn't guess it now by looking at me or talking to me; that is mainly because it has taken me years of hard work, help from others, and radical internal change from God.

But, every now and then, that old temptation crosses my mind: "I don't really need to go meet that new person, someone else will say hi to them" or "I don't need to speak up right now, I don't really have anything valuable to say". I guess you could say I'm sober, but always in recovery.

Over the years, as God has revealed the reasons behind my shyness, I have learned that much of my behavior is sinful. Did I choose to be shy as a child? Definitely not. Did I have a choice as I got older? Absolutely. Was it easy? Absolutely not.

You see, I have learned that my shyness stemmed from two major problems: doubt in myself, and doubt in others. I doubted that I truly had anything valuable to offer others in relationship, so to avoid rejection or letting anyone down, I saved them the trouble by avoiding interaction. I doubted others in that a part of me believed there was no real value to meeting new people or forming new relationships. I was comfortable where I was, with the few friends I had, and no one else was going to give me anything better. Do you see how selfish all of that is?

Granted, not everyone that is shy goes through this same mental process. Some are truly scared to talk. The idea of meeting someone new or speaking to a small group of people terrifies them. However, the core issue behind it all is selfishness. We are concerned more about our "image" and not risking vulnerability than we are connecting with others. What you have here is the sin of fearing man over God. Hebrews 13:6 says "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What can man do to me?" I don't like that word "fear", though; it gives room for excuses. "I won't go skydiving because I have a fear of heights" or "I won't go see that movie because I'm afraid of machete-wielding clowns". How about, instead of focusing on what we're afraid of, we focus on what we gain by being God's vessel? John 12:42-43 says "But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." The people referred to in this passage miss out on the wonderful blessings from God because they let their fear of man rule their lives.

Then, there's the opposite side of the pendulum: the "opinionated", or the in-your-face talker. Is it wrong to have opinions? Absolutely not. Is it wrong to force your opinions on others? Yes. And that's just the thing: opinions are self-inclinations or preferences, not facts. It is unfair and wrong to assume someone else would live their lives the exact way you would, simply because you think it's preferable. There are those personalities that love to talk, love the attention, and love having the spotlight on them. Again, we see the core problem is selfishness. Their attraction to attention overshadows everyone else in the room.

So, to answer the title of this blog ('Are Some Personalities Sinful?'), I would have to say no, personalities are not sinful. Personalities are what make us unique and individually created by God. However, I would not classify either shyness or being opinionated as personalities. I would classify them as outward results of incorrect thinking. They are merely facets of a personality, not the personality itself. You see anything good can get twisted and corrupted. There are plenty of amazing people who tend to be either more introverted or more extroverted that are not being dominated by their own personalities. So, the next time you hear someone say, "Oh, don't worry about him, he's just shy" or "Don't be offended by what she says, she's just opinionated", may that be a gentle reminder to ask yourself "In what ways am I letting selfishness define my personality?"