How many of us regularly examine or evaluate our lives? Perhaps you journal, as I do, which is one way to assess our choices and actions, to know if they reflect our beliefs. But we should all take a hard look at how we move through both the minute and significant decisions in our daily lives. “In his classic work on moral decision-making, Rushworth Kidder provides a framework for making decisions in situations which seemingly present two ethically ‘right’ choices. Using a plethora of anecdotes, Kidder explains what he proposes as the four paradigms of ethical dilemmas: Truth vs. Loyalty, Individual vs. Community, Short-Term vs. Long-Term, and Justice vs. Mercy…In arguing that everyone is faced with ethical dilemmas at some point in their lives, and most people are on a daily basis…despite the lack of quantitative research, Kidder’s book is still valuable for anyone seeking to resolve difficult decisions through self-reflection. If there is truth to Socrates’ claim that the unexamined life is not worth living, then Kidder’s book serves as a wonderful resource for living a more worthwhile life.” (1) Interesting, but we have a much more reliable book to guide us through our ethical dilemmas—the Bible. And we don’t have to choose between truth and loyalty since Christ’s wisdom includes both simultaneously. Furthermore, in Christ, we are individuals and a global community, meeting not only God’s short-term and long-term goals, but his ultimate purposes. As far as justice and mercy are concerned, “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed.” (Psalms 10:17-18a) In Christ, we can distinguish what is best from what is good and know what is wrong, absolutely—not relatively. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, who applies it through Christ’s gospel salvation, transforms our minds to biblically resolve our conflicts and temptations. The New Testament describes how Jesus and the Holy Spirit transformed an Ethiopian eunuch, Jews, foreigners, Samaritans, and Gentiles, either directly or indirectly, through gospel salvation. As those also transformed, the best way for us to manage our lives is to refine our perspectives of life and people through the gospel lens, lovingly sharing its transformative power with others.
An Ethiopian Transformed
“Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: ‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter’ and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him.’ And the eunuch said to Philip, ‘About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:26-35) “This word ‘eunuch’ refers to either an emasculated official in the royal court (as was sometimes done to forestall temptation and corruption) or to a high official of government. Emasculation meant exclusion from Israel’s worshiping community (Deut. 23:1). Despite his political power and the great distance he had traveled, therefore, this dignitary would probably have been excluded from the temple in Jerusalem both as a Gentile and because of his physical defect.” (2) But Isaiah also writes, “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and let not the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.’” (Isaiah 56:3-5) “[This] restoration will bring into the everlasting temple those who could not be brought in under the old covenant.” (3)
The Great Commission Realized
After our incarnated Lord Jesus saved many, he gave his disciples an overarching command. “‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’…’Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'” (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15) “The Great Commission is the command to teach those we have evangelized. Christ commanded us to teach them ‘to obey everything’ (or all things), which means that for all Christians a lifetime of learning must follow conversion and membership in Christ’s church. This command is particularly important in our extremely superficial age…Instead of striving to teach all Christ commanded, many are trying to eliminate as much of his teaching as possible, concentrating instead on things that are easily comprehended and unobjectionable…grace without judgment, love without justice, salvation without obedience, and triumph without suffering. The motivation of some of these reductionists may be good: They want to win as many people to Christ as possible. But the method is the world’s, and the results will be the world’s results. Robust disciples are not made by watered-down teaching…faithfulness to the Great Commission must involve at least the following: A high view of Scripture; the sovereignty of God, especially in salvation [and] the depravity of man…that men and women are in rebellion against God…So great is this depravity that a person cannot even come to Christ unless God first renews his soul and so draws him; and salvation by grace alone… [It also teaches us that we have] work to do. Although God does the work of saving individuals, drawing them to Christ, he does not abandon them at that point. Rather, he directs and empowers them to do meaningful work for him. Most of Christ’s teachings about discipleship fall into this area, as does Ephesians 2:10, which says, ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’…Like Jesus himself, Christians are to stand for justice and do all in their power to comfort the sick, rescue the outcast, defend the oppressed, and save the innocent.” (4) We are called to continually redefine our worldly perspectives on life and people through the gospel lens. As we do, we are to lovingly share the gospel’s transformative power with others—all others—without prejudice. But, we can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) “The kingdom of God faces outward and is on the move! As followers of Jesus, we should want to be set in motion to spread the gospel. We are to tell people that the living God has a table of welcome and He wants them to join Him. How is the kingdom of God oriented in you? Do you think of where you don’t want to go, or do you think about where you want to go?…The story of the Bible is the Lord meeting people where they are and refusing to leave them there—our living God meets us where we are…He invites you to come to His table as you are. He knows that transformation happens in proximity to Him. Jesus came to proclaim that the welcome to the table was open…His second coming will come with judgment, but we are here now to let the world know that they are invited to come to the table of the kingdom…as they are. God hates sin because it breaks you…He doesn’t hate you because you sin. Sin knocks us off-center…Jesus has dealt with your sin—now He offers us a table of welcome. He makes the crooked places straight.” (5) God keeps us on the straight path when we yield to Christ. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:1-3, 5)
Related Scripture: Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 23:1; 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; Psalm 23:6; Matthew 8:11; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:48-49; Acts 1:5, 22; 4:33; 8:1, 14; 13:47; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5.
Notes:
1. Butler, Alex, Captain, USAF—A review of “How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living,” Rushworth M. Kidder, New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1995
2. The Reformation Study Bible, Acts 8:25-40, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015.
3. Reformation Study Bible Notes, Isaiah 56:3-5, Ibid.
4. Boice, James, Boice Expositional Commentary Series, Matthew 28:19-20, Baker Books, Software version, 1998.
5. McLelland, Kristi, The Gospel on the Ground Bible Study Book with Video Access, Video Sessions 1 & 2, Lifeway, 2022
May 16, 2024
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 