Time with Jesus - Monday, 07 May
2012
Hi all,
A certain Dr Hort, a 19th
century English theologian stated that for Jesus to die for you and me is
immoral. Today’s Scriptures speak of Jesus’ suffering. So our meditation
focuses on this statement by Dr Hort and whether or not he could be correct.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Time with Jesus – Monday, 07 May 2012
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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IMMORALITY?
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Today we are looking at the question of morality.
Was it morally correct for Jesus Christ to die for me. The question is valid.
If we see it as immoral, then Jesus would not have done it.
Dr Hort, a late 19th century Theologian
rejected it out of hand. God would never do anything immoral. As far as he
was concerned, if it was immoral it would never have happened. In terms of
human morality, for someone else to die for my sin is immoral. If I committed
the sin, I should be held responsible for it and not the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the surface this is clearly true. If I am jailed for a crime you
committed, its wrong! So how do we deal with this?
The first thing we must get to grips with is the
fact that moral standards vary from nation to nation.
A couple of Biblical incidents demonstrate this
clearly. One of them is what happened to the people who returned to Jerusalem
after the Babylonian captivity. During this period, a number of Jewish men
had married non-Jewish women and were the father of their children. There may
have been good reasons for this. However, they should not have done so. Ezra
the priest told these men to divorce their foreign wives. They did. Now that
shocks our 21st century sense of morality. Was it right or was it
wrong? Was it acceptable to God in those days? The fact is, they did it with
or without God’s approval. So my thinking is being challenged by the Lord.
One of the tragedies of the Book of Judges is the
way Jephthah sacrificed his daughter; his one and only child because of a
foolish vow he had made. Read about it in Judges 11. This could never happen
in our 21st century culture. But it happened back then. Thus in my
culture it was wrong. In that culture it was the right thing to do.
These illustrations of differences are sobering. In
terms of my culture it would be wrong for someone to die for me! But in this
instance, my culture is not the same as God’s culture. Frankly, His is the only
one relevant.
Of course, He is God and is free to do wherever He chooses.
He does not require my or Dr Hort’s approval.
There is another aspect to this. Our cultural
standards vary from generation to generation. In the 1960’s the idea of a man
and woman living together was never considered. Having children without being
married was not even on the radar screen of most young men and women. The men
might have liked the idea! But for the
women and her parents it was a “No No!” Today, nobody cares. Many just shack
up and live together. Personally, I don’t like it or approve. But my approval
is never required. Phyllida and I are just a couple of “old fogies” who are
not “with it”.
But what is God’s view? His perfect “qualities” –
love, mercy, and justice to mention only three are never in conflict with
each other. He is able to be 100% consistent with Himself. In terms of this,
for me to even try to comment on Him would be arrogance of the worst order.
All I can say is that if He approves, who am I and who is Dr Hort, to disapprove?
His omniscience means He is always error free. So we must bow to His better
judgement.
Jim &
Phyllida Strickland
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26 They attack those you
have wounded. They talk about the pain of those you have hurt.
Psalms 69:26 NIrV
1 Jesus told his disciples, "Situations that cause people to lose their faith are
certain to arise. But how horrible it will be for the person who causes
someone to lose his faith!
Luke 17:1 GW
23 But God knew what would
happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed.
With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to a cross and killed Him.
Acts 2:23 NLT
67 Then they spit in his
face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying,
"Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"
Matthew 26:67-68 ESV
41 In the same way the
chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders made fun of him.
42 "He saved others," they
said. "But he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come
down now from the cross! Then we will believe in him.
Matthew 27:41-42 NIrV
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the
rulers gathered together against the LORD and against His Messiah.' 27
"In fact, this has happened here in this
very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and
the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your holy servant, whom
You anointed. 28 But everything
they did was determined beforehand according to Your will.
Acts 4:26-28 NLT
4 But the fact is, it was our pains he
carried-- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he
brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. 5 But it was our sins that did that to
him, that ripped and tore and crushed him--our sins! He took the punishment,
and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5 MSG
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Have you
ever noticed God is wonderfully unfair?
If things were any different, I would
be hanging there;
And all
who ever lived on earth, should be in one great line;
Then, after I was dead and gone, each
one would have their time,
Of
suffering and dying on that cruel Roman tree.
Instead, the Son of God was there, in
place of you and me!
It shouldn’t
be permitted. It shouldn’t be allowed.
The truth is only sinners were members
of the crowd,
That spat
on Him and beat Him and told Him “Prophesy
If the are the Son of God, You do not
have to die!
Prove You’re
King of Israel by kindly stepping down.
If you choose to do it; that proves Yours
is the crown.”
But Jesus
Christ said nothing. I think I would have screamed,
For someone to awaken me from this nightmarish
dream.
But no one
would have answered. They’d know that it was right.
I am the one who should have died upon
that Friday night.
Then, when
I had departed, they should have come for you.
This was the opportunity for God to really
do,
Everything
He stated was the penalty for sin.
And then it should continue for all
our kith and kin.
Do you
think it’s immoral for Jesus Christ to die,
To save a sinful monster as bad as you
and I?
Of course
it is immoral! That’s surely what I see.
But Jesus and His Father see things
quite differently.
Humanity
in general could never change their ways.
Many folk have tried it and wasted all
their days.
One sin in
a lifetime is all it takes to fail,
And be condemned for ever, to some
quite hellish jail.
God saw
that as immoral. He knows we’re only dust.
The devil had us captive and He
thought He should bust,
A hole in
Satan’s kingdom so we could walk away.
Yet that was not the answer, for us to
come to stay.
I think He
had a problem. A problem with no cure.
Unless someone has lived a life that’s
infinitely pure.
And then
we both trade places. He gets my sin and pain;
And I receive a pardon for which I
have no claim.
That
person must be human or there could be no trade.
But if that man was also God, a way
would have been made
For everyone who ever lived be told
they could go free;
That God would take the punishment for
all humanity.
The answer
was accepted. The Trinity agreed.
We may say it is immoral. But it was
right indeed!
They
thought that it was excellent. Whoever would, may come;
And find their full salvation through
Jesus Christ, God’s son.
Decisions
of morality are never mine to take.
It’s only His that matter. They’re always
His to make!
Jim
Strickland – Written 7th May 2012
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