Godding

This text is one of many texts that help Christians understand the refinements of Christian belief context joined with conduct practice.  Does my conduct affect my conscience negatively or positively?  We answer in self-evaluation.  Does God’s judgment (evaluation) of me include my conscience?  Personal context ultimately does relate to God’s evaluation of me – so to determine hypocrisy or virtue in a context that might include arguable behaviors.  The text offers relief for those entertaining certain conducts they do not feel to be wrong (sin/ignorance), but also demands consistency between the conduct and the conscience.  To openly deny that something is sin, and to privately believe that it isn’t becomes personal hypocrisy, and is not treated favorably by God.  We chose the text for this date in Volume One.   Like the majority of sophisticated texts, comparison translations serve well in making meanings clearer for changing cultures and times.  The text does not change but is cast in various cultural periods so to clarify its original meaning to current readers.  Cultural evolution is well managed when we discover the universals that survive in any culture.  Truth evaluates culture (variant language adaptations, among other factors), but truth can be shadowed in cultural shifting (common in language, but includes changes in thought processes and conduct).  God provides greater understanding in this management than does humanistic society.  Duplicity is common in secular society, despised in Christian.  Even so the concept may not be understood in its ramifications.  It takes some time and discipline to work some meanings through to effective conclusions.  (For example: White lies of compassion diminish the purity of truth.)

My favorite illustrations of the principles of this kind of text occurred for King David, and for Jeremiah.  David violated his conscience when he had Joab back away from the soldier officer Uriah so that David would be free to marry Bathsheba, pregnant with child from David’s liaison with her.  In the course of events, Uriah was slain, the marriage was vowed for David and Bathsheba, and the wrath of God incurred.  The Prophet Nathan confronted David, in the presence of the people.  David’s hypocrisy of his wounded faith and practice was met by embracing hope in contrition, seeking God’s forgiveness, and restoration. (Psalm 51)  A pagan king, in that era, would likely order the death of a prophet who would make such accusations of the king. (2 Samuel 11)  A more exotic illustration is found in Jeremiah’s writings. (Jeremiah 35)  The Rechabites (whom I sometimes dub Israel’s Amish) came to Jeremiah at his invitation.  Jeremiah, in obedience to God, offered wine as a symbol of good will and friendship, common practice in Israel as it is today in some meetings.  The offer was refused, and Jeremiah learned that these people were dedicated to the avoidance of wine, to living only in tents, and to other details of culture for them that were not found in the mainstream of Israel.  Ultimately Jeremiah, whose offer was turned down, defended the Rechabites for their faithfulness, and noted that God would bless them, whereas the mainline groups among the Israelites were less committed to their faith with less blessing.  There is a profound lesson in all of this that needs to be understood and fed into the conduct of persons so to gain the blessing of God for integrity.  We may underestimate the place of commitment to meaning and faithfulness.

Conscience is not a certain guide but a proof, when clear, about God and Scripture.  When conscience and Scripture agree about my life and conduct, I can proceed with considerable assurance that all is going fairly well in my relationship with God and life as it unfolds.  A reason for Scripture in our lives is to instruct conscience.  This factor in culture was important to Jesus’ ministry, revealed in the straightforwardness of defending God’s Word and ways among the people, but speaking out against some of the leaders, both secular and sacred, in the Temple society and life processes.  He even spoke out against some missionary effort from Israel in sending out persons who may have made the converts more the citizens of hell than of heaven.  It is clear that the purity of the faith rests in the individual, following God’s word, in conviction.  We should not play god to others – godding.  We witness to Christ what we seek for all.  A pattern is found in the large concept of moderation, so that there is a balance that does not make life odd or too difficult.