What is a person to believe? There are so many concepts of God, of mankind, of the cosmos, of what to wear at a party or church that we sometimes throw up our intellectual hands and stumble on in life with whatever falls to us. Who has the truth, or falsity, or perception, or half-way house to the clarity and conclusion of matters that matter most to us? The world is so much with us, with its garbled context, that we may be lulled away from seeking to know adequately what is right, and how to apply it to ourselves as individuals and society. This Page will outline some of the factors that may help us along the way. If we find the way Scripture outlines, we identify it as righteous (right). The non-theist identifies it in natural and human terms so speaks of human rights. The Christian identifies it in the input of a pattern related to the holiness of God so amends, for Christians, the natural human rights with teachings generated from God’s holiness and love in the context of the redemptive gospel of Jesus Christ. The human concept places the force in the social context so forming the individual: the spiritual concept places the force on the individual so forming the social world. It is a matter of melding the one and the many, the many and one. That takes some doing, but when achieved, in good will in society, natural life is not meant to be different for the non-theist and the theist. Spiritual life is something more, but impinges itself upon human performance even aiding Christians to live more effectively in the world of nature than if they were not persons of faith. For example, society deals some penalty, perhaps incarceration, for the wrongdoer. Christians following a fair legal system accepts with court judgment, but adds the factor of forgiveness of the individual so to sustain the love of God in the faith of the love of God. The first is natural, the second spiritual. The two can be active in the world of nature. The incarceration is to satisfy mankind’s justice, the forgiveness is to leave ultimate justice and evaluation to God for adjudication, perhaps to forgiveness.
For Christians the first duty is to accept scriptural injunctions for life and conduct. If there is conflict for other individuals or for society, the Christian is to accept (not necessarily approving) whatever is determined by others as violation even if that determination is unjust. (I Peter 2:19-21) This is fitting to the belief that God is the only competent judge of the performance of individuals and society. This judgment (evaluation) is going on (in part) all the while – made final in the denouement of human drama with God.
Scripture provides for the fulfilled and happy life through a series of applications representing what may be identified as principles related to righteousness. They are affirmations, not negations. So we are called to follow factors: of good will, like mediation; of good habits, like proper rest; of love, like care; of service, like nurture of family; of duty, like needed work; of loyalty, like community; of sacrifice, like sharing possessions; of improvement, like maturing in knowledge to wisdom; of health, like practice of moderation; of seeking, like plumbing the meaningful mysteries of life; of humility, so to gain the assistance of others in ideas and actions; of identification, so to be a model of the good life; of respect, so to practice the graces of life; of acceptance, so to manage the variances of life; of forgiveness, for any human violation for solution; of honesty, so to gain the benefit of truth to action in peace; of communication, so to raise the right questions for life direction; of discipline, so to find personal motivation for constructive thought and action; of courage, so to face effectively the problems of life to decline and death; of modesty, so to be considerate of dignity for human life and example; of relief, so to choose wholesome distractions from the demands of experiencing effective life; of choices, so to take on responsibility for one’s own life; and, of objectives, so to identify major skills or ideals to which one identifies for the general good. There is more here, but the above is a challenge for a lifetime for all persons. Christians add factors: of devotion, so to learn the range of prayer; of instruction, so to be a student of Scripture learning obedience to the heavenly vision; and, of a model, so to model Christ to others; and, of a spiritual contender, so to advance the communication of the Gospel of Christ. There is much more to be addressed for the Christian, but the ideals of Common Grace apply to all persons. Common grace is so serviceable to mankind that we give little time for spiritual. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020