The other day I was processing some stuff related to Galatians and how the new system, faith in Christ, overwrote the old system: the old law. To recap, it is through faith in Jesus Christ that we're saved, not by our observing the law and doing good things. For the more we try to keep God's law, the more clear it becomes we aren't obeying it! That's a quote from my Bible.
I hearkened back to an expression that we hear often down here in NC. Maybe it's a southern saying, maybe not. Anyway, how many times have you told an adult you're considering doing something to get back at another person and they tell you, "Aw honey, don't stoop to their level."?
I understand the reasoning behind such a statement. However, let's look at what we're saying here. This remark is based on the assumption that because you don't do something, you are on a higher plane than the perpetrator, morally speaking. In short, you're better off than them in this situation if you just don't do this one bad thing that you're tempted to do. This is just not true. Romans 3:23 says we all fall short of the glory of God and another verse says that we are judged not by what we do, but by our faith, so that no one can boast at all. For example, no one is more of a whore than anyone else, because we have all loved other things more than God, who is the One we should love most (That's infidelity of the heart. It's not just a flesh matter).
Now I understand if you think I'm being overly analytical/ philosophical, but who are you to decide at what point we shall stop analyzing a certain statement? LIFE is philosophical. Every moment deserves analysis, especially self-analysis. The Bible is our tool to begin learning how to do that.
So really everywhere we go, we see the belief that because of what we do/say, we are good/bad people. If you follow this train of thought, you'll understand why some adults say "bad boy" instead of "bad behavior" in conflict situations. We unfortunately brand the person, not the behavior.
This pays no attention to what the Bible says because that would be judging ourselves based on what we do and elevating/lowering ourselves accordingly in our minds... using worldly logic. Fact: we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God. This is in all things. There is no way for you to reach the quota of absolute perfection for admission to Heaven in any aspect of your life. But that's why we have faith. We can't earn our way to God by what we do at all, but at least we can begin loving God and furthering His work. After all, He loved us first! And love should elicit love.
