Lady Justice, a sculpture that has come to represent the American justice system, has a sword, a blindfold, and the scale of justice. For generations, we have prided ourselves in creating a just nation where the laws are equally applied to all, regardless of race, gender, and a handful of other criteria. Yet with all that has happened, with all the changes in society, and with changes in what is considered as proper behavior, we still have an imperfect system. At times, it seems that justice is simply another commodity where wealth and fame seem to influence. There are also times when the laws that have been passed with the noblest of intentions have a greater negative impact than the original problem. Yet, with these problems, most Americans still have faith in the laws of our land.
The scale of justice and Jesus’ blood
A while back on the USA television network, there was a commercial that featured the actors and actresses involved with the various shows on the network. On this particular commercial, the featured stars would share some of their life philosophy as a part of the “USA Characters” promotional to draw interest to the programming. One actress shared her views on God, “I believe all paths lead to God…” We live in a multi-cultural society and have been taught since the early 1970s that all things are equal. We’ve been taught not to judge the faith of others by our faith, but to be understanding, to be tolerant, and to be receptive and respective of their faith. Being a product of public education and having parents that did not raise me in church, for most of my life I believed that it was acceptable and right to have this kind of attitude – to live and let live. There are several problems with this kind of mindset; the end results are that there are going to be people who will spend and eternity in the Lake of Fire and for the believer, shame as they try to explain their “tolerance” to the Lord.
As a Christian, I have a moral and ethical responsibility to warn others of the dangers of living a life that is not acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. Keeping the Old Testament Laws does not save one’s soul, nor does doing good deeds, living a good life, or treating others with kindness. The only thing that makes a life acceptable to the Lord is this: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus further clarified this in two other verses: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36) and Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life (John 6:47). Luke, the author of the book of Acts, so eloquently wrote, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Our salvation depends on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ – nothing else will make our life acceptable to the Lord. To assure that we understand the seriousness of this judgment: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).
There are those that believe that when the day comes and they stand before the Lord, He will use his scale of justice and will weigh their good works against the evil or bad deeds they have done. The scriptures are clear that this is not how the Lord will judge; the apostle John wrote: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12 & 15). Even the Old Testament teaches that it is not by any good deeds we can earn our way to Heaven: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalms 14:1b-3) and But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6). The apostle Paul wrote on this very subject: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we can be delivered from our sins and are reconciled to God.
The responsibility of the child of God
I’ve never been to a seminary or Bible college; I approach my faith through a common sense approach much like the way I approach daily life. As a college instructor, I have a responsibility to warn students when their attendance and/or the work they submit is not to the standards that are defined for the course. When we go to our family doctor, he or she has a moral obligation to warn us if our sodium, cholesterol, or even weight is now what it is supposed to be. We have no problems following the recommendations of the mechanic who tells us what needs to be repaired on our car to keep up peak performance. Yet, when it comes to spiritual matters, many will not hesitate to ignore the Bible as a collection of fables and God as a myth. Even Christians have become dismissive of the more “radical” teachings of the Bible, claiming that somehow modern society is much different from the times of the Old Testament or the days when Jesus walked the Earth. In reality, while our technology may be different and various concepts of equality, morality, and justice may have also changed, human nature has not.
A while back ago, I saw this picture on Facebook and actually had a pretty good laugh. This Chinese restaurant’s name is OK Chinese Food, and you can probably rest assured that there are many people who have also laughed at this failed message. When I was on temporary duty in South Korea back in the ’90s, I learned that when Koreans used that phrase, for them, it didn’t mean average or just enough to get by, but they meant it as something that was good. My South Korean counterpart even told me that the phrase, “OK” had been adopted by the South Korean culture over time in their efforts to understand and communicate with the American military stationed in South Korea.
