So That You May Prosper And Live Long

“You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess” [DEUTERONOMY 5:32-33].

“The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us” [DEUTERONOMY 6:24-25]. [1]

Throughout the western world, a perception exists that the Word of God has been superseded by the wisdom of this age. We are assured both by the Word of God and by multiple ancient divines speaking as His servants that if the promises of God are accurate, we will find fulfilment only through obedience to Him and to His precepts. But if modern ideology is correct, people can only find fulfilment through pursuit of self-esteem and through surrender to personal desires, all the while ignoring accountability to the Lord God.

According to the former and more ancient perception, man is responsible to the Creator first, fulfilment and purpose of life flowing from obedience to God Who gave man his being. In contradistinction to this ancient point of view, the latter contemporary view holds that man is responsible to first find self-fulfilment through elevating self-esteem to a position of utmost importance. After that, obedience, whether to the Creator or to one’s own conception of what is right, is incidental. Be true to yourself becomes the modern mantra that guides the way modern society conducts itself.

Be true to God, states one view. Be true to yourself, asserts the opposite view. These two views cannot be reconciled—they are in utter and diametrical opposition to one another. The one view states that man is a spiritual being endowed with capacity to know God, and only through knowing God can he find fulfilment. The other view states that man is a physical being responsible to himself alone, and as he submits to himself, he finds fulfilment and a sense of purpose for life. Resolution of the question of which of these views is true is vital to our very sense of being. Our present happiness and ultimate bliss rides on the way we decide the issue.

If the modern view is correct, if fulfilment is found through elevation of self-esteem to a position of prominence, or perhaps through a determined search for self-fulfilment by gratifying our own desires, then this generation must qualify as the happiest ever in the history of the race. If the ancient view is right, then we can never be fulfilled until we have surrendered to God our Creator to obey His Law. No more may the two views be reconciled than oil may be mixed with water. And yet, the modern view holds sway over contemporary life. Educational systems are constantly manipulated to tweak the indoctrination of young minds to embrace the modern mantra, while politicians and powerbrokers dismiss worship of the Living God as foolishness.

The conflict between these two views was displayed in dramatic fashion on September 10 of this year during an afternoon session of the United States House of Representatives, when the speaker requested that the body pause to allow spoken prayer after the announcement that Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, had been murdered. While one party ceased activity to show respect while awaiting commencement of prayer, multiple members of the opposing party began to vociferously and loudly object. [2] The party booing and hissing was the same party that had objected to the mention of God in their party platform in 2012. [3] One party openly advocates respect for religious actions; the other party derides any mention of religion or God, except possibly for statements extolling the “Religion of Peace.”

Civility is important precisely because a civil society permits the exchange of ideas without resort to violence. It is not without reason that the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution enshrines freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. Civil law can classify heinous acts as unlawful, prescribing penalties for such heinous acts, but the Faith of Christ Jesus addresses those vile acts before they occur. Civil law prohibits murder; but religion—particularly the Faith of Christ the Lord—addresses murder before it occurs. While murder is still but a thought in the heart, Christ warns, “I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny” [MATTHEW 5:22-26].