Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely
Ephesians 4:28
28 Let [klepto] him that stole [klepto] steal [klepto] no more: [meketi] but [de] rather [mallon] let him labour, [kopiao]
working [ergazomai] with his hands [cheir] the thing which is good, [agathos] that [hina] he may have [echo] to give [metadidomi] to him
that needeth [chreia]. [echo] KJV-Interlinear
28 Let
him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his
own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him
who has need. NASB
Morals are the living standards
that guide society. Morals are the sum
total of ones conduct, principles, scruples, rules and accepted beliefs that a
person lives by.
The opposite of morals is
immorality, such as in truth or lie, privacy or gossip, respect or disrespect,
legal or illegal, honor or dishonor, promotion without achievement, love
without honor, love without virtue, success without integrity, approbation
without achievement, and so forth. In
every case trying to get something without earning it.
But morals also reach
into the standards by which people live, such as marriage between a man and woman
which is morally correct. Marriage
between two men, or between two women, or between man and animal, are all immoral
practices. Being dressed in public is a
moral standard. Running around naked is
not. Stealing is immoral, lascivious activities are typically immoral, drunkenness
is an immoral act, but then so also is being self-righteous which is a violation
of the biblical standard of humility.
And this list can go on and on seemingly forever.
Here we have an act of
stealing, which is not only a criminal act, but an immoral act. And the opposite of this is labor, which is
an honorable and honest thing to do in life.
Stealing is trying to get something for nothing, trying to get something
that you do not deserve, did not earn, and are not entitled to. Labor, is the act of working or doing
something productive, getting paid or getting some legitimate benefit for your
effort, and then enjoying legitimately the benefits of your effort. Laziness is the opposite. To do nothing means that you deserve nothing.
Now apply this to the spiritual
life.
To reject God, Christ,
doctrine and your daily study, is the same as stealing, as laziness, as
immorality. You do nothing, expect
everything, but deserve nothing. Your
blessings from God are zip.
To accept God, Christ,
doctrine and to pursue your daily bible study, means that you look to God, look
to truth, look to your spiritual growth and make an honest and honorable effort
to comply with what God expects of you.
In that, you receive blessings now, and especially in eternity, where by
the way you will live the bulk of your forever life.
Also, there are always
side benefits to your honest efforts.
Others benefit too.
When society on the whole
is immoral, then everyone suffers. When
society on the whole is moral, then everyone benefits.
An immoral society
experiences famines and flood and storms and economic declines and that affects
prices and jobs and on and on.
When government tries to
legislate morals then society declines, depravity is the result of false
virtue, indolence is the result of false industry, indifference is the result
of false ambitions, and ignorance is the result of false education.
A moral society
experiences blessings, which in turn translates into prosperity and benefits
for all.
Example. These United States were founded on Biblical
principles, we started out a very poor and weak nation, but rocketed into the
greatest nation in history.
Even today as society is
seemingly moving toward anti-God principles, the strong foundation that has
existed before, still remains and the benefits of those structures will
continue for a long time. Sooner or
later, however, even the best of empires, fail under the pressures of immoral
standards. History is the living record
of that.
In contrast there are
other nations on this planet who reject God, or have their own versions of a
god, they have been around far, far, far longer than our nation and yet many
aspects of those nations are still living in the stone age, so to speak, with
no economy to speak of, no productivity, no innovation, massive poverty that
keeps on continuing from generation to generations and on and on.
So, the very best
charitable activity that you can possibly pursue, by far, is accomplished by
pursuing your daily bible study. God
does the rest. And others gain help by
virtue of your spiritual accomplishments.
Theologically speaking
this is called blessings by association. Living in this country you cannot help
but be blessed in some fashion simply by being here.
On the other hand, there
is cursing by association, wherein if you associate with immorality, then you
reap the cost of that choice. And that
cost is always bad for you.
The source of morality is
God, never you. The benefits from
morality come from God, never you.
So, believer and
unbeliever alike can benefit from a strong moral society.
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