TEN YEARS OF REFLECTIONARY - A Look at Hebrews (Park)

Originally published Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Purity and Justice: You can't have one without the other

Let me take some liberties here, and suggest a helpful distinction between the conservatives and liberals, in the U.S. today. How timely, too, with us in the midst of a heated debate over health care.

On one hand, you can boil everything about the liberals down to the word: "justice." They love to talk about equality and fairness. They take the Declaration of Independence concepts "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and apply them to the idea that the rich should not be the only ones that get to do this! How can you pursue happiness without some money? And there are way too many wealthy people with ill-gotten gains; does this not strengthen their case that the poor should have access to some of America's bounty?

The Constitution defines the role of government, among other things, as to ensure the "welfare" of the American people. On this alone hangs their point that everything they have promoted has been constitutional. And, truth be known, they have a point.

The conservatives, on the other hand, are adamant about punishing crime. And they put a lot of stock into the need for people to choose lifestyles that align with traditional values. You cannot have freedom, where people push the limits too much on what is ethical or moral. The conservatives hold that the pursuit of happiness must be attended by a check on our own behaviors. We must act unselfishly, spiritually even - and we must not slide into lifestyles and behaviors that have been deemed immoral for hundreds of generations! They warn us: go down that path, and you will lose your freedom! Freedom comes with a price! And a free people must also be a virtuous people.

It is hard to argue against their points, as well.

But God wants it both ways. He wants justice, with purity. He wants fairness, with self-controlled behavior. He seems to be urging us to go for the highest standards of behavior (did not the Sermon on the Mount make this clear?) Not only pure behaviors, but pure thoughts as well!

If we check our appetites, control our passions, choose the spiritual over the fleshly, deny the satisfaction of our basic impulses and delay gratification; then He is faithful to even out the playing field for us. Yes, he'll bless us indeed! But we too have a responsibility to act as holy vessels well-prepared to commune with a holy and loving Creator.

You always loved justice and hated lawlessness.

The Old Testament taught us this lesson, over and over again. God loves us, and wants us to have a fair and equitable community. He wants love to prevail. There should be no advantage of one person over the other. Even the aliens in our midst, are to be treated as royalty!

But this just society is also a clean one. The people within are self-controlled, aspiring to be as pure as the angels. We have a role-model, who is Christ the Lord. He put others before Himself. The completely selfless person has no room for giving in to selfish passions.