Title Responsibility (1 John 01:8-9)
Content We see that the beginning of mankind's woes lies in rebellion against God's command, but we notice that Adam and Eve missed a good opportunity for secondary restoration.
In response to God's question, "Why did you eat of the forbidden fruit?", Adam blamed the sin on Eve, and went one step further and made the excuse, "The woman God gave me gave me the fruit, so I ate it." In the end, it was God's error. I said my deepest feelings that I wanted to admit.
Eve had shifted the blame for the same question to the serpent.
If they had been honest about their mistakes by saying, “I was wrong,” no matter who recommended them, God would not have spared mercy and forgiveness for them, and the history of mankind would have been woven more purely and happily.
The excuses and shifting of responsibility of our ancestors cannot but be called a chronic disease of mankind, and even in modern times, their grudges are prevalent as a cause of social corruption.
In life, everyone is the subject of responsibility that cannot help but take responsibility for their actions and actions. That's why modern ethics calls humans "responsible beings". Therefore, the more genuine human beings are, the more sensitive they are to their sins and the stronger the sense of responsibility, the more they can become great people with clear conscience. Conversely, the more vulnerable you are, the more you cover up your sins, excuse your mistakes, and open up your complaints and dissatisfaction.
When David's son Absalom rose from rebellion against his father, the number was far superior. David was pursued by his son, so he had no choice but to run away with his men. As David was passing through Behurim, a man named Shimei came out and cursed David. “You poor bastard. You who shed a lot of blood Cursed.”
At this time, David's subordinate Abishai asked David, "How can you let that dead dog-like man curse the king? I will go and take the author's head off right away." David said, "Leave it alone. My son, who is now born in my body, is also trying to harm me, isn't it natural for that Benjaminite to curse me? The reason he curses is because God made him curse David, so leave him alone.”
You can see the greatness of David, who found his fault in the sight of God even though he suffered all kinds of insults from someone like a dead dog who would fall down and be killed with just one command.
The first Adam covered others even for his own sins, but the second Adam, Jesus Christ, acknowledged the sins of all mankind as his own and was baptized by John. Baptism is a ceremony received by sinners to wash away their sins. But Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot, took the sins of mankind and was baptized in the Jordan River, and took the punishment of the cross for our sins. This is why the world adores and worships me.
How do we view the 6.25 Incident? Of course, it would be correct to claim that the illegal invasion of the North Korean Communist Party caused such a tragedy. But we will need to know another cause. It is our own fault. Neglecting this will lead to a bigger problem.
It is difficult to describe the chaos that this nation, who has received the grace of liberation, has committed. Immediately after liberation, the streets of Seoul were a world of pubs and cafes everywhere, fraud and extortion in markets and shopping malls.
Even the religious circles could not come to their senses, and many mishaps occurred. Of course, there was a quantitative revival that escaped the pressure of the Japanese imperialists, but the factional fight was fierce. In some denominations, when a bishop takes office, a crowd who opposes the inauguration scooped up excrement and poured it on his head.
When we face misfortune, we must realize our faults and our sins, reflect on them, and repent.
Next, we must go further and take responsibility not to cause others to stumble and fall.
As the political philosopher Montescu said, “If I knew something that was good for myself but bad for my family, I threw it out of my mind. When I found out that, if it was good for my family, it was hurting the country, I immediately forgot it. If I knew anything that would be beneficial to my country but fatal to all mankind, I counted it as a crime.” Individuals Individuals are not beings that can exist independently, but have a collective responsibility that is bound by invisible lines of society, nation, and humanity. This is equivalent to losing all the fish in the net because one part of the net is ruptured, and it is equivalent to losing the whole team because one relay player drops the baton to the ground.
In other words, we must feel responsibly for the impact we have on society and our mission as a communicator of good things to the next generation.
The Apostle Paul, who became the leader of the Christian faith, said, “If food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat, so that my brother will not stumble. In other words, as a small matter, in order not to offend the conscience of believers who claim to be herbivores, the sacrifice will be sweet as much as not eating meat.
It was during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar in the kingdom of Babylon. He made an image of gold and forced him to bow down. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who believed in the true God, did not bow down before them by death. There is a habit of praying in places such as stone statues and old trees after losing the true god. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego set a good example of faith in that sense, and it is to be passed down from generation to generation, so that everyone who reads the Bible imitates me and has a living faith.
Faith, which is a matter of eternal life, stakes life. You can't go anywhere and bow your head. A Christian cannot bow down to a Buddha or idol just because his superior forces him to take off his hat and bow.
In the book of Revelation, the Lord says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I want you to be cold or hot.” He said, “If it is lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”
As mentioned above, we should be responsible for our own faults and for others.
If we want to become responsible believers as believers, we must first start with a sincere confession before God. Humans like to blame those who rebuke them, but they tend to hate admitting their own faults. Ever since Adam and Eve began to cover their shame with fig leaves, humans have a habit of covering up their sins.
Therefore, Jesus did not hesitate to rebuke the Pharisees severely.
“Woe to you. You hypocrites, scribes and Pharisees. It's like a whitewashed grave. Outwardly they appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. In the same way you also appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
When Abraham, the father of faith, went down to live in Egypt with his beautiful wife, he was concerned about the danger of his life because of her beauty and deceived her as a sister. Fortunately, God brought great calamity to the king of Egypt who was trying to rape Abraham's wife, and they knew that we were Abraham's wife and sent them back.
To say that Abraham also had this aspect, I believe that the term “whitewashed tomb” applies not only to the scribes and Pharisees, but also to us today, even to myself.
See 1 John 1:9.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
How merciful? All we have to do is confess. In this verse, “I” refers to God. I am not referring to the pastor. Nor does it refer to the bride. We are guaranteed the privilege of speaking directly before God in the name of Jesus Christ.
See John 16:23.
“…Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
We need to peel off the mask, confess our deep sins and hidden shame before the Lord, and receive forgiveness. Humans are reluctant to confess their sins, but the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road is strait, and few find it.
I hope that this time will be a time to realize that it is my responsibility, not to discuss the faults of others, and to confess honestly before God.