harling@pictel.uucp (Dan Harling) (06/03/91)
In article <May.14.03.27.59.1991.3215@athos.rutgers.edu>, John Clark writes: > "if civil laws reflected the Biblical moral laws, would any more > people receive salvation?" > > In civil law the idea is to coerce at least a major portion of the > population into a certain behavior pattern. The result is a more > 'peaceful' society(very simplistic model). In Biblical moral law the > principle is 'to some higher goal, ie. change human nature' (I don't > believe this but some may subscribe to it). > > Or in another way, if one removes 'alcohol' from the available > drinks, clearly there will be less alcoholics but will there > correspondingly be more 'saved' individuals? (in this model, say, no > one can produce alcohol, yeast no longer works the same way). I will agree that a 'more peaceful society' would produce fewer people with certain behavior patterns. If one's behavior patterns were the basis for salvation, then more people would undoubtedly be saved. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. According to the Bible, salvation is not based on good works (or 'lack of bad works'), but on faith. Just because a man is freed from one sin (e.g., drunkenness), his likelihood of sinning elsewhere is in no way reduced; suppose his new sobriety fills him with pride in his own accomplishment? A man can rid himself of alcohol, sex, movie-going, and card-playing, but the only thing that will move him an inch closer to God is his heart. If a man believes that his salvation is based on his sobriety, or any other such "virtue," he is deceiving himself; the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is something nobody can merit: it is an UNDESERVED gift from God. Although God's voice would probably be more easily heard in a 'more peaceful society', it would not affect in the least an individual's willingness to hear that voice and follow. On the other hand, if a man follows Christ in faith, then these good works (or lack of bad works) will follow. Behavior is a consequence of salvation, not a cause. ______________________________________________________________________ Daniel A. Harling PictureTel, Inc. Rockport, MA Peabody, MA Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of PictureTel, Inc.; they are MINE, ALL MINE! (So there.) ---- === ====