Posted by Doug Showalter on September 02, 1998 at 11:44:57:
In Reply to: Why i cheat and get away with it...Its my wife fault 2 posted by Rolando on September 02, 1998 at 05:28:40:
Dear Roland,
In our free country you are free to live the life style you say you do. However, from the perspective of the Christian faith and teaching that does not mean that your life style is moral or acceptable.
You misinterpret the Bible. Indeed, Jesus did say, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged." However, he then continued on to say: "For with the judgment you make you will be judged..." [Matthew 7:1,2]
The point is not that people should never make moral judgments--as you seem to imply. Jesus himself made plenty of moral judgments--most notably, against certain things that certain religious leaders of his day were doing. Making moral judgments is necessary to distinguish between right and wrong, to protect human life, to keep human society from falling into utter chaos. Don't forget, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, precisely so Moses and his people could make moral discernments between right and wrong, so that their community would be preserved.
The basic point of that text in Matthew is that we should not judge others according to standards that we ourselves are not willing to be judged by. Also, we should not have a "censorious spirit" which is ALWAYS finding fault with others and blind to our own faults. At times moral judgments are appropriate--and needed.
The truth is that you judge yourself, even by the title of your message. You refer to the life style you are living as "cheating." Doesn't that say it all in a nutshell?
You say God will forgive you 70 times 7. True enough, but I don't see any repentance on your part.
You say that your wife is in some way responsible for your behavior. In some way she may contribute to your behavior, but otherwise each of us is an adult with free will, which means that we are ultimately responsible for our own acts.
I don't wish you ill. Thanks for posting to this message board. I hope you will come to the point in your life, where you will recognize the harm you may be doing to others, and also to yourself.
Doug Showalter