| Friday, July 21, 2006 |
| Virtue and Vice |
"Thus vices against virtues contend with all speed..." In the 15th Century morality play entitled The Castle of Perseverance, vice and virtue contend for a man's soul. The vices dart about the stage disguising themselves as virtues, playing tricks on virtues and vices alike.
In no way are we Christians commanded to hate. Neither are we called to spread God's Word by killing our enemies. Our enemies -- the enemies of God -- will be overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of [our] testimony" (Revelation 12:11, NIV). But many times we err on the side of being too lenient with those who practice evil. We treat both virtue and vice lightly, forgetting that good should be rewarded and evil should be punished. God sees evil, and he will punish it. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14, NIV).
How should we then live? In his expositional commentary on Psalms, James Montgomery Boice concludes: Although this is indeed an age of grace, an age in which to proclaim the gospel of God's free salvation from sin through the work of Jesus Christ, we should remember that it is not endless. Judgment will be done. Therefore, we should both warn people of this judgment and be diligent in taking the gospel to those who are without it. |
posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:07 AM   |
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