A Brief Thought on the Death Penalty

As a Christian, I have the responsibility to filter everything in life through my worldview. This includes cultural issues which can be quite difficult to navigate. An often debated and controversial practice in the US is capital punishment. I have personally encountered many individuals who point back to the Christian Bible as defense of the death penalty. They reference passages like Exodus 21:23-45 which reads,"But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." While religious fervor and a desire to "please God" is admirable, I do not believe this small portion of biblical text fully expresses the intent of what is being communicated.

First, we must remember that the Bible is to be viewed in it's entirety and not simply verse by verse or even book by book. When we examine extreme passages in light of their culture context and in light of the human ideal projected in scripture, particularly in the New Testament, they begin to take on meaning beyond what the words and phrases mean alone.

Second, the Bible is a book of progress, a story of culture moving forward. When we encounter passages such as Exodus 21, it is important to understand the purpose. In a time when a single violent act quickly escalated into clan warfare and the death of entire families and villages, a law that limited the violence is a great step forward.

Third, we do not find a New Testament reference to capital punishment as an appropriate act. In the New Testament, the death sentence is given and carried out by the villains of the story, not by heroes such as Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, or Stephen.

Finally, Romans speaks to the fact that Christ has fulfilled the law. This refers to not just a few verses in Exodus, but to the whole of the Old Testament law. In the Gospels, we are given a new law through Christ — to love God and love people.

So as a Christian, I do not believe the death penalty is morally right and can therefore not support it. But what options do we have? Are there any correctional actions we can take that are moral and that appropriately address our need for justice? Yes. I believe that incarceration is the remedy we seek. However, I do not believe that the modern American approach to prison is harsh enough.

I believe that violent crimes such as murder and rape should carry not just long or life prison terms but should also carry hardship beyond a cell and walls. Luxuries such as education, television, physical fitness equipment and the like should be denied. I also do not believe that daily necessities should be responsibility of the state. Food, toiletries, medical supplies, and medical care should fall to the wrongdoer and his family.

 This blog post is an official entry for the Law Blogger’s Scholarship, sponsored by The Law Office of Joshua Pond, http://www.joshuapondlaw.com.

A Game of Inches

1 Kings 21:1-20

1 King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel, and near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Since your vineyard is so convenient to the palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it." 3 But Naboth replied, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors." 4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth's answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! 5 "What in the world is the matter?" his wife, Jezebel, asked him. "What has made you so upset that you are not eating?" 6 "I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or to trade it, and he refused!" Ahab told her. 7 "Are you the king of Israel or not?" Jezebel asked. "Get up and eat and don't worry about it. I'll get you Naboth's vineyard!"

Here we have what seems like an innocent offer. Ahab, the king comes to Naboth, a guy who owns a vineyard and says, “You know, you’re land is really conveniently located near my palace. What do you say I give you a better vineyard in exchange for it, or I will pay you for it.

To us, this sounds like a reasonable offer...

It sounds reasonable because there are cultural elements at play we don’t understand. What happens if Naboth sells or trades his Vineyard:

-He gets a better Vineyard or a large sum of money.

-If takes the money, it is soon gone. If he chooses to trade, because of Jewish property laws like Jubilee, in 50 years (maybe less), he has to give the Vineyard back to the King.

-He does not get his Vineyard back in Jubilee because he has surrendered his land to the King.

He may benefit greatly in the moment, but further down the road, he would have robbed himself, his family and his family’s future from their Godly inheritance. You see if you are an Israelite living at this time in Israel’s history, your land is the inheritance from God. It is the gift God has given you and that gift represents a future promise from God. It represents a hope beyond this life. That gift of land tells you, your family, your friends, that there is a promise from God that he will take care of you, even after

you have left this life.

What we see in Naboth is a man who so values his God, that he refuses to compromise even in the small things. If we pause to be honest with ourselves, would we see this kind of intense love for God? Are we working to protect the inheritance that God has put in our hearts? You see, Jesus is our inheritance. Are we protecting our relationship with him?

I don’t think most of us sell out everything in a moment. I think the devil knows we are too smart for that. I don’t see very many people randomly convert to Buddhism...

In other words, we don’t sell the whole Vineyard at once. Rather, we sell it off a little at time. We don’t sell out all at once, but we make little compromises. We don’t sell our whole Vineyard but we give it away one inch at a time.

INTEGRITY IS SACRIFICED DAILY ON THE ALTAR OF CONVENIENCE.

Lessons from My Two Year Old

Tonight, I am sitting on my couch, looking up at my son's "Happy Second Birthday" that is still hanging on my living room hall. It is difficult for me to imagine two things: 1) Is he really already two? 2) Was there really ever a time he was not apart of my life? In two years of knowing him he has taught me so much:

- We are free to be ourselves. From the moment he found his personality he has refused to hide it. He is all Brayden all the time. Whether he is rocking his guitar, singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," or simply running through the house laughing and then falling, he only knows how to be himself. He doesn't have to pretend. I don't think we do either. We are free to be ourselves.

- We don't have to be afraid of gravity. Even though I have seen him tumble over couches, out of bed and I have watched him leap off of every scalable surface in my house, he continues to jump. It doesn't seem to matter that he has bruises and bumps. It doesn't matter that he doesn't always land favorably. He still dares and risks. He has no fear of gravity. We don't have to be afraid of all the things that seem to pull us back to the earth when we attempt to dream and risk the seemingly impossible.

- Everthing we do deserves all the energy we have. When he approaches anything whether playing or wrestling or whining, it gets the whole of his energy. He holds nothing back. I think we should all approach life this way. Everything we do deserves everything we've got. Otherwise, why do it?

- Finally there is nothing that a hug and a smile can't fix. If he falls a hug and smile make it better. If his older brother hurts him. Hug and smile. If he sees me frustrated, he gives me a hug and smile. When I walk through the door with the weight of work on my shoulders and clouding my mind, here he comes with a hug and smile. I wish we could all know that kind of love and trust.

So, to my now two year old son. Thanks for making me a better man. I love you big boy.

I Need a God Who is Greater Than Me

Matthew 26:31-35

31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike* the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. 

As I have been praying about this new year and what I most need, I am confident that the Lord is calling me to something greater than ourselves. 

I’ll be honest, I am pretty selfish. I am selfish because I can be unselfish if I try. I have to try not to be self-centered. I have to try not be the center of my own life. 

My struggle is that I live in a world that tells me that I should be the center of my own world. It’s all about me. I seem to think that the whole world wants and maybe even needs me to instagram them a picture of me everyday, to tweet them my whereabouts, and facebook them my newest thought for the day. Why, because I AM important.

I am the center and creator of my own story. I have the right to choose my life path. I AM in charge of my own life. I can do anything I want to do.Why? Because I AM GOOD ENOUGH, I AM SMART ENOUGH, AND DOG GONNIT, PEOPLE LIKE ME!!!!

I really believe that I have got to begin to see things from a new perspective. I have got to approach life from a new angle. I have got to see that there is something greater than me that I can give my life to. That everything I need and truly want in life is not found in me. 

What I need is something GREATER THAN ME!!! I need a God that is Greater than Me. 

Now if I say, God is greater than me, I think, “Yeah of course, God is greater than me. That is really an easy statement to agree with. Why wouldn't I think that God is Greater than me. Um... He is God.”

Here’s the problem. I don’t usually live like I understand that God is greater than me. As long as I am the central person within my own life, I am saying that I am greater than God. I am a lot like Peter in Matthew 26.

v.31-32 — Jesus is laying out what is about to happen. He tells his disciples the things are about to go down. You are all gonna dessert me tonight. And I am gonna die. But, I am going to be raised from the dead, so meet me in Galilee after this whole thing is done. Jesus has just told them he is going to die and come back, but all they heard was you are going to leave me.

v.33 — Peter steps up and says it doesn’t matter what everyone else does, I’m not gonna leave you! 

Upon hearing the most amazing declaration — that Jesus would rise from the dead, he feels the need to move the attention off of Jesus’ resurrection and onto his own perceived future success. He has heard the truth that gives the Gospel power, Jesus is going to conquer death! And his reaction is, “hold on Jesus, I’m not gonna leave you.” In the midst of Jesus declaring the single most powerful event that has ever happened in human history, Peter feels the need to put himself in the center of the story and move the attention off of the good news, Jesus is going to rise from the dead to himself and how he is not gonna fail because he is gonna try REALLY HARD. 

v.34 — Jesus takes things a step further with Peter. He looks at him says, if you want to be the center of this story, you will not only fail, but your failure will be EPIC!!!

v.35 — Peter still doesn’t get it. He continues forcing his way into the center of the story again. “Even if I have to die...” (So far, Jesus has said that he was the only one who was going to die. Why is Peter trying to put himself in the spot Jesus said was his?) I will never deny you.

In other words, I CAN DO THIS!

I can’t tell you how many times I have done this! I put myself in the center of a story that is all about Jesus and I have the same mantra Peter does.

I CAN DO THIS. And like Peter I try really hard!

Skip down to verse 47

The book of John tells me that the guy waving the sword around like an idiot, the guy trying really hard, the only guy who is fighting, the guy that attacks a slave instead of someone with a weapon is Peter. 

He is trying really hard...

I CAN DO THIS! 

I CAN DO THIS!

I CAN DO THIS!

I do this so often with my life. I put myself at the center and say I can do this! My teacher told me I can be anything I want to be if I put my mind to it. My mommy told me I do anything I want to do I just try really hard. If I do my best, I can win the Superbowl, World Series, a Nobel prize, the Lottery and America’s next top model in the same year!

And everything about our lives begins with the letter i. And I tell people how great I AM. I forget that there is only one GREAT I AM.

I put myself at the center of my own life when I am meant to look to someone else at the center of my life. Man at the center of human history is destroys us. Think what happens when Adam interjects his own will and ideas into creation. In the same way, me at the center of my own life destroys me. 

Jesus is meant to be at the center of my story. I know this because on my own, I am pretty messed up. On my own, I can’t.

It’s not I can... It’s I can’t...

Like Peter, when I am at the center of the story, I can’t. THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL IN MY HEART IS TO PUT ME AT THE CENTER OF IT. I need a God who is greater than me if I am going to do anything.

While everyone else may tell me to believe in myself and that I can do it, and all I need to do is try really hard, at the end of the day, I can’t.

I can’t... Make myself better

I can’t... Overcome sin

I can’t... Find joy or peace

I can’t... Know love or have hope

I can’t... Save myself

I can’t save myself because I am the problem. “The only thing that I have ever contributed to my salvation is the sin that made it necessary.” I need a God who is greater than me, because I can’t. The good news is I don’t have to. 

The center of the Gospel story is Jesus. It is all about what He DID. He lived a perfect life for me. He died for my sins. He did all the work for all of man kind. 

If his life, death and resurrection can have such a profound effect on the whole of humanity, what can it do in my heart? What can the work of Christ do to the trajectory of my life? How can I be changed? What can I become? It is not for me to decide, but for me to trust him. What could my life look like if I let Christ sit at the center of my life, directing, guiding, willing and working me for his good pleasure?

I Can't

I am self-conscious and insecure. There I said it. I worry about looking like a fool in public. I dread gaining too much weight. I am nervous that my short comings and ineptness will surface at the most inopportune times. Amazing how little thoughts can weigh my vision down.

I think that is one of the reasons I love the New Year. I can make my to do list of self improvements. I can survey my life and tell myself that if I read more I won't be foolish. If I have a work out and drink less Mountain Dew I can replace my keg with a six pack. If tweak this and overhaul that my friends and family will never see my imperfections. Then I can hold my head high.

One problem... I do this every year.

It is becoming clear to me that I can't fix me. No amount of trying, training, or teaching will make me who I am called to be. I cannot discipline or will myself into a better me.

I can't...

I can't...

I CAN'T!!!

I am finding so much freedom in those words. Whatever "fixing" I need, I can't do it. What is even better, I don't have to.

"work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." - Philippians 2:12-13

I recently read that the only thing I can contribute to my salvation and sanctification is the sin that makes them necessary. I can't fix me but I don't have to because it is God's work to fix me. It is God's work to change me and shape me for His good pleasure. I am free to live. Free to be.

I am free not to try to save myself with a list of rules. I am free to bury myself under mountains of condemnation because of my imperfections. I am free to move past my failures. I am no longer a slave to sin and therefore no longer need to create a personal law to show me when I have strayed.

I can't, but Christ can. Knowing that it is He who is at work in my life, what I need is Him. So my focus is no longer on what I can't do — fix myself. And on what I can do — know Christ. And I as seek to know Him better I find that He is at work in me willing and working me for His good pleasure. All the fixing I couldn't do on my own, I find he is doing for me.

So what if I can't. He can.