Biblical Conduct - Part 3 What’s Your Honesty Parameter?
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover what God has to say about how we as believers in Jesus Christ should conduct ourselves both inside the church and outside in our public and private lives. You will discover that the Word of God has much to say about our conduct.
In the 2014 sci-fi film Interstellar, we find a rather remarkable conversation. The astronomical scientists are getting to know the colleagues and robots on their team. After a slightly awkward exchange, Dr. Brand says, “[I’m] just trying to be honest.” Joe Cooper replies, “Maybe you don’t need to be that honest.” Then turning to their robot-computer (TARS), he says, “Tars, what’s your honesty parameter?” The computer replies that he only speaks with 90% honesty. Cooper is confused. Why only 90%? TARS responds by saying, “Absolute honesty isn’t always the most diplomatic, or safe form of communication with emotional beings.”
Humans, as emotional beings, can rarely tolerate pure honesty without discomfort. What is it about the truth that makes it undiplomatic and unsafe? Is it possible to present the teachings of the Bible and not be offensive? This is a very important question and is essential in understanding how Christians should live.
Let’s look at the foundational message of Scripture:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:1, 26)
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18)
The first and most primary concept the Bible teaches is that there is one, true, living, and eternal God who created everything that exists. There are no other gods. He alone is supreme.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
Life did not come about by chance, but we were created by God for a relationship with Him. As Creator, God is the King who deserves lordship over every area of our lives. He is worthy of our obedience and worship, because He created us.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)
[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
But humanity rebelled against God; all have sinned and chosen the path of evil. All are therefore under God’s righteous condemnation.
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power… (Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Bible is clear: Jesus Christ is the fully divine, fully human, third person of the Trinity, who created all things, and for our sake was incarnate.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In spite of our sin, God still loved the world and sent His Son Christ Jesus to die in our place so that we might be rescued. This salvation is not the result of our own goodness or our own effort — it comes entirely from the merit of Christ, and his grace to us.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (I Peter 2:11)
All those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior are to repent of their sin and worldly desires, and pursue a new righteous lifestyle, instead.
This is the most glorious, wonderful news of all time! So why doesn’t everyone gratefully accept this wonderful message of forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and the promise of eternal life?
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)
As TARS pointed out, humans don’t like honesty. It makes them upset. Why? Because we are sinful and we don’t like hearing that we fall short and need to repent. Yet God’s Word does not shy away from these basic premises, which are offensive to sinners. Yes, the Bible’s wonderful, joyful message of salvation is offensive to the world and appears stupid to modern culture: the uniqueness and holiness of God, the consequences of evil and sin, the beauty and grace of the Gospel, the sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ Jesus, the cleansing power of his blood, and the love and grace given to those who believe.
If you’ve never accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I urge you right now to confess your sins, repent, and be reconciled to your Creator. Ask God to forgive you, and offer Him His rightful place as Lord over your life. It is the most important and wonderful decision you can make.
But there is more to the Gospel message than the forgiveness of sins. What did the Ephesian rioters understand about the Gospel’s further claims on one’s life? (Acts 19:18-20, 23-27)
Scripture declares that we must make Christ the Lord of our lives, submitting every thought and action to his authority. The Bible defines truth and love, right and wrong. It defines the role of government and establishes the principles for how society should function. Scripture prescribes what we are to do with our money, our sexuality, our businesses, our family, and how we are to treat others. It then intrudes even further to direct our very words, motives, thoughts, and attitudes. God’s Word gives an individual the foundation to stand up to a majority or an authority and say: “You are wrong!” In short, Scripture defines an entire worldview for those who are willing to take it seriously – a worldview that is in direct opposition to the philosophies adopted by the world (more on this in future articles). Sharing this truth with those in bondage to sin is one of the greatest possible acts of human love.
Many Christians today believe we must strive to not be offensive to the secular culture or to the world, in order to win their hearts over to Christianity by kindness. But this view is incompatible with the Bible’s own teaching on the state of mankind. Scripture has an honesty parameter of 100%.
Not only does the Bible present a message that is difficult for many to hear, but it presents it in a very surprising way — a way that is shocking to modern ears. We’ll talk about that in our next article…
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ABOUT BEN
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben also has recently accepted a full-time position with Christians Engaged as the Director of Curriculum & Strategic Ministry Partnerships.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.