Conditional Love

She still loves us anyway!

Neal Pollard

In every area of life I can think of, conditions are necessary.  Contracts almost always contain clauses, caveats, and quid pro quos.  Jesus even provided conditions for the marriage "contract," allowing one whose mate commits fornication to divorce and remarry an eligible person (Mat. 19:9) or one whose mate dies to marry an eligible person (Rom. 7:1-4).  Though making no allowance for remarriage, as some say, Paul does add that one does not have choose marital obligations to a mate over Christ (1 Cor. 7:15).  Further, one is not required to remain in a situation where abuse and physical danger is a viable threat either to that one or whatever children are involved, even if such reprehensible conduct does not allow the victim the right of remarriage (cf. Mat. 5:32; 19:9).  Love does not act unbecomingly (1 Cor. 13:5), and those who are lazy, lustful, selfish, demeaning, wrathful, and the like may bear the fruit of disdain and distance from a fed-up or heart-broken spouse.

That said, there is an alarming amount of "conditional love" that defies sympathy.  Through the years, I have known those before and after marriage who made the physical weight and appearance of their loved one a condition of their love.  For others, it was money or salary.  For others still, it was social status and social-climbing.  Perhaps, with some brainstorming, we could grow this list of "provisos" much longer.  This approach to "love" that says "I will love you if…," "I will love you when…," "I will love you unless…," or "I will love you until" runs contrary to the spirit of Christ.  He is the standard of love.  Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25).  Wives are to be taught to demonstrate selfless love to their husbands, too (Ti. 2:4). 

Consider Christ's love.  He loved us when we were helpless, sinful enemies (Rom. 5:6-10).  He loved us before we loved Him (1 Jn. 4:19).  He continues to love us, though we fall short (Rom. 3:23; 8:38-39).  That does not mean that He will unconditionally save us, but the Bible's clear indication is that He will continue to love us no matter what.  Certainly, that will revolutionize our thinking as a Christian, but we should allow it to revolutionize our earthly relationships.  As John says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 Jn. 4:11).

In every area of life I can think of, conditions are necessary.  Contracts almost always contain clauses, caveats, and quid pro quos.  Jesus even provided conditions for the marriage "contract," allowing one whose mate commits fornication to divorce and remarry an eligible person (Mat. 19:9) or one whose mate dies to marry an eligible person (Rom. 7:1-4).  Though making no allowance for remarriage, as some say, Paul does add that one does not have choose marital obligations to a mate over Christ (1 Cor. 7:15).  Further, one is not required to remain in a situation where abuse and physical danger is a viable threat either to that one or whatever children are involved, even if such reprehensible conduct does not allow the victim the right of remarriage (cf. Mat. 5:32; 19:9).  Love does not act unbecomingly (1 Cor. 13:5), and those who are lazy, lustful, selfish, demeaning, wrathful, and the like may bear the fruit of disdain and distance from a fed-up or heart-broken spouse.

That said, there is an alarming amount of "conditional love" that defies sympathy.  Through the years, I have known those before and after marriage who made the physical weight and appearance of their loved one a condition of their love.  For others, it was money or salary.  For others still, it was social status and social-climbing.  Perhaps, with some brainstorming, we could grow this list of "provisos" much longer.  This approach to "love" that says "I will love you if…," "I will love you when…," "I will love you unless…," or "I will love you until" runs contrary to the spirit of Christ.  He is the standard of love.  Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25).  Wives are to be taught to demonstrate selfless love to their husbands, too (Ti. 2:4). 

Consider Christ's love.  He loved us when we were helpless, sinful enemies (Rom. 5:6-10).  He loved us before we loved Him (1 Jn. 4:19).  He continues to love us, though we fall short (Rom. 3:23; 8:38-39).  That does not mean that He will unconditionally save us, but the Bible's clear indication is that He will continue to love us no matter what.  Certainly, that will revolutionize our thinking as a Christian, but we should allow it to revolutionize our earthly relationships.  As John says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 Jn. 4:11).

Are Elk More Valuable Than People?

(Photo of the elk officer Sam Carter shot)

Sam Carter, a Boulder, Colorado police officer was on-duty when he came upon an elk he claimed was “aggressive and appeared injured.”  He took it upon himself to shoot the elk but never filed a report on the use of his gun.  Soon there was an outcry from the community and many are livid at the killing of this elk.  The community organized a “Candlelight Vigil” for the elk where hundreds showed up (DailyCamera.com).  They also had a silent march at the Pearl Street Mall to honor the elk (HuffingtonPost.com).  One resident stated, “I'm mad just like everyone else.  I want justice.  Having grown up in Boulder, it's more than heartbreaking.  It's a slap in the face” (Ibid).  Some residents are even calling this act “murder,” and have gone so far as to say the police officer should be “executed” (Colorado 9News).  Now the protest has spread and the Boulder District Attorney Office has received 15,000 emails and phone calls about the case (HuffingtonPost.com).  An online petition has also been created which calls for the firing and prosecution of the officers involved; so far the petition has over 14,000 signatures (Ibid; IDAUSA.org).

While certainly the officer should have reported his actions, is this situation so serious that he should be fired or even executed?  Like it or not, our culture is developing a mindset which drastically increases the value of animals, even to the same level of people.  This raises a question: “Which is more valuable, an elk or a person?”  Hopefully this question seems ridiculous and we would agree a person is much more valuable.  So then, let’s rephrase the question: “Which is more valuable, an elk or an unborn person?”

Our society is crying out about animal violence and animal cruelty, yet in 2008 there were 825,564 unborn children killed and hardly a word was said (Wikipedia).  This breaks down to over 15,000 unborn children killed every week, and yet tens of thousands are protesting the killing of one elk.  Since 1973 there have been nearly 50 million abortions in the United States, and these are only the ones that were reported (Guttmacher.org).  As a point of reference, the Holocaust was one of the worst massacres in history and it claimed about 11 million lives, not even a quarter of those who have been taken through abortion.

But what were the reasons for these abortions?  A survey was conducted in 27 nations, including the United States, to find the primary reasons why abortions took place.  Here were the results:

• 25.9% Want to postpone childbearing.
• 21.3% Cannot afford a baby.
• 14.1% Has relationship problem or partner does not want pregnancy.
• 12.2% Too young; parent(s) or other(s) object to pregnancy.
• 10.8% Having a child will disrupt education or job.
• 7.9% Want no (more) children.
• 3.3% Risk to fetal health.
• 2.8% Risk to maternal health.
• 2.1% Other.

(Lawrence B. Finer, Lori F. Frohwirth, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, Susheela Singh, and Ann M. Moore, “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives”).

Do any of these reasons seem selfish?  The officer who killed the elk did so because he considered it a danger and threat to others.  Now people are calling for his punishment, his job, and even his life!  He killed one animal to protect people, yet millions of unborn children are killed because of selfishness.  What a sad world we live in.

God has always placed great value on human life above all other living things (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-25; Matthew 6:26; 10:31).  Scripture also shows that an unborn child is a person (Psalm 139:13, 15; 22:10-11; Galatians 1:15).  Not only does God condemn the murder of people (Matthew 19:18; Exodus 20:13), but in the Old Testament there were severe punishments for the killing of a child in the womb, even if it was an accident (Exodus 21:22-25).

I have always loved animals, but it is completely ridiculous to put so much value on an animal and so little on a child in the womb.  The value of people seems to be decreasing as time goes forward.  Let’s remember that Christ died for people, not animals (John 3:16).  Let’s remember that salvation is offered to people, not animals (Romans 1:16).  Let’s remember that people, not animals, have eternal souls whose destination is either heaven or hell (Matthew 10:28; 16:26).

It’s way past time that we, as people, start giving appropriate value to our own, both in the womb and out.

What Can You Do With A New Heart?

Neal Pollard

This morning while running indoors with Rob Sinclair and Bob Turner, we happened to notice a news story about a woman who just completed 52 half marathons in 52 weeks.  That alone is impressive, but then we learned that Aurora De Lucia had open heart surgery in 2010.  She was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White, a rare congenital heart condition. She had an extra pathway to her heart, and several complications that extended halfway through 2011.  With her repaired heart, she became determined to complete the incredible fitness goal and she reached her goal (via www.laketahoenews.net).

Most of us without the excuse of a serious heart problem will not ever be able to say we ran 52 half marathons in a year, but she did it under such adverse circumstances.  What a difference a "new" heart made for Aurora.  She proves the power of perseverance and wears the decoration of determination.

The Bible tells us that, spiritually, we can achieve even greater feats with a "new heart."  From the time the exilic prophet Ezekiel foretold a time when Judah would have a "new heart" (36:26), Bible writers spoke of the possibility of a renewed heart and mind.  Paul spoke of it to Corinth as the renewed inner man (2 Cor. 4:16) and to Ephesus as being "renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph. 4:23).  He tells Colosse that this renewal process is brought about by true knowledge (3:10).  

A "new heart" is pure (Mat. 5:8; 2 Tim. 2:22), honest and good (Lk. 8:15), glad and sincere (Ac. 2:46; Eph. 6:5), resolute (Ac. 11:23), open (Ac. 16:14; 2 Cor. 6:11), circumcised (Rom. 2:29), obedient (Rom. 6:17), believing (Rom. 10:9-10), enlightened (Eph. 1:18), compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient (Col. 3:12), loving (1 Pet. 1:22), and assured (1 Jn. 3:19).  The old heart is none of these things and described with words like lustful (Mat. 5:28), distant from Christ (Mat. 15:8), defiled (Mat. 15:18), hardened (Mat. 19:8; Eph. 4:18), Satan-filled (Ac. 5:3), uncircumcised (Ac. 7:51), not right (Ac. 8:21), darkened (Rom. 1:21), stubborn and unrepentant (Rom. 2:5), veiled (2 Cor. 3:15), unbelieving (Heb. 3:12), deceived (Js. 1:26), selfishly ambitious (Js. 3:14). and trained in greed (2 Pet. 2:14).

Thankfully, one can have his or her heart transformed from that wretched, latter condition with God's help.  His Word, with its convicting and instructing power, can work on the heart (Heb. 4:12) and renew it!  With a "new heart," we can impact lives and destinies--including our own. At the very end of all things, the Righteous Judge will note such as the greatest accomplishment of all time and eternity!  Oh, think what we can do with a new heart!

A 20-Year-Old in a Toddler’s Body

Meet Brooke Greenburg (left) and her mother Melanie (right).  Believe it or not, Brook was born in 1993 and recently turned twenty years old.  Sadly, before the age of five Brook completely stopped growing and developing.  She weighs 16 pounds and is 20 inches tall.  She has to wear diapers, be fed through a tube and pushed around in a stroller.  Her mother estimates her mind is like that of a six month old infant, giggling and laughing when happy.  Since Brooke’s situation is unlike any other in the world, the doctors have no idea why this happened.  The good news is Brooke was born into a wonderful family who loves her and cares for her (Yahoo News).

It is beyond obvious something is not normal with Brooke, especially since this is the only known case in the world.  We all understand that growth and maturity are natural parts of life.  This doesn’t just apply physically, but it applies spiritually as well.  Paul said of Christians who should be mature but are still infants, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Situations like Brooke’s are heartbreaking.  It is so difficult to see a child who will never be able to fully enjoy and experience this life.  However, it is even more upsetting to see and hear of those who have been Christians for many years, yet act like spiritual babies.  These are Christians who put work, family, school, and sports above the Lord.  These are Christians who deprive themselves from the most basic elements of prayer, Bible study, and worship.  These are Christians who think, talk, act, and dress like the world.

Thankfully, Brooke will one day be given a mature and eternal body up in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  But Christians who refuse to grow spiritually are endangering their salvation and the reward of heaven (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:2-3; Hebrews 5:14).  The bottom line is, we must continue to grow and mature as Christians.  Therefore, the one question we must ask ourselves is, “Am I growing spiritually?” 

Deadly Dispute

Neal Pollard

A few years ago fifty miles southeast of Indianapolis in Andersonville, Indiana, two neighbors were found dead of gunshot wounds.  The bizarre finding of police investigators is that they fatally shot each other.  Indiana State Police Sargeant Noel Houze Jr. explained, "They just shot each other in an exchange of gunfire and both of them died of fatal gunshot wounds."  She was 29 and he was 64.  They knew each other, but no one has come forward with any details about motives or explanations.

The imagination runs wild, though facts do not follow behind it.  What makes two neighbors mad enough to draw guns and engage in a gun battle?  What could be serious enough to escalate a dispute to this level (AP wire, 8/17/07)?

Conflict is an inevitable part of human relationships.  Normally, the better we know someone the more likely disputes will be and the more heated or passionate they can become.  The hope is that civility and courtesy can prevent hostility and homicide!

Luke records a dispute among the apostles, that "an argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest" (Lk. 9:46).  The same Greek word translated "argument" in that passage Jesus  modifies with an adjective to teach that "...from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries...and defile the man" (Mk. 7:21,23b).   Arndt and Gingrich, since this noun is used, suggest that the idea is stronger than merely bad thoughts, but "evil machinations" (186a).  Thus, schemes and plots that begin in the heart, that are fed, nursed and stoked, can play out in all the ways Jesus enumerates in Mark seven.  

From these two passages come a warning about two areas of life--motives and heart.  A bad motive and evil heart open the door which allows conflict to escalate and grow.  These conflicts may not end in shotgun blasts, but estrangement, divorce, isolation, division, or character assassination.  In trying to deal a hurtful blow to our opponent, we may find ourselves mortally wounded, too.   What a needed reminder to guard our hearts, watch our motives, and control ourselves!