Judge Roy Moore – Quick to Hear but Slow to Speak
I am not a politician, and I am grateful to God that I am not one. Politics can be very interesting, entertaining and often has been used by God to further His will on earth. As we have witnessed political Administrations that were catastrophic, we also have seen administrations that have supported the cause of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But politics remains an area of influence used by Satan to disrupt the cause of the gospel worldwide. Truth is a scarce commodity in politics; while pretense and hypocrisy is the order of the day. Judging through experience, Satan usually strengthens his political agents with eloquence and smooth talks to persuade people either to vote for them or to do their bidding. Satan-backed political argument is often popular and easy to follow than the simple truth. Perhaps, this is why life has continued to be difficult for ordinary people all over the world; resulting from ungodly rule of men and women whose hearts has been occupied by Satan using them to achieve his purpose on earth. The truth is that the United States of America was in the brink of complete moral demise before the change of leadership in 2016; as God had been pushed off the socio-political scene for cheap political decisions orchestrated from the pit of hell. God loves America and is giving us another chance for repentance and cleansing from disobedience to God that has become common in our society.
There has been a rise in cases of sexual harassment allegations which have jolted both the high and the low in society and have created ugly scenes in the entertainment and political arena. I sympathize with the good people of Alabama on Judge Roy Moore’s saga and the election that is about to take place. My understanding is that many voters in Alabama are Christian conservatives; I mean those who are eager to see the will of the Lord done in their land. I do not speak of political conservatives. Politics and Christian faith are two different things. Politics ends in this world but our Christian faith transcends the current earth because we live to see the new earth and new heaven coming, "For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (Rev. 21:1); this is a biblical revelation by John which will come to pass. Our actions therefore, are not for the here-and-now alone, but we expectantly look for the here-after. Sin is a deadly virus which must not be allowed to grow in our society, politics, or socio-economic circle. The simple truth is that sin is a major issue in the world because the world itself is a world of sin. Anyone born of man and woman is susceptible to sin because by post Adamic human nature, sin is part of our mortal body. David having seen the damages that sin brought on him in his adulterous relationship with Uriah’s wife cried out to God: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psa. 51:1-5)
There are two aspects about sin worthy of note, which every believer must know and understand:
The Bible confirms that we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). It depends on whose sin is in the open and whose sin is still covered but there is no doubt that anyone born of man and woman is a sinner. The only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born into the world through a virgin conception by the Holy Spirit. He therefore came into the world, and lived a sinless life, as the Son of the living God. Hypocrisy is the master of the game of sin. It points to others’ sins. God hates hypocrisy. Often, Jesus Christ rebuked the Pharisees for their insincere lifestyle. He warned people about the Pharisees: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men.” (Matt 23:1-5). To another gathering, He said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3) Paul therefore warned the Jews who looked down on the Gentiles not to be self-deceived to think they were righteous while the Gentiles were not. We are all under sin, he said. “It is written, there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Paul spoke from personal experience because he realized he was a sinner, even though a religious zealot that persecuted Christians before he met Jesus who changed his life.
The second aspect about sin is that repentance can eliminate its impact in human life. Repentance is an art of making a U-turn from our old sinful ways and thereafter living a life after the Lord Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18) God in His love has made provision for our sins to be forgiven, and as soon as we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we are like we have never sinned before. Repentance is not justifying our wrong doing but accepting our wrong doing and start working with Christ to sin no more. Jesus told the woman that was caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:11). She was guilty of an offense punishable with death by stoning. But Jesus said, she was forgiven and should no longer do it. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom 8:1-2).
The current issue of Roy Stewart Moore of Alabama is quite intriguing. Roy was twice elected into Alabama bench and was removed for his stand on issues that conflicted with his Christian faith. He was removed from Alabama Supreme Court as Chief Justice in 2003 because he refused to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial building despite orders to do so by a federal court. Moore was again elected Chief Justice in 2013, but was suspended in May 2016, for directing that ban on same-sex marriage should continue to be enforced despite the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States that it had been deemed unconstitutional. In all these elections, there were no accusations against him until this critical election into the Senate of the United States. For forty years, the accusers did not come out and no record that they informed their parents at the time of the alleged abuse. However, if these allegations were true, can anyone say Roy had not repented of them? How can a man who still harbors sins and wickedness stand for the cause of the gospel at the risk of his career? Does the church now hold that we cannot be useful to society even when there has been repentance and forgiveness from God? Are there fresh allegations (not manufactured) against the man who has stood for many years for the cause of truth? It is unbiblical for anyone in the church to castigate persons based on their old life if our old lives have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are to help each other for the present and future lives until Christ comes back to take us home. The scriptures teach us that the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). It is a mistake to sentence people to hell because they erred in their past life, even though there is evidence of repentance. Thank God, He did not give human being the power to sentence people to hell. If I had the power to sentence people to hell, it is possible I could have sentenced many of my enemies of the past to hell; some of who later became my good friends, whom I would have been deprived of their input into my life. Besides, hell is not a place to wish anyone go. I will elaborate on this in my upcoming book.
The questions a Christian voter in Alabama should ask himself or herself are: Are there perfect candidates in America to be elected to Senate? Are current Senators perfect without dirty past even if we do not know? If voters in America will look for perfect candidates, are we likely to have government? I am sure if we are looking for perfect candidates, we will have no congress and no executive because none qualify for a past without error. We will of course end up electing con-men or con-women and the Pharisees of this world with the erroneous belief that we elected perfect men or women. I do not know Roy Moore, and have never met him but this issue appears more political and sinister in its process than the concern about the victims. No one likes sin, sin is evil, and the molestation and abuse of one another should not be tolerated. But we must balance our reasoning in the church of God to show that we understand the Bible which is the basis of our faith.
There are lessons to be learned from these problems and the lessons are for both men and women. Though men are the aggressors and culprits in all these cases, no one is free from blame. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, both of them were held liable by the righteous God. Adam tried to shift the blame on his wife who first sold out to Satan by eating the forbidden fruit. But Adam was appointed the head and caretaker by God. In most cases involving adults of the opposite sex, it is difficult to correctly apportion blame; both are often culpable. The Bible describes women as the weaker vessels, as a result, Peter asked husbands to “dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Pet. 3:7). Men and women are however to be careful not to conduct themselves in a way to trap each other with sin. The women who are often vulnerable should live their lives with the required caution. Our ambition, urge, and eagerness to succeed in life should not be carried to a state of desperation which often throws us into the lion’s dens. Several people who were desperate to become celebrities have accepted unholy accommodations. Also, we should seriously think about the carefree attitude towards casual involvements with the opposite sex. This is common in Hollywood. When I was growing up as a Christian, we were warned not to enter into secluded areas with the opposite sex. It may sound naive but it saves both parties from regrets later in life because sometimes, what was not intended happened because of the seclusion. Scripture warns, “Flee from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22)
Secondly, it is good for all of us to buy into Godly values. It does not preclude us from temptations but it helps us to fight evil when it is getting into our minds. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, except through the name of Jesus Christ. We need discipline to fight temptations including sexual temptation but the right discipline is that which is found in faith in Christ Jesus. When you have Jesus in your heart, He gives you the spirit to fight sin. We are all very vulnerable to sin without Jesus Christ in our lives. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:1-6)
If you read this article and you have any questions or in need of help about issues raised, the author will be willing to offer you some answers.
Michael Jolayemi is an author and Bible teacher. He has written two books on social issues: “Saving America: The war we can’t ignore”; and “Sheltered through the storm: the travails and ultimate triumph of the Church.” His next book is about the Sin issue in the world which will be out by God’s grace next year.
www.conservativevoiceofreason.com www.michaeljolayemi.com
