The Bible is the written word of God and contains the physical and spiritual rules for living. In order for God’s way to be beneficial, it must be lived by those who believe it.  As such, God’s word at times becomes more than some people can bear. When their conduct is opposite of God’s teaching, it seems that in order to justify their behavior they blame those who are following the Bible. Such is the case of the man who was dismissed for certain sinful behavior from a college that follows scripture. An individual who didn’t like the verdict of the school weighed in on the matter. "They're being hypocritical, by Christian standards," Kuder said. "If we love each other, accept each other for who we are, why are they kicking him out? I almost feel like they're trying to mold us, me, into a person that I wouldn't want to be.

(Source http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14313621.htm)

Christians are instructed to mold others into the image of Christ by daily living, [Rom 12:1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. But in this case the complainer doesn’t want to be influenced by godly standards or anyone. Paul then wrote: [Rom 12:2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will  of God.  It appears from the news article that the school is serious about their students behaving themselves according to God’s teaching which is irritating not only him but several others.

In the minds of those who point to the love of God as the end all of all things, they attempt to trade on God’s love for the reason to accept certain types of sinful conduct as normal. Peter wrote of Paul: [2 Pet 3:16] As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. When one attempts to make the word say what it doesn’t say, Paul and Peter wrote that it leads to destruction of the individual so doing.

The Word of God isn’t about forcing anyone to believe in Jesus or to conform to any of the truths found in the Bible. Those who teach the truth and those whose institutions use the truth for their guide, in this case a college, aren’t forcing anyone to follow the path of God. If one chooses not to do so, then the consequences won’t be what the individual wants them to be. Jesus spoke of such consequences during his ministry. He told his disciples the following about those who refused to hear the word of the Lord. [Mat 10:14] And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. [Mat 10:15] Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  Does that mean that Jesus didn’t love the ones who wouldn’t listen? No, the message is don’t waste precious time on those who won’t listen. He said as recorded by John: [John 4:34] Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. [John 4:35] Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. The message is that the fields are full of those who will obey the gospel when they hear the word.  

Those who are protesting the dismissal of the student are refusing to conform to the word of truth. They fail to understand or perhaps it is refuse to understand, that God’s love isn’t a soft, allow anything type of phony love. It is a love that brings salvation to those who will change their lives and live daily conforming to the truth.

© 06-16-2006 DEC

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