Biblical Excuses For Not-So Biblical Ways Today, we have a lesser sort of biblical excuse. For instance, many people find it convenient today they can go about committing all sorts of crimes and immoral conduct, knowing that at the end of the day, they can point at the devil and say “a demon used me”. That the sort of thing Stephen Lungu alias Captain Solo said about his 1997 coup attempt. By Lucille Ngandu The Bible tells us we are descended from Adam, and you can see it from how she share similarities in behaviour. When Adam was confronted for eating the forbidden fruit, he pointed back at God, with the excuse “it was the woman you gave me”. Like Adam, we too are fond of using God to excuse our not-so godly behaviours. Well, to be specific, we use the Bible, and since “the word was God”, the following biblical excuses are exactly the sort of thing that got us kicked out of Eden. Back in the days of the Atlantic slave trade when millions of Africans were taken, shipped, and sold as commodities to work unpaid, harsh labour on European-owned plantations, the biblical excuse was there. According to the Christian slave traders, Africans were the descendants of Ham, Noah’s son who he cursed to be a salve to his brothers after an indiscretion, and so, slavery became acceptable because it was in the Bible. American slave owners, almost all of whom were Christian, felt they were carrying out God’s plan by buying and using slaves. Even in the New Testament, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling”, and later in Titus 2:9, “tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect”. The Bible also came to be used as a basis for the crusades, witch-hunts, colonialism, extortion and other not-so Christian endeavours. Today, we have a lesser sort of biblical excuse. For instance, many people find it convenient today they can go about committing all sorts of crimes and immoral conduct, knowing that at the end of the day, they can point at the devil and say “a demon used me”. That the sort of thing Stephen Lungu alias Captain Solo said about his 1997 coup attempt. This excuse has become so popular among many inmates in prisons today and even wrongdoers in our homes and communities. This outright denial of personal responsibility means that in essence no one is held accountable for their wrongs. If they could have their way, these people would want us to arrest the devil and demons and live them scot free. The first step in reforming is accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and this biblical excuse is standing in the way of that crucial step. A few months ago, my laptop was stolen. A Christian fellow heard about it when he came to visit and he offered to pray about it. In his prayer, he declared and decreed that the laptop would be returned by the beginning of the new week. He made these decrees and declarations with such faith and confidence, a lesser man would have been tempted to believe him. That Sunday came, no laptop. Like that Christian fellow, too many people are using Job 22:28, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee. . .” to validate all manner of wishful thinking and ludicrous expectations. The great commission left by Jesus to all Christians has also turned up to be an excuse. Widely cited as Jesus last great instruction before he left for heaven, he said “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go ye therefore into the world and make disciples of all nations. . .” With this authority, Jehovah’s Witnesses will stop you whenever you take a walk on the weekends, sometimes they will even knock on your door, and if ever you give them an audience, then you have signed up for some serious pestering. Pentecostals will collect your phone number and flood you with all sorts of texts and prayers. If you share a house with a fervent Pentecostal, they will ruin your sleep with their nighttime warfare against the forces of darkness. Needless to say, in some cases, the great commission has been used as an excuse for a great inconvenience. One obese woman would not take up exercises or any sort of weight-loss program because “God made her this way”, and she went on to quote Psalms 139:14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. If all the disciples were obese, I doubt they would have walked those long distances proclaiming the good news. Elsewhere, a young lady would not take medication for her illness because “all sickness died with Jesus on the cross”. You know young lady; God told Isaiah to prescribe a poultice (medicine) in order to heal Hezekiah’s boils (Isaiah 38:21). One lady would not leave her good-for-nothing husband because what God has put together, no man shall put asunder. Husbands use Ephesians 5:23, “for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church”, to go about playing small-god in the house. It is clear that a poor reading of the Bible can be a very dangerous thing. The Bible is, without doubt, a good book, but that does not mean it cannot be used for bad purposes. And should you dare criticize this article, I will turn to Psalms 105:15 “touch not my anointed, do my prophets no harm” and if you persist, the matter will end with the words of the Lord Jesus himself, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 07:22:24 +0000
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