Having the law

Rom 2:11-16

11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

• Why is it important for you to know that God is not partial?
  
• What law is Paul talking about here?
  
• Who is justified before God?
  
• What was the difference between the Jew and Gentile stated here?
  
• How far can you extend the "I just knew in my heart it was the right thing to do" approach to life?
  
• What criteria do you use to determine what your thoughts and behavior will be?
  
• What criteria will God use to judge your thoughts and behavior?

And you did it too!

Rom 1:32-2:4

32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. 2:1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

• What is the difference between "giving approval" and "passing judgment"?
  
• What is meant by passing judgment?
  
• What is the problem with mankind passing judgment on mankind?
  
• How should you respond to the fact that God judges people who practice sin?
  
• What is the "range of sins" listed in v. 28-32?
  
• How would you rank the sins in the list from worst to less worse?
  
• How does God rank the sins in the list?
  
• What is the reason for God's kindness?
  
• In what way has God's kindness led you to repent in the past?
  
• What sins do you need to repent of now?

Working...

Col 3:22-4:1

22 Slaves, [1] obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, [2] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1 Masters, treat your slaves [3] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Footnotes
[1] 3:22 Or Servants; Greek Bondservants
[2] 3:22 Or your masters according to the flesh
[3] 4:1 Or servants; Greek bondservants

• Why do you go to work each day?
  
• When you begin work each day, who are you working for? Who do you try to please at work?
  
• What percentage of the time are you working with all your heart?
  
• How frequently do you try to do the best job you can for Christ?
  
• How does working for Christ change your attitudes towards quality of work, personal ambition and materialism?
  
• How does knowing that you are working for Christ change your approach to your fellow workers?

Injustice

Eccles. 8:14-15

14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

• How important is justice to you?
  - How upset do you get when you see wrongdoing go unpunished?
  - How upset do you get when good deeds are unrewarded?
  - Which do you feel the most strongly about?
  - In life under the sun how much justice should you expect?
  
• What does Solomon commend to a man living under the sun?
  - Do you think he is recommending hedonistic lifestyle? Why or why not?
  
• Which of the following is more beneficial to man under the sun and why?
  - worrying about various injustices
  - enjoying the life you have
  
• How does looking at your life as something God gave you help your point of view?

Harold's Musings:
I once read that man wants justice for others and mercy for himself. Our society seems to be enthralled with "bad boys", especially those who get away with something against authorities. As a society we want to define injustice on an individual basis. "It is ok to give copies of my CD's to my friends because the music companies are making too much money on them." Translation: it is ok for me to steal but not for the company to overcharge. The company wants justice. The person claims what they are doing is just. Without God's Word as a standard, justice is close to being imaginary.

Chain of command and oppression

Eccles. 5:8-9

8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.

• Why did Solomon say you should not be shocked by injustice and oppression of the poor?
  
• What is the risk of bureaucracy?
  - Who do most people work to please: their employer or their customer?
  - How does trying to please a boss who is trying to please his/her boss cause stress?
  - Why is it easy to focus on pleasing one boss instead of pleasing a bunch of customers?
  
• Who is responsible for helping the poor?
  
• Who is responsible for assuring justice?
  
• How likely are the poor to be truly helped and justice truly dealt under the sun? Why?

Harold's Musings:
It is depressing to think that the poor must suffer for a country to be great. Yet if we honestly think about it, we know that it happens all the time. It is the line workers who provide the labor that makes a company great. It is the rank and file soldier that makes an army great. It is the average citizen that makes a country great. Yet each of these examples has layer upon layer of bureaucracy. Sometimes bureaucracy works, sometimes not. In general though, everyone is concerned about themselves and what the person over them thinks about their performance. If I need to fire someone to balance my budget, then they are gone, justice and righteousness aside. Heaven is looking even better and better.

Oppression

Eccles. 4:1-3

4:1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

• What do you consider oppression to be?
  - When have you been truly oppressed?
  - How do you feel when you see news accounts of oppression of various forms?
  
• What are some of the acts of oppression that Solomon probably saw?
  - How different are things today?
  - How do government programs impact oppression in this country?
  
• What was the troubling thing about the oppressed people that Solomon saw?
  - What comfort do you have that those people did not? See 2 Co 1
  - Where do most people today seek their comfort from oppression?
  
• Would you agree with v. 3 today? Why or why not?
  
• Why is life under the sun so oppressive?
  - How does your life under the sun help you long for life above the sun?

Harold's Musings:
I get upset when I see, hear, or read about the atrocities that occur in other countries. This passage expresses my feelings. I think I feel safe to be upset with that oppression because I really cannot do anything about it. I'm less sensitive to the oppression around me. Even when I hear of something locally, I am comfortable that the authorities will deal with it. Thanks to my wife, I am more involved with things that happen outside my family (church and physical). Perhaps we should all see the oppression around us and merely help. Perhaps we will truly be a light to the world.

Where is justice?

Eccles. 3:16-17

16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

• How different is your observation of life under the sun from Solomon's?
  - How has mankind changed in the thousands of years since Solomon?
  
• When have you been treated wickedly (or at least badly) instead of justly?
  
• When have you treated someone wickedly (or at least badly) instead of justly?
  
• When do you consider God's future judgment to be a promise?
  - What level of satisfaction do you have knowing that a wicked person will be punished later?
• When do you consider God's future judgment as something to dread?
  - How has Christ changed your view of the upcoming judgment?
  - When have you knowingly sinned because you were sure of Christ's forgiveness?

Harold's Musings:
I can easily get angry, especially when I see the evil that someone is doing. I was angry when the planes hit the World Trade Center. I was angry when I saw the photos of the puppy baked alive by two teenage boys. I continue to get angry when I see the insanity of the radical Muslims in Iraq. I want God to deliver justice now. But there will be a time when these things will be judged by the righteous and unbribable judge of all of us. While I may want justice for evildoers now, God knows best the time for judgment.