One more Biblical Reason why human rights and civil rights are so key to Christianity: The idea that life is sacred. and life begins not only at conception, but before conception is also found in the story of Christmas.

Notice that the babe leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.  More than that look at verse 41, the Holy Spirit affected the baby. Here is one of the clearest evidences from the Bible on the sanctity of life which begins at conception.  But much more than that.  This idea that life comes from God. That the HS, our Creator gives us rights is the historic foundation for human rights as we know it today. The Holy Spirit doesn’t inhabit rocks and nonliving things. It dwells in human beings.

I told you that I had two questions as I think about the World of Pain. The First is “Where did the idea of Civil rights come from, the second is…”

2) Question 2:  Why Doesn’t God Stop The Loss of Life  if He Knew It Was Coming?

18 “ A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children,  Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

Jesus and the Bible has the only satisfying answer to the problem of evil. I summarize all the other philosophies of the world down to four statements; NOT REALLY, NOT EVER, NOT AGAIN, AND NOT YET.    Buddhism says that suffering is “not really happening.”  Atheism says that evil will NOT EVER be fixed.  Hinduism says suffering will be fixed through a reoccurring cycle of reincarnation over billions of years: NOT AGAIN.  Christianity says that God will deal with evil, just NOT YET.  But God sees the pain, he counts the tears, and he will reset everything correctly. Just not yet…     But why? Why not yet?

Why does he wait?  The Bible teaches us that evil is not “out there.” It’s in here. It’s in me and you. The trash of evil (selfishness, pride, ingratitude, unlovingness) is in my heart and yours. If God’s garbage truck pulls up to incinerate the trash of this world… Many people he loves dearly will be incinerated with the trash.   People are “attached to their trash.”  So God waits. God waits for as many people as possible to take him up on the offer to be “detached” from the trash.   Is it worth the risk? Evil and suffering affecting so many through murder and suffering… just so more can come to know him… It is to God.  He wants as many as possible to come to know Him. And through the rubble and garbage of human trash, He calls out to us this Christmas. He calls us to get detached from our own trash and then ENGAGE IN A BROKEN WORLD by inviting our friends to get detached. The reason we as a church have a two service design is so we can invite friends to the 2nd/3rd services where they can find a way to get free from their trash through Christ before the garbage truck arrives.

CHRISTMAS IS AN INVITATION TO ENGAGE

Christ was in a World Of Pain. The second way Jesus was in a World of Pain was not in Egypt, but in Bethlehem. There was a blood bath going on in a culture that didn’t and doesn’t respect life.   Life is discarded. The unborn. The poor. The widow. The orphan.    Jesus’s example is an invitation for you and I to draw near to Christ and engage in our broken world.    We need to engage. We can’t watch on.   We must get involved.

For a free first session of Godonomics, visit:  http://www.godonomics.com/watch-session-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=govaK6_bJi4