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Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7)
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by John Shepard
January 24, 1993
For 20 years I believed in reincarnation, and in the idea that there are no moral absolutes, and that everyone achieves the goal of union with the Supreme Consciousness through a process of spiritual evolution spanning over many lifetimes.
I have since discovered that these ideas are simply not true, just as the idea that the earth is flat is untrue. The earth is not flat but round, and after death we are not reborn; rather, we must each one of us come into the presence of the One who created us and give an account for what we did that pleased Him and for what we did that displeased Him.
We have been created for a purpose, for life is no accident. It was planned and then made manifest by the One who has sufficient power to bring into being all things -- the stars, the planets, each and every atom and electron, and the natural laws that govern the behavior and movement of the physical substance. He also created consciousness and made each one of us. He made us for a purpose and He has a plan in mind for us.
He is beyond all names and is beyond this universe that He created. Let us call Him God, the Almighty, the eternal One, the Lord who rules and reigns Supreme, the Father of all things.
He created us with moral free will which means that we are free to choose what we believe, we are free to do what we choose, and we are free to follow God's plan and purpose for our lives -- or to reject it. We can believe that the earth is flat is we choose -- in fact, we know from history that many of the most learned of their day died while yet believing it -- yet they were wrong. Were they arrogant fools or were they simply mistaken? Whatever the reason, they chose willingly to believe in that which is untrue. They believed a lie. They were deceived.
As free moral agents we are free to cheat one another in business, to lie about our motives when we say something hurtful to a loved one, to harbor thoughts and feelings of anger toward another, and to vent these bitter feelings in our speech and in the tone of our voice.
For some this is not enough. Murder, rape, incest and child abuse are all too common in our world.
It should be obvious to everyone, (1) that human wickedness resulting in wicked deeds freely chosen, (2) that acts of hatred and blatant selfishness causing misery and suffering to others, (3) that shameful and deceitful words; that these are all morally and absolutely wrong.
The one who could watch a violent crime and honestly believe that the offender is not in violation of breaking a higher law is either self-deceived or has become callous and indifferent.
God not only created us with a moral free will, but He set in place moral laws and codes of conduct and planted these laws within our very nature -- always visible and always available to condemn those words and deeds and thoughts which are wrong and which are contrary to the plan and purpose of God.
When we speak to our spouse with hatred in our heart, we are guilty of breaking God's absolute moral law. When we deny responsibility for our words and actions and say and do things which are contrary to God's plan and purpose, we are guilty of breaking God's absolute moral law. When we indulge in despair and depression and feelings of worthlessness, we are guilty of breaking God's absolute moral law.
The Bible calls this sin. Whenever we act or speak or think in a manner which is contrary to God's plan and purpose and in defiance of God's absolute moral law, we are sinning. The word "sin" is not a popular word these days but it is a word with a very precise, clear and understandable meaning. While someone may choose to reject the word, the concept is deeply ingrained in our moral fiber, in the very core of our being, and in the voice of our conscience which continually whispers in our ear, advising us whether or not our intended word or deed is within or against the will, plan and purpose of God who created all things, even us.
It should be obvious to everyone that we possess a sin nature.
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