Bible Stuff [For those interested in understanding Scripture through a biblical worldview.]
I suppose this blog post could fall under both “Bible Stuff” and “World Stuff,” given the prevailing crusade to rid our society of consequences for bad behavior. In this campaign, there are two driving principles:
- Objective standards and moral boundaries for “bad” behavior are inherently unjust.
- Even if such a thing as “bad” behavior exists, there’s no personal responsibility for such actions since the behavior results from other people’s “bad” behavior. [Yes, an example of circular logic.]
In other words, do as you please.
Yet boundaries are integral to the development of a moral compass, the ability to engage constructively with others, and the maintenance of a civilized society. Without restraints, and consequences for rejecting these restraints, we facilitate a lawless, chaotic culture. Rather than nurture virtue, we fan the flames of our base instincts from which nothing good comes.
God knew this from the start, establishing a singular limitation in the Garden of Eden:
“The Lord God took the man [Adam] and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:15-17).
In other posts I’ve explained why God put boundaries at all in the garden. Created in His image, He designed us to act as free-will agents. Rather than force us to reciprocate His love, He invited us to choose loving Him. For a choice to exist, there must be at least two options.
God then explained that restraint, and proper discipline when boundaries are broken, are for our good:
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1).
And this godly training is motivated by love:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son” (or “daughter,” of course – Hebrews 12:5-6).
“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (or “daughter,” of course – Proverbs 13:24).
In our sinful nature we tend to rebuff even loving discipline. We don’t like being told, “No,” convinced we are better qualified to determine a path in life. Imagine fanning the flames of this egotism. What would a world look like without objective moral boundaries, or appropriate consequences for breaking those boundaries? How would we function if everyone was left to his or her own sense of morality?
Welcome to that world.
The evidence of this is widespread in our society. From “social justice” reforms that throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater (contrary to popular belief, we can have a just society AND properly punish people for bad behavior), to an increasing disregard for laws (immigration, retail theft, physical assault, property damage, etc.), to mob violence justified by the “correct” cause, it’s a mess.
I’ve also watched this steady demolition of boundaries and discipline even in the Church. Biblical accountability is often dismissed as judgmental, God’s word is replaced with motivational quips focused on the preservation of “Self” (or the celebrity status of the preacher), and gossip and slander are adorned as merely benign opinion. In Christian academia, I’ve observed parents and students deteriorate into, “It’s our way, or we’re going to make your life miserable,” staff members with no regard for a biblical worldview prevailing in their employment, and school leadership shackled by the prospect of not being sufficiently welcoming to families equally disdainful of a biblical worldview.
With respect to bad leadership, the Bible is explicit:
“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2).
“‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’ declares the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for My people: ‘You have scattered My flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord’” (Jeremiah 23:1-2).
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:1-5).
Simply put, when our leaders (sacred or secular) abandon their responsibility to lead with courage, care, and consequences, the whole of society suffers. The ground beneath us is unstable, the path before us is uncertain, and we are compelled to react in self-preservation—creating a cycle of disorder.
I’ve been in and under leadership. The difference between effective and ineffective leadership often stems from being unafraid to hold people accountable—not dictatorially, but as a courageous, caring, shepherd. I’ve found this to be true in the corporate world, academia, the Church, parenting, coaching, etc. Establishing consistent boundaries, engendering trust, walking with people, casting a vision, holding to objective truth and reality, provides a healthy environment.
So, what does all this have to do with the value of boundaries?
Let’s go back to the Garden of Eden, and God as the ultimate Leader/Shepherd.
Imagine being Adam or Eve standing in a landscape of stunning magnificence teeming with life, surrounded by foods to both nourish and satisfy (Genesis 2:9). God designed this garden for them, to steward and enjoy, an enduring gift. Amidst of all this, hundreds if not thousands of examples of fauna and flora, God established only ONE boundary:
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17, emphasis added)
Not that this tree was “evil”—for everything God created was “good” (Genesis 1:31). It simply provided a choice to obey God, with consequences. Choose wisely, live. Choose unwisely, die.
You see, it’s not the number or type of boundaries. It’s simply being given the choice to obey God.
The phrase “knowledge of good and evil” (Heb. וָרָ֔ע ט֣וֹב הַדַּ֙עַת֙), translates, “moral awareness.” God’s original intent for humanity was that we, in obedience to Him, would see things from a purely good perspective—that we would not see or experience corruption of any kind, being innocent as newborn babes. Yet, made in His image, we were allowed to choose that path.
But here’s the interesting part.
In making their decision, Adam and Eve became too much like God:
“Then the LORD God said, ‘Look, the human beings have become like Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!’? (Genesis 3:22).
“Moral awareness” is not the sin, since God possesses it, and He is without sin. The sin is disobedience, and that’s been our trajectory ever since. We rejected God in the garden (Genesis 3:6), displaced Him with idols (Genesis 31 ff.), sought to reach Him make a name for ourselves (Tower of Babel—Genesis 11:1-9), formed God in our image (Americanized Christianity—i.e., Jesus conformed to our whims and lusts), and ultimately we’ve chosen to BE God—“self” identity is now God.
The consequences for rejecting God’s first boundary were grievous, yet He graciously removed us from permanent exile and offered another course to regain that relationship—still, with a boundary.
Our choice now is between accepting or rejecting the Person and work of the biblical Jesus.
This Jesus, God the Son, said, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments” (John 14:15). Like God the Father with Adam and Eve, this boundary is meant not to disable but to enable a vibrant, deeply satisfying, Christ-centered life—to reinforce our being created imago Dei, in God’s image.
Withholding boundaries is unloving, cruel, and destructive to others. “Social justice” without boundaries is simply an excuse for the worst in us to prevail. A “Christian” life without boundaries is nothing more than wasted religion. Allowing children to determine their moral compass is abdicating our role as parents. Not punishing criminal behavior is uncaring for both the criminal and the victim.
A person rooted in Christ sees God’s boundaries as evidence, not absence, of His love.
Saying “No” to one thing means saying “Yes” to another. Had Adam and Eve chosen to follow God’s advice, God’s people would be living a very different life. Still, there would be boundaries, and choice, for without these there is no real life—just puppetry. The value of godly boundaries is that they help define God, us, life, hope, peace, joy, and love.
Why would we not value such boundaries?
Topics for Future Blogs?
Email Me: richardaallenjr@pondering.blog
Pondering 