The Positive Side of Negative
On Friday I posted an article called “What Do We Stand For?” I was prompted by a singer who wrote a song emphasizing the positive attributes of God because he thought that, as Christians, we have made it very clear to the world what we stand against. He wanted to give a more positive message about the God we serve.
That post was affirmed but also challenged….rightfully so. There are some thing’s worth considering from the “negative” side of this. Interestingly, it was pointed out to me that sometimes it’s just easier to follow a negative. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden. This is the description of the garden from Genesis 2:9, “And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
God then gave this set of instructions, “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. So, of all the trees God placed in the garden His negative instruction was only about one of them – and He was very specific about which one. There could be no confusion, there was no long list of what was permissible to keep track of. More importantly, the command was for the good of the man and his future family.
My husband likes to say that a bad example can be a good teacher. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s negative instruction and mankind has paid for their defiance since that time. We should look at that and remember that when God tells us something is not good for us – well, it is not good for us. Disobedience brings consequences.
In response to Friday’s post another point brought up was that because the world does not unanimously agree with the word of God sometimes Christians speak out about something negatively because, though the world rejects it – God’s law is good for everyone. He commands us to love our neighbor. Is it loving to let a man continue in adultery without warning him of the fallout that may come to his family because of his sin? It sure isn’t loving to his family. In the name of “none of my business” we have actually showed hatred for our neighbors. Standing against adultery is something we have to do as Christians.
God also gave us other negative commands. We need to stand against murder, stealing, bearing false witness. We could put these in positive framework. We stand for life (that still makes people mad!), we stand for honesty and integrity, generosity, and faithfulness. Sadly, because the world does not understand the full import of God’s command they hear them in a positive way and fail to recognize that if we are honest we can’t steal. If we stand against murder then we should fight for life. If we are anti-adultery then we ought to be pro-marriage. People who do not have the teaching of the scriptures compartmentalize what they want to do in each situation rather than understanding the need to show integrity of character in all aspects of life.
So, I continue to stand for the love of God and His mercy and grace in sending Christ to die for our sin. I will argue to my death that His justice is a very positive attribute – it protects me and my neighbor from evil. I will stand firm on His faithfulness and His nearness and His great wisdom and Holiness. But, I want to love my neighbor so much that he and she will see their sin. This is strictly so they will repent and love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength in gratitude for what He has done for them and so they will spend eternity in heaven and far away from Hell.
So, if you hear me screaming about a rapist being let off the hook or not reported, if I seem to be emphasizing those things that are negatives – it is only because sometimes those bad examples are good teachers….and that’s my call from the Lord – to teach others about who He is. He is the One True God who loves His people too much to leave them in their sin. If it takes a negative command to protect them and turn them to Himself – then that’s what we need to hear, even if it is positively annoying to others.