DISCLAIMER: This is an editorial comment based upon the personal beliefs and
opinions of Rev. Charles Mims, and is not to be necessarily considered an
official endorsement of any political view by South Peninsula Baptist Church.
(Ex. 20:1-17 KJV) And God spake all these words, saying, {2} I am the LORD thy
God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. {3} Thou shalt have no other gods before me. {4} Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
{5} Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; {6} And showing mercy
unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. {7} Thou shalt
not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain. {8} Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. {9} Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: {10} But the seventh
day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou,
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: {11} For in six days the LORD
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. {12} Honor thy
father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD
thy God giveth thee. {13} Thou shalt not kill. {14} Thou shalt not commit
adultery. {15} Thou shalt not steal. {16} Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor. {17} Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house; thou shalt
not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.
Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for
supper. The butcher reached into a barrel grabbed the last chicken he had, flung
it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought
for a moment. "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said. "Do you
have any larger ones?"
Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around
as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the
scales. "This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman pondered
her options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both." Honesty is still the
best policy.
-- Clark Cothern, Tecumseh, Michigan. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 4.
The time for us to be silent has passed. On Monday evening, the President of the
United States told a worldwide television audience that he had indeed lied to
the American public, not once but repeatedly. He unashamedly, it appeared,
justified his actions by stating he wanted to avoid personal embarrassment, and
to protect his presidency. The lies that he told then, indeed the lies that he
continues to tell have cost our society, and the integrity of his position far
more than the admission at the beginning of this scandal would have cost. His
lack of honesty and integrity have damaged our country to an extent that it is
intolerable. We as God’s children can not simply stand by idle while we allow
the moral degradation of our values to continue unchecked. Our standards will
continue to go downhill until we put a complete stop to the deceit.
Consider this story by R. C. Sproul:
When I was a teenager, I wasn't a Christian, and I grew up before the sexual
revolution. I grew up when it was still considered a matter of ethics to keep
your virginity until you were married. When I was a young man, I heard an older
boy talk about this thrilling experience he had sexually with a girl that lived
up the street. My eyes were like saucers; I had never heard anything like this
before. He said, "Try it. You'll like it."
So I did, and here's what happened: I came home, went upstairs to the bathroom,
and threw up. I was so sick with guilt. But I learned very quickly how to sear
my conscience, and I changed--not my behavior but my ethical standards. I
adjusted my ethical standards downward to accommodate my behavior. And I'm not
the only man who's ever done that. Most of our ethical theories we develop to
excuse ourselves.
--R. C. Sproul, "The Insanity of Luther," Preaching Today, Tape No. 49.
When we allow our values to be compromised, even a single time, we are on the
downward path that will ultimately lead to destruction. God gave the fleeing
children of Israel a written system of values to follow. We call these values
the Ten Commandments. These commandments have been the basis for civil and
criminal laws since the time of Moses. These ten laws or commandments form the
basis for morality as we enjoy it.
Our own system of justice is rooted in the principles found in God’s word. We
have a responsibility to maintain that system. Our President has violated these
basic requirements of human decency repeatedly, and still American citizens are
jaded and amoral enough to say, "Who cares?" To say "Look at the economy, look
at the employment rate, look at this, look at that". When are we going to say
Look at the Word of God!!!! How can you and I, as the children of God, sit back
on our laurels and accept the status quo? We must be heard, and our voices must
be heeded. If we allow the President of the United States to escape the legal
penalties for his dishonesty, how can we hold anyone else to the standards of
law that have existed in our country for over 200 years?
President Clinton calls himself a Southern Baptist. He claims to have been born
again. Yet his lifestyle, as evidenced by this current relationship with a young
intern, and past ‘indiscretions" that he has been forced to admit to, is one at
direct odds with the Word of God. He is living a lifestyle that directly
contradicts the testimony of his lips. Most Southern Baptist Church’s have
procedures to remove a person from fellowship should they continue in a
lifestyle that is in opposition to the Word of God, and in opposition to our
standard of beliefs laid forth in the Baptist Faith and Message. It is my
opinion that William Jefferson Clinton is in violation of God’s word, and is
living an ongoing lifestyle in contradiction to our beliefs. It is time the
pastor and deacons of the church he holds membership in go to him and outline to
him the scriptural requirements for living a Christian life. Matthew 15:17-19
reads:
(Mat 18:15-19 KJV) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and
tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast
gained thy brother. {16} But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one
or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. {17} And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church:
but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and
a publican. {18} Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. {19} Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father
which is in heaven.
This passage of scripture is the basis for church disipline, and it is time this
needs to be followed. If President Clinton is politically able to find his way
clear of perjury charges, we should not allow him to go unchastised spiritually.
Forgiveness and grace are not free rides to live as you please. Along with the
forgiveness of God comes an increased responsibility to live your life in God’s
will. A lot has been said about forgiving the President for what he has done,
but he has not met the biblical requirements for forgiveness. We will discuss
the requirements for forgiveness in a message on Sunday morning. It appeared in
his speech on Monday that the only thing he was sorry for was the fact that he
was caught in the lie. Rather than accepting responsibility, he passed the blame
to someone else.
It is time we as Christians stand up today, and notify our elected
representatives in congress that Bill Clinton’s resignation is required. Nothing
less is acceptable. He has violated the very basic laws of God, not once, but
repeatedly without any real show of remorse. We must maintain integrity of our
government by requiring the head of our government to obey the same laws that
the citizens must obey.
Had a college professor had a relationship with a student, he would have been
terminated. Does anyone remember the Air Force officer who was discharged last
year because she had an adulterous relationship with an enlisted woman’s
husband? Why was she discharged when the Commander in Chief of the United States
is still in office? Didn’t he do the same thing? Isn’t what he did an abuse of
his authority of the office of the President of the United States? How about the
firings following the "Tail Hook Scandals?" We are holding the citizens of our
country to a higher standard than our leader. This must stop.
The only way our system of government will work is if the people make it work.
There is corruption in our government because we allowed it to happen. I urge
you to contact your representatives and make it plain to them the consequences
of allowing a lying adulterer to remain unpunished. It’s time we packed the
halls of congress with God fearing, righteous men and women. If Christians are
indeed the majority in our country, let us now exercise our right to vote and
make sweeping changes. Let’s bring America back to the throne of God.
If I sound angry, perhaps it is because I am. Like Jeremiah, I’m angry with us
for allowing the situation to go this far. I’m angry with myself for voting for
Bill Clinton in his first term, and I’m angry with the silent Christians who
refuse to take a stand and say enough is enough. But more than angry, I’m sad.
I’m sad that we have allowed our country to reach this point. I’m sad that we
allowed our beliefs to be watered down to such a point where personal
responsibility is not even considered. We need a change. We need a change of
leadership, and a change of heart. If we go before the throne of God with both
needs, He, and He alone can answer both requests.
copyright 1998 by Rev. Charles S. Mims, All Rights Reserved
