Originally posted May 2, 2011, at Country Preacher’s Corner. Republished with permission of the author.
Editor’s note: For another post with a different perspective on the death of Osama bin Laden, please see Joelle Colville-Hanson’s post: “On celebrating the death of our enemy.”
This morning I logged onto the Internet and found the headlines blaring “Osama bin Laden is dead.”
Below the headline was a picture of a crowd gathered in front of the White House in jubilant celebration waving flags and smiling from ear to ear. Within me, something died a little.
“How could that be?” you might ask.
After all, I am an American citizen. The mastermind behind the attack that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11 was now brought to justice with a bullet in his head.
The person who caused suffering for thousands of families was now dead, killed by a Navy SEAL bullet.
The person whose cunning drastically altered the landscape of the U.S. when it comes to safety and human rights now lies buried at the bottom of the sea where no shrine can be built up around his grave.
Shouldn’t my heart have given a leap? Shouldn’t my immediate response have been one of rejoicing?
I remember that day those many years ago when the planes flew into the World Trade Center towers. I remember bodies falling from those towers and seeing the towers collapse upon first responders and others who were trying to rescue the wounded and dying.
And I remember scenes from countries around the world of people who hated us. I remember seeing their celebrations.
I remember seeing them waving their flags and grinning ear to ear as the U.S. had been dealt a significant blow. I remember seeing them celebrating our pain. And I didn’t like it. One bit.
Yet, now many Americans are doing the exact same thing. They are rejoicing in death. Even if that death was justified in the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” sense. And I ask, “Are we no better than those who struck us in the first place?”
I ask that in light of my deeply held faith and convictions as a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus had a word or two for us who follow Him in regard to the whole eye for an eye thing (see Matthew 5:38-46) and turning the other cheek (Luke 6: 27-32).
Jesus urges his followers to respond differently to those who dole out hatred.
Jesus urges his followers to break out of the vicious cycle of retribution and revenge.
Jesus urges his followers to love our enemies and do good to those who hurt us.
It is neither easy nor popular. It’s much easier to celebrate and become joyful when our enemies get what we feel they deserve.
But that’s not the way of Christ.
“What credit is it to you if you do this?” Jesus asks. “Don’t sinners do the same?” In other words: Don’t sinners love those who love them and hate those who hate them? Don’t sinners practice and eye for an eye or a gift for a gift?
Jesus calls us toward a different kind of life, a different kind of reality. It is a reality where doing good to someone is not based upon what that person has or hasn’t done to or for us. It is a reality where doing good is done for the sake of God. Why?
Because I believe Jesus is trying to teach us a very important lesson. I believe Jesus is trying to get us to step out of our limited perspective and see things from God’s perspective. And what might that be?
Just this: Even our enemies are made in the image of God. God created them too. God loves them too — even if we don’t.
This day, I cannot celebrate the death of bin Laden. It reminds me too much of our fallen condition. It reminds me too much of the cycle of pain and hatred.
Knowing al-Qaida, it’s just a matter of time before they strike again. Then we will go after another “mastermind.” The cycle won’t end.
But I will live in hope. I will pray for my country’s enemies. I will pray for my country. I will pray that the cycle of violence and hatred will cease. It will probably not happen in my lifetime, but I will do what I can in my own, small way to make it stop.
Find a link to Kevin Haug’s blog Country Preacher’s Corner at Lutheran Blogs.
Jesus understood the cycle of violence when he said:
Matthew 18:6. but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Since the verse says “have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea". this would require help from others. Gods work, our hands. And that's just what happened to Osama Bin Laden.
Just think of the children UBL and people of his ilk have sent to their deaths with bombs strapped to their chests.
Americans never dance in the streets over death. We always dance when the war is over and peace is resumed.
But with this new enemy, there is no ultimate victory. No final battle and ensuing peace. When do we get to dance in the streets?
So while we stand in lines at airports waiting to get our bodies searched, or have our personal liberties put on indefinite hold; while we watch the flag draped coffins come home, and our hard earned money leave our financially ruined country; while we are told to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, but not to report it because it might offend someone; while we tell our children how fun it used to be to walk onto an airplane and fly around the world, without long lines, pat downs, scanners, bomb sniffing dogs, metal detectors, and fear; while we patiently wait for things to resume to the way they used to be, we are coming to the realization that they will never be that way again. And it is only going to get worst.
We are not like those rejoicing over any death. We are rejoicing over the death of a man, who is the figurehead of an enemy, whose evil the good people of this world will not suffer.
I say rejoice! Rejoice for justice!
Hi davebob,
All of those things in your paragraph "So while we..." are things the US gov't has done to its own citizens. None of that was done by bin Laden or any other terrorist. The gov't has certainly overplayed the "be scared of terrorists" card, but it's our own gov't that has done all of those things to us.
Rejoicing for justice is an interesting concept. Justice is that sinners get their due, which is death for all of us. Yes, us other sinners will rejoice and celebrate when we see others getting their due. But when we get ours...? None of this is good news. The Good News is that Christ died for all of us sinners, and promises undeserved mercy in place of our deserved justice.
Peter,
Is there no hell?
davebob,
Lutherans have adhered to the "Two Kingdoms" approach to dealing with issues such as these. The state had every right to pursue justice with bin Laden. They did so for our protection. That is their job, not the church's.
The church is responsible for the Gospel proclamation. It is responsible for articulating the way of Christ. I challenge you to picture Jesus waving a flag and celebrating bin Laden's death or anyone's death for that matter.
I personally cannot see Jesus doing such a thing 1. in light of his teachings on love for enemies and 2. in light of his example from the cross of offering forgiveness to the very people who were unjustly crucifying him.
Kevin
Hey Kevin,
The separation of church and state is designed to keep the power of the state out of the affairs of the church, not the other way around. The church always has, and always should influence the state. The ELCA is currently advocating for a Palestinian State (among other things) with our government. And it is the churches responsibility to do so. If the church had taken on this responsibility in Nazi Germany, things would have gone very differently.
How can you not see Jesus doing such a thing? Can’t you see Jesus in all the Old Testament death and destruction? Some of it seemed a little over the top to me, but I will not question His judgment. Our God has been making footstools out of our enemies since the very beginning. He’s probably not as emotional as we are when we see justice served, but He has demonstrated over and over again that He is more than willing to serve it. Don’t you think he at least broke a smile when he defeated Satin, and sealed his fate? I can’t remember, was it the lake of fire, bottomless pit, fire that has smoke that rises forever...…wherever he ends up it sure makes getting shot in the head sound a lot more pleasant. Hey what about all of those old hymnal lyrics; man, I’ll bet they make you cringe.
We just left the season of Lent when we were reminded again that the result of Sin is death. Death is the natural result that all of us will face because all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But now we live in the light of the Resurrection. We know that Christ is Risen and living with us through our daily sin and through our death with the promise that since we were buried with him in a death like his, we will also be resurrected. Jesus' resurrection has given us the unhuman ability to forgive our enemies just as he forgave those who crucified him. If we glory in the death of any human being or any other part of the glorious creation God has given as our home, we glory in the destruction of God's creation. But, as people of the Resurrection, we give thanks to God and rejoice in LIFE, not death. It is one thing to be relieved that Osama Bin Laden's web of terror has been dealt a blow. It is quite another thing to celebrate his death. The people of the Middle East are struggling at this very moment to strive for a better life through peaceful means. If we choose to celebrate Bin Laden's death, aren't we more like him? Aren't we denying the resurrected life and rather, choosing to live under the old very human way of vengence and retaliation? I choose life. I choose resurrection.
davebob,
I think you are confusing Two Kingdoms with separation of church and state. One is Lutheran. The other is American. They are not the same.
Take a moment to read the Augsburg Confession article number 28, and you will see the role of the church outlined beautifully. The two "Kingdoms" work hand in hand, but each has its own responsibility.
And I understand very well the celebretory nature of victory over the Kingdom of Israel's enemies found in the Old Testament. I am reminded very strongly over Miriam leading the Israelites in a dance when the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea.
However, I would argue, our allegiance is first and foremost to Christ and the example He set. Did He rejoice in anyone's death? Well, we have no example at all of that. Are there any other teachable moments? Yep. Again, the teachings about loving one's enemies and blessing those who persecute. We have His words of forgiveness from the cross. We futher have an interesting example of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane when one of the chief priest's servants had his ear chopped off. Jesus didn't celebrate the pain of his "enemies" who came to lead him to trial and death. He healed the servant's ear and yelled at the disciples to put away their swords. Are these the actions of one who celebrates at the demise of an enemy?
Given the huge weight of Biblical evidence of Jesus' words and actions, I'd like to ask you to do some further exegesis. Old Testament examples are fine, but they only point the way to the fullness of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Given that Jesus is THE primary revelation of God, I put much more weight behind what he said and did.
Oh, and as to those old hymn lyrics, I play and sing them with gusto. They don't make me cringe at all given that I believe spiritual warfare is far different from modern warfare today.
davebob,
Hell is very real and it breaks into our reality on a daily basis, as we deserve. Yet Jesus went to Hell, and brought His mercy with Him. I don't think it will ever quite be the same place, which is the Good News. Jesus is for us, even though we don't deserve it. This is what Matthew 16:18 means: proclamation of Christ crucified and risen for you unHells Hell. Hell can't survive the Gospel.
As to Satan, what makes you think he is GOD'S enemy? Ours, certainly. But consider Job, and the traditional Hebrew of the word "Satan" basically means prosecuting attorney, or Adversary.
And even if Satan was, God's enemy, what's to say that Satan didn't repent?
I will try to take this in order as follows:
I don't consider myself as Lutheran; I am a Christian who will always worship with the Lutherans . The Lutherans demonstrated their "two kingdom" theory is faulty during WWII! Did the Augsburg's Confession article number 28 beautifully work hand in hand to stop the slaughter of the Jews?
While Miriam was dancing, what do you think Christ was doing; crying? I don't think so. He had just drowned the Egyptian army for good reason!
Christ didn't rejoice over any death that we know of, but he is recorded as sending way more people to death than He resurrected so far.
Did Jesus love Satin (His enemy)? He cast him into a lake of fire! Very loving! I'll bet the Father rejoiced then!
Chopped of an ear? WOW! How about fastening a millstone around ones neck and tossing them into the sea? That is what our Lord said!
You don't think the Lord celebrates the destruction of His enemy, Satin?
You are separating The Father from the son and the Holy Spirit. He is a God to be feared. He is quick punish, but faster to mercy.
JESUS IS NOT A WIMP! He has been there from the beginning.
Peter,
So Satin is God's friend?
davebob,
I think perhaps a little bit of study of history is in order. In Nazi Germany, many Lutheran churches draped their altars with the Nazi flag. Did they adhere to the Two Kingdoms principle? Nope. The church fully bought into the state's propaganda and politics. It left the realm of grace and did not distance itself. Only within the Confessing Church did the Two Kingdoms principle surface. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was critical in this movement, and he even worked to assassinate Hitler. Though he didn't rejoice that he had to work toward such a goal. Celebrating bin Laden's death is tantamount to the North American church draping a U.S. flag on our collective altars. I don't think the church should go there.
And while Miriam was dancing, perhaps indeed Christ was crying. There is an old Jewish midrash about God doing just that. It is all too human for us to celebrate the demise of an enemy. Just because the Israelites did celebrate doesn't mean God did. Show me where God was celebrating along with Miriam.
And I told you earlier that I distinguish between spiritual warfare and earthly warfare. Of course God celebrates the triumph over Satan (might want to check your spelling. Perhaps Christ does indeed love satin. it's very comfortable to sleep on.). But remember, Satan and Christ are in a continued wrestling match for each and every human heart. Can you tell me that Christ doesn't grieve when we give in to the temptations of the Evil One? Can you tell me that Christ doesn't grieve when someone's heart turns from Him to the Father of Lies?
Now, back to the millstone. Take a good long look at the entirety of that passage. Ever hear of hyperbole? If you are convinced that this millstone means cause for rejoicing in Heaven when one of God's children is killed, then I will assume you favor self amputation (Matt. 18:8); I will also assume you'd prefer to pluck out one of your own eyes (Matt. 18:9). Jesus begins this particular passage with a teaching on...humility. Look at those pictures of people celebrating bin Laden's death and ask yourself, "What is humble about that?"
I will agree wholeheartedly that Jesus is not a wimp. It takes a real man to stand in front of his enemies without running or fighting. It takes a real man to suffer torture and death without hating those who strike you and kill you. It takes a real man to offer forgiveness and healing to those who have hung you on a cross. And it takes a real man to realize the battle is with principalities and powers and not flesh and blood. Jesus was able to celebrate the demise of Satan without celebrating those whom had come under Satan's control.
I guess the real question is, can we?
Hey Kevin,
What about the Passover celebration? God instructs Israel to celebrate in remembrance of when God passed over the Jews on His way to kill the Egyptian first born. This celebration ironically just happens to point to our Lord. This particular celebration gives Christians the clearest picture of God’s plan. God didn’t do this by accident. He wanted His people to remember so that when Christ came they would understand. Why did God make this a celebration instead of a nation day of morning? He could have commanded that and it would have had the same effect. No, He wanted it to be a celebration! He purposefully wanted to associate Christ with the Passover; Passover His people to kill His enemies (some of whom were babies). He wanted them to celebrate, not mourn; celebrate. I don’t think God has changed. God may not be celebrating, but He is at least more happy, or less angry than He would have been or He wouldn’t have done it that way in the first place. If that is the way God wanted it to go, and in went that way, why would He not be Happy. God knows the end from the beginning. He knows how this turns out. He has known even before Eve picked the fruit. At some point in eternity when God put this plan together, He must have foreseen His victory and celebrated His plan. He wouldn’t do all of this just to remain angry and sad; Would He?
davebob,
I'd like to ask you what the Passover celebration actually celebrates. Is it the celebration of the death of one's enemies, or is it the celebration of liberation from oppression? Does it's continual celebration mean the celebration of the death of enemies or the celebration of freedom from slavery? Do you really have to ask why God made it a time of celebration when its themes of liberation are so clear in Scripture?
Oh, what the heck, let's just take a quick gander at what the Scripture says about the celebration of Passover for just a second as well. From Exodus chapter 12 NRSV (By the way, it's God talking here):
"14This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance. 15Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel. 16On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your companies out of the land of Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance."
Any clue why God orders a "solemn assembly"? Does that sound like a giant celebration over the death of one's enemies? Could it be that God is prompting the people to remember solemnly, humbly because it took such drastic measures to free them?
I think you are exactly correct, God has not changed.
Hey Kevin,
What does Passover refer to? Why does God say "You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord"? Why didn't God call it….hum let see…how about the festival of freedom, or escape, or anything but Passover. He called it the Passover celebration. Do you think that was a slip up? He wanted people to remember Passover, and he wanted them to celebrate, not mourn. Just think about all of the miracles that were done in that short time period. The splitting of the sea, water turned to blood, cloud by day, and fire by night. Kevin, out of all the wildly huge miracles God has ever shown his people, he chose to call it Passover celebration. And more to the point, a person can not even explain the true meaning of the word Passover without recalling the death. He chose a nice sounding word that everyone would immediately know meant salvation to the God’s people the death of the enemies first born, and then commanded them to celebrate that day. He also chose to make this association relate to His son Jesus. Passover is the word He chose, and celebration was the method. Jesus is our Passover.
davebob,
No argument that God called the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, but you fail greatly to deal with the fact God initiates the event and ends the event with a SOLEMN ASSEMBLY. Scripture does not talk about dancing in the streets, raising trumpets or chofars, or joyous singing. It is to be a solemn remembrance. Deal with that fact, and then we can perhaps have a conversation.
Hey Kevin,
I could be wrong, but I can't imagine God not feeling any positive emotion over seeing people like Hitler suffer. I don't think God gloats over Human suffering even if it is just, but I can't imagine God, who created us in His own image, does not at least feel good when justice is served. I don't think the Passover celebration makes a sound argument. But it does give some insight into God thoughts. He thought the Israelite's freedom was worth more than the lives of the Egyptian first born, and He didn't Hesitate to follow through. Even after God hardened pharaoh's heart. If there ever was a time you would want to question God's mercy it would be here. God parted the sea, tell me He couldn't have rescued the Jews without taking a single life. He wanted everybody in the area to know who was in charge, and he wanted the Jews to celebrate the Passover. God may not rejoice over men's death, but He has sure has no problem taking life to make a point.
davebob,
I don't know that I'd say "friend", but servant is probably an apt description. I think there's some confusion over Trinity here in this discussion. God the Judge gives us all death, and even gave His own Son death. I doubt God celebrated any of those deaths, especially considering what Ezekiel 18:23 and 18:32 say on the matter.
The only way God the Judge changes His judgment of us is through Jesus Christ's saving act on the cross. Through that saving death (and only through it) are we reconciled to God, such that He is no longer the terrible Judge that sits over us, but the loving Father who seeks the renewal of all creation. As Christians, this is our Good News. The news that a sinner has been brought to justice is not it or anything close to it.
We should not celebrate bin Laden's death because he did not die in a state of grace, he did not have saving faith, he had rejected God's offer of atonement and hardened his heart. God judges, not us, but from scripture, we can see little reason to hope for his salvation. This is why evangelism is so urgent, so that no one dies apart from the forgiveness found only in Christ. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents.
How many people did not get to die in a state of grace because of this man? Should we allow this man to continue to kill people in hopes that he may in time find grace? And if Bin Laden had found Christ, wouldn't he be the first (like the apostle Paul) to condemn his own past actions? The question to ask is this: Will there be a net sum gain in the amount of souls saved because of this man's death? I would argue that at the very least the potential of more souls being saved by his death are undeniable. Can we say for sure there will be more brothers and sisters in heaven because of this man's death?; No. But I think we can draw the conclusion that there will not be more souls saved as a result of his continued living. I think it is a reasonable mathematical assumption that there will be a net sum gain of souls being save because of his death. And if the heavenly hosts celebrate over every soul saved, this would a time to at least celebrate an opportunity given the would be murdered to have a reasonable chance at hearing about our Lord.
God hated Esau even before he left the womb. God hates those He knows will be destructive to His people even before they are born, and yet He allows them to be born anyway. He does this because He knows we will have to deal with them, and we will find God and need God's help doing it. And since God is not a cosmic micromanager, He just assists us when it's absolutely necessary. And sometime we get it right without God having to step in and do everything for us. These are the times God celebrates with His heavenly hosts. God knows that one person's salvation sometimes comes at the cost of another's salvation, but only because the second person didn't turn from their evil quick enough.
Bonhoeffer, in his Ethics, observes that if dying in a state of grace is a necessary condition for salvation, most of us Christians are going to end up in Hell because we continually turn away from God.
davebob, your questions beg a very important question: is saving souls God's business or ours? The Good News is that soul-saving is not up to us: that is God's work, carried out through Jesus' death and resurrection. When we try it on our own, we're lost. See esp Ed Schroeder's sermon: http://www.crossings.org/thursday/2010/thur010710.shtml
Peter,
Bonheoffer is exactly right; if dying in a state of grace is a necessary condition for salvation, most of us Christians are going to end up in Hell because we continually turn away from God. Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”.
It does no good to proclaim the gospel because God will save us regardless of any of our actions. It does no good to love your neighbor. It does no good to be baptized. It does no good to take the Lord’s Supper. It does no good to tithe. It does no good to bend your knee and worship. It does no good to petition your Lord in prayer. It does no good to gather in church. It does no good to repent from sinning. It does no good to even believe in the Bible or in Christ Jesus because it’s all God’s doing, nothing we have to do. Even though Jesus and the apostles tell us to do all of these things, you say they really mean absolutely nothing.
Through this law / gospel distinction lens that you say is so Lutheran, all of the works above are as filthy works that mean nothing in the grand scheme of this fatalistic form of salvation. You say by doing any one of these works it shows that we don’t have faith in Christ alone and only for salvation. I say by doing all of these works it shows that we do have faith in Christ alone and only; that’s why we do them.
And why did Jesus to have to suffer and die if God saves anyway? None of this seems necessary if people don’t play some part in the salvation story, other than just being saved. God did not go through 5000 years of putting this intricate story together for no reason. God wanted us to know this story. He wrote it down for a reason. The whole Biblical theme is a quid pro quo, over and over from cover to cover. Sure, in the end Jesus is given to show the quid is never enough for the pro quo. But why would Jesus and the apostles be so adamant about instructing us to keep doing this useless, silly, quid, if the pro quo is already assured no matter what we do; because behavior matters. God wants us to be Holy because He is holy. It pleases God “if” and “when” we do these things. It angers God when we don’t. God might know the names of all the elect from the beginning, but He still wants us to evangelize and proclaim the gospel.
davebob,
Bonhoeffer actually uses that as reason why there must be a postmortem repentance, aka the Day of Judgment. Also, on the subject of the "will of the Father": John 6:29- "The work of God is this: to believe in the one God has sent." aka trust the Gospel Promise (though my understanding is that the Greek syntax is vague enough that an alternate reading is that it is a result of God's work that we believe)
Baptism and the Eucharist aren't things we do; they're things God does. That's what a Sacrament is in the first place-- something God gives to us. Things we give to God are sacrifices. Receiving Communion is the physical act of receiving God's Gospel Promise. We baptize infants as a reminder to the congregation that each of us is as able/worthy to save ourselves as that infant. The reason for participating in those Sacraments is completely tied up in the Gospel Promise itself.
You're locked in a legal understanding of the Gospel. That's why it doesn't make any sense to you. Yes, it does "no good" to tithe, love your neighbor, etc in the sense that none of those things merit salvation or earn God's pleasure. You can't earn God's pleasure. You can't prove faith. An atheist can as easily do everything on your list if he were so inclined. Also, I'm not saying we don't have faith if we love, etc, but that we don't have faith when we trust that as proof that we're saved, or believe that salvation rests on what we do. As Scripture puts it, God makes it rain on the just and unjust alike.
The Bible isn't just quid pro quo-- the message of the Bible is specifically that the cross is the end of that quid pro quo-- we kill Jesus, and instead of God cursing us forever for that, God forgives us! What's more, God promises to forgive ALL of our sins. This is the beginning of the new creation brought about by Jesus' death and resurrection. With that new beginning, there is no going back; we must go forward in Christ. Yes, neighbor-loving, prayer, worship, etc come as a result of faith in Christ, but that is entirely voluntary. It is not done because it is commanded by the Law, but because we want to. In fact, it can't be commanded, because it is no longer a gift. Think about how easily you could command your spouse to love you.
Why proclaim? How can you not? Paul addresses a lot of his letters as "Paul, slave of Jesus Christ", and that's not to prove his own holiness. It's because slavery best describes his new relationship to the risen Christ after the road to Damascus. He could do no other.
Then just say it, Jesus and all of the NT writers are wasting their breath when they instruct us on how to behave.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
If it were all God, all the time, there would be no need for working out salvation with fear and trembling. Paul is speaking of good works here and now, so he (Paul) could boast of his good works in the day of Christ that his “labor” was not in vain. Paul wants us to shine among our lost culture like stars by doing good works without complaint or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in “this” warped and crooked generation. This passage is dripping with quid pro quos. And this one passage is just a snapshot of the entire Bible as far as quid pro quos go (say that three times fast). Either works matter, or they don’t. Good works only become filthy rags when we depend on them to achieve salvation, period. You can’t earn God’s salvation, but you can earn God’s pleasure by doing the things He wants us to do, otherwise He wouldn’t have wasted His breath telling us to do them. I really don’t know how anyone can read the Bible and come away saying that works don’t please God. Either there is a universal salvation for everyone that has ever lived, or there is a select group who has distinguished themselves apart from the rest by doing something the others didn’t or not doing something the others did. Either way you look at it there is a verb involved indicating participation on the part of the saved. Now you can say that there was no choice in the matter; that God directed the thoughts and decisions of the saved, but then you end up with a God that programs people to love Him. You have a dilemma. What do saved people do that others don’t do; they believe in Christ, who instructs us over and over again on the importance of doing good works. Why; because it pleases our Lord! As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.