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List Based Morality

I. Lists or Rules work +95% of the time
II. Excessive attention on the letter of the law can distract us from the spirit of the law.
III. As Christians, we are responsible for the natural and foreseeable that could be the results of our actions.

I. Lists or Rules work +95% of the time

• Rules are fast
• Rules are usually easy to apply
• We usually want to bend the rules to get our own way, not because the rules are inadequate.

• Rules can be used as a way to avoid commitment...use to define absolute minimum compliance
• Rules can sometimes contradict each other.
• Using rules as "guard rails" (like on a road) will subject us to temptation that we might not be able to resist.

• Rules are not available for every set of circumstances
• We sometimes do things that put people at risk...that means we decided it was OK for something bad to happen
• Not everything is foreseeable.  God will not hold us responsible for outcomes that are beyond human's ability to anticipate.

List or rule based morality:

As a warm-up to the lesson, have the students each list some rules, some "Do" or Do Nots".   Write them on the flip chart or dry erase board.  Stop when you get between 10 and 15 of them written.

Reading:  Matt 5 17:48 (following text from NIV)

17.  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 
 18.  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 
 19.  Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
 20.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Stop here to ask some questions.  "What do we know about Pharisees and Scribes (teachers of the law)?  Does anybody here know about the laws of Orthodox Jews?  Have you ever heard of "Kosher" food?  Example:  Part of Deuteronomy 14:21 "...do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.", and so a Kosher kitchen has two sets of pots, pans, plates, etc. to ensure that not a single molecule of milk or cheese should ever touch a single molecule of meat before being eaten.  It is a legalistic approach to applying the law.

 21.  "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder,  and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 
 22.  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 
 23.  "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 
 24.  leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 

 25.  "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 
 26.  I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 

 27.  "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' 
 28.  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 
 29.  If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 
 30.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 
 31.  "It has been said, `Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 
 32.  But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. 

 33.  "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 
 34.  But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 
 35.  or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 
 36.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 
 37.  Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. 

 38.  "You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 
 39.  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
 40.  And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 
 41.  If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 
 42.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 

 43.  "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.' 
 44.  But I tell you: Love your enemies  and pray for those who persecute you, 
 45.  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 
 46.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 
 47.  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 
 48.  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 

Note the arrangement of Jesus' arguments. First there is an introduction, then he has six examples. 

When somebody keeps banging away with example-after-example, do they want us to focus on the specifics of the example or are they trying to convey a larger, underlying principle or concept?

If Jesus had lived in a Northern climate he might have used the concept of "the slippery slope".  Have you ever been on an icy toboggan run?  You can be at the top and walk around, but can you walk down the run?  There is a point of no return. (Draw a line that resembles a toboggan or sled run)  Can you look at this curve and tell me, where is the point of no return?   The Scribes and Pharisees treated the law as a perfectly flat table top.  You could get within an eyelash of violating the law, but you were considered as good as gold as long as you did not step over.

Let's look at these passages and see if we can find some commonalties.  Paraphrasing

• The Law says do not murder.  I say do not get in big fights with your brother...
• The Law says do not commit adultery.  I say do not look at a woman with lust in your heart...
• The Law says you can collect full damages from a person who wrongs you, to the extent of breaking an equal number of teeth or gouging out an equal number of eyes.  I say that if someone steals your sweat-shirt then give them your coat as well.

(You are fishing for words to the effect that these are scenarios that can escalate out of control)  To summarize, Jesus seems to be telling us that we are responsible for any natural and foreseeable consequences that could happen as a result of our actions. 

Can you think of any laws that are similar?  Can you think of any behaviors that are against the law on the basis that they increase the risk of somebody getting hurt (Driving over the speed limit.  Driving while intoxicated.  Practicing medicine without a license.)

Is it a sin to go into a bar?  (Maybe). Can you think of any conditions or circumstances where it might be a sin?  (If you are an alcoholic and your binge drinking is triggered by a bar setting/friends.  If you know there is somebody in the  bar that you will get into a fight with.)

Is it possible to make a list of all natural and foreseeable consequences that could happen under every set of conditions?