Choice, the Essence of Human Responsibility

When we look at the scriptures and human society, we are easily able to see that the only thing that can never be taken away from man is choice. But it then follows that we can also never be able to escape the consequences of that choice.

Recently I sent a post disputing with those preachers who think promises are like a supermarket shelf where I pick whichever promise catching my fancy. Biblical promises are not that primitive. Though simple, a Biblical promise is simply a consequence of the choices I make.

The key words as far as promises from God are concerned are IF and BECAUSE. IF gives me the condition wherewith I access the promise, BECAUSE being the consequences of the choices already made.

Choice makes man sovereign, able to determine the course his life will take.

But we also realize that God has not only given us choice, He has laid adequate information before us. The Ten Commandments simplify those choices. Breaching them gives us a harvest of wickedness.

Let me illustrate with this simple example. A lot of money is being spent to find solutions to HIV and STD prevalence and suffering. We have a crisis of bastards and single mother families. Abortion is a huge industry. Family breakup is commonplace. Look at all those which are destroying and breaking apart society. Yet what is the cause?

‘Thou shall not commit adultery’ is the seventh commandment. Suppose we took God seriously and obeyed that single commandment which is very easy to understand. Even if we stopped funding any research on those diseases and decided that we won’t invest a single cent on rescuing the situations, do we realize that STD and HIV can be wiped out in a very short time if we obeyed the commandment? The sick will die and the healthy will live without fear.

We won’t have any illegitimate children. Rape and sexual abuse will be unheard of. In short society will be completely transformed. In fact even corruption will be eradicated simply because the driving force, even result of corruption is the desire to get extra resources for those illegitimate sexual escapades and to deal with their consequences.

In most hospitals in Kenya, HIV and STD patients are more than half (some as much as 80%) of the total patient population. Obeying that simple commandment in effect means that we will almost instantly experience a burst in the health of our population.

But it will have to start with making the right choice, agreeing with what God has said.

Let us look at a few Biblical examples;

Eve thought the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was more appealing than even the fruit of life that was freely available. But then they immediately started dealing with death.

The spirit world started meddling with human beings sexually. It of course brought a lot of development, but also brought the flood.

Lot chose the very fertile valley neighboring Sodom and as a result couldn’t escape the depravity of the place as well as the ensuing destruction.

Esau thought food more enticing than his birthright, and eventually even lost the blessing.

Reuben thought sleeping with his father’s youngest wife was maybe too tempting to avoid and lost much more than the birthright.

King Saul thought is army was more important than God’s command and lost even the kingdom.

David dealt with his boredom and stress using his neighbor’s wife and introduced bloody conflict in his whole lineage.

Of course we know the devil chose to get a promotion in heaven using his devices and was cast out.

Positively, Abraham chose to leave all his security to follow God to a place he was not given even a map or directions and now most faiths call him the father of the faithful.

Moses chose to side with his people against the comforts of a palace that he rightly belonged to and became the epitome of godly leadership.

The key difference between man and animal is choice. Animals follow instinct. Man chooses the cause he wants to take. And that is why when I was a herdsboy I was the one who faced the consequences when any animal I was herding strayed into someone’s farm! Animals have no capacity to choose, however highly trained they are. They have no moral compass to guide them. And no wonder we don’t have any abominations and unnatural acts where animals are concerned. Or have you ever imagined, no less heard of a homosexual animal?

Sin is sin simply because there exists choice, same with righteousness and holiness. No one, not even the devil, can cause me to sin. The only thing he can do is to entice me to sin, meaning I take full responsibility for the sin I commit. Not even God can make me live righteously. He only gives me the information I need to make the choice, then empowers me to live once I make it.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19)

By consequences I do not mean being found out or discovered sinning. A thief does not become one when he is caught red-handed. He is a thief because he took what was not his without the willing allowance of the owner. It is not important that the owner even knows he has been defrauded. There are people who are so shrewd that they are being rewarded for stealing, simply because those they have stolen from are not even aware that they have lost anything. Some use what they have stolen to bribe the initial owners with it. And they are being ‘blessed’ for being so generous. And I am not only talking about politicians here.

Of course we know or have heard of bosses who gave a man (or even a woman nowadays) a big promotional transfer so that he can be left sleeping with his wife. Whether the man knows or not does not seem relevant. Some will employ their friend’s spouse not because they are such good friends but because they are simply interested with adultery.

Just the other day the ‘ruling class’ incited us against each other. Though we were also foolish enough to comply, they are guilty of murder. Though we are making much noise about the ICC, that court does not seem to care for or deal with the reasons we killed, raped and pillaged our friends and neighbors of generations. I not only doubt their impact on our nation, I even feel it is offering no solutions to our nation. The displaced are still displaced. The bitterness has not melted. The inciters are once again bonding, I don’t know whether to start the whole process all over again.

But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23)

Hide where you will. Let nobody see you commit sin. Hide in hell if you will. But there is a day of reckoning. They may fete you for sinning so mysterically or dramatically. Your day is coming. And it is not the police or mob that will get you. It is your sin.

And that is why I was talking about the seventh commandment and the whole issue with all the money being spent trying to cover up our dabbling with that sin. And we can be sure the same goes for any other sin.