WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.080 Music. 00:00:12.354 --> 00:00:15.874 Hey, everybody, and welcome back to episode nine of the Life on 11 podcast. 00:00:16.434 --> 00:00:20.674 Today, Jeremy and I build upon our ideas from last week when we talked about 00:00:20.674 --> 00:00:23.774 predestination, and we talk about Christian morals and ethics. 00:00:24.174 --> 00:00:27.654 How does Christianity inform the decisions that we make every day? 00:00:27.954 --> 00:00:30.034 So without further ado, let's take it to 11. 00:00:37.914 --> 00:00:44.074 What's going on, Jeremy? How's your night? Oh, it's rainy. It's a good night to be a duck. 00:00:44.434 --> 00:00:47.754 It's a great night to be a duck. In fact, I felt like a duck on my way in. 00:00:48.254 --> 00:00:50.614 You kind of looked like a duck. 00:00:51.194 --> 00:00:54.614 Waddled in. Was that a fat joke? It wasn't a fat joke. Okay, 00:00:54.714 --> 00:00:56.774 it sure sounded like it. It was a moist joke. 00:00:57.814 --> 00:01:02.654 You were moist when you walked in. I was more than moist. I was soaking wet. 00:01:02.734 --> 00:01:05.514 You were damp. My feet are still wet. Yeah, smell them. 00:01:06.254 --> 00:01:09.914 No, that's your feet. Oh, cool. What's going on? Everything's good? 00:01:10.074 --> 00:01:12.174 Yeah, everything's good. It's a Monday. 00:01:12.574 --> 00:01:14.474 It is a Monday. Made it through the day. 00:01:15.234 --> 00:01:17.754 Yep. Had a great weekend. Celebrated Mother's Day yesterday. 00:01:18.234 --> 00:01:19.754 Yeah. What'd you do for Mother's Day? 00:01:20.354 --> 00:01:25.274 Well, Tara and Talyn were gone all day. Happy Mother's Day to them. 00:01:26.734 --> 00:01:30.414 So they went down to watch some gymnastics in Doswell. Okay. 00:01:30.534 --> 00:01:33.954 So they were down there all day. Me and Riley went to church, came home from church. 00:01:34.134 --> 00:01:39.274 My mom came over and we had some pizza and you're like a good son. 00:01:39.774 --> 00:01:42.694 I took a nap while she was over there. Awesome. Yeah. 00:01:43.574 --> 00:01:47.774 It was good. What about you? We, yeah, did church. And then afterwards we had 00:01:47.774 --> 00:01:52.474 a Mother's Day cookout with Jess's mom and my mom and Jess. 00:01:52.614 --> 00:01:54.434 We made Philly cheese steaks. 00:01:54.734 --> 00:02:00.054 They were on point, if I do say so myself. Let me guess. 00:02:00.194 --> 00:02:02.814 You're saying they're on point because you cooked them. No, I'm saying they 00:02:02.814 --> 00:02:05.734 were on point because they were on point and I did cook them. 00:02:05.914 --> 00:02:10.234 Both those things can be true and are. Thank you. I need proof. 00:02:10.714 --> 00:02:14.374 I can do that. I don't have one in my mouth. They were so good that there is 00:02:14.374 --> 00:02:16.914 not the opportunity for you to have one in your mouth because they're gone. 00:02:17.154 --> 00:02:18.134 Well, the day's not over. 00:02:19.154 --> 00:02:22.214 Well, that's true. All right. And yeah, cook me one after this. 00:02:22.314 --> 00:02:24.994 We had a great, great Mother's Day celebration. 00:02:25.174 --> 00:02:28.394 And like you afterwards, I took a good nap. 00:02:28.394 --> 00:02:33.974 Good nappy poo good job naps are good for you naps are you know Jesus took naps 00:02:33.974 --> 00:02:38.974 he did yeah absolutely I'm just saying yeah creator of the world even through 00:02:38.974 --> 00:02:44.834 a storm even through a storm perfect guy yep took naps yep might be related yep just saying, 00:02:45.608 --> 00:02:47.968 So yeah, so it was a good weekend, good weekend for everybody. 00:02:48.088 --> 00:02:49.508 We hope you had a great Mother's Day. 00:02:49.628 --> 00:02:53.688 We hope that you enjoyed some time with your mom or mother-like figure. 00:02:53.848 --> 00:02:58.068 It was a really good day. It was a really good day. It's always a fun day to 00:02:58.068 --> 00:03:00.568 celebrate moms at church. Every church kind of does it different. 00:03:01.328 --> 00:03:04.588 Funny story, we don't do Mother's Day sermons at Mount Zion. 00:03:05.328 --> 00:03:08.068 We don't have specific Mother's Day sermons. Do you know why? 00:03:09.348 --> 00:03:13.408 You're going to tell me why. Because I have preached two specific Mother's Day 00:03:13.408 --> 00:03:15.268 sermons in my life, and both of them were horrid. 00:03:16.328 --> 00:03:20.328 Were they horrid because you said they were horrid or somebody else told you 00:03:20.328 --> 00:03:22.908 they were? I mean, nobody else told me, but it was just one of those like, 00:03:23.108 --> 00:03:24.168 well, then you don't know that. 00:03:24.228 --> 00:03:27.108 I mean, it could have been great. I mean, I don't think so. 00:03:27.608 --> 00:03:30.508 Have you preached a sermon where somebody did tell you it was horrible? 00:03:30.828 --> 00:03:32.308 I don't think so. Really? 00:03:32.648 --> 00:03:35.208 I mean, I've had a couple words. Maybe somebody told me it was heresy, 00:03:35.408 --> 00:03:40.208 but man, you got a horrible, you got a lot of friendly people. 00:03:40.948 --> 00:03:44.488 Man, are you saying I've had horrible sermons? Oh, I'm not saying you've had horrible. 00:03:44.828 --> 00:03:48.628 That's what it sounds like. No, no, no, no, no, I'm just saying the fact that 00:03:48.628 --> 00:03:52.108 no one has ever told you that they didn't like their sermon is... 00:03:52.108 --> 00:03:53.288 Well, I mean, that's good. 00:03:53.468 --> 00:03:57.928 Most folks wouldn't tell you that. They would tell their friends and relatives 00:03:57.928 --> 00:04:00.768 that after church. But then you would hear it through the grapevine. 00:04:01.168 --> 00:04:02.988 That is true. That is true. 00:04:03.768 --> 00:04:08.588 It's not very ethical. It's not ethical. Speaking of ethics, good segue. 00:04:09.008 --> 00:04:14.228 Hey, you see what I did there? Yeah, I did. So last week we talked about predestination 00:04:14.228 --> 00:04:22.188 and we talked about how we felt that predestination was at its best, false, 00:04:22.488 --> 00:04:24.768 at its worst, completely laughable. 00:04:26.368 --> 00:04:33.428 I will say at its best. We had a few people that reached out and expressed their 00:04:33.428 --> 00:04:38.728 support of our humorous interjections into the life of predestination. 00:04:38.928 --> 00:04:42.928 So no, no displeasure. I heard no displeasure. Okay. 00:04:43.108 --> 00:04:48.128 Now, again, we invited people to tell us, though. Yeah. The window's still open. 00:04:48.488 --> 00:04:50.808 Well, it's not right now because it's raining, but that's true. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.140 That being said, so this week's podcast, we're going to build on that idea because 00:04:56.140 --> 00:05:03.080 if we say that predestination is not right, it's not true, 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:10.920 then we have ethical decisions that we have to make by choice of free will because 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:15.560 if we're predestined, then we really have no choice in our behavior or choice 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:17.400 in how things are going to play out for us. 00:05:17.400 --> 00:05:23.860 But since we resist the idea of predestination, we then are saying that our 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:30.180 ethics matter and that our ethics guide decisions in our life. Is that true? 00:05:31.180 --> 00:05:40.120 Absolutely, it is true. I mean, obviously, very simply, we can look at the Ten 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:41.980 Commandments as a baseline. 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:49.940 But we're talking about much more than that, the simple day in and day out things, I would say. 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:56.120 I mean, one I talked about right when we came in here is a real simple one in business, 00:05:56.120 --> 00:06:02.560 business dealing with other people like in a sales role or in any kind of business 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.860 where you're transacting money is, you know, 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:12.960 the ethical thing to do is give people the right change and to not take advantage 00:06:12.960 --> 00:06:16.700 of somebody if they give you too much or, you know, whatever. 00:06:17.020 --> 00:06:21.240 Those things, not taking a kickback on a big sale, like those are things that 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:23.780 are business ethics, so to speak. 00:06:23.960 --> 00:06:30.800 But I would say those also play into our role as Christians to live like Christ 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:35.280 in our business dealings, our personal dealings, all of the above. 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:38.240 Agreed. Agreed. And so. 00:06:39.064 --> 00:06:44.164 If we don't embrace predestination, what we're saying then is those decisions, 00:06:44.624 --> 00:06:50.264 both big and small, can have life-altering consequences. 00:06:50.864 --> 00:06:55.504 Now, let's be clear. Salvation is not through works. 00:06:55.904 --> 00:07:01.544 So I'm not saying that. But faith without works is dead. 00:07:02.084 --> 00:07:08.024 Correct. Right. So you can, your ethics may not determine this is, 00:07:08.264 --> 00:07:10.544 okay, I got to think through this because I don't want to say something wrong here, but. 00:07:10.664 --> 00:07:13.204 Well, you can always go back and correct it if you say it wrong. That is true. 00:07:14.024 --> 00:07:18.044 Our ethics do not determine our salvation necessarily. 00:07:18.644 --> 00:07:24.424 True. But they can affect our lives on earth, even just momentarily, 00:07:24.424 --> 00:07:26.884 but for a long time as well. 00:07:26.884 --> 00:07:32.964 So we need to be ethical, not because we are saved by it, but because we want 00:07:32.964 --> 00:07:34.744 to reflect the one who saved us. 00:07:35.144 --> 00:07:38.044 Exactly. I think you said that exactly how you wanted to. Okay. 00:07:38.284 --> 00:07:40.784 And it literally only took you five seconds to think through it. 00:07:40.844 --> 00:07:42.284 That's, I'm proud of you. Thank you. 00:07:42.944 --> 00:07:46.104 I want a star. You know what I'm thinking about? What do you think about? The movie Flywheel. 00:07:46.724 --> 00:07:49.024 Talk to me about it. That's a great movie. Talk to me about it. 00:07:49.104 --> 00:07:50.404 So, all right. So obviously you've seen it. 00:07:51.004 --> 00:07:53.784 Absolutely. Okay. All right. so flywheel in 00:07:53.784 --> 00:07:56.644 the movie is following a it's it's a used car 00:07:56.644 --> 00:07:59.764 salesman for anybody who hasn't seen it christian based film kendrick 00:07:59.764 --> 00:08:02.744 brothers great movie that i suggest that 00:08:02.744 --> 00:08:05.324 you go rent it tomorrow or actually you can 00:08:05.324 --> 00:08:08.584 probably stream it for free it's low budget film but it's 00:08:08.584 --> 00:08:11.464 really good just remember their their films have gotten a lot better since 00:08:11.464 --> 00:08:14.464 then their films have gotten much better since then but 00:08:14.464 --> 00:08:20.064 it was still a great movie anyway it's about it's about the dealings of this 00:08:20.064 --> 00:08:26.044 used car salesmen and you know a lot of no offense to anybody who listens to 00:08:26.044 --> 00:08:32.124 this who's a used car salesman but throughout history used car salesmen tend to get a bad rap. 00:08:32.925 --> 00:08:38.525 For whatever reason, you know, one used car salesman made a sour deal and nobody ever forgets it. 00:08:38.745 --> 00:08:44.625 So in this story, the used car salesman becomes saved and actually goes back 00:08:44.625 --> 00:08:52.405 and gives people money back where he took advantage of them and then decides from here on out, 00:08:52.405 --> 00:08:59.585 we are going to make a fair profit on every car we sell because that's what Christ calls us to do. 00:08:59.585 --> 00:09:04.945 It's still fair to make a living and make money, but we're going to do it fairly and ethically. 00:09:05.365 --> 00:09:07.565 And that's what the whole movie is about. It's a great movie. 00:09:07.645 --> 00:09:09.685 If you haven't seen it, I seriously suggest checking it out. 00:09:09.765 --> 00:09:11.065 Great movie. Yeah, absolutely. 00:09:11.445 --> 00:09:16.865 Absolutely. And that's the thing. Like the scriptures, while they do not necessarily 00:09:16.865 --> 00:09:22.105 give commands for how to do business, right? There's not like, you know. 00:09:22.465 --> 00:09:26.025 Well, it's not like your profit margin is capped at seven and a half percent. 00:09:26.205 --> 00:09:30.165 Right. You can't turn to 1 Thessalonians and get the chapter on business dealings. 00:09:30.245 --> 00:09:39.965 They do frame ethical guidelines for Christians with integrity and responsibility, just those things. 00:09:40.745 --> 00:09:45.385 Those things inform our ethical decisions. 00:09:45.385 --> 00:09:52.625 What gets tricky is, is that the ethical decisions that aren't mandated by the 00:09:52.625 --> 00:09:56.845 Bible are still a reflection of our Christ likeness. 00:09:57.245 --> 00:10:01.765 And that's where I think it gets a little tricky because some of those decisions 00:10:01.765 --> 00:10:07.805 are not like you said, there's not a verse in scripture that says seven and 00:10:07.805 --> 00:10:09.485 a half percent is your profit margin. 00:10:09.485 --> 00:10:14.985 And so you could have folks who are interpreting those things very differently, 00:10:15.365 --> 00:10:17.025 right? You absolutely can. Yeah. 00:10:17.825 --> 00:10:24.605 And it, you know, it all depends on, it all depends on your mentality too. 00:10:24.865 --> 00:10:30.325 Like if you, if you set out with the goal to take advantage of somebody, 00:10:30.525 --> 00:10:32.085 then obviously that's not ethical. 00:10:32.265 --> 00:10:36.685 Right. Right. I mean, right. I think that's pretty simple. 00:10:37.165 --> 00:10:44.385 It's hard to say because there's so many people that lack ethics now that they 00:10:44.385 --> 00:10:49.865 can't even teach somebody what good ethics are because they don't even know. 00:10:49.965 --> 00:10:52.265 100% true. Yeah. And that's scary. Yeah. 00:10:52.645 --> 00:10:59.325 I'll tell you another one is ethics in terms of media, music, 00:11:00.005 --> 00:11:02.105 television, the things that we consume. 00:11:02.465 --> 00:11:08.105 Right. Again, there's no like biblical mandate for what we should or should 00:11:08.105 --> 00:11:12.725 not watch on TV or listen to in music or all of those things. 00:11:12.725 --> 00:11:18.425 But yet there are certainly ethical guidelines that the scriptures put on us 00:11:18.425 --> 00:11:20.245 that we should consider. 00:11:20.465 --> 00:11:24.025 And that is like one of the questions that I get asked fairly often, 00:11:24.225 --> 00:11:29.485 you know, like, do, is it okay to listen to non-Christian music? 00:11:30.431 --> 00:11:35.231 I think so. I listen to non-Christian. The majority of what I listen to is Christian music. 00:11:35.311 --> 00:11:40.311 I would say 75 to 80% of what I listen to is Christian music. 00:11:40.571 --> 00:11:45.891 The other things that I listen to, though, I do try to have somewhat of an ethical 00:11:45.891 --> 00:11:52.391 compass on language that's being used or the topic of the song, 00:11:52.511 --> 00:11:55.231 which is funny because the topic of the song probably bothers me more so than 00:11:55.231 --> 00:11:56.491 the language in most cases. 00:11:56.991 --> 00:12:02.331 Yeah, there are quite a few songs that have some topics that whoo. Right. Right. Yeah. 00:12:02.751 --> 00:12:05.671 And so, you know, like those are the same thing with television, 00:12:05.831 --> 00:12:07.631 right? Like there's a famous story. 00:12:07.871 --> 00:12:11.651 Maybe you've heard it of there was a young adult Bible or Sunday school class 00:12:11.651 --> 00:12:12.691 many years ago at church. 00:12:12.771 --> 00:12:17.431 And we were talking about a particular show that came out and everybody in the 00:12:17.431 --> 00:12:20.551 Sunday school class watched it except for a handful of us. 00:12:20.611 --> 00:12:26.171 And we were we were talking about how somebody was saying they couldn't watch the show anymore. 00:12:26.651 --> 00:12:29.791 And I said to them, well, why is that? And they said, well, because they've 00:12:29.791 --> 00:12:33.331 introduced a gay couple and I'm not watching that. 00:12:33.431 --> 00:12:35.751 And I was like, whoa, hold up for a second. 00:12:36.171 --> 00:12:40.691 And they were like, what? I was like, that entire show is about adultery. 00:12:41.371 --> 00:12:42.811 Sex outside of marriage. 00:12:43.051 --> 00:12:46.411 Like, you know, it was one of those like ones, like a hospital where everybody's 00:12:46.411 --> 00:12:47.811 having sex with everybody. 00:12:48.211 --> 00:12:49.751 Everybody's sneaking into the back room. 00:12:50.351 --> 00:12:54.051 Everybody's running around and that was just fine. But 00:12:54.051 --> 00:12:57.051 the second they introduced a homosexual couple now we 00:12:57.051 --> 00:13:02.011 crossed an ethical boundary for you however i 00:13:02.011 --> 00:13:05.691 would make the argument that sexual fornication 00:13:05.691 --> 00:13:08.951 is sexual fornication and so 00:13:08.951 --> 00:13:12.111 why is it okay to watch a show where there's open 00:13:12.111 --> 00:13:15.571 adulterous sexual immorality but the 00:13:15.571 --> 00:13:18.751 second they cross that line that's really 00:13:18.751 --> 00:13:21.451 interesting how did that conversation go it ended 00:13:21.451 --> 00:13:24.251 up a few weeks later like a lot of people in the class 00:13:24.251 --> 00:13:27.131 decided they were going to stop watching the show period and shows 00:13:27.131 --> 00:13:30.071 like it not because of you know just because they were like oh we 00:13:30.071 --> 00:13:32.951 understand that like that was a really good conversation yeah that's 00:13:32.951 --> 00:13:35.551 a great point but you know those are those things like that's what we're 00:13:35.551 --> 00:13:38.471 talking about in ethics like we we can't just pick and 00:13:38.471 --> 00:13:41.871 choose now we hang the bar are we combining ethics 00:13:41.871 --> 00:13:44.591 and morals i think so yeah i mean we're kind of 00:13:44.591 --> 00:13:47.371 together okay all right yeah because a lot of people would 00:13:47.371 --> 00:13:50.491 argue like well you're you're talking more about morals okay 00:13:50.491 --> 00:13:53.751 ethics but ethics you know i think i agree i 00:13:53.751 --> 00:13:56.871 i think they're very much the same yeah 00:13:56.871 --> 00:14:03.311 in that sense so i think the first thing that that sets christian ethics morals 00:14:03.311 --> 00:14:11.971 all those things apart from the world is divine command okay our ethics are 00:14:11.971 --> 00:14:15.931 not determined by us they are commanded by God. 00:14:16.731 --> 00:14:20.831 Okay. What do you think? Yeah, I mean, although not specifically, 00:14:20.851 --> 00:14:24.511 like we talked about. Right. But yeah, I mean, I think... 00:14:25.111 --> 00:14:31.911 And some of this even goes to, like, even what the world says is not okay, 00:14:31.911 --> 00:14:35.691 which is kind of weird to think about that way. 00:14:35.791 --> 00:14:42.231 But, like, you know, there are things that, I mean, even most people would agree 00:14:42.231 --> 00:14:46.311 that cheating on your spouse is not okay, even in the world today. 00:14:47.311 --> 00:14:51.971 Unless your spouse cheats first. Or unless they, I mean, that's the thing. 00:14:52.211 --> 00:14:54.711 Okay, bad example. Okay, never mind. Situational ethics, right? 00:14:54.711 --> 00:14:56.491 Let's just go ahead and cut that out. That was dumb. 00:14:56.911 --> 00:14:59.191 But seriously, that's a really good point. Should I just leave? 00:14:59.771 --> 00:15:02.791 We adopt situational ethics. You're right. You're right. 00:15:03.591 --> 00:15:06.871 I'm glad I brought that up. Yeah. And that's what the world teaches us, 00:15:06.871 --> 00:15:10.391 that you shouldn't do this unless this happens, and now you're justified. 00:15:10.391 --> 00:15:12.851 Then you're in the clear. Right? Yeah. Okay. 00:15:13.511 --> 00:15:16.911 Not okay. Well, yeah, not okay, but I'm saying okay, because I agree with the 00:15:16.911 --> 00:15:20.831 idea. But that's not what the scriptures teach, right? 00:15:21.731 --> 00:15:24.871 At no point in scripture does it does does does that 00:15:24.871 --> 00:15:28.231 get you don't get a pass for doing 00:15:28.231 --> 00:15:31.171 x y and z whatever that is you know it doesn't 00:15:31.171 --> 00:15:34.091 say you know you shouldn't have an affair unless 00:15:34.091 --> 00:15:37.711 these things happen and then it's okay yeah absolutely 00:15:37.711 --> 00:15:40.591 yeah you're right and so in a world so 00:15:40.591 --> 00:15:43.451 that's why we need divine command ethics because if 00:15:43.451 --> 00:15:46.771 not it becomes either situational or ethical 00:15:46.771 --> 00:15:49.671 or ethical behavior as mandated by 00:15:49.671 --> 00:15:53.811 by the popular vote right or 00:15:53.811 --> 00:15:57.271 the ones who get the most media attention absolutely 00:15:57.271 --> 00:16:00.211 absolutely and and 00:16:00.211 --> 00:16:03.631 even like now because i think one of the differences for a 00:16:03.631 --> 00:16:06.451 lot of us is you like you were talking about i feel 00:16:06.451 --> 00:16:09.111 like our generation was kind of 00:16:09.111 --> 00:16:12.151 the first generation where christian ethics 00:16:12.151 --> 00:16:15.751 and and like american 00:16:15.751 --> 00:16:21.651 ethics they started to jettison one another like i think up and before different 00:16:21.651 --> 00:16:25.991 paths yeah like before us like like you were saying like overall even if you 00:16:25.991 --> 00:16:30.651 weren't a christian divorce was frowned upon true it really feels like in the 00:16:30.651 --> 00:16:35.631 past 20 years that's you know like you know all those things things have changed a lot, for sure. 00:16:35.871 --> 00:16:39.431 Right. And so we can't even... I had this discussion with one of our kids the 00:16:39.431 --> 00:16:44.971 other day where we were talking about just because something is legal does not 00:16:44.971 --> 00:16:50.271 make it ethical or moral, that the United States can make something... 00:16:50.271 --> 00:16:52.491 We were talking about drugs, right? Okay. 00:16:52.531 --> 00:16:55.951 He was asking about marijuana, right, and the use of marijuana. 00:16:56.431 --> 00:17:00.991 And I said, well, the question is, is just because something is legal, 00:17:00.991 --> 00:17:03.711 does it make it right? Right. 00:17:04.353 --> 00:17:07.233 And, you know, his response was like, I don't know. And I was like, 00:17:07.293 --> 00:17:12.773 well, actually, you do know because you are you're anti-abortion. 00:17:12.993 --> 00:17:17.113 You are pro-life. And he surprised it. But yet there are laws in the country 00:17:17.113 --> 00:17:19.213 saying this is how you can have an abortion. 00:17:19.433 --> 00:17:25.653 Just because it's legal doesn't make it Christian, Christian morally right or 00:17:25.653 --> 00:17:27.733 ethically right. Mm-hmm. Yeah. 00:17:28.153 --> 00:17:31.213 You know, sorry, I'm going to kind of switch gears. No, you're fine. 00:17:31.333 --> 00:17:37.053 Because I keep thinking about this in my head, but think of also how Christian 00:17:37.053 --> 00:17:44.593 ethics and morals have also been kind of flipped on their head as like a way 00:17:44.593 --> 00:17:47.673 to attack the world to attack Christians. 00:17:47.853 --> 00:17:50.213 Absolutely. Because of their morals and ethics. Yeah, say more. 00:17:50.853 --> 00:17:53.673 Say more? Or say no more? Say more, yeah. Okay. 00:17:54.033 --> 00:18:01.473 So, I mean, just like I said about the minority making the rules just because 00:18:01.473 --> 00:18:02.813 they get the most attention. 00:18:02.813 --> 00:18:09.273 I mean, so you think of all the things recently about transgenderism, homosexuality, 00:18:09.413 --> 00:18:14.373 all those things where people are like really coming down on Christians and 00:18:14.373 --> 00:18:20.153 the churches that are not supportive of that lifestyle, where in actuality, 00:18:20.273 --> 00:18:25.733 nobody has ever said that they're not going to speak to those people or that 00:18:25.733 --> 00:18:28.633 they don't love those people. Some people have, but it's a minority. 00:18:28.973 --> 00:18:34.553 Yeah. It's a very – Right. The majority of people will say, absolutely, 00:18:34.553 --> 00:18:36.813 I love them. I respect them. 00:18:37.013 --> 00:18:40.353 They are God's creation. That's not up for debate. 00:18:40.793 --> 00:18:50.573 But as soon as you disagree with a lifestyle, it's like you're guilty of hating 00:18:50.573 --> 00:18:52.353 them, which is not the case at all. Right. 00:18:52.653 --> 00:18:55.393 Right. And the fact that. 00:18:56.242 --> 00:19:00.722 Just because you like, and I think that's the other trick with morals and ethics 00:19:00.722 --> 00:19:05.622 is we all miss the mark on them. No one is perfect. 00:19:06.082 --> 00:19:12.362 And so there has to be a moment where we can call other people to morals and 00:19:12.362 --> 00:19:15.402 ethics while also understanding that we have moments in our lives and things 00:19:15.402 --> 00:19:17.562 in our lives that we are not. 00:19:18.122 --> 00:19:20.382 Well, that's the same thing in the story that you were talking about before. 00:19:20.602 --> 00:19:22.202 I mean, they quit watching the 00:19:22.202 --> 00:19:27.162 show because they introduced a homosexual couple, But at the same time, 00:19:27.462 --> 00:19:31.662 there was all kinds of other promiscuity and premarital sex and all these things 00:19:31.662 --> 00:19:34.302 happening in there that they said they didn't agree with, but they watched the 00:19:34.302 --> 00:19:38.042 show until this one thing happened. So, yeah, same thing. 00:19:38.662 --> 00:19:45.622 You're right. We have to look at ourselves and where we fall short and be aware. 00:19:45.782 --> 00:19:51.382 We have to be aware of ourselves and acknowledge that. And we also have to realize 00:19:51.382 --> 00:20:00.042 that sometimes Christian morals and ethics are personal in nature. 00:20:00.622 --> 00:20:05.902 True. There are some things that some Christians feel. 00:20:06.182 --> 00:20:11.262 I think that the Holy Spirit guides us. When I think about what guides Christian 00:20:11.262 --> 00:20:12.742 ethics, number one is scripture. 00:20:13.142 --> 00:20:18.462 Number two is the Holy Spirit. Number three is church tradition. Okay. 00:20:18.762 --> 00:20:24.882 And those three things inform my idea of what Christian ethics should be. 00:20:25.882 --> 00:20:28.422 How about personal conviction? 00:20:29.562 --> 00:20:33.482 Would that be like the Holy Spirit personally convicting? Yeah. 00:20:33.562 --> 00:20:35.702 Okay. Just making sure we're on the same. Yeah. 00:20:36.002 --> 00:20:37.622 So like the Bible decrees it. 00:20:37.762 --> 00:20:41.882 And then there are some things that like you have to have a conviction. 00:20:42.302 --> 00:20:47.962 For example, okay, this isn't necessarily I guess it's kind of an ethical decision that Jess and I made. 00:20:48.082 --> 00:20:51.442 Like we decided to be foster parents. 00:20:52.082 --> 00:20:57.182 That does not mean that everybody in the world are supposed to do this, right? 00:20:57.182 --> 00:21:03.402 That is something that the Holy Spirit spoke to us about our situation on how 00:21:03.402 --> 00:21:07.962 we could help some of the moral problem and the moral fabric of our community 00:21:07.962 --> 00:21:14.202 was to open our home for foster children and help rebuild the morals of our 00:21:14.202 --> 00:21:15.962 community by helping those children. 00:21:15.962 --> 00:21:21.242 That doesn't mean now that we have to push that upon everybody else. Yeah. 00:21:21.822 --> 00:21:26.642 Right? And you can simplify that to those who don't have television. 00:21:27.182 --> 00:21:32.682 I mean, they're like, hey, there is nothing worth watching on TV. I... 00:21:33.556 --> 00:21:36.996 I had to get rid of it. Like, it's gone. Like, so that's, yeah, 00:21:37.236 --> 00:21:39.756 that doesn't mean everybody needs to get rid of their TV. 00:21:39.956 --> 00:21:44.636 Right. But for that person, they needed to get rid of it because it was causing 00:21:44.636 --> 00:21:46.036 them to make poor choices. 00:21:46.216 --> 00:21:50.896 And also the other side of that is understanding that we are all on a faith journey and road. 00:21:51.056 --> 00:21:57.216 And sometimes there are things that are morally or ethically wrong that we need 00:21:57.216 --> 00:22:00.016 to give the Holy Spirit time to work on with that person. 00:22:00.016 --> 00:22:04.056 Like I've, I've had this conversation with people in our church about people 00:22:04.056 --> 00:22:06.276 who use tobacco, they use snuff or they use cigarettes. 00:22:06.816 --> 00:22:12.696 And, you know, I'm like, yes, I, I don't wish that no one would use tobacco products. 00:22:13.076 --> 00:22:16.996 A, cause I think that it's, and I used to smoke. So I'm not saying this as somebody 00:22:16.996 --> 00:22:20.136 who's never done this. Like I, I smoked for a long time and I quit. 00:22:21.116 --> 00:22:25.516 A, I think that people should stop smoking because I think that it is an addiction 00:22:25.516 --> 00:22:28.776 and it can, it can have an effect on your relationship with Christ. 00:22:28.776 --> 00:22:31.616 And B, I think that God wants his best for us. 00:22:31.696 --> 00:22:35.776 And I think that sucking down the additives and the things that go in cigarettes 00:22:35.776 --> 00:22:39.516 that causes cancer and emphysema and all those things is not God's best for us. 00:22:39.796 --> 00:22:43.216 But that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to stand up in church on Sunday 00:22:43.216 --> 00:22:46.256 and say, absolutely, every Christian needs to stop smoking right now, 00:22:46.276 --> 00:22:51.056 because they might have 15 other things that the Holy Spirit is working on them. 00:22:51.396 --> 00:22:55.896 And at some point, that's going to get there, because I can't look in the Bible 00:22:55.896 --> 00:22:57.936 and say, like, thou shalt not smoke a cigarette. 00:22:58.156 --> 00:23:01.836 Like, I pray that they will get to that conviction and I pray they will get there, 00:23:01.856 --> 00:23:05.496 but maybe there are some other things going on in their life that I need to 00:23:05.496 --> 00:23:08.896 give the Holy Spirit room to convict them instead of me being the one to step 00:23:08.896 --> 00:23:14.016 up and dictate an ethical or moral response on their behalf on something that, 00:23:14.896 --> 00:23:21.416 while I think makes sense from the scriptures, is not specifically mandated. Okay. Yeah. 00:23:21.996 --> 00:23:25.036 Does that make sense? Yeah, it makes sense it looked to me like you were getting 00:23:25.036 --> 00:23:29.776 ready to do a mic drop there but my mic's on a stand i can't really drop it 00:23:29.776 --> 00:23:33.296 but i mean we could find a way to make it work if we need to sometime yeah well 00:23:33.296 --> 00:23:37.776 and then i think the third part of that then becomes community tradition and i think we. 00:23:38.736 --> 00:23:43.816 We have like jettisoned that one like somehow i don't know how we got to the 00:23:43.816 --> 00:23:49.836 point where we think that 2 000 years of church history means nothing because 00:23:49.836 --> 00:23:56.116 there is something to be said that if the church has done this for 2,000 some 00:23:56.116 --> 00:23:57.656 years and God has blessed it, 00:23:57.976 --> 00:24:00.396 then that should be taken into account, 00:24:01.096 --> 00:24:03.676 for our morals and our behavior. 00:24:04.616 --> 00:24:08.756 Agreed. And insert whatever thing here. 00:24:09.316 --> 00:24:12.776 The opposite can also be true. The opposite can definitely be true. 00:24:13.516 --> 00:24:17.776 But I don't know, for some reason, I know we all get tired of like, 00:24:17.856 --> 00:24:20.156 well, we've always done it that way, but this is not that. 00:24:20.156 --> 00:24:26.976 This is that if the early church saw the hand of God and did something, 00:24:27.096 --> 00:24:30.556 and now we have built upon that, and for 2,000 years, it's been going okay. 00:24:31.495 --> 00:24:34.415 And then all of a sudden, we're just like, that doesn't matter anymore. 00:24:34.635 --> 00:24:37.675 We have a new enlightenment or we have a new understanding. Boy, 00:24:37.755 --> 00:24:38.795 that can be problematic. 00:24:39.815 --> 00:24:44.115 You're opening a whole other can of worms here. But seriously. 00:24:44.335 --> 00:24:46.815 You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. 00:24:47.055 --> 00:24:53.275 Which, I mean, from guys that are Anabaptist in our roots, like God's voice 00:24:53.275 --> 00:24:57.175 is heard through community, right? I think that's a conviction we both hold. 00:24:57.475 --> 00:25:00.895 God speaks to me, but God speaks to us. And when God speaks to me, 00:25:01.095 --> 00:25:02.755 I should talk to the us about it. 00:25:03.175 --> 00:25:07.975 And so while we wouldn't look to the voices of the past as a way to interpret 00:25:07.975 --> 00:25:11.455 what God wants us to be doing right now just boggles my brain. 00:25:11.815 --> 00:25:15.215 So I do think that that's another way that our morals and our ethics can be 00:25:15.215 --> 00:25:19.275 defined, that this is kind of how we've done this for a long time and God's had his hand in it. 00:25:19.515 --> 00:25:21.895 Or we've been doing it this way and God hasn't had his hand in it, 00:25:21.935 --> 00:25:22.935 so we should probably change that. 00:25:23.515 --> 00:25:25.335 That's probably a harder conversation to have. 00:25:26.095 --> 00:25:29.475 Absolutely. For sure. Absolutely it is. so how 00:25:29.475 --> 00:25:32.595 do you jeremy like in your life every day how 00:25:32.595 --> 00:25:35.335 we've talked about business what other 00:25:35.335 --> 00:25:38.455 areas of our lives do we do christian ethics 00:25:38.455 --> 00:25:42.015 come into play that aren't so obvious like you know it's like you talked about 00:25:42.015 --> 00:25:45.935 the ten commandments it is obvious obvious that a christian ethic would say 00:25:45.935 --> 00:25:49.335 don't murder okay well that's pretty easy can you think of other areas in your 00:25:49.335 --> 00:25:54.135 life where um those ethics come into play i mean just just thinking about as 00:25:54.135 --> 00:25:57.115 as growing up and joining the workforce and things, 00:25:57.275 --> 00:25:59.695 you know, cause work is so much of our lives. 00:26:00.595 --> 00:26:03.955 That's, that's one thing I think of you like, you know, stealing time, 00:26:04.295 --> 00:26:08.255 like standing by the time clock, waiting to gain an extra 15 minutes, 00:26:08.495 --> 00:26:10.815 you know what I mean? By clocking in a minute later, whatever. 00:26:11.195 --> 00:26:14.195 So, you know, just things like that, just simple decisions. I mean, 00:26:14.495 --> 00:26:18.755 while yes, the Bible doesn't say you can't stand there and wait for an extra 00:26:18.755 --> 00:26:22.195 minute or 30 seconds to clock in to get 15 more minutes of pay, 00:26:22.835 --> 00:26:27.635 you know but it's just one of those things like is this really the right thing 00:26:27.635 --> 00:26:34.235 for me to do so just things like that and you know treating people with respect. 00:26:35.736 --> 00:26:40.516 Honoring people with the way you talk, things like that come to mind. 00:26:40.696 --> 00:26:43.876 I mean, not using inappropriate language. 00:26:44.456 --> 00:26:49.716 For me, those are things for me that I consciously try to do. 00:26:49.796 --> 00:26:53.636 Now, that doesn't mean I don't mess up because I mean, I don't want anybody 00:26:53.636 --> 00:26:57.816 to listen to this and hear me say a word and be like, wait a minute, you said we mess up. 00:26:57.996 --> 00:27:00.096 Right. No doubt about it. Yeah. 00:27:00.576 --> 00:27:02.656 So, but yeah, those are the things that come to mind for me. 00:27:02.896 --> 00:27:06.736 Yeah. Well, and I think, you know, There's a level where, so one of the big 00:27:06.736 --> 00:27:08.576 ones for Jess and I, we had this discussion. 00:27:08.696 --> 00:27:13.116 One of the things that we loved, or we still do love, is the way it impacts 00:27:13.116 --> 00:27:16.256 your finances and the way you spend your money, like beyond the tithe. 00:27:16.856 --> 00:27:21.276 A Christian ethic is more than just you pay your 10% tithe, right? 00:27:21.416 --> 00:27:24.156 It comes to some other things too. One of the things that we really appreciate 00:27:24.156 --> 00:27:28.176 is like our investments, my retirement and things are with Ader Financial, 00:27:28.276 --> 00:27:32.156 and they offer brethren values investing. 00:27:32.956 --> 00:27:36.076 And so the the portfolios that we 00:27:36.076 --> 00:27:38.996 invest in they don't go to you know 00:27:38.996 --> 00:27:42.396 any business that has holds in pornography or 00:27:42.396 --> 00:27:48.296 or alcohol or tobacco or weapons uh production or anything like that and so 00:27:48.296 --> 00:27:52.616 that's really important to me to know that like my money is not going to fund 00:27:52.616 --> 00:27:57.636 hmm interesting that was a thing yeah yeah well and you know for a lot of people 00:27:57.636 --> 00:28:01.336 it isn't but that's the attractive thing about investing with somebody like Ader, right? 00:28:01.896 --> 00:28:10.156 Again, any business or any company that invests in Planned Parenthood, 00:28:10.276 --> 00:28:13.496 my money's not going to support that. That's not in the portfolio. 00:28:13.876 --> 00:28:16.576 And so you can even get as specific as that. 00:28:16.656 --> 00:28:21.156 When you really start to dig into Christian ethics, it's more like you talked 00:28:21.156 --> 00:28:22.896 about using appropriate language. 00:28:23.036 --> 00:28:27.116 Well, a Christian ethic is more than just don't murder, because Jesus said, 00:28:27.236 --> 00:28:31.456 I tell you that if you call your neighbor a racha or an idiot, 00:28:32.016 --> 00:28:34.096 then you are guilty of murder, right? 00:28:34.496 --> 00:28:39.816 A Christian ethic is more than just don't have an affair. It is lust. 00:28:39.996 --> 00:28:47.636 And the way that we look at those things and understanding that we can sometimes 00:28:47.636 --> 00:28:51.436 dial those ethics back, I mean, for whatever. 00:28:52.156 --> 00:28:57.136 Oh, absolutely. You know, parenting. Well, there's things in the Bible about 00:28:57.136 --> 00:29:02.776 how to parent, but more than that, there's an ethos in Scripture that tells 00:29:02.776 --> 00:29:03.936 us how we're supposed to parent. 00:29:04.096 --> 00:29:07.976 Yeah. There's not a step-by-step instruction book. Man, I wish there was. 00:29:08.416 --> 00:29:10.896 Don't we all? We do. We do. 00:29:11.576 --> 00:29:16.136 You know? And so much, and I do think sometimes, Jeremy, that, 00:29:16.276 --> 00:29:19.256 you know, I think one of the downfalls for Christian ethics, 00:29:19.436 --> 00:29:21.416 and man, we could do this on another episode, too. 00:29:21.436 --> 00:29:25.636 Is like we tend to grab the low-hanging fruit. 00:29:26.455 --> 00:29:29.595 Oh, that's everything in our lives most of the time. 00:29:29.655 --> 00:29:34.535 Christian ethics are more than just be nice, treat others as you want to be 00:29:34.535 --> 00:29:36.555 treated, go to church on Sundays. 00:29:37.395 --> 00:29:44.895 Christian ethics, I feel like if every Christian actually embraced Christian 00:29:44.895 --> 00:29:49.935 ethics, man, our whole world would look different, right? 00:29:49.995 --> 00:29:54.615 Yeah. Because there are so many things like we say that we're Christians and 00:29:54.615 --> 00:29:58.255 some of the policies and some of the procedures that end up happening. 00:29:58.475 --> 00:30:00.755 Like you said, we're all we're all sinners. 00:30:00.975 --> 00:30:03.455 We all we we all we're not perfect. 00:30:03.935 --> 00:30:06.555 But there are plenty of things that you will hear somebody say, 00:30:06.695 --> 00:30:11.035 like, you know, I can't vote for this person because I'm a Christian. 00:30:11.255 --> 00:30:15.575 And then they vote for something just as un-Christ like on the other side. 00:30:15.935 --> 00:30:18.735 And you're like, hold on a second. That's not Christian either. 00:30:19.275 --> 00:30:24.855 What's going on, right? It's more than just be nice and play well with others. 00:30:25.075 --> 00:30:28.895 Like there are hard Christian ethical things that we, I mean, 00:30:29.055 --> 00:30:33.195 I even think about, you know, you and I both, we do some hobby farming, right? 00:30:33.575 --> 00:30:41.415 If we had a Christian ethic of the world and of creation, the farming industry 00:30:41.415 --> 00:30:45.915 would look completely different than it does in the United States right now. 00:30:46.255 --> 00:30:48.015 True. Completely different. 00:30:48.735 --> 00:30:51.995 If we really had a creation ethic and practice, 00:30:52.155 --> 00:30:54.955 and that's one of the reasons why we do grow our own food here, 00:30:55.115 --> 00:31:01.455 is we can kind of mandate how those animals are taken care of and what's going 00:31:01.455 --> 00:31:05.335 into their bodies and how it's responsibly resourced and things like that. 00:31:05.875 --> 00:31:09.475 That's a decision that we got to make because we were blessed to have enough land to do that. 00:31:09.475 --> 00:31:13.195 But that was like an ethical decision on Jessica and I's part that we can do 00:31:13.195 --> 00:31:21.555 this and we are not supporting what we think is a very immoral way that some, not all, please hear me, 00:31:21.855 --> 00:31:27.475 not all, but a lot of the supermarket meat, in my opinion, is unethically resourced. 00:31:28.115 --> 00:31:32.155 And so we can do that here. Yeah, absolutely right. 00:31:33.116 --> 00:31:37.296 You know what you've done now. What's that? You have got us to food. 00:31:37.756 --> 00:31:41.316 Oh, yeah. You're talking about meat. We did. 00:31:41.536 --> 00:31:46.696 And I'm thinking about eating that steak that's out there in your pasture right now. 00:31:47.396 --> 00:31:52.996 Well, there's not just steak in the pasture. There's steak in the freezer. From last year's? Yeah. 00:31:53.716 --> 00:31:56.456 Dude, there's steak on hand in this house all the time. 00:31:56.616 --> 00:32:00.476 Then why don't you make me a steak instead of a... I would love to make you 00:32:00.476 --> 00:32:02.656 a steak. Okay. Okay. All right, let's do it. It's a date. 00:32:03.116 --> 00:32:06.276 No, I mean tonight. Okay. Okay. We'll make you a steak when we're done. 00:32:06.476 --> 00:32:09.976 All right. Sorry, we're not done. I interrupted you because you brought food up. Sorry. 00:32:10.136 --> 00:32:14.136 Where was your train of thought going? Oh, no, I was just going to kind of wrap 00:32:14.136 --> 00:32:18.836 it up by just saying, if you're a listener, what Christian ethical things maybe 00:32:18.836 --> 00:32:21.316 do you wrestle with or where do you get your ethics from? 00:32:22.576 --> 00:32:27.176 There's a whole bunch of – every word of the scriptures is useful for training 00:32:27.176 --> 00:32:31.436 and righteousness, for correction and rebuke and for teaching. 00:32:31.436 --> 00:32:34.836 And, you know, so there's, there's all sorts of ethical things in there. 00:32:34.996 --> 00:32:39.196 If we just pick up on them and really start to dig into, um, 00:32:39.456 --> 00:32:42.376 I know one thing, one thing I was going to say when you were, 00:32:42.456 --> 00:32:45.696 when you were talking about Christian ethics and people, 00:32:46.176 --> 00:32:53.696 one thing I think that's huge, I know has been for me is recognizing what my 00:32:53.696 --> 00:32:57.396 weaknesses are as far as that goes. 00:32:57.396 --> 00:33:01.776 Because once you know what your weaknesses are, as far as, I mean, 00:33:01.996 --> 00:33:09.796 specifically morally and ethically, then you can work towards combating them 00:33:09.796 --> 00:33:11.756 better, I guess is the right word. Absolutely. 00:33:12.036 --> 00:33:14.216 Yeah. So there's a lot of people that I think really... 00:33:15.427 --> 00:33:20.487 They try to hide their weakness or the things that cause them to sin. 00:33:20.647 --> 00:33:22.407 They try to hide those because they feel guilty. 00:33:23.807 --> 00:33:29.887 But once you know what it is and you open up about it, it's easier to deal with 00:33:29.887 --> 00:33:33.327 than just trying to keep it hidden because you feel bad about it. Yeah. 00:33:33.787 --> 00:33:37.887 Well, there's also something to be said about proactively knowing those things 00:33:37.887 --> 00:33:41.747 and then avoiding the things that trigger those actions. Yep. Right? Right. 00:33:42.307 --> 00:33:47.787 So, yeah. So we would love to hear from you how the scriptures impact your ethics 00:33:47.787 --> 00:33:53.127 and morals every day and how you as a believer struggle or the victories that 00:33:53.127 --> 00:33:53.987 you have in these things. 00:33:54.247 --> 00:33:58.047 It's been a good episode tonight, Jeremy. It has been. I want to end it with 00:33:58.047 --> 00:34:00.707 one little test for somebody to see if they're listening. Okay. 00:34:00.947 --> 00:34:06.887 We're thinking about changing the name of the podcast to Ramblings on 11. Yeah. 00:34:07.187 --> 00:34:10.027 Yeah. Ramblings on 11. Yeah. So I just want to see if 00:34:10.027 --> 00:34:12.787 if if anyone happens to to 00:34:12.787 --> 00:34:15.547 hear that you know let us know let us know let 00:34:15.547 --> 00:34:18.367 us know let us know you're listening yeah that'd be great and and also 00:34:18.367 --> 00:34:21.127 we we are working on getting a couple that we're going to try our 00:34:21.127 --> 00:34:24.567 first guests oh yes we wanted 00:34:24.567 --> 00:34:27.947 to get a few episodes under our belt before we started getting folks and make 00:34:27.947 --> 00:34:31.627 sure we had our feet under us and all those things but i think i think maybe 00:34:31.627 --> 00:34:35.307 next week we might have a guest in to talk so it'll be good we'll have more 00:34:35.307 --> 00:34:38.407 information on that coming i hope you guys have a good week jeremy have a good 00:34:38.407 --> 00:34:41.447 week As always, it's been fun. Always. See you later. 00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:51.920 Music. 00:34:51.247 --> 00:34:55.007 And that's a wrap for this week's Life on 11 podcast. As always, 00:34:55.207 --> 00:34:59.207 we hope that you will subscribe to this podcast wherever you get your feeds from. 00:34:59.387 --> 00:35:03.747 You can follow us on our social media channels by searching at Life on 11 podcast. 00:35:03.747 --> 00:35:08.727 And one of the best ways you can support what we do is to share this episode with your friends. 00:35:08.867 --> 00:35:12.407 We hope you will join us next time on the Life on 11 podcast where faith is 00:35:12.407 --> 00:35:14.047 loud and God's truth is louder. 00:35:14.267 --> 00:35:17.527 If this episode stirred your spirit, share it with someone who needs a little hope today. 00:35:17.887 --> 00:35:21.627 Stay bold, stay rooted and remember, we're called to not do the kingdom halfway. 00:35:22.107 --> 00:35:24.547 Keep living loud for Jesus. We'll see you next time.