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The Word's Eye View is a newspaper column written by
Trespasses, Debts or Sins! There appears to be a growing cadre of the American public that is awakening from a long slumber induced by a pharmaceutical wonder drug called government. This sleeping giant has been intravenously fed at the trough of excess spending so long that of necessity the bloated body is beginning to feel side effects that would parallel the aggregate of all the television advertised drugs. As the patient stares down the gun barrel of a nine to ten trillion dollar debt over the next ten years, the anatomy is experiencing spasms of buyers’ remorse that continue to increase in volatility. Educator and columnist Martin Gross has just released a new book detailing some 1000 duplicate programs that waste billions. America, he writes, spends $700 billion a year on various welfare programs, amounting to $65,000 for each poor family of four, and yet amazingly, in the words of Jesus, “For the poor always ye have with you…” (John 12:8) Gross documents that the Bush administration’s signature education issue, “No Child Left Behind,” has left behind a lot of misspent money--$24 billion per year. Before our Democrat friends jump on the euphoria wagon, remember…Teddy signed on to this one. The book outlines $150 billion a year in Medicare and Medicade waste dealing with doctor and hospital fraud; $45 billion a year is wasted on “improper” payments and even more on “unnecessary agencies.” Big government resembles the physician who issues a new prescription for every complaint but never investigates how many layers of drugs may be in competition with each other. This often results in a toxic cocktail that simply hastens the death of the victim. Washington continues to heap on the medicine without any appetite to research what may be a narcotic, a remedy or a panacea. This negligent approach is lethal even if the pale horse is slower than anticipated. Bible language often reveals a complex circumstance in simple terms. Such is the case in the well known Lord’s Prayer. Matthew records, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” The verse immediately following the prayer reads, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Luke’s rendition says, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us.” Debts, sins and trespasses all possess their own nuances but in the larger picture, they are used interchangeably. To be in debt to someone when the lender is an unwilling participant is a sin. The borrower is trespassing upon the property of the owner who has not given permission to be violated. The American people presently find themselves in exactly that condition which can be compared to a western rancher whose fences have been cut, livestock has been shot, and bullet riddled water tanks are left behind. The elitists have trashed the landscape with their souped up four wheelers, thrown beer cans out the windows, while declaring their rights to trespass because they were “elected.” When confronted with these violations an attitude of superiority puffs them up like a spring time croaking toad. The peasants are not deemed worthy of an opinion and are swiftly dismissed to return to the damage and wait for a group of environmental bureaucrats to assert that their protests are un-American. It has been wisely stated “before borrowing money from a friend, you’d better decide which you need more.” Many in Congress have concluded that taxation is more critical than the friendship of the voters. If there is any common sense left in the country, 2010 will reveal a grave miscalculation on the part of the aristocracy. The first eight verses of Romans 13 are a commentary on a Christian’s relationship to government. Paul’s summary is, “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” The Scriptures do not object to honest taxation for necessary rendered services, but the conclusion,“owe no man any thing,” cuts both ways. It in incumbent upon Uncle Sam to abide by the same balanced budget honesty as the taxpayer. To do less is to show disdain, not love, toward the citizenry. The Bible reveals a variety of building and expansion programs from the tabernacle in the wilderness to the construction of Solomon’s Temple. In all cases the materials were assembled and paid for in advance. If Noah borrowed to build the Ark, he was evidently relieved of that obligation by a rain storm. Perhaps our leaders are counting on a similar occurrence. God will not compromise his own principles; should we presume, even momentarily, that He knows something we do not? God will not be in debt to any individual, but humanity often accuses Him of constructing us with a will to trespass which conveniently points an accusing finger of responsibility back to the Maker. What is frequently overlooked is that God Himself paid our debt at Calvary. I have a mortgage that is stamped “Paid For” in red; all I had to do was receive it as a gift that I could not earn!
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