Intrinsic and Instrumental Goods

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
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I recently had the opportunity to hear Professor Robert George of Princeton University give an address entitled, "Natural Law, Human Rights and God". One of the things he asserted was that any serious discussion of natural law needed to be predicated on an acceptance of certain intrinsic goods. Things like friendship or free will are certainly instrumental to achieve something, but they are also good in and of themselves. Without finding intrinsic goodness in an array of things, one has a very difficult time asserting natural law exists. In the passage above Paul describes our bodies as being instrumental either for death or life. I think he would probably agree that the human being, as a creation of God, has a certain intrinsic goodness in it - in the sense that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" but that we are also instrumental for something, either good or evil. It seems that our free will allows us to become more or less intrinsically good by choosing to be instrumental to the Great Intrinsic Good. In as much as we are instrumental to righteousness, we are filled with the goodness of God and sanctified.

A Deeper Healing

Acts 28:24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 27 For this people's heart has grown dull,and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
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I know I've written about it before, but in this passage I am struck again by the reality of our condition. We are blind, deaf and lame. Our spiritual infirmaties are much more serious and permanant than physical maladies. So when Jesus forgave sins, he was healing on a much deeper level. The physical healing was a natural follow on step, showing God's sensitivity to the immediate as well as the eternal condition of mankind. But some people, including myself much of the time, are resistant to that kind of love. We are slow to listen to God, slow to see him and powerless to obey - or so it seems sometimes. Paul is so hopeful for the Gentiles though. I find him to be incredibly generous, as a Jewish leader, to dedicate his life for the spreading of the good news to the gentiles. Without that love and obedience, I would not have the explicit, written words of Paul inviting me into God's kingdom.

Justice, Light & Heat

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
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Isaiah 30:26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
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Isaiah 30:33 For a burning place [7] has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
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It seems that the justice of God, like a furnace, has different effects on differing materials. Whatever parts have been submitted to Him and redeemed, are turned to Gold and made part of an eternal reward. Whatever parts are horded away, whether physical resources or natural abilities, will be lost if not invested/redeemed. The same holy heat that purifies and sanctifies our lives is the heat that judges us for misusing and selfishly squandering our means. Where, under this light is there a place to hide? There is only one place to hide from you, and it is in you. The only protection from the heat of your justice is the shelter of your grace.