Friday, April 21, 2017

Does God judge human actions toward animals?

Update: I would like to question the yellow-highlighted text, because it comes with the authority of the Letter to the Hebrews rather than a teaching of the Lord Jesus. For more on this, please see my Translator's Preface to The Christ Family Bible.

_______________________


When God told Peter to "kill and eat" (Acts 10:9-11:18), He was talking about relaxing the Israelite food restrictions and, by extension, Israelite restrictions about fellowship with non-Israelites (Gentiles). God did not thereby provide a licence to treat animals unjustly. Elsewhere in the Holy Bible, diets from vegetable sources rather than animal sources are highly praised (Genesis 1:29-31; Daniel 1:5-16).

God has created all animals, and given them their capacities to feel pain, fear, sadness, gladness, and so on. When one disrespects these qualities that God has granted to Nature, a whole set of injustices are committed: against God who owns the creation, and whose glory, including God's qualities of order, love, and justice, is reflected in creation; against people directly affected and humanity in general; against animals and other living creatures like insects. 


In my own experience, I have seen evidence of God's returning to me how I have treated God's creation. 


For example, when I have purchased non-organic foods (which often involve inflicting suffering on animals and people, through harmful chemicals), I experienced an absence of blessings coming to me. When I realized my injustice, and began buying organic foods, my income suddenly jumped much higher (one of the obvious blessings).


God judges all people justly and gives no license for voluntary sin.


"For the one eating and drinking wrongfully, eats and drinks judgement on himself, not discerning the body. Because of this, among you are many weak and sickly and a considerable number sleep. Now, if were judging ourselves, we would not judge! Being judged, however, by the Lord, we are chastized, so that we not be condemned with the world." (1 Cor. 11:31-32, CFB)

"Indeed, when we are sinning voluntarily after the receiving of the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains, but instead some fearful expectation of judgement, and a jealousy of fire that is going to eat the oppositions." (Hebrews 10:26-27, CFB)

"And if Father you call upon
the One impartially judging according to the work of each, in fear the time of your pilgrimage conduct, knowing that not by destructible things, by silver or by gold, were you redeemed from your vain conduct of ancestral tradition, but by honourable blood, as of a lamb unblemished and unstained, of Christ, certainly promised before the foundation of the Cosmos, then revealed at the times’ end because of you, the ones faithful through Him to God, the One having raised Him from dead ones and having given Him glory, so that your faith and your hope be in God." (1 Peter 1:17-21, CFB) 



__________
CFB: Scripture quoted from the Christ Family Bible. Copyright © 2017 by J.J. Thomas. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

No comments:

Post a Comment