One of the things we keep running into in our witness for Scripture is western utilitarian assumptions. This is whence we get the idea of “making the world a better place”. That, plus the subconscious western assumption that this world is all we have, leads to an instinctive orientation on this life instead of Eternity.
It simply is not possible to make this fallen world a better place. This world is not what God made us for, and we don’t belong here. It is slated for destruction in due time. The only way we can do anything here that matters is to glorify the Eternal Lord.
Serving His will requires an eternal orientation. We aren’t interested in making this world a better place; we want to boost His reputation while we are here. We are taking sides with God against the Darkness. I don’t bless the people around me because of their needs. My actions are aimed at making me a better witness. That is the biblical moral goal.
The issue is not the people who receive compassion, and most certainly not whether they warrant it, but the necessity of giving. I must give for His name’s sake; that’s in my own best interest. I’ll give what He has given me. If it’s not what they are willing to take, then I can do nothing for them. They are not the reason I give.
This is the theology of the Unseen Realm. Humans are the objects, not the subject. The drama of the dispute between God and His staff is the real story. We need to work out the philosophical implications of that truth, to reclaim the intellectual assumptions of biblical living. I exist only to glorify our Creator; everything else is just a matter of getting there.
