Archive for the 'Principle of the Rope' Category

Inheriting the Joplin Tornado

Published on July 14, 2011 in Parenting and Principle of the Rope. 3 Comments

Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. Proverbs 11:29.

My mind still can’t quite grasp the devastation of the Joplin Tornado. The destructive force is mind numbing. I’m sure it’s worse in person.

Even though some weeks have now passed since the Joplin Tornado, I was reminded of it today when I read Proverbs 11:29, “Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind. . .” The Proverb brings to mind the picture of a home destroyed by the wind. The point is that those who rebel bring about, one way or another, the sort of mind numbing destruction of a tornado that flattens homes.

If your home has been “flattened” by the rebellion of a family member, do be encouraged by the next verse Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life . . .” While the rebellious are a destructive force, godly people offer nourishment to those who pass by. Be godly. For your family, God can use you in great ways.

See also Nothing Hurts More than Rebellious Children and How Should Parents Unpack Forgiveness with Rebellious Children.

 

Individualism does not agree with the Gospel

Published on September 6, 2010 in Principle of the Rope. 0 Comments

If what you do is your own business, then what Christ did on the Cross is His own business.

See also, The Principle of the Rope and Individualism is Fundamentally Misleading

The Principle of the Rope

Published on July 20, 2008 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Principle of the Rope. 2 Comments

One of the things we talk about at our church is something called the principle of the rope.  The principle of the rope is that there exists an invisible link, a figurative rope if you will, between people.  Whether you realize it or not, you are strongly linked to others.  We represent others in the decisions that we make.  Our choices impact others.  We are not islands unto ourselves.

The principle of the rope can work in either a positive way or a negative way.  On the negative side, people occasionally come to a point in life where they think about jumping off a moral cliff.  They are sick and tired of doing the right thing.  So, they decide, “Hey, it is my business.  I am going to think about myself, and do whatever I want.”  They forget that there are living links between themselves and others.  And, that when they plunge into a bad decision, they pull their family and friends and others over the cliff with them.  Bad choices cause pain and suffering, not only for the one making the choice, but to people they pull down with them.

The ultimate principle of the rope is summarized in Romans 5:18-19.  The Bible tells us that when one man, Adam, chose to sin, there was an invisible link between him and all of humanity.  Adam represented us all so that now all are born into sin.

But, the Bible also tells us that just as through the disobedience the one man the many were made sinners, so also through one act of obedience, the many were made righteous.  If we believe in Jesus there is between us and Him an eternal link so that we are justified or declared righteous in Him.

I am pastor Chris Brauns from the Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley.  You are not an isolated individual.  The decisions that you make represent and affect other people.  I commend to all of you the Lord Jesus Christ.  Believe in Him so that there is a rescue line between you and the Savior.

Contra Individualism, No Man is an Island

Published on July 15, 2008 in Principle of the Rope. 0 Comments

Individualistic Americans, including many Evangelicals, would do well to reflect on this illustration.

Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai taught: There is a story about men who were sitting on a ship, one of them lifted up a borer and began boring a hole beneath his seat. His companions said to him: ‘What are you sitting and doing?’ He replied to them: ‘What concern is it of yours, I am drilling under my seat?’ They said to him: ‘But the water will come up and flood the ship for all of us.’

~Lev. R. 4.6.[1]

[1] Quoted in Joel S. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible, ed. David J.A. Clines and Philip R. Davies, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, vol. 196 (Sheffield, U.K.: Sheffield Press, 1995).

The Principle of the Rope in the Negative (Achan’s Sin)

Published on May 24, 2008 in Principle of the Rope. 1 Comment

Scot McKnight (The Jesus Creed) has an interesting thread going on Achan’s sin (Joshua 7).  A mother asked Scot how she should respond to her eleven year old daughter who asked her mother, “How can it be fair that Achan’s family died because of his sin?”

24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.  25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.  (Joshua 7:24-25, ESV).

You can read the Jesus Creed blog here.  Pay special attention to comment #43.  I didn’t read it until late in the game!

The bottom line is, we are not the isolated individuals that Western Culture teaches we are.  While, each of us does bear individual responsibility (Ezekiel 18), if we choose to jump off a moral cliff, then we pull others over the side with us.  I call this, “The Principle of the Rope.”

In his book, Corporate Responsibility and the Hebrew Bible, Joel S. Kaminsky relates this story:

Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai taught: There is a story about men who were sitting on a ship, one of them lifted up a borer and began boring a hole beneath his seat.  His companions said to him: ‘What are you sitting and doing?’  He replied to them: ‘What concern is it of yours, I am drilling under my seat?’  They said to him: ‘But the water will come up and flood the ship for all of us.’  Lev. R. 4.6.

Achan drilled a giant hole in the bottom of his bottom.  And, his family was all on board with him.

But, remember, the Principle of the Rope works in the positive direction as well as the negative — and the positive sense is far stronger than the negative (Romans 5:18-19). . . For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man, the many were made righteous . . .