Looking for Mr. Loophole

I was indignant as I read through an article about a lawyer dubbed “Mr. Loophole.” The British attorney lends fond endorsement to his alias, citing his extraordinary talent for finding the legal technicality to help his clients avoid the consequences of their bad choices as the reason for his own fame.

Some notable moments for Nick Freeman include:

Defending Sir Alex Ferguson who was caught driving on the hard shoulder. Ferguson’s ‘out’ was that he felt nauseous and was merely looking for a restroom.

One business man was acquitted after crashing his car. The man sustained injuries from his accident and was rushed to the hospital. Alcohol was believed to be the cause of the man’s crash, so a blood sample was drawn. Later, the case was dismissed because the medical professional that withdrew the blood was also assisting to the man’s health concerns. The law required that blood testing for a drunk driving suspect be done by a medical practitioner not associated with the drivers care.

In another case a police officer was accused of drunk driving and the lawyer used the improper arresting procedures by the officer’s colleagues, as the means of avoidance.

As to the ethics of what he does, Freeman said, “Morally I can’t justify it, but ethically I can.” Since ethics are based on moral principles, I find this lawyer’s statement a complete contradiction.

Ah – ha! There’s my issue, it’s the contradiction. My annoyance with Mr. Loophole had more to do with the parallel of his story and the dichotomy that has taken place in the past in my own faith journey.

Mr Loophole specializes in motor vehicle infractions. For way too many years my own specialty was finding the loopholes in the Bible. How ‘bout you? Caught up in a world view, I think many of us have devalued at best, and at worst negated, Jesus’ teachings altogether.

Here are some of the trendy inconsistencies between what we think and what the Bible really says.

1) We think, “I want a home that will be a blessing to others. My home, including the granite countertops, the cork floors, the finest appliances, and the beautiful new furniture is a sign of God’s favor over me. Besides, it isn’t a sin to have nice things.”

The truth is, “if you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.”

2) We think, “It is okay for me to tell this story so that others know how to pray for her. Besides, I need to warn others about what she is doing, so they don’t get involved.”

The Truth is, “Gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” Proverbs 20:19.

3) We think, “I am entitled to my feelings and I’ll forgive when she (or he) proves she is truly sorry for what she did to me. Besides, she needs to know what she did was wrong.”

The Truth is, “Bear with one another, and forgive one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.” Colossians 3:13.

4) We think, “It’s okay for me to continue to drink and party. I’m only doing it so that others will see that it’s cool to be a Christian. Jesus doesn’t care as much about what I do, as long as I have a relationship with Him. Besides, Jesus drank wine didn’t he”?

The Truth is, “do not get drunk with wine, for that is the dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

5) We think, “I deserve to be happy. I don’t think Jesus would want me to stay in an unfulfilled marriage. Besides, it isn’t good for our children to be constantly exposed to our fighting.”

The truth is….Jesus was confronted by some of the Pharisees on the legality of divorce. The Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus by bringing up Old Testament law. They thought they had him once on the issue of divorce, but here is what Jesus said: “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Matthew 19:7&8.

There are other areas where we try to find loopholes. What about “little” white lies, open or same sex marriages, not paying back what you have borrowed from others, or working for cash to avoid the tax man? These are all behavior based. Jesus never missed an opportunity to look beyond a persons’ behavior. He always went straight for the “heart” of the matter.

God wrote one book explaining how our lives would work out best if we chose to follow his loving instructions. There were no built-in loopholes for his plan. Paul said, “If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.” Trust me friend, the prize that Paul spoke of wasn’t a gold medal or a trophy.

Are you looking for the “out?” Jesus, going straight for your heart, would ask, “What is the lie you believe about Me preventing you from trusting ME?

Do you believe Jesus can satisfy all of your needs – or – do you think you still need more of the world? Do you believe God knows what will work best for you – or – do you think He is only trying to coerce you into abiding by a bunch of rules? Chances are, if you are looking for a loophole, you are believing some lie about your sin and/or you have a distorted view of who Jesus is.

Instead of looking for the technicality, try looking for an area of your life that you are not yet willing to trust God with. Then ask God to show you how you can begin trusting Him in that new way.

Aleichem Shalom

~dl