May 11
Causa et Efectus
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ––Matthew 7:1-2
Cause and effect in science is the underlying principle that every event (effect) is driven by an underlying action or process (cause). In daily life, it means that if we consistently travel 20 mph over the speed limit, we will eventually get a ticket. Or if we eat hotdogs and hamburgers every day for 30 years, we will most likely develop cardiovascular disease. These are no-brainers for us, right? I mean, even if we do things we know are not good for us and do them anyway, we know that the “events” will eventually lead to a not-so-good effect.
When we come to Jesus, some of us develop selective memories about the principle of causa et efectus. Because we are now under the law of grace (through redemption in Jesus) rather than the law of works (atonement through blood sacrifice), we can be at danger of magical thinking. Here’s what I mean, man of God: Be careful not to abuse the grace you’ve been given by ignoring the rule of causa et efectus. For example, if you have a pornography habit that you think is harmless (e.g., “no one is getting hurt,” or, “it’s not really adultery,” “God forgives me”), the effect is real. In this case, it drives a wedge between you and the Lord, and it effects not only your thought life, but the lives of your spouse and loved ones.
Another example of this is when we judge other’s sin. (Admit it … we all do it.) We wrongly think that spiritual cause and effect are in line, when they are not. In other words, a friend gets caught in a sin (cause) and the effect is our judgment of them. Seems natural, right? Not according to Jesus: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).
From a spiritual standpoint, we follow the rule of sublata causa tollitur efectus: When the cause is removed, the effect is removed. So, we don’t judge others (this is different than confronting someone in love—topic for another reading), and we don’t buy into false causa et efectus thinking that believes we get a “mulligan” when we sin, simply because we follow Jesus. Does God condemn us? No. But the law of cause and effect is very real in this world. Cheat on your wife, and yes, God will forgive you. But it may mean the end of your marriage.
Paul sums up this danger quite well: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). The cause—accepting God’s grace through His Son and dying to our old flesh—should match the effect, which is to pursue holiness through dependence upon the Holy Spirit. That is the most beautiful kind of causa et efectus!
Father, help me not to cheapen the grace You’ve extended to me by taking sin lightly. It has real, intense consequences. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would guide me today to make wise choices and speak Your truths in love.