by jimwalton » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:25 am
That's a judgment call that each individual has to make, as to how much they will risk their own health, well-being, and even survival to help another. There's no rule book on that one. To risk limb and life for the needs of another is noble, courageous, and a true act of selflessness. By the same token, we feel responsibility to our family and friends, to also protect them. So it's a judgment call that each person must make, too often in the split second of time, making it often more visceral and automatic rather than thought-out and logical. We act on the basis of who were are, how our values govern us, our sense of danger, our willingness to risk, etc. But you know all that. As to what the Bible says, it doesn't give us a clear path. In different situations, different responses might be called for, and different individuals are going to choose different options. It doesn't mean one is right and the other wrong, or that one is better and the other worse, but that each must follow their own judgments and act according to their convictions and priorities. I don't feel as if I've told you anything new or that you didn't already know. The Bible doesn't give a set answer to your question.
That's a judgment call that each individual has to make, as to how much they will risk their own health, well-being, and even survival to help another. There's no rule book on that one. To risk limb and life for the needs of another is noble, courageous, and a true act of selflessness. By the same token, we feel responsibility to our family and friends, to also protect them. So it's a judgment call that each person must make, too often in the split second of time, making it often more visceral and automatic rather than thought-out and logical. We act on the basis of who were are, how our values govern us, our sense of danger, our willingness to risk, etc. But you know all that. As to what the Bible says, it doesn't give us a clear path. In different situations, different responses might be called for, and different individuals are going to choose different options. It doesn't mean one is right and the other wrong, or that one is better and the other worse, but that each must follow their own judgments and act according to their convictions and priorities. I don't feel as if I've told you anything new or that you didn't already know. The Bible doesn't give a set answer to your question.