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Instruments are things that are usable to achieve something. That something may be good or evil. Because an instrument may be used for an evil purpose that does not mean that we should automatically reject the instrument. |
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The first instruments that come to mind are our members - our hands, feet, mouth etc. Paul has something to say about them. In Romans 6:13 he says: “Neither yield your members instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God as alive from among [the] dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God”. It is clear that without our members we would not be able to do anything for God or anyone else. We could neither preach nor teach. There may be a time when we should get rid of one of our members if it is a snare to us (Matthew 5:29/30). However that is abnormal. As a Christian we should have control over our members so that they are used for a useful purpose as we have indicated in the quotation from Paul above. God takes account of our members (Psalm 139:16; 1 Corinthians 12:18). |
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However, it is not only the members of our bodies that we need to consider, but other things that we use. There are many things that can be used for a variety of purposes, some good, some evil, and some we may say morally neutral. A knife may be used for killing someone, that is, to commit a murder, but it may be used in the hands of a surgeon to save someone’s life. It may also be used for cutting up food and other legitimate purposes. Evil persons and mad persons may need to be deprived of knives for their own sakes and the sake of others. It is interesting that Isaiah says: “ They shall forge their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-knives” (Isaiah 2:4). Weapons of war are thus to be adapted for a peaceful use. However, Joel says the opposite: “Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-knives into spears” (Joel 3:10). It is a question of what is needful at the time. |
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Today there are many devices that man has made (perhaps what is meant in Ecclesiastes 7:29 [AV inventions; JND devices]) which are usable: cars, planes and so on. When these things first came out a good |