No Free Lunch: Economics for a Fallen World: Third Edition, Revised

Chapter Ten: It’s all About the Institutions! 228 Similarly, 2 Corinthians 6:2 says that “now” is the acceptable time of salvation. A common feature of these verses is that they illustrate our choices necessarily fall in the present. Our only decision-making is today, at this moment, right now. We can think about the past, and clearly we learn from it. And we have expectations as to what will happen in the future. But our decision is for right now. We often have big plans for what we’re going to do—perhaps how we are going to serve God. But are we worshiping Him in our hearts with our efforts and attitudes right now? If not, we’re never going to. Now is the acceptable time. Similarly, we are encouraged to forget about the past by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3 as he talks about the resurrection from the dead: 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul is telling us to forget about the past in the sense of not dwelling on it—and that likely refers to both our successes and our failures. However, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn from it. Although Paul is talking in the context of spiritual growth, the same principle can apply to any mental evaluation of the past. Proverbs gives us many lessons on how we should observe results in others and ourselves and understand how those lessons apply for future action (see Proverbs 4:10-19) . The Proverbs are full of encouragement that, in general, diligence leads to rewards, and they are also full of warnings that slothfulness leads to destruction. But from a biblical perspective, the past helps us better understand ethical cause and effect in order to guide our future actions (Romans 15:4 ). In this sense, looking at the past helps shape our expectations as to what will happen in the future. We know that when we are obedient to God we will be blessed (Luke 11:28; although not necessarily materially—a health and wealth gospel is a false gospel), and when we are disobedient we will be disciplined (Hebrews 12:6-7) . Let’s tie this back to what was said in the introduction of this book. Some might suggest that there is no tight linkage between scriptural, ethical cause and effect as outlined above and economic concerns. They might suggest these are two entirely distinct domains; one is the spiritual domain and the other a worldly domain. Yet we see not only Old Testament linkages between obedience and blessings, but similar applications in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9 , “this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v. 6). The context of this passage has Paul encouraging the Corinthians to be obedient to complete the gift they had previously planned (v.5). Paul tells them that when they do this— From a biblical perspective, the past helps us better understand ethical cause and effect in order to guide our future actions