The Moral Turpitude Clause

I’ve got some more exciting news—I just signed my contract for a second book with P&R. Theological Fitness is going to be awesome. It is a book about perseverance, about how our aptitude in the Word of God is key in the exhortations to run the race for the prize. The book is based on a verse that has opened up my understanding of Christian perseverance. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews is a sermon-letter encouraging the intended first audience of Jewish believers to persevere in the Christian faith and not turn back to their old covenant sacrificial system and ceremonies. It is also, of course, an exhortation for us all. Even those of us who live the most ordinary, Christian life (whatever that is!) need encouragement to persevere. Every Christian will persevere, but perseverance takes fight (you may have heard me say that once or twice). The preacher to the Hebrews encourages us to fight by holding fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. Holding fast to anything requires fitness. It requires qualification or aptitude. But what kind of fitness is it that we will need to hold fast to our confession of hope? It is a theological fitness. We cannot hold fast to a confession of hope that we know little about. Theological fitness then refers to our aptitude in God’s Word. It just so happens that I was raised in a family that has taught me a thing or two about fitness, and even fighting. My dad is kind of like the good-looking, American version of Mr. Miyagi, and my mom could clean my clock in fitness even when I was in my athletic prime. So obviously I’m excited about this book. I have a lot of analogies to pull from. But as I was combing through my contract, like a responsible author should do, I paused at an unlikely section. There’s much research available for contract negotiation involving royalties, copyright, subsidiary rights, and noncompetition clauses. But nothing prepares you for the moral turpitude clause. And yet there it is. Makes total sense. If I do anything stupid, there goes my contract. But I have to sign my name to it, knowing I am a sinner saved by grace. The words from Mt. Sinai come to mind, “All this we will do…” But I can’t. It reminds me of my fear of heights. They say that one has a fear of heights because they actually have a compulsion to jump. I agree. There is something that is beckoning me to go down. I believe they call it gravity. The moral turpitude clause it one of gravity. And I know I am a sinner. Sure, I know what it means. It’s not asking me to be perfect. My speeding ticket, for which I will be appearing before traffic court next week, will probably not disqualify me. But certain acts will. As an author of a Christian book there are expectations, as there should be. After all, I am writing about perseverance in the Christian life. I kind of need to show it. It takes theological fitness indeed. While in this world we need things like contracts and moral turpitude clauses. But I am so thankful that my holy God has made a covenant with his people, a covenant of grace. I will persevere in the Christian life because my Savior has perfectly fulfilled all righteousness on my behalf and endured the full cost of my sin on the cross, praise God! He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding on my behalf. He has run the race before me, and he has promised to preserve me to the end. And he who promised is faithful.