Done Your Duty?

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in Webster's Dictionary of the English Language, First Edition, 1828

DUTY, n. [from due, Fr. du.] - That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, 1992

DUTY, n. - An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion.

A lot of things transpired during the 164 years between the printing of these definitions.  Not all changes have been for the better.  The Webster definition hails from a biblical worldview, while the American Heritage definition is left ambiguous and theoretical.  No doubt many today would bristle at the suggestion that God does exist, created man, and therefore man owes God.

Time does not change truth.  IF God does exist and created all things, man does owe Him.  IF the Bible is truly God-breathed, man has a responsibility to heed and obey it.  IF God has revealed His perfect Law through scripture, then man's duty is to keep it.  IF we have broken a single law of God, the Bible says the wages of sin is death.  IF Jesus Christ came to the world, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose again to prove His victory over sin and death, we have a duty to give Christ the reward of His suffering through repentance and trust in Him.  The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.  If God has given a gift, it is our duty to receive.

John 3:14-16 reads, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  It is man's duty to trust in Christ and fully live to please Him.  We fulfill this duty best when we do it for God's sake, not for our own.  We are the benefactors of God's love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and grace.  Gratitude and love for God compel us to see this duty done!