[Darris McNeely] Politics in the state of Virginia are kind of in a free fall right now with the top three political figures, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general and the governor, exposed for indiscretions going back several years, both sexually and racially, and calls now for their resignation, and it's created quite a mess. These are not the first politicians to get in trouble like this, nor will they be the last politicians to get in trouble like this.

[Steve Myers] Yeah, it's definitely something that's not relegated to one political party or the other. I think it speaks to human nature and the challenges that we all face as we face life and we grow up and we make choices in our life.

[Darris] The governor's comments first drew our attention here on Beyond Today when he described with graphic detail recently what an abortion would take place or basically infanticide after a fully born baby would be laid on the table and then a conversation between parents to decide its fate would take place. That erupted all over the news. We covered that on Beyond Today, and then other things have come out now in his life, the governor's case, and the other two gentlemen. Again, just horrendous examples that call to mind certain scriptural principles, I think. We are in an age right now where whatever one did at some point in their past life, especially in their youth, can be called up and the person can be held accountable for it.

[Steve] That's become more and more prevalent. You can hardly run for a political office these days if your past has anything that would hold you back because, and I think for one reason is that we're not talking about forgiveness, we're not talking about repentance in these things and people can't get by these things. So, when you look at the political scene, if there's things in the past that are going to come out, it's going to cause a problem for you. So how do you become responsible for those things, how do go beyond those things? Because we all have problems and issues in our life.

[Darris] I think the lesson is there for us all to learn that any time in your life, whether you're a young person or an older adult, our daily life and the actions we take, they have consequences. Sometimes we can do stupid things we shouldn't. Sometimes they will then maybe we think be in the past, but there are principles from the Bible that show that the folly and the sins of our lives sometimes do come back. There's a scripture in Ecclesiastes 10:1 I think that applies to this. It says, "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment and cause it to give off a foul odor, so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor." In the case of all three of these men, they've been elected to high office in the state of Virginia holding places of honor for their supposed wisdom and, yet, their folly from their past lives have now caught up with them.

[Steve] When you recognize that fact, then how do you get beyond this? How do you go beyond? What can they say to make it all right? They've behaved in manners that don't bring honor to the office that they hold. And, yet, what do they do now? How do we react to those kinds of things?

[Darris] So, what do you think the big lesson, big takeaway is for us?

[Steve] I think one of the things is you can't represent yourself to be something that you're not. Oftentimes, it seems there's this, and it goes throughout the political scene, that we present ourselves as far above these kinds of incidents when, in fact, we've done them ourselves. We've done maybe different versions of these things. And so, oftentimes, Christ pointed these things out where he would talk to the religious leaders of the day. He called them hypocrites because they would condemn people for doing similar types of things and raise themself up as being righteous and perfect and wonderful, and yet, they did the same things and they didn't take account of themselves.

[Darris] Scripture does say your sins will find you out. God is not mocked.

[Steve] That's right.

[Darris] And I think we have to all take a step back and regardless of the politics, regardless of the issues, remember what Scripture says and make sure that our morality, our ethics and our lives are anchored in the solid word of Scripture, the Bible, and the belief in God. That's BT Daily, join us next time.