The Brothers Karamazov
I recently read the book The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is an impressive literary work that touches on religion, law, psychology, and philosophy. The author sets forth three brothers. One is a Russian-Orthodox Christian, another is an atheist, and the third is an egotist.
The atheist believes that “all things are lawful,” since God does not exist, including things like murder. The Christian holds that “every man is a debtor to all” meaning that we must take other people into consideration. The third brother is caught between the two. Dostoyevsky takes both beliefs from the apostle Paul. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Is Paul saying that a Christian may behave however he wants? No. This expression is about living lawfully. For example, eating food is good if one is not a glutton. The Christians has everything in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21-22).
The second expression, “every man is a debtor to all,” comes from Romans 1:14, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.” In this context, Paul is speaking specifically about preaching the gospel, but there is a broader application. To be a Christian is to live for others because that’s how Christ lived His life. We owe everyone a Christ-like life because Christ gave His life for us. Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
At the end of the book, the egotist goes to prison for murder, the atheist drives himself insane, and the Christian lovingly consoles a family that has lost a child. Which life would you choose?