When you play a game of pick-up basketball, or playground hoops, as we say here - you call your own fouls.
Its basically an honor system.
If the player shooting the basketball is fouled (illegally blocked or grabbed on the body or arms), that player can say, "you fouled me," and either get the ball back again, or shoot a free throw. And its bad form for the defensive player to deny it or argue. The offense gets to "call your own foul," and it balances out when the other team gets the ball and they then call their own fouls.
You play this style when there are no referees to be had - hence with playground ball. Its usually for a casual game, or your league is simply saving the cost and hassle of referees.
Its surprising how well it works.
Overall, when you're in a one-on-one situation and the other player slaps your wrist as you shoot, you both know it. They don't disagree when you call the foul, because they know its true, and so do you.
It's different in a formal game with official referee's. Now the crowd is watching. You are cheering for your team to win and you don't want the referee "hurting" your team by calling fouls.
And, if the referee seems to be harsher with the other team, and even calls a mistaken foul, that's ok with you. Because you want your team to win.
It's hard to deny your sins one-on-one with God.
You lied about oversleeping for church. Foul.
You secretly enjoyed seeing a politician fall from grace after an embarrassing extra-marital affair. Foul.
We know when we've sinned. And its an easy thing to read through the New Testament to learn what God considers to be the rulebook.
On the other hand, when we assemble as groups with referee's around, we lose sight of the ball.
More and more, people are finding judges, parties or politicians who will declare a certain morality or activity to be acceptable in legal terms. The spectators cheering for that point of view are delighted. And to some degree - at least in the comfort of their group, they may even have some vague sense that they are "in the right."
But one-on-one with God, the Holy Spirit helps to make very clear what is true, and what is right.
Most of the widely debated "conflicted and complex" issues of our time are neither.
We recognize a foul when we see it. Granted, its harder sometimes to admit it when you're sitting in the stands with the rest of your cheering section - when they desperately want their team to win.
But a foul is a foul.
Romans 1:19-20
"...because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
Playground basketball wasn't always pretty. It could get rough around the edges. We ran hard and it was a gritty, sweaty battle from one hoop to the next.
But we called our own fouls. And win or lose, we each knew there was truth in that.
It may be now, that we've got too many referees making calls on the essential spiritual matters of our day - and too many of us cheering from a distance.
What do you believe?
