What Money Cannot Buy

Out of thirty-six (36) parables of the Lord Jesus Christ, eighteen (18) of them or one-half, concern money. Someone was able to count two thousand (2,000) verses in the Bible on money. This is how the Lord Jesus regard the importance of money. Indeed, money is an essential part of man’s existence. Without it, man could not secure the necessities of life.

One of the most difficult bar examinations for lawyers from the time of President Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña in 1910 was given in 1962. In that year, many examinees burned their books and notes in the quadrangle of the University of the East in Manila, then the venue for bar exams, in protest of the fact that about 95% of the answer to the questions in International Law were not found in our books or notes.

Sometime in middle 60’s, I enrolled at the UP extension Master of Laws course in Davao City. On our first meeting, Professor Bienvenido Ambion asked: “Who among you here took the 1962 bar?” There were four of us who proudly raised our hands, namely: the late Davao City Judge Narciso M. Bumanlag, former Constitutional Convention delegate and RTC Judge Doming Carillo, former Reg. XI Civil Service Director Felimon Cawad, and myself. The professor said, “You will notice that the subject of our course are those asked in International Law bar exam by retired UP Dean Cinco”. Everybody laughed. Then, he continued, “It was rumored, he wanted only five to pass the bar”. We laughed some more and louder.

The rule promulgated by the Supreme Court is that anyone obtaining a grade less than 50 in any of the 10 bar subjects though his general average is passing, shall nevertheless get a FAILING mark.

The 1962 bar exam on International Law was so unreasonably difficult that many got a grade less than 50. Judge Doming Carillo confided to me that he got only 49%, but he passed the bar! Consequently, the Supreme Court suspended the application of its less than 50% grade, yet of 3,600 examinees, only about 600 passed, or only 19%. Many are ambitious to become lawyers! In our school, out of 17 examinees only one passed. Father (Atty.) Joaquin Bernas who has become an author of, and authority in, Constitutional Law, and often consulted by our Supreme Court on difficult Constitutional issues these days, then the best bet of Ateneo de Manila University who was rumored and predicted to top the bar because of his extraordinary brilliance, placed only No. 10 with an actual grade of 79%. He was bested by Deogracias Eufemio of UP who got an actual grade of 85%. Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, the classmate of Eufemio, took the same bar exam, although he graduated cum laude and who was No. 1 among all 35 different nation-scholars when he took his post graduate study abroad, failed to land on the top ten. About two years ago just before his retirement, I had the privilege to introduce him as our Dinner Fellowship main sharer here at Grand Men Seng Hotel. Curious about his biodata, because nothing is mentioned about when he passed the bar, I asked him if he took the 1962 bar exam and his reply was: “Did you also take that bar exam? . . . it was very difficult”. Indeed, he is very brilliant because he was one step ahead: he perceived my unspoken point.

Sometime in the middle of the 60’s, there was a scandal about 17 bar examinees who were allegedly brought to a hotel room and were allowed allegedly to copy the prepared answers to the bar questions. What else is the inevitable conclusion but that they used money to buy their ambition to become lawyers. One of them who failed on his first try the previous year, placed among the top 10 on his second try. This precipitated an investigation by the Supreme Court through the NBI. Sixteen of them, though they got passing grades, were criminally charged in court and never allowed to take oath as lawyers. Also criminally charged were the responsible Supreme Court personnel. To this day, the scandal was no longer repeated.

The one who placed in the top ten, was escorted to the NBI for investigation by a top Davao lawyer in his time for which purpose alone he was paid P50,000.00. In those days this was then a lot of money. Then, he engaged the services of a well known criminal lawyer and author of Remedial Law for P200,000.00 when the case against him was filed in the Fiscal’s Office in Manila. The Davao lawyer who is still alive told me this. His client was not charged criminally before the court as his brilliant lawyer obtained dismissal of the case in the Fiscal’s Office, so the Supreme Court allowed him to take his oath as a lawyer. King Solomon said: “… money answers all things (Eccl. 10:19).

I happened to be in court with one lawyer between us when the new lawyer appeared in the sala of the late City Judge Gumersindo S. Arcilla, a terror judge in his time. When his case was called for hearing, he stood up saying, “Your honor, I am not ready. I request for postponement.” The judge sarcastically remarked, “Who are you?” He was in quandary and speechless for a brief moment perhaps thinking by himself, “does not this judge know that I placed in the bar exam, is he that naïve?” In those days and even today, the individual pictures of the top ten in the bar are published in the front page of all major national newspapers. Then, he said, “I am Atty. So and So…” The judge cut him short by saying, “Yes, I know, but who are you in this case?” The lawyer seated next to him whispered, “Enter ka muna ng iyong appearance”. Complying, he said, “Your honor, I am respectfully entering my appearance as counsel for the accused”. The judge said, “Better, now what is your pleasure?” He meekly manifested, “Your honor, I am respectfully requesting for postponement” His request was granted. But since then up to this day, I never saw him in court again. I learned he engaged in farming, never enjoying the blessing of his noble profession, especially because he was top ten in the bar.

Notably, being an advocate (lawyer) is also the profession of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). He never lost a case. All his clients are guilty as charged, but all are nevertheless acquitted or pardoned. He takes the punishment himself on behalf of all his clients. But this privilege is only available to, and enjoyed by, those who engage him as their lawyer. Is Jesus Christ our lawyer before God the Father? King Solomon said, “A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things” (Eccl. 10:19 KJV). Notice, he said, all things. Salvation is NOT a thing: it is received spiritually by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. All the wealth of the whole world cannot purchase the supreme blessing of forgiveness and heaven which are the fruit or result of salvation.

We will never accumulate enough riches to purchase a place in the paradise of God. As a matter of fact, even if we own all the riches of this world, still we cannot buy a place in heaven. But praise God, Salvation can be ours “without money and without price,” (Isa. 55:1). Everybody is equal, rich or poor, brilliant or dumb.

We are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ … being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever (1 Peter 1:18, 19, 23 KJV). Yes, because salvation is given by God as a gift by his grace through faith alone in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ not by works (Eph. 2:8-9).

But there are requisites for one to receive this gift. First and the most important is faith in God. Faith is simply agreeing or believing what God said in his Word (the Bible). Hence, the ABSOLUTE necessity of knowing the Word of God. The Bible defines faith as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1 KJV). Notice the present tense “NOW”, not before or in the future. While we are hoping yet to be saved but now, by our faith or trust in the promise of salvation by God we see it with our spiritual eyes. How can we have this “saving” faith? And this “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17 KJV). This is the favorite verse of Past President Engr. Eder Bacus. Notice again that God in his wisdom did not say read. Because not everybody can read, but everybody have ears to hear. Everybody who has ears, let him hear! For those dumb and deaf, we have the sign language. We see this in the television.

Hearing the Word of God is the means of acquiring faith. This faith is evidenced and discerned in the believer as follows: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God had raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom. 10:9 KJV). Stated differently, the believer faithfully talks about Jesus, his ministry and power to save. Paul continues: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vs. 13). But notice that Paul continued: “How then shall they (those who have not known God) call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how they hear without a preacher”? [or one who testifies of the extraordinary goodness and power of God]. (Rom. 10:14 KJV).

Our appropriate personal testimonies, talks or conduct as Full Gospel (FGBMFI) members are of extreme importance so other men of all walks of life, particularly the successful businessman, professional or high government official who has plenty of money and in good health and who do not care about God, can have faith in God. This very article is one means Praise God! This is our ministry as envisioned by our founder, Demos Shakarian. This is the essence of the greatest commandment of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20).

The second requisite is after knowing God and believing him as our sole and only Savior with childlike faith [without doubting], we must confess and repent of all our sins regardless of how numerous and serious they are, as “He will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7). Remember, we are all sinners saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not because of our good works (Eph. 2:8-9). By grace means we do not deserve it, for no one is good enough or have done or can do enough, but because of the LOVE of God which defies description in words, he extend to us the favor and gift of salvation. And he is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; 36; Gal. 3:26-28). Everybody, sinner or saint, is equal before his sight. But if we are saved, necessarily our salvation shall be evidenced by good works (vs. 10), for faith without good work is dead (James 2:17-18). Stated otherwise, our service to God and in his kingdom and “good” conduct do not earn our salvation, but they are a result of our salvation solely by the grace of God. Salvation cannot be bought with money and is never for sale, and could not be obtained by good work. It is all by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (FGBMFI Davao City Bulletin Feb 4, 2012)