There are a lot of people, most of them Christians, who are struggling, to put it mildly, with the image they feel Christians have. Most notably, that Christians are “against things.” They criticize some of these notions, even so far as to call it “hate” or “ignorance” or other name calling, distancing and therefore dividing themselves from these people who they feel aren’t representing Christ in a good way.
First of all, there is a certain flawed logic, philosophical tension if you will, about being against people who are against things. It’s not okay to be against things but it is okay to be against the people who are against things, to call the name callers names. Ah. I see. Kind of the “there are no absolutes” argument … which seems like a fairly absolute statement.
Second, there is a level to which we are allowing those already predisposed to hate Christianity the right to define Christianity or what it should be. The Bible is clear that there will be people who hate those that follow Christ. The same message will be life to some and death to others. Jesus would preach and out of a crowd that heard the same words and tone of voice and saw the same body language from the Son of God, some would follow and believe and others would begin to conspire to kill Him.
So I don’t put much stock in the ire of the world. In fact, Jesus says plainly that we should beware when the world loves us. Not an actual measure of success.
Third, it makes the Church reactionary and subject to the world and worldly principles when we are citizens of Heaven. True disciples of Christ aren’t meant to take their cues from external sources but be proactive from following the Spirit of God. Jesus rarely answered the question asked but gave what people really needed to hear, even if it was that they were “children of the Devil.” We are ultimately responsible to God through the leading of liberty by the Holy Spirit, not another’s view of us.
So let’s look at some things biblically that can give us some balance. In following Jesus with all our heart, we will by nature be against things. It will happen. The Holy Spirit says “no” to me a lot. Says “yes” to me, as well. If we truly are seeking the will of God, then part of that will is to be against things. To be for righteousness we will by nature be against sin. To be for Jesus and following Christ, we will by nature be against all religions that deny Him.
Look at all the things through the New Testament that were spoken AGAINST. Sexual sin, idolatry, greed (which is idolatry), lying, wounding another’s conscience, being divisive, false teaching (especially teaching that grace gives any place to sin), and others. It’s a big list. Jude is especially harsh. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone preaches a different gospel, “let him be accursed!”
That is love by the way.
But here’s the thing. Being citizens of heaven, people who will one day “judge angels,” we have authority for to judge the things in the church. Not the world.
Go ahead, read that again.
In every case, when these men wrote against things, they were cleaning out the church, not judging or condemning the world.
Let’s look quickly at I Corinthians 5. Paul has heard that some dude who sinned really bad was still a part of their fellowship. He rebukes the church, even giving a list of sins, that if someone participates in these things and claims to be a believer, then have nothing to do with him. Don’t even eat with them.
But you don’t shun or judge the world in the same way. “For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’”
To be clear, the only people Christians are supposed to judge or condemn are those that have claimed to be disciples of Christ. We don’t have the authority or the directive to judge the world. That is God’s job.
Even though we will by nature be against things, that isn’t what the world is meant to see from us. What will convince them we are who we say we are is loving one another as Christ loved us.
This is so opposite of the way most Christians behave that I don’t even know where to begin.
Well, I do … kinda. I know that it begins with finding a group of believers who truly want to follow God with all of their heart, that seek to love God and love His disciples with daily encouragement, service, leadership, and correction, who live it and broach no compromise in themselves or others who claim the same. Judgment must begin at the house of God, but we’re usually too busy judging the world to realize we need to start kicking more people out of our churches.
I know, to our modern progressive conscience, it seems like these two ideas are in conflict: to kick people out of churches and to love one another as Christ loved us. But one won’t really happen without the other. And if we say we believe the Bible (do we?), maybe its our modern progressive conscience that needs redeemed.
Peace.
Thanks for sharing this. At this point I’m learning there are a lot of discussions I don’t need to have. Still, it’s hard to see brothers and sisters get caught up in the wrong things and not be sure how to speak the truth in love.
The other day Beka and I helped out in youth group and asked questions about God, His nature, etc. All the descriptors were positive. Kids are perceptive, and I think the concern shouldn’t be whether people like us, but is a constantly negative focus offending the little ones in the Church. Unfortunately that’s happened frequently, and that’s what many who left the church try to articulate articulate when they talk about “being against things.” They’ve heard the good, but the bad was louder. And I’ve been as guilty as anyone else, just in different extremes. So we repent.
Again, thanks for sharing. Good stuff, as always.
Oh, and I wasn’t talking about the negative concerning sin in the church, althought many like me saw that done the wrong way as well. Usually it’s railing against “them”, and that can offend those within who want to focus on what God loves, not who He hates. Okay, done for real now.