We Need to Show People the Transformation from Christ, not Scream "You're Wrong!"
I’ve
been mulling this one over for a while, and I think I can put it all onto paper
now. I’ve been thinking specifically, about the testimony of the church as it
relates to today’s issues. When I was younger, I had always heard the
caricature of the church and Christians as uptight prudes who never smile
because everything is sinful. While I think this one is easily dismissed if
people will get to know Christians, it is the most recent description of church
that troubles me. We are painted as hypocrites, we do not practice what we
preach, which is one of the most common objections to Christianity. I just heard
a video from the YouTube channel LutheranSatire that described the faith vs
works dilemma that we see between Catholics and Protestants. What struck me is
that we are justified before God by faith, but it is our works that show to
other people that we are transformed Christians or not. If we are no different
from the people that we are trying to convert, if there is no evidence of
Christ in our lives, then why on earth would non-Christians listen to us? What
I want to try to do today is to scripturally show that we need our
transformations through Christ to be evident to be effective disciples, as well
as give some comments on some current events that Christians need to step up on
instead of hiding in our faith bubbles.
We can
start with the person of Paul, he was out killing any Christians on the order
of the Jews, but he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and was utterly
transformed by that encounter, going on to risk his life multiple times over to
preach and convince people of the truth that he had discovered. We are also
called to a similar transformation in Romans 12:2 (Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and
perfect will). We have other scriptures saying that those who have accepted
Christ are new creations, and we should behave as such (2 Corinthians 5:17,
Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3:18). So what does it mean to be transformed by
Christ? Well it says in Romans that our mind is renewed, and I think that means
that our mind, as well as everything else will follow the will of God. How do
we know the will of God? First off, we have scripture and God has seen to it
that scripture has applications to today’s world, even after thousands of
years. If you are looking to learn what scripture says, I would recommend a
start into the book of Proverbs, but definitely do not stop there. I am
currently reading a discussion over the book of Daniel by Dr. John Lennox of
Oxford, and every page and paragraph that I have read so far has me in awe of
how amazing the book of Daniel is and how it parallels to the current religious
and political situations.
So how
do I think we can work on our testimony as Christians today? First I want to
start with the concept of marriage. Since Henry VIII, we have seen divorce in
the church, as well as the world at large. Is divorce a good thing? I think, at
its base level, that it is a detestable thing, but let me elaborate. God has
described marriage as one man and one woman becoming one flesh. This describes
the man and woman lying together and knowing each other in the biblical sense,
but it also describes that the couple have come before God and have promised to
weather all things of this life together as a team. The couple has made this
covenant before God to be for each other only. There isi only one condition where divorce was justified by Jesus, when one of the partners
is unfaithful. Now, if this occurs, should the marriage be dissolved
immediately? I don’t think so, though it is permitted, because I think it spits
in the face of the forgiveness that God has offered to Israel over and over
again. I think people are able to reconcile themselves to one another and God
in either case of infidelity, to your husband/wife or to God, but this needs to
be on a case by case basis. However, I think the case for the sanctity of
marriage put forth by the church has been harmed by people divorcing, because
people give up on their covenant they have made and go on to be with other
people. I’m not saying these people are beyond redemption, but when people who have
been married multiple times are yelling about same-sex marriage, I think this
is a case of yelling about the speck in your neighbor’s eye when you yourself
have a plank in yours (Matthew 7:5). The divorce rate in the church is
comparable to the divorce rate as the rest of the world! I think that says
something about how we have allowed the world to control how we view this covenant
relationship that two people make to each other and to God!
Now, I understand that we are to
call out evil as we see it, but I have a couple of points. First off, I don’t
think the government should have ever gotten involved in marriage and
regulations on taxes, loved ones visiting you in the hospital, etc., do more
harm than good when it comes to our testimony as a church and being loving to
all. This I think is because we have associated the church and government
together when it comes to marriages such that it has become a ubiquitous term.
Second, given the government involvement, and the separation of church and
state that give us our freedom to worship without government interference, I
have no problem with people pursuing same-sex unions so they can enjoy the benefits
as a couple. Put down your pitch forks and torches for a second, I do not
condone homosexual behavior and think we should be ministering to the LGBT
community such that they would leave their lifestyle and follow Christ, but
Jesus did not come here so that his kingdom will be established here for the
benefit of Christians. Indeed, Christ said that his kingdom was not of this
world! (John 18:36).
What I am saying here is that marriage should be a term reserved for the church and the godly covenant that I have described, and that the church should stand firm on the doctrine of one man and one woman make up a marriage. I don’t think we are to use scripture to subjugate the masses similar to the Muslim-majority countries and give the believers of the majority faith benefits that non-believers do not receive, but we are to call people to realize that the ways of this world are deficient, and that only by following Christ can we truly be satisfied here as we are prepared for the kingdom beyond this earth. I think our biggest call to show people this way is to demonstrate it in our marriages, our social lives, our private lives, and everything should have the love of Christ evident (1 Corinthians 13).
On top of all of the calls to follow a scriptural definition of marriage, there are multitudes of studies that show that married couples are happier and lead happier lives than those who live together before marriage, or those who just try to make it on their own as a long term couple who decide to not get married. There are also studies that describe a trend that couples that have fewer sexual partners, or even sleeping with only one another report happier marriages. These comments run counter to the culture of today, which recommends a “trial-period” on long-term relationships. This trial period is problematic, because if people aren’t satisfied with living together or the sex, they leave, and it leads to negative effects for both parties on their future relationships. We don’t have to look far to know someone who has been affected by this try it before you buy it mentality. I did also mention the keeping the number of sexual partners low, ideally only 1, the man/woman that you are going to marry! This is how God designed it and studies are showing that this is the way to having happy relationships/marriages!
What I am saying here is that marriage should be a term reserved for the church and the godly covenant that I have described, and that the church should stand firm on the doctrine of one man and one woman make up a marriage. I don’t think we are to use scripture to subjugate the masses similar to the Muslim-majority countries and give the believers of the majority faith benefits that non-believers do not receive, but we are to call people to realize that the ways of this world are deficient, and that only by following Christ can we truly be satisfied here as we are prepared for the kingdom beyond this earth. I think our biggest call to show people this way is to demonstrate it in our marriages, our social lives, our private lives, and everything should have the love of Christ evident (1 Corinthians 13).
On top of all of the calls to follow a scriptural definition of marriage, there are multitudes of studies that show that married couples are happier and lead happier lives than those who live together before marriage, or those who just try to make it on their own as a long term couple who decide to not get married. There are also studies that describe a trend that couples that have fewer sexual partners, or even sleeping with only one another report happier marriages. These comments run counter to the culture of today, which recommends a “trial-period” on long-term relationships. This trial period is problematic, because if people aren’t satisfied with living together or the sex, they leave, and it leads to negative effects for both parties on their future relationships. We don’t have to look far to know someone who has been affected by this try it before you buy it mentality. I did also mention the keeping the number of sexual partners low, ideally only 1, the man/woman that you are going to marry! This is how God designed it and studies are showing that this is the way to having happy relationships/marriages!
So let’s move on a little bit from
marriage, homosexuality, and sex, and talk about some other hot-button issues. Probably the most common after this is the topic of the transgender
community. I personally don’t think there are more than two genders, and I don’t
think that we need to be empowering teens that are gender confused, because
studies show that once they are through puberty they are no longer confused. I
think that people that try to use Galatians 3:28 (There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor there is male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.) to justify transgenderism need
to read the rest of the book. Paul is admonishing the Galatian church because
they are practicing legalism and clinging to the Mosaic law to justify the
prejudice against Gentile Christians. Galatians 3:28 is to show equality to all
under Christ. But what about those that believe that God made a mistake and put
them in the wrong body? I think there are multiple problems with that
statement. God made us male and female and He had plans for us before we were in our mother's womb! (Mark 10:5, Genesis 5:2, Jeremiah 1:5) To claim any other gender is to contradict scripture, and to say that God made a mistake when He decided your birth gender is to say that God is not perfect and that you have a plan for your life that is better than His!
How can we see this in abortion? I don’t
think I can contribute much more to the scriptural debate over the sanctity of
life, and that God knows what He is doing, even in the timing of women getting
pregnant. I think instead of wasting our time and effort protesting abortion,
how about promoting alternatives? We have plenty of pregnancy centers that help
women get the resources they need for the birth and subsequent care of their
child. I do think that we need adoption reform, as well as a better
understanding of the care for our economically less fortunate so that we can
help them out. To me, if we can provide these alternatives to people who don’t
want to raise their children, or helping those who can’t afford it, then we
take away a lot of the reasons for people to go to abortion clinics and end a
child’s life before it even begins.
Now for the true third rail,
politics. How are we to fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters who are
on the other side of the aisle from you? I think this is partly a problem, once
again, of allowing ourselves to be caught up in the hollow philosophies of men (Colossians
2:8). I think we as Christians want to help, but we do have different ideas on
how to help and to what role government should be involved in that help. I don’t
know if we will ever have Christians of one mind when it comes to politics, and
I don’t know if we should. I think the church needs to be all things to all men
(1 Corinthians 9:22). I think that we need people of all walks, creeds,
political leanings, what have you, to show that Christ came for all and that we
have a multitude of people to pursue ministries of all kinds. I think this
means for Christians to not be polarized against one side or the other by the
mass media. I think we need to deal with one another person to person, and
examine the best method for solving each problem case by case. I think this may
be dismissed by some people as being neutral and that I should pick one side or
the other. If you want my personal opinion, I think that the government in the
United States has way too much power, and for better or worse, the power needs
to be in the hands of the people, with minimal involvement from the government.
The government should be here to hand down laws that create a fair environment
for the treatment of others in a similar manner as to how the Christian church
should operate. Indeed, Jurgen Habermas, an atheist philosopher, has been
quoted as the egalitarianism that we see today and strive to perfect comes from
Judeo-Christian values, and everything else is just post-modern chatter.
I
mentioned that we need to show this miraculous transformation from Christ in all of our lives, and I hope and pray that
I do that before I start preaching to other Christians about this topic. I’m
not saying that we need to condone sinful behavior as we see it, but we need to
build relationships with others and show them the ways of Christ, rather than
brow beating them with scripture when we see them doing wrong, otherwise, we
are no better than the non-Christians that I described earlier. Indeed, I know
plenty of non-Christian friends of mine that put some Christians to shame when
it comes to grace and humility around others. Aside from this, we need to go to
all and make disciples, as there is no external distinction by which Christ separates us, for
He judges us through our hearts (Galatians 3:28, 1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah
17:10). So what do you think about all of this? Have I judged the current state
of the church unfairly? Is there another topic that we should add to this list?
Please start a conversation here or on Facebook! God bless and have a great
rest of your day!
References
http://www.ajuloveconnection.com/article/6-reasons-why-sex-before-marriage-affects-a-relationship/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/govt-provides-gender-service-for-kids-who-fancy-themselves-as-transgender
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/govt-provides-gender-service-for-kids-who-fancy-themselves-as-transgender
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