CHRISTIANITY:
BELIEF OR PRACTICE?
I
was reading my daily devotional the other day, and the scripture passage was
one of many in which the appearance or action of God resulted in great fear and
wonder by the individuals in the story.
What really struck me was the incredible difference between the reaction
of biblical individuals like the ones in the story I read, and the kind of
attitude I perceive in people who claim to be believers now.
What I often see now is a rather
lackadaisical approach to righteous living, as if it doesn’t really
matter. It is as if modern day American
Christians have decided that the Christian faith is about what you believe, and
not about how you live. But such an
understanding is opposed to the clear teachings of scripture.
Perhaps
this attitude has arisen in reaction to people who act “holier than thou,”
earning the church the reputation of hypocrites over the last half
century.
Perhaps it is that our churches
have so focused on the grace of God and forgiveness through Christ.
Whatever the reason, the result is that
it would appear many Christians answer yes to Paul’s question in Romans
6:1 “Should we continue to sin that
grace may abound?” They fail to read on
to verse two that begins, “by no means!”
What
do I mean? Well, for instance, the
ubiquitous OMG, spouted from the mouths of even Christians with no sense of
fear or reverence for the God whose name is being invoked. Many, and maybe you are one, think that even
raising this issue is picayunish and ridiculous. But when God’s name is to be hallowed, such
usage simply is out of line. In one
youth group we used to work with, we had a policy that whenever anyone said,
“Oh my God,” we required them to finish the prayer! It served to remind them of the meaning of
the words they had used.
But
that is only one small instance. There
are far too many Christians whose behavior cannot be distinguished from the
actions of non-believers, in terms not only of language, but even topics of
discussion, use of alcohol, sexual practices, handling of finances, and
attitudes about almost everything. One
example that bothered me was when I heard a famous Christian teacher claim she
believed God has blessed her, and so she has no problem living an extravagant
lifestyle, including her $500 suits. This lies in contrast to the
scripture’s teachings, such as having our hearts set on our treasure in heaven,
not on earth. Whatever happened to being light and salt for the world?
In
the New Testament, the scripture says that the kinds of things non-Christians
do shouldn’t even be mentioned among Christians and our speech is never to
include immorality or impurity or coarse jesting, for example. That though we once were children of
darkness, we now are to walk as children of light. Every deed we do and every word we utter
demonstrates to the world the truth or untruth of what we say we believe.
This
distinction also applies to the world of marriage and divorce. We are to take our marriage vows as a sacred
covenant, and do everything we can to uphold them as such. We simply are not to be turning to divorce
for the kinds of trivial reasons that often occur. We are to see divorce truly as a last resort that
God has allowed only because of the fallen state of the world and our sinful
condition. Even then, the way a
Christian goes through a divorce ought to be clearly distinct from the behavior
of non-believers, most visible, perhaps, in the realm of honesty about finances
and the honoring of one’s obligations in terms of visitation or child support.
Now
I will grant that in our quest for righteous living, it is important to avoid
the traps of legalism, salvation by works and of self-righteousness. But avoiding those traps does not relieve us
of the responsibility to pursue the holiness that God requires and the
recognition that we, too, will give account for our careless words and
thoughtless deeds.
The call of
Christianity is not merely to believe the appropriate list of doctrines.
The call of Christianity is to follow Christ
in a life transformed that reflects the very holiness of God.
The sin in our lives should break our hearts
and be wrestled against, not treated lightly as if nobody cares. God does care, for our words and our actions
reflect on the reputation of God.
Whatever
your station in life, I want to encourage you to consider how well the way you
live your life reflects the Christ you say you believe in.
If you are in a position of teaching
others, does your teaching appropriately challenge those who hear you to pursue
godliness and not excuse sinful behavior in their lives?
Do your words honor God, or embarrass
him?
Do your actions draw others closer
to Christ, or cast stumbling blocks that hinder them?
Do you live life with a healthy fear of
God?
Would you change anything about
your life if Jesus were standing right beside you?
If what you believe as a Christian does not
impact how you behave, then either you don’t truly believe, or you have never
learned enough to even understand what it means to believe in Christ. In either case, that is a dangerous place to
live.
For
those of us who are believers in Christ, our very lives are the witness that
convinces others of the truths we believe and the reality of our faith. I want to encourage you today to do your best
to make sure that in all you undertake, God will be glorified because of
YOU.
