5:58 AM
I have no humorous original illustrations or side-splitting witticisms to offer today (I'm not sure I've ever had those, though).
Lately I have become aware and concerned, regardless of whose fault it is -- the media, the Church itself, etc. -- that the Church may often be seen from the outside as an exclusionary club of self-righteous, judgmental, and often dangerous (either via wars or "legislated morality") jerks. As a result, I've heard a number of national church leaders from my generation present themselves as people who still do things they shouldn't do, who haven't arrived at some spiritual plane of perfection, and who would never dare to call someone's lifestyle "wrong."
Identifying with people outside of our faith is good (we aren't perfect!), and I think the intention of these leaders is admirable in some ways. However, in their haste to make up for the sins of the past, those who present this message often come across, either intentionally or otherwise, as saying, "If you want to be a Christ-follower like me, nothing about you will ever need to change, because it's pointless to try. Jesus accepts every behavior, all the time. You may remain just as you are as long as you wish you were good deep down inside."
Becoming "all things to all people" does not mean that we're not to reach for personal holiness, but that little phrase from 1 Corinthians 9:22 has, for many people, become a way to justify a lifestyle that often does not reflect a relationship with Christ. Paul's point in this section of his letter to the church at Corinth is to say that Christ-followers are to be different and that we are, in fact, called to a high moral standard, but at the same time, we're to act in a way that doesn't offend people.
That may sound like it's distilling his point down to oversimplification, but this is how he wraps up the subject in the next chapter: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."
As I stated the other day, to impose our personal moral standard upon someone else, particularly someone who doesn't have a relationship with Christ, is nonsensical. I believe this is the point that Generation X church leaders are often attempting to make. In doing so, however, they often lower their own commitment to personal holiness, in the eyes of others at the least, and in the eyes of God at the worst. "Holiness" does not mean "holier-than-thou," yet that may be the way we as the Church have traditionally presented both it and ourselves.
I conclude with what really is the start of another subject: Paul even indicates that there were (and still are) some different standards within the various churches, and that this was and is a thing to be accepted: "give no offense... to the church of God." So something I may have the freedom in Christ to do, even though it's not contrary to the Word, may actually be offensive to another Christ-follower. If that's the case, I'm not to do that thing around that person.
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Manga, anyone?
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[image: Serious Post Ahead warning sign]
Not my usual post, thought it needed a warning!
I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and noticed something that ...
2 comments:
This may a bit interpretive, not necessarily absolutely Biblically founded in the sense of "Here's where the Bible says this," but towards the end of your post you're talking about (I think) where Paul discusses our own personal beliefs in Romans 14 (or similarly discussing food sacrificed to idols in 1 Cor. 8). What does this mean? Well, personally, I think that it means that if we consider something as being wrong ("sinful"), and yet we allow ourselves to do such a thin, then in fact we have sinned by the mere fact that we're acting in a way that we consider to be wrong and yet consciously do that very thing (cf Romans 14:23). Certainly there are absolute sins (consider the ten commandments, the moral standards set forth throughout the Bible, etc.), but in some "grey areas" (are there such things?) then our own beliefs will set certain standards that we must hold for ourselves. That notwithstanding, if we consciously do something that we know our fellow Christian considers sinful in their presence (or, perhaps, even in a manner that would allow the fact that we've done what they consider sinful to be made known to them), we have also sinned (or at least done something bad; cf Romans 14:21).
What does this mean? That if "I think it I can do it"? Certainly not! (Don't those Biblical authors like to use that - phrase a silly question, then say, "Certainly not!" in response to their own question? :) Jesus said we're to "strive for perfection, to be Just like God" (see previous posts to this effect). So, we're not "off the hook" in terms of our religious freedom (Paul also mentioned this, but I forget the reference and I have to get ready for work). We absolutely do have moral standards to uphold, as well as also appeasing our own consciences.
Ok, enough rambling of my own... and mainly related to your "next topic" at the end of your post...
We, Christians, are sometimes our own worst enemy. The outside world watches us very closely, just waiting for the opportunity to declare us all a bunch of hypocrites and as intolerant. In this world of political correctness, anything is tolerable EXCEPT for intolerance. We shouldn't look down on people, but we are not to tolerate a recurring sinful life. HOW we approach and handle that recurring sinful life is where we have to be careful. We can't beat non-Christians over the head with the Bible like we can a mature Christian.
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