Oftentimes, when we Christians express their beliefs in public, those
who disagree with us will accuse us of meddling, intolerance, bigotry, or just
not minding our own business. Granted, many times it would be easier for us
just to be quiet about the declining moral condition of our nation, abortion,
violence and s*x in the media, adultery, homos*xuality, etc. It does seem very
quiet when one’s head is buried in the sand. Nevertheless, we followers of
Jesus Christ seem to always be speaking out about something, injecting our
biblically-based opinion into the public arena, many times where we certainly
are not welcome. Why do we do this? Do we enjoy being ridiculed and mocked for
our beliefs?
Let’s see if we can shed some light on this subject.
Everyone lives by their beliefs
Everyone conducts their lives based on their beliefs. What we believe to be true guides us in
how we live. You don’t stick your hand in the fire because you believe that the
fire is hot and it will hurt. You eat because you believe it keeps you alive.
You show up to work on time because you believe that you’ll get fired if you
don’t. We are motivated to certain actions and behavior by what we believe. It
would be unreasonable, illogical, and perhaps insane to act otherwise.
Does everyone believe in God?
When asked, most people will say they believe in God. Consider yourself:
Do you believe in God? Many people who say they believe in God do not live like
it. Many simply say they believe in God and then conjure up a god in their own
imagination that allows them to do whatever they want to do and think it’s all
right with god. If someone truly believes that there is a God, would they not
think it important to find out what He is like, what He expects of us, how we
can please Him, and how we can have a relationship with Him? How could anyone,
in their right mind, believe that there is an all mighty Creator God to whom we
are responsible, and simply not care?
Should the Christian ‘judge not’?
Many times, when a Christian expresses his or her belief that certain
things are wrong, someone counters with, “Doesn’t the Bible also say that you
shouldn’t judge others?” Well, sort of. First, let’s define the word ‘judge’.
If we define judging as pronouncing condemnation or judgment against someone on
the basis of our own authority, then we are out of line, we don’t have that
power. However, God does; it is His opinion that matters. Therefore, when
Christians state that the Bible (remember, it is God’s Word to us) says that
something is wrong, it is not we who are judging anything, we are simply
conveying the message God has given us. In addition, the Bible repeatedly tells
us to be discerning (Romans12:2; Ephesians 5:10). It also tells us to test
everything according to His Word (I Thessalonians 5:21). So, clearly God does
not want His people walking around with their fingers in their ears going, “La,
la, la, la”, we are to evaluate everything in light of the teachings of His
Word.
Christians can’t remain silent as we see someone headed for an eternity
without God.
The Christian’s Motivation
Okay, back to the issues of beliefs. Christians believe that God is
real, that He loves us, and that He sent His Son to die for our sins, so that
we (through faith in Jesus) can be forgiven and live in harmony with Him
forever. We respond in love and gratitude for who God is and what He has done
for us.
We also believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us and is authoritative
in our lives (II Samuel 7:28; Psalm 119:60; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16; II
Peter 1:20-21). We have good reasons to believe that God gave us the Bible as a
guide for living and a guide to knowing Him. This is why it holds such an
important place in our lives. This is why what it says is so important.
The Bible and Sin
The Bible says that sin will prevent us from entering Heaven or having a relationship with God
that does anything but incur His wrath. The Bible tells us, “…that the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither
the s*xually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homos*xuality,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV; see also I Corinthians
15:50; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5; I Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:14, 13:4;
Revelation 21:8, 22:15).
However, the Bible also says that we can be forgiven of sins and have
the kind of relationship with God for which we were created. Following the
passage that lists some of the sins that keep one out of the Kingdom of God, we
read, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God” (I Corinthians 6:11 ESV). No matter what sins we’ve committed in our
lives, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and live for Him we are forgiven
of those sins and begin a wonderful personal relationship with God.
Conclusion
Christians believe in God and want to live their lives for Him.
Christians believe that the Bible is God’s Word to humanity and is the authority
for our lives. The Bible gives us God’s standards of right and wrong. The Bible
tells us that everyone is sinful and separated from God unless they have a
trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Christians want others to be forgiven and
have a personal relationship with God, and we believe that the Bible instructs
us to share that opportunity with others (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16).
Therefore, the reason Christians can’t just live their lives and leave
others alone is that we love God and we love others. We can’t remain silent as
we see someone headed for an eternity without God. It would be like knowing
someone was about to accidentally walk off a cliff, but saying nothing because
we don’t want to butt in. That is not the loving thing to do. So, next time you
wonder about a Christian’s motivation for speaking out about some current
issue, remember that we speak out of our love for God and our love for others.
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