Friday, October 24, 2014
Bonafide Christians
As election day approaches many ads have been
launched accusing candidates of saying one thing and doing another. Americans often lament the hypocrisy that is
an integral part of politics. Truth be
told, we humans have always had this problem and no culture or continent is
immune. Authenticity is an incredible
challenge. Integrity is rare. So it is refreshing when people are who they
say they are. We are pleasantly surprised when:
· vegetarians do not eat meat
· global warming alarmist do not travel the world in private jets
· free speech advocates do not bomb opponents' buildings, and
· health food proponents do not stash junk food in their closet.
Here's a quick test. If you are a bonafide Christian you will agree with these statements:
· I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
· For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.
· (In answer to the question, "How does one inherit eternal life?") You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother. (John 3:5; 14:6; Mark 7:21-23; 10:17-19 NLT)
· vegetarians do not eat meat
· global warming alarmist do not travel the world in private jets
· free speech advocates do not bomb opponents' buildings, and
· health food proponents do not stash junk food in their closet.
We are living in a time in world history when many
people call themselves Christians, but perhaps unfairly. They instinctively know Jesus was God in
flesh and that He spoke truth, however, they desperately want to buy into
societal norms too. They want to have
their cake and eat it too. But
intellectually honest people can't just make up what they want to believe and
then call themselves Christians.
Christians are, by definition, followers of Christ and should believe
what He believed. They should be
authentic -- bonafide.
Here's a quick test. If you are a bonafide Christian you will agree with these statements:
· I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
· For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.
· (In answer to the question, "How does one inherit eternal life?") You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother. (John 3:5; 14:6; Mark 7:21-23; 10:17-19 NLT)
Of course the above statements are just the tip of
the iceberg, but the issue is not how perfectly we achieve, but how honestly we
pursue the kind of lifestyle Jesus taught and exemplified. Those who aspire to be Christians must ask
themselves, "Am I being honest with myself?", because God is just and
cannot cheat for us. He can only help
those who want to be authentic, and who are willing to accept his grace and
power to do so.
Many religious movements have claimed to be
Christian, but the test is: do they believe and practice what Christ taught.
Perhaps you see the logic in the thought that while no one should be forced to
call themselves Christian, neither should they claim the label if they are not
willing to embrace Christ's values. When
we stand before Christ we will not be judged by the affiliations we had, or the things we claimed to be. Personally, I want to be able to look right
into the eyes of Jesus and say I believed
what you said, and did my best to live it out? I want to be a bonafide
Christian.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
