Today's Scripture Reading (May 19, 2021): Hebrews 12
Charles
Spurgeon argued that "Unholy Christians are the plague of the church. They are spots in
our feasts of charity. Like hidden rocks, they are the terror of navigators. It
is hard to steer clear of them: and there is no telling what wrecks they may
cause." Spurgeon's words hit home with me. I know of many people in my
circle of acquaintance who have been wrecked on the rocks of "unholy
Christians." Unholy Christians maintain grudges, seldom forgive, and often
act selfishly against the interests of others. It is rare when an unholy Christian
reacts with compassion or draws the one who has been cast out into the
community. I believe that unholy Christians are the most significant reason for
people leaving the church. Brennan Manning is right. "The greatest single
cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with
their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an
unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
Hebrews
makes two arguments here. The first is that, as people who follow Christ, we should
"make every effort to live in peace with everyone." The words are
important. They are not "make every effort to live in peace with people
who believe like you" or "make every effort to live in peace with
people who behave like you." And there is a reason for that. We live in a
world that has a spectrum of beliefs. We worship differently and often believe
in different things, even if we follow the same God. But regardless of that
division, we are to make every effort to live in peace.
I
am a Baptist. That means that, among other things, I think that Baptism is essential.
But I have changed denominations in my life. I grew up in the Church of the
Nazarene, and Nazarene's emphasize spiritual or biblical holiness. Opponents of
Christianity make a lot of these artificial divisions. But what is impressive
to some is that nothing has changed in my belief structure. When I was a
Nazarene, I believed in the importance of Baptism. And as a Baptist, I believe
in the importance of biblical holiness. In fact, I know people who have been
Baptist all their lives who believe in the incredible importance of holiness.
Even
if that was not true, we are still to live in peace with each other. But that
peace does not stop there. We are to live at peace with people who are outside
of the faith. We are to make every effort to live at peace with everyone.
But
the second command is "be holy." It is just another way of saying
that we are to live lives that have been set apart for God. Maybe I don't want
to get along with a particular person, or I think that someone is tedious and,
therefore, below my notice. But I am set apart for God, which means that if
someone is important to God, then they are important to me.
The
reality is that these two concepts are intimately connected. Because I have
been set apart for God, the petty differences present between people in this
world are unimportant. "Christ in me" reminds me of the importance of
every person I meet, and therefore I will make every effort to live in peace
with them. And if I don't make every effort to live in peace, then I am not set
apart for God, and I am unholy.
If
unholy Christians are the "greatest single cause of atheism," then
holy Christians are the single greatest cause for hope. When we are set apart
for God and make every effort to live in peace with everyone, we can make this
world a better place and positively impact our culture everywhere that this journey
through life might take us.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13
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