Remember to love while keeping Christianity
Remember to love while keeping Christianity
Today, God’s true New Testament Church finds herself in a time that most thought would never come in America.
The recent ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States has been thoroughly written and spoken about by people of every sector since the day of the ruling.
The difference of thought is caused by the fact that most Christians hold to a Biblical worldview and the contrasting side of this issue holds to either a Theism, Naturalism, Secular Humanism or a Postmodern worldview.
This has caused a gaping chasm that is wider apart than any Democrat or Republican issue disparity. The rhetoric has been heard and now the church must be about the Great Commission left to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20.
The New Testament clearly identifies homosexuality as a sexual sin in Romans 1:24-28. Also identified as sin are adultery, premarital sex and any type of sex outside the bounds of a marriage between one man and one woman.
Jesus speaking in Matthew 19:4-6 stated, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’ What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Whether consciously or subconsciously, every person has a worldview, a framework from which reality is viewed and sense is made of life and the world. Charles “Chuck” Colson, an Evangelical Christian leader who founded Prison Fellowship and also served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon prior to his conversion to Christianity said that a Biblical worldview is “practicing the Kingship of Jesus.”
This means living every area of our lives in obedience to and for the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Revelation 4:11 states, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
As Christians we are commanded by our Savior and Lord to put into practice the Kingship of Jesus which will affect every single area of our lives and the manner in which we live our lives out daily. Having a biblical worldview means believing that the primary reason for existence is to love and to serve God.
Therefore, the Bible believing Christian sides with the teachings of the New Testament concerning the issues we face each and every day.
Christians are confronted with questions of why we do not hold to the Old Testament passages which deal with such things as dietary laws, festivals, proper dress and many other areas of our lives. Many things listed in the Old Testament but not referenced in the New Testament were considered under the Law.
Jesus stated in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill.” Christ came and fulfilled the Law so now the Church is under the age of Grace which follows the teachings of the New Testament as well as the moral law of God.
People without a Biblical worldview quickly point out the number of divorces inside the church. Yes, divorce is hated by God and the evangelical church does not negate the New Testament teachings on divorce either.
Much is said about marriage equality today. The Bible does teach marriage equality in which every man can marry a woman and every woman can marry a man. This is Biblical marriage equality which is derived by one’s Biblical worldview of trusting the Bible for every person and every family to experience God’s best.
This current culture labels Christians as haters. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We Christians are commanded to love every person, but our loving all people is not a synonym for “I accept anything and everything you want to do.” Every person is to be valued as God values people.
Several years ago I had a good friendship with a man in which we visited, played and dined together many times. He was a homosexual and he understood that I believed his lifestyle was a sinful one. As he lay dying of AIDS, he asked me to preach his funeral service knowing how much I disagreed with his homosexual lifestyle.
Christians are to accept all people but just not their lifestyle of sin. We love every person who has been divorced, but just do not believe it is God’s best for our lives and families.
We love everyone who has committed adultery or premarital sex but God says those acts or behaviors are sins against one’s own body and God Himself.
We love every homosexual but God calls this lifestyle sinful. Therefore there is no hate in a Biblical worldview, just adherence to the teachings of the Bible.
The Bible clearly teaches in John 13:34; “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
While America’s founding fathers were not all committed Christians, they were, by a vast majority, those who held strongly to the Judeo-Christian moral standard. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court concerning same sex marriage is a clear step for America away from this moral standard.
Abraham Lincoln said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
It is critical for the church of Jesus Christ to respond in a way that allows the gospel message to advance God’s kingdom.
We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into heated debates and arguments that rarely accomplish anything. And, yes, standing for our Biblical beliefs and convictions can definitely be achieved without spraying hate. It is called responding like Jesus to people that we wholeheartedly disagree with on any given topic.
Bible believing Christians must determine to not alienate those we disagree with, but instead embrace any opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ in order to advance God’s kingdom. Luke 19:10 says “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He didn’t come to win an argument.
Finally, a word from the Bible should be adhered to by every person claiming the name of Jesus Christ. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:14-15
1 Electronic source July 20, 2015; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Colson
Dr. Mark Moore is the pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Canton.
