"Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (NRSV)
If you cruise the Internet at all, there seem to be a lot of articles and op-eds about millenials leaving the Church and finding "God" in other places. And actually, who can blame them? The American Church is a mess. It seems that almost every week some prominent Christian is exposed as being involved in sexual sin. And rather than take responsibility for what’s happening, Christians want to lay the responsibility at the feet of Satan.
We need to realize that while Satan is the tempter, he is powerless against the Holy Spirit who resides within us. Satan can tempt, but he cannot force us to sin. No, instead we have become a people, a Church, that hides our sin, hoping and longing that we won’t be found out, that we will be able to totally avoid any consequences for our lustful actions and decisions.
Paul outlines three things that give validity to his ministry. They are three things that we would be wise to incorporate into our lives if we want others to look at us and see reality in our walk with the Lord:
(1) We have renounced the shameful things that one hides.
(2) We refuse to practice cunning.
(3) We refuse to falsify God’s word.
We have renounced the shameful things that one hides.
Renounce: to give up and refuse to follow and to even acknowledge any further.
As Christians, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to choose instead lives of righteousness. We have our consciences quickened so that sin can be readily identified and rooted out. And yet, with all that, we may still embrace sin. When we do, it is usually hidden from others. We know it is sin. We know it should be condemned. So when we do it, we do it in the darkness, in those hidden moments when no one else of the family of God can find out.
Paul not only refused to choose sin, he renounced it! He refused to even consider it any further in his life. It wasn’t that Paul suddenly decided that he would be honest about his lusts and desires and would simply do them in the open. That’s not what this says. What it says is that those things, which are often done in secret, Paul renounces because he acknowledges that they are naturally shameful.
Paul’s life was lived transparently. It was open for all to see. There were no locked doors, no solitary habits, no secret computer accounts, no clandestine meetings. Paul states: "we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God." Paul is saying that anyone can look at his life and know that his life is sinless and pure.
Can we all say that? If a television crew were allowed in our homes at this very moment with access to every drawer, every computer file, every moment of our lives, would our Christian witness continue to be a light to the world? Or would we be exposed as hypocrites and liars?
The American Church is adept at easily brushing off its own sin, but brutally condemning the sin of nonbelievers. That is so opposite from what scripture says. First, we are to judge ourselves: "But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged." (1 Corinthians 11:31 NRSV). We are so worried about "loving" ourselves, we have forgotten that if we did truly love ourselves, we would be more concerned about the sin in our lives than granting ourselves permission to be kind to ourselves. I mean, really! If a little child is playing too close to the edge of a cliff, we are not concerned about encouraging their creativity and fun, but rather are snatching them from the edge so that they aren’t dashed to their death. But when it comes to our own indulgences, we are more concerned about loving ourselves than understanding that we need to be brutal with our own lusts which are leading us closer and closer to destruction. We need to learn to daily judge ourselves so that we might make better choices.
Second, we are to judge the family of God: "For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? God will judge those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you." (1Corinthians 5:12-13 NRSV). We. Are. To. Judge. That sounds so awful because we have heard for so long that we should live and let live. And yet, by judging our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are truly loving them! So what is judgment and what isn’t judgment? "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1 NKJV). Judgment is understanding the seriousness of sin and doing whatever is necessary to restore that person to a true relationship with God. Judging isn’t gossip, criticism, or flaunting one’s own "righteousness."
Third, we are not to judge nonbelievers. "For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? God will judge those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you." (1Corinthians 5:12-13 NRSV). We are responsible for the family. God is responsible for everyone else.
We need to focus on the sin within our midst and to purge it completely through teaching and restoration.
We refuse to practice cunning
Paul is saying that he refuses to market Christianity using anything other than the truth. Sometimes I think we have gone crazy with pithy names, catchy programming, and trying to look like other than what we are. I mean, I’m sure God doesn’t care if we have fancy stage lighting if we are also taking care of the poor and widows in our community. I’m sure God doesn’t care if we have amped up the music if we are dedicating our worship to listening to His quiet voice. I’m sure God doesn’t care if we dress in our most comfy (and not always clean) clothes if our focus is on bringing Him the glory (rather than satisfying our own comfort).
What is Christianity? And have we, in an attempt to make ourselves "relevant" actually morphed the Church into something other than the Bride of Christ? When I have time to surf Facebook, I am sometimes surprised to see "Christian" posters forwarded by people that I didn’t think were Christians! Is a poster how we share our faith? Or are our lives? When people look at me, is my life such that they say, "That’s what Jesus is like"? Or is my faith so hidden that they have no idea that I’m (supposedly) sold out to Him?
If our faith relies on gimmicks, then our faith is useless. Worse than that, it is absent! Our faith should be readily evident, and, with Paul, we should be able to say that "we refuse to practice cunning" in order to win souls to Christ.
We refuse to falsify God’s Word
Paul could say this with confidence because he had taken years to learn what God’s Word actually said. In fact, Paul was raised as a Pharisee and already knew the Old Testament inside and out. Then, after his conversion, in a period from 11-17 years, Paul was engaged in ministry only slightly, but rather spent his time restudying the Word of God and learning how the Old Testament told of Jesus over and over again. Paul could say, without hesitation, that he refused to falsify God’s Word because he knew what God’s Word said.
Can we say that? Do we study God’s Word? Do we choose good biblical teachers to listen to and then study the Word to confirm what they say? Or do we simply attend church (perhaps weekly or less) and feel that we have satisfied the Father with our "Sunday obligation" attendance?
Many, many Christians falsify God’s Word without knowing it because they listen to false teachers and don’t spend the time studying themselves. Others study, but twist scriptures to say what they want them to say in order to satisfy their own desires and lusts. If we are to truly be effective in our witness to the world, we need to be able to know that we aren’t falsifying God’s Word, both in our lives and in our speech.
Paul had a valid ministry because he held himself to a high standard of conduct, the kind of conduct that is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we want to have an effective, powerful ministry, we need to dedicate our lives to these same standards. Only then will the American Church become spiritually strong and have the possibility of an impact on our culture. Only then will we be the light on the hill. Only then will the world truly see Christ in our lives.
© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment