{"id":21322,"date":"2020-10-25T18:01:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T23:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/?p=21322"},"modified":"2020-10-27T19:35:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:35:00","slug":"half-right-completely-wrong-shallow-things-religious-people-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/half-right-completely-wrong-shallow-things-religious-people-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Half right, completely wrong: Shallow things religious people say"},"content":{"rendered":"

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.\u00a0 \u2013Titus 2:1\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re active on social media, you’ll encounter these platitudes often.\u00a0 Eventually, you will learn to ignore them or they will drive you batty.<\/p>\n

Here are four that have my attention today….<\/p>\n

One. \u201cChristianity is not a religion;\u00a0 it\u2019s a relationship.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sounds right, but it\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 Ask yourself one question:\u00a0 As a follower of Jesus, someone in a (ahem) relationship with Him, would it be all right if I joined a religion and became a Buddhist or Taoist or a Jew or a Muslim? After all, as a Christian I\u2019m not in a religion as such (according to this thinking) and there would be no reason not to. \u00a0 Of course those religions are incompatible with the way of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way of Jesus Christ\u201d?\u00a0 That is what we call The Christian Religion.<\/p>\n

Friend, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, well\u2026.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A religion may be defined as a systemized practice of worship involving a God, a place or places of worship, a system of beliefs, and in most cases exclusivity (that is, it claims to hold The truth).<\/p>\n

Sure sounds like the Christian faith qualifies, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n

True, at the heart of the Christian faith stands our relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We repent of our sin and yield ourselves to Him, inviting Him into our lives and confessing Him as\u00a0 Lord and Savior.\u00a0 Thereafter, we are saved, born again, a new creation.\u00a0 We have a new relationship with Heaven, with the Father, with Jesus, with other believers.\u00a0 Even a new relationship with ourselves.\u00a0 Old things have passed away; all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).<\/p>\n

Without that relationship with Christ, what we have is a religion only and nothing more. A shell without the kernel.\u00a0 Form without content. \u00a0 A place to go on Sundays and meaningless rules to follow. \u201cHaving a form of godliness but denying the power thereof\u201d is how Paul put it (2 Timothy 3:5).\u00a0 This may have been what the Lord had in mind when He told the Church at Ephesus that while they were doing many things well, \u201cI have this against you: You have left your first love\u201d (Revelation 2:4).<\/p>\n

Better that we would say, \u201cChristianity is first and foremost a relationship with Jesus Christ, and only secondarily a religion.\u201d\u00a0 But that just doesn\u2019t have the zing of the half-truth, does it?<\/p>\n

Two:\u00a0 \u201cAll sin is equal in the sight of God.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This is not only wrong, it is unreasonable to the human mind, contrary to Holy Scripture, an insult to the Living God, and mind-boggling to those who know their Bibles.<\/p>\n

Where did this originate?\u00a0 Perhaps from texts such as I Samuel 15:23, \u201cRebellion is as the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.\u201d\u00a0 Or, perhaps when our Lord said, \u201cHe who lusts after a woman hath already committed adultery with her in his heart\u201d (Matthew 5:28).\u00a0 Each statement was to prevent people from minimizing their rebellion\/arrogance or lustful thoughts by saying, \u201cWell, at least I didn\u2019t act on that.\u201d God says we should know the severity of such wrong thoughts and harsh attitude.<\/p>\n

The heart matters. Thoughts count.\u00a0 Everything we do\u00a0 originates there (see Matthew 15:19).<\/p>\n

But let no one think that to covet or lust is the same in the sight of God as acting on that. Hatred is bad and is indeed the root of murder, but the murderer is not on the same footing before Almighty God as one harboring ill will toward his brother.<\/p>\n

On this subject, Billy Graham said, \u201cIt seems obvious that some sins are worse than others, both in motivation and effects, and should be judged accordingly.\u00a0 Stealing a loaf of bread is vastly different (from) exterminating a million people.\u00a0 Sins may also differ at the root.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stealing is stealing, some would say.\u00a0 Not necessarily.\u00a0 In Scripture times, the poor of the land would come behind reapers taking what fell off the wagon, would gather around the edges of the fields, and would be granted the right for a second harvest (after the owners reaped the first one).\u00a0 When I was growing up on the farm, I can tell you that anyone doing such a thing would have been accused of outright thievery.\u00a0 Yet, it was approved in Israel.<\/p>\n

Scripture teaches there are degrees of punishment.\u00a0 Some people will have it easier at judgment than others.\u00a0 Sodom\u2019s punishment will be lighter than Capernaum\u2019s since Sodom\u2019s opportunities were so few and Capernaum rejected the greatest Teacher ever (Matthew 11:23-24).\u00a0 Jesus said some who deserved punishment would receive \u201cmany blows\u201d and others \u201cfew blows\u201d (Luke 12:47-48), depending on what they did with the opportunities they were given.\u00a0 He pronounced a more severe condemnation on religious leaders for their pride and unbelief than on those in darkness who were sexually immoral (Matthew 23:13ff).<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, sin is unbelief and an affront to the Living God.\u00a0 But all sin is not equal. Doubters should consider whether they deal with their children the same when one tells a fib and the other steals a car and robs a store.\u00a0 Fibbing can be the first step toward the bigger wrongs, true.\u00a0 But it is not equal to all out rebellion and crime\u2013not in man\u2019s sight and neither in God\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Three:\u00a0 \u201cAll we need is love.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We do need love.\u00a0 It\u2019s the mark of a believer (John 13:34-35).\u00a0 Loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-39).<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we need is love\u201d is a loophole in search of a lazy pilgrim.\u00a0 It appears to be the credo of those wishing to bypass Scripture\u2019s instructions to forsake not the assembling of ourselves to worship, our responsibilities toward one another and the lost of the world, and our obligations to give, to pray, to serve, to teach, evangelize, and so forth.<\/p>\n

Again, it\u2019s a half truth since great works without love renders them useless (see I Corinthians 13:1ff).\u00a0 The church at Ephesus was in danger of losing their franchise because they had \u201cleft their first love\u201d (Revelation 2:1ff.).\u00a0 So, while love is the very heart of our relationship to Christ, and love is the motivating factor behind all we do for Christ and His church, we must not opt for oversimplification and say \u201clove is enough.\u201d\u00a0 Loving obedience is the correct way.<\/p>\n

Four:\u00a0 \u201cScripture says judge not.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This oft-quoted verse is found in Matthew 7:1 \u201cJudge not, that you be not judged.\u201d\u00a0 The passage continues, For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.<\/em>\u00a0 The point seems clear enough on the surface, but unthinking people have cited this to rebuke anyone trying his\/her best to use discernment in decision-making.<\/p>\n

Someone is arrested for child abuse and goes to prison.\u00a0 When they are released, someone suggests they not be allowed to work in the church preschool.\u00a0 \u201cDo not judge,\u201d the shallow believer says. \u201cAfter all, they paid for their crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

A church secretary is arrested for embezzling.\u00a0 She goes to prison for ten years. When she comes out, someone suggests that she should be church treasurer. \u201cAfter all, she knows what to watch for now.\u00a0 She was always a whiz about finances.\u201d\u00a0 But no, the leadership says; she is not trustworthy.\u00a0 \u201cDo not judge,\u201d they are rebuked.<\/p>\n

A pastor I know had a man arrested for abusing his (the pastor\u2019s) child.\u00a0 A church member resisted the pastor and paid the man\u2019s bail, no doubt saying the pastor was judging the man too harshly.\u00a0 Once he was released, the molester got a gun and killed the pastor\u2019s son and his wife, then took his own life.<\/p>\n

Beloved, let us not be stupid and blame it on Jesus.<\/p>\n

Same chapter, verse 20. \u201cTherefore, by their fruits you shall know them.\u201d\u00a0 The Lord is warning against false teachers who appear in sheep\u2019s clothing (v. 15).\u00a0 Inside, \u201cthey are ravenous wolves.\u201d\u00a0 So, He says, His people are to pay attention to the product of such teachers and make knowledgeable decisions based on \u201ctheir fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew 7:1 is cautioning us not to condemn people.\u00a0 However, we are not to be blind toward false teachers and wicked con men who would deceive us.\u00a0 Matthew 10:16 calls on God’s people to be \u201cwise as serpents and as harmless as doves.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a prospective employer, I will try to make sound judgments concerning your suitability to employment in my firm.\u00a0 You may feel I am judging you harshly.\u00a0 That is your prerogative.\u00a0 But my job is to make the soundest decisions for this business I possibly can.<\/p>\n

So, there!<\/p>\n

Those are four shallow oversimplifications we hear God\u2019s people spouting from time to time.\u00a0 These are not all, of course.\u00a0 The enemy is creating new half-truths even as we speak.\u00a0 In all things, we should use discernment, act in love, and not sin.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.\u00a0 \u2013Titus 2:1\u00a0 If you’re active on social media, you’ll encounter these platitudes often.\u00a0 Eventually, you will learn to ignore them or they will drive you batty. Here … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-truth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21322"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21341,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21322\/revisions\/21341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}