A Poor Excuse

Mahatma Gandhi, known for his nonviolent resistance, is quoted as saying, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians." His sentiment is echoed by countless unbelievers and "former" Christians who have either abandoned the faith altogether or never gave Jesus Christ a chance because of poor representation by His so-called followers. One Christian apologist was asked by a friend of his, "If this conversion you speak about is truly supernatural, then why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?” This is related to the idea that if God transforms the lives of people how come you don't see more people with transformed lives? According to the Barna Group, "only 30% of adults in the United States have a “positive” perception of evangelicals." These numbers are not surprising. We all can point towards a Christian, some Christians, a church, or whatever it is related to Christianity, and detail a poor experience that turned us off. 

One article says it this way. "What puts a bad taste in people’s mouths is the individualistic actions of people like the televangelist whose public tears for the poor dries up when allegations of corruption and theft are proven, the professing Christian at the office who maligns and stabs their co-workers in the back, the clergyman who is indicted for child pornography and sex abuse, the business that advertises itself as “Christian owned and operated” but routinely puts out shoddy work, and the church deacon who bullies, cheats on and verbally mistreats his wife." Does that sound like something you or somebody you know has experienced? Now, I could sit here and offer many explanations for the types of behavior that has given Christians a bad name. The people that are responsible for such bad examples may be legalists, immature Christians, false Christians, or not Christians at all. They probably deserve the criticism. 

However, what did those opposed to Jesus Christ say about Him? When Pilate told the assembly that he had found no basis for a charge against Jesus, the crowd responded, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here (Luke 23:5).” A short time later, Jesus was sent to Herod. But, "Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11)." After Jesus was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin, He spoke of His coming glory. What was the response He received? "He deserves to die," they answered. Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You (Matthew 26:66-68)?" When Jesus was dining at the home of Matthew, the Pharisees asked His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11)?" What you see is that the Jesus Christ that Gandhi likes was physically attacked, the victim of false accusations, verbally assaulted, and subjected to an illegal trial. And we all know that this led to His eventual death on the cross.

Therefore, while I understand that Christians may not always represent the best that Jesus has to offer, these attacks on Christians don't diminish Jesus Christ, the Gospel message, or God's church. They only serve to validate the words of Jesus Himself when He said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18)." Remember, the criticism of unbelievers doesn't mean that they understand that which they are criticizing or that their criticism is valid. Do not allow unbelievers to establish the criteria by which Christians are judged. Remember, "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)." When an individual doesn't recognize their need for a Savior, why should we be surprised by their criticism of those delivering that message? Even if the behavior of a Christian leads to an unbelievers contempt, it is only evidence of our need for Jesus Christ, not a valid excuse for their rejection of Him. 

A Sensitive God

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." Hebrews 1:1-2

Prior to God creating mankind there was a rebellion in Heaven. Revelation 12:4 reads, "His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth." This verse is thought to refer to a time when the devil rebelled against God and took a third of the angels with him. While we do not know this for certain, what we do know is that after God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, the devil showed up to tempt them into disobeying God. In Genesis 3:5, the devil said to Eve, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." We know that Adam and Eve fell into temptation, ate the forbidden fruit and sin entered the world. This is referred to as the Fall. Later on, we have the Jews enslaved in Egypt when God delivers them from the bondage of Pharaoh. During their journey to the Promised Land, the Jews witnessed multiple miracles by God in order to keep them moving and protect them from Pharaoh's advancing army. God led the people by a pillar of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. He parted the Red Sea which enabled them to cross it on dry land. God then returned the waters to their original state which led to the army of Pharaoh being drowned. After all of this God went to speak to His people and they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, or we will die (Exodus 20:19).” Thousands of years later, God came to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. He performed many miracles, fulfilled ancient prophecies and lived a sinless life. He eventually was betrayed by His own people and put to death as an innocent man. During His ministry, there was a moment when He reflected on His people and said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling (Matthew 23:37)." These are just a few examples of the times God was rejected by His own people as well as Lucifer (the devil) and a third of the angels. Ask yourself one question, "How much rejection could you take before you would hesitate to open up to people again?" Generation after generation, God has reached out to the people of the world, both Jew and Gentile, and for the most part, He has been rejected. Even for those who believe in Him, many times all they want from Him is what He can provide to bless their flesh instead of desiring to know Him for who He is.

Have you ever wondered why, as a Christian, it seems as if God never speaks to you? Take a moment and consider that God may be a bit sensitive about opening up to people. After all, just look at His experiences in the past previously mentioned. Aside from the verse when Jesus was lamenting over Jerusalem, there are other times you could see His frustration with the people. In John 6:26, Jesus says, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." The people only wanted Jesus because He fed them not because they were interested in whether or not He was the Messiah who had come to save them. At another point, the Lord said, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah (Matthew 16:4)." He said this in response to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to Him asking to see a sign from Heaven. It was as if He was a circus performer sent to entertain them. They didn't believe in who He was, but kept testing Him anyway. Then there is Jesus being presented to Herod. "Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length, but He answered him nothing (Luke 23:8-9)." Jesus had reached a point where He had been rejected so much that He refused to do anything at all, even respond to repeated questions. Of course, this was to our benefit because it all added up to Him being crucified for our sins. However, what I hope you see in all of this is that God has had a long history of trying to speak to the people of the world. And throughout that history, the vast majority of the world has rejected Him. The angels were in His presence in Heaven. Adam and Eve were in His presence in a perfect world. The Jews were in His presence as He rescued them from slavery. And God came to us as a man to reach out to us in person. The result was that time after time we rejected Him. Therefore, take this into consideration if you do not hear from Him, but do not be dismayed. Remember, that God, through your faith in Jesus Christ is faithful to you, will never leave you or forsake, and nothing can separate you from His love. Whether or not you believe He has spoken to you, be encouraged that He is still there in your presence for all eternity.

Condemned Already

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:18

A Christian apologist was taking questions about God when someone asked him about free will. This is how he responded. "Ladies, is there anybody in here who's ever had a man pursue you and you did not want that man to pursue you; you did not want to date him? Anyone in here? Of course [hands go up] ... Okay ladies, suppose this man continues to pursue you and continues to pursue you. You say, 'I only like you as a friend.' Ladies, why don't you just take the knife, stick it in, and turn it [laughter]. Because every man in here has heard this; I like you, but only as a friend. Well, suppose that he continues to pursue you, continues to pursue you, continues to pursue you. And he gets to the point where he says, "Look, I love you so much, I am going to force you to love me! Can he do that? No, he can't do that. Love, by definition, must be freely given. So, if he truly did love you, what would he do? He would leave you alone. That's exactly what God does. He keeps sending us cards, letters and flowers while we're here. And if we keep rejecting Him, keep rejecting Him, He gives us up to our own desires. And that, ultimately, is what Hell is; Hell is separation from God. So, you're free in Hell.You can continue to reject God in Hell. But, you are confined to Hell. In fact, Hell is a quarantine of evil. And Heaven, of course, is being in the very presence of God. God loves you too much to force you into His presence against your will." One of the rejections often put forth by unbelievers is that they cannot believe in a God that will send someone to Hell for not believing in Him. This same Christian spoke of a debate he had with an atheist. The atheist said to him, "My mother was a survivor of the Holocaust. She lived an awful life. Somebody presented her with the Gospel and she rejected it. Is she in Hell right now?" It doesn't get any more direct than that. The Christian said, "I don't know where your mother is. I don't know if she made a profession of faith in her last moments. But, if she didn't, then God will not force her into His presence against her will. God is too loving for that." That is a good answer. When I heard the question the atheist asked, I thought to myself, what he is really saying is that I won't believe in a God that allowed my mother to go through hell on earth and then sent her to Hell because she didn't believe in Jesus Christ. He is not only judging God, he doesn't realize that the whole reason people suffer is because we, in Adam, rejected God and sin entered the world.

Everybody knows John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." In fact, it may be the most well-known words ever spoken in human history. But, how many people, especially unbelievers, know John 3:18? In this verse, Jesus clearly says that those who do not believe in Him are "condemned already." In other words, you may be physically alive and have not believed in Jesus Christ as your savior, but your "reservation," if you will, has already been made in Hell. Through His sinless life, death on the cross for the sins of the world and resurrection from the dead, to offer us the life of God, Jesus has done everything for us, except for one thing. He can't make you believe in Him. God doesn't send anybody to Hell. If a person ends up in Hell, it is their fault, not His. He has left the door to salvation wide open. All a person has to do is walk through it. But, many people don't want to. They have their own ideas about who God should be and how life should be. And because the truth of the Gospel doesn't match up, they reject it, to their demise. I could imagine the conversation between the atheist and God, assuming the atheist never comes to faith in Jesus, and his mother is not in Heaven. It may go something like this. Atheist: "How could You allow my mother to suffer so much in the Holocaust and then send her to Hell for not believing in Jesus Christ?" God: "How could you and your mother not accept My Son when He died for you, your mother, the Nazis and the entire world? I wanted You all to be here with Me, but you did not want to be here." Jesus said, "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).'" Hell was made for the devil and his angels, not for man! But, if you reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God has nowhere else to put you. The Apostle Peter wrote, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." He clearly says that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God doesn't want you to go to Hell, He wants you to change your mind about Jesus Christ and believe the Gospel. The suffering that we all go through, to one degree or another, is designed to get us to focus on eternal things; things above as the Bible calls it. Unfortunately, for some, they believe that life should not be one of suffering. And instead of blaming sin, they continue to reject God because they don't want His love. God will have given them exactly what they wanted and they will have an eternity to think about it.