It Doesn’t Matter

 

I remember saying, “He isn’t a Christian so I can’t hold him to the biblical standard I live by.”                                                                                                     The response of my Christian friend was, “Why not? God does.”

Prior to this conversation I had believed that I could not expect Christian behavior from a non-Christian. What his exchange did for me was remind me that if I did not at least explain the biblical standard, I was damning that person to Hell.

I do not expect a non-Christian to know and understand what the Bible says.  However, God commands, and expects that, as a Christian, I will love my neighbor enough to want her to know. It is not loving to knowingly leave a neighbor in sin that is condemned by God.  When that person faces God at judgment, He will hold my neighbor to the biblical standard. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

• It does not matter if the other person believes in God or His Word, the Bible.
• It does not matter if they accept what I have to say in the moment.
• It does not matter if others mock or ridicule me, or the words I use.

Our nation has lost the basic understandings about God as we have removed Him from public school, made religion a taboo topic, and pretended it does not matter if anyone knows what His Word says.

God is a loving and gracious heavenly Father. His laws are set down for all to read because He wants to protect us from evil, and give us the requirements we need to lead loving, peaceful, and joyful lives. If He commands against something, it is because that is what is good for us. His children will benefit the most, but every person ever born will live better by obeying His Law.

These are truths. Not believing them does not change them.

I fear that even Christians have begun to compromise on who God is. Many of us define God’s love as all inclusive and never correcting wrongs –as if there were no wrongs. We celebrate godly parents who discipline their children but hate God when He disciplines us. He disciplines us for the same reason good parents are diligent about teaching a high standard of behavior to their children – He loves us too much to leave us in our sin.

Babies belong to God and we kill them by the millions while they are in what should be the safest place of all their lives – their mothers’ wombs. Marriage is God’s creation (Genesis 2:24), as are heterosexual relationships. We have taken it from the covenantal context in which it was created and made it something to be redefined by what man wants. In neither case do we have the right to make a new law. There is one Law and it stands. (Acts 5:29)

Judgment is the consequence of disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15). We can take what we know to be true from God’s Word and teach others so they will not experience the consequences – both here and at judgment, or we can leave this world in her ignorance and reap the same judgment because we refuse to love our neighbors. (Joshua 24:15)

Quietly sitting by while our nation falls away from Christ is not service.  As Christians, we must take Joshua’s challenge and choose this day whom we will serve.

Do not believe for a minute that whom you serve doesn’t matter.

As for me and my house? We will serve the Lord.