Not Sweet, Salty
“Christianity is radical. You do not want to do that!” This was my husband’s response when I told him I had become a Christian many years ago (see “The Church Lady”).
It was too late. The Lord had been showing me my sin and therefore, my need for a Savior, for some time. Now, I was confessing my faith in Christ. There was no turning back.
The Lord brought my husband to faith shortly after this conversation. His understanding of the radical nature of Christianity has been proven true. As we studied God’s Word we have seen the truths of God’s promises for peace and joy in this life since our salvation, but only by abandoning the priority of our own comfort.
In the hours leading up to Christ’s crucifixion He was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, denied, flogged, mocked, and after all this He was given the cross He would be crucified on to carry to Golgotha. Listed like this, the horror of what He went through is not easily understood. Drag these out over several hours and you can see that “uncomfortable” would be an understatement for what Jesus, our Lord, went through on that day.
With Christ suffering as He did while he was in the body of a man, it is apparent to me that, like my husband, I should have seen the radical nature of Christianity earlier. Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commands. Romans 8:29 reminds us that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. He also told us to take up our crosses and follow Him. (How radical must this have sounded to His listeners prior to His taking up the cross?)
Well, radical sounds great when He was showing compassion, feeding people, or healing illnesses. But, He also called out false teachers and Pharisees (Matthew 3:7, 12:34). He turned over the tables of the money-changers in His temple who dared to use the sacrificial system for their financial advantage (Mark 11:15).
Some Christians today are uncomfortable with the brother or sister in Christ who will state that abortion is murder on social media. They shy away from any conversation that would imply that two people of the same sex should not get married according to Biblical principle. We have dropped the words “sin and repentance” from our vocabulary, and the “pandemic” has revealed an idolizing of the state that many of us were unaware we harbored within us.
Too many people would rather see the state at work than see the Church at work.
As Christians, we have much to confess and repent of before God. We have been sitting quietly by while the state “legalized” what the Bible forbids. We would rather tell bold Christians to be quiet than to join them in calling for godly principles and to face these national sins ourselves. (My pastor hypothesizes that most Christians today would tell John the Baptist to stop nagging Herod about his brother’s wife.)
The thing that makes Christianity radical is that God requires our faithfulness to Him (24/7, 365 days a year), which includes faithfulness to his Word…all of it.
As we look at the pain and agony that Christ suffered in history, are we willing to give up our earthly comforts in order to be faithful to Him? Will we speak the truth in love, be salty salt (not sugary) and a bright light to the world so that we give evidence to the hurting and fearful world that our Christ reigns over all?