So ... what about Christianity? I'm not talking here about it's truthness (yes, I made that word up). It is true. No, the question I'm addressing to Christians is how do we make it appear true? How do we, as we seek to spread the Gospel, make it appear to onlookers as credible, believable, valid?
Well, to answer that question, I'll go in the opposite direction. A lot of people today believe that Christianity is not true, not plausible. Some of that, of course, has nothing to do with us. It's the nature of humans (e.g., 1 Cor 1:18; 2:14). Some of it, though, certainly does have to do with us. Why do I say that? What have we done to contribute to the perception that Christianity is not true? Ask yourself: How many times have you heard people object to the truth claims of Christianity with this premise -- "Well, the Christians I've known have been real jerks!" Feel free to substitute other descriptives for "jerks" -- "unreliable", "immoral", "just as bad as anyone else", and so on. What we have contributed to the problem is that we haven't been lights shining on the hill (Matt 5:14-17), reflections of Christ to the world. No, we have talked the good talk. (Get it? A play on words. "The good talk" as in "the Gospel". Oh, never mind. If I have to explain it, it loses its humor value.) We tell people, "Come to Christ. He can change your life." But do we reflect changed lives?
Have you ever met someone who, at first meeting, you just know is a believer? I don't doubt you have. I don't doubt most people have. They're stand-outs, exceptional characters. They exude love. Oh, they may be opposed to all the same sins you are, but when they oppose them, you can just tell that they do so out of genuine concern rather than other selfish motivations. They don't seem to make a show of their differences -- they just are different.
They generally have similar traits to one another. Besides being virtuous people with genuine integrity, they seem to have similar demeanor. They genuinely care about people. There seems to be a quiet but undeniable "joy fountain" in them -- an inner sense of contentment and a ready smile. They don't seem to be easily ruffled by life's vagaries. Instead, they patiently exhibit kindness to everyone. They are just, well, good. You can rely on them. They aren't loud or abrasive, but easy to get along with. They have real self-control. Oh, wait, let me reword that list: They have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Sound familiar?
What is plausible Christianity? It is that Christianity that is lived by believers. To the extent to which we allow the Spirit to work in us, we become more plausible. It is when you find yourself in an upward spiral that changes your everyday life. Peter put it this way:
Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love (2 Peter 1:5-7).There are some "Christians" who are not genuine believers. I get that. If you are a genuine believer, then -- a genuine Christian as in "follower of Christ" -- your goal, your longing, your passion must be to imitate and reflect Christ in your everyday living. The more of us that actually reflect Christ because we allow the Spirit to bear fruit in us and work with God as Peter says, the more plausible Christianity becomes to onlookers. And isn't that really a good idea if we intend to share the Good News with them? If you want to share the truth of Christ with people, surely you don't want to also be a key reason they don't find it believable, do you?
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