Because of You

Paul, in several of his letters, tells his readers something like, "We give thanks to God always for all of you" (1 Thess 1:2). How nice. Because of them, Paul gave thanks to God. They're lives and attitudes and actions and faith caused Paul to be grateful. On the other hand we read, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (Rom 2:24). Oh, now that's not so nice.

I cannot tell you how many times I've been told what unchristian things Christians have done and are doing. Some of it is "excusable," not in the sense of "it's okay," but in the sense that we all make mistakes and they did (or I did). Some, on the other hand, is horrible. I think of the famous Crusades where people went off to war in the name of Christ to rescue "holy lands." Lots of genuine evil has been done in the name of Christ. There are plenty of people who blaspheme God because of these. There are many, even so-called Christians, who use them as a tool to denigrate Christ, His Church, and His people.

I understand the dilemma. People are claiming to do bad things in the name of Christ. If they are, then Christ is bad. I get it. But for reasons I do not understand, no one appears to ask, "Is what they did something of which Christ would approve?" Or, if they do, it is based on a Christ of their own manufacture. They assign their own values to Christ. They build God in their own image and then assume that He will do/allow/approve what they outline for Him. So "Jesus would never condone calling sinners out for their sin" is a fabrication based on a "Jesus of my own making" and not the Jesus revealed in the pages of Scripture (e.g., the "woes" of Christ such as Matt 11:21; Matt 23:13-29; Luke 6:24-26).

So, what to do? Perhaps this is radical, but perhaps we ought to start by taking God at His Word. What does He say about Himself? What does Scripture say about Christ? Is there anything in the Word that suggests that we should go to war with Islam to save some "holy lands"? Then let's not assign that to "Christian." And let's not lay that event at the feet of Christ. Does Scripture offer guidance in confronting sin? Yes, it does. So let's do that in a biblical way even if those who experience it find it offensive. We must let God be God by not assigning our own values to Him and then acting wrongly or by refusing to do what He says because someone might be offended.

A lot of Christians think that we need to make Christianity more attractive. I don't think so. What we need to do is display Christianity -- "Christ following" -- as it is supposed to be with the love and commitment we're supposed to have and the good works that glorify the Father. We do not need to be one of those who cause unbelievers to blaspheme God. We don't want to be the ones who cause others to be against God because we've failed to know Him and show Him as He reveals Himself. We can fail by acting against His Word and calling it "of God," or we can do that by failing to hold to His self-revelation and calling that "of God." Don't be that guy. Be the one that causes others to give thanks to God for you.