OK, so I am going to take a break from the Bible study series to get on my soapbox for a minute or two. Super Tuesday and reading Al Mohler’s new book Culture Shift has reminded me that Christian means more than going to church on Sundays. What a person believes, truly believes, really does drive their actions. A person may profess one thing, yet consistently act in another way, and when this happens, it just demonstrates that the person is either a liar or is confused about their beliefs. Yes, sin still permeates our nature even as born-again believes, and sometimes we as followers of Christ slip and do something stupid. This is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about here are people that claim to be Christians, and consistently act outside the bounds of Christianity and promote beliefs and activities that are clearly unbiblical. After listing a long list of sins that are apparent when people reject the knowledge of God, Paul in Romans 1:32 states that these people that know God yet reject his knowledge and law not only do these things that they know deserve death, but encourage others to do these very things also. I believe that there is a time coming in which the true Christians will be obviously separated from the non-Christians.
Let’s take a couple of hot topics just to prove my point. Abortion, for instance. It doesn’t matter how one defines abortion, it is murder. Period. Abortion kills a living human being, and that is murder. Abortion is no longer a medical issue, because medical science is now fully on the side of the pro-life group. The fetus in a woman is a human being, genetically and otherwise. Who in their right mind can dispute that? The fetus is also a living thing, because the last time I checked, dead things don’t grow. Abortion is not a medical issue; it is purely a moral issue and a political issue. Biblically speaking, however, abortion is murder. Biblically speaking, the baby is a God-given and God-created life, whether inside the womb or outside. This can also be shown conclusively from Scripture. Abortion should not be a Democrat or Republican issue; it is a moral issue and a theological issue.
And here is my statement: If you are pro-abortion, and claim to be a Christian, then you are either confused about the facts surrounding abortion, confused about the facts and doctrine of Christianity, or you are a liar that wants to believe what you want to believe but want to hold onto the label of Christian for other reasons. I find it very difficult for a person to profess to be a Christian and be pro-abortion. It is that simple. Even some basic research into the Biblical texts and any objective research on abortion will show that abortion is murder, and murder is prohibited. It will also show that life begins at conception.
Let me make it clear: as Christians, we are commanded to love our enemies, pray for them, and speak to them the gospel message. We are to love those that perform abortions, those that have abortions, and those that support abortion, because we are commanded to speak to them about the gospel and its truth. They are people, and who knows, perhaps some of them may be drawn to Christ by the irresistible power of His Holy Spirit to the truth of the gospel.
That said, those who profess to be Christians are obligated to know what they believe and why. You can’t believe something that you don’t know. You can’t be a Christian, a follower of Christ, unless you know what all that entails. You don’t have to be a theologian, but that is no excuse for aspiring to be one! Theology is the study of God, and Christians are called to commit themselves and devote themselves to Christ, and that means a life-long journey of study as well as devotion and worship. Christianity is intolerant, by definition. It is based on right and wrong, God and Satan, good and evil, and only one way. There are right thoughts, beliefs, and actions, and wrong ones as well. The Bible was given to us by God to help us understand who God is, what He expects, and how we obtain reconciliation with Him. It is our standard for faith and life. Faith AND life. And getting back to the example, abortion is not a criteria for salvation, but it can be (I would say, it is) an indicator of a proper understanding of Christian thought and beliefs. Our life and thought should be drawn towards the standards of the Bible. We are not perfect, and won’t be, but our thoughts and actions should be as closely aligned with Biblical standards of thought and conduct as possible, and we should always strive to even closer alignment than we already are.
Therefore, while abortion is not a criterion for salvation, it is a measure of Christian thought. Those who profess to be followers of Christ should be or become pro-life. Those who profess to be followers of Christ should exhibit pro-life thoughts and actions in life as well. In conversations at school, at work, at home. Through our checkbooks. And at the polls. If you profess to be a Christian, yet continue to vote for and support pro-abortion candidates, then I would argue that perhaps you are not really a Christian. Yes, you read that right. If one knowingly and consistently promotes and supports sin which is clearly contrary to Biblical teaching, then perhaps you don’t really believe Biblical Christianity, but some other watered-down man-centered religion that should not be called Christian.
Quickly, evolution is another topic, and all of the implications that surround this issue. The belief in creation is directly related to belief in God and Christ. One cannot believe in evolution and be a Biblical Christian at the same time, because evolution is by definition naturalistic, non-supernatural, and by definition denies any act by God. Christians MUST believe in Biblical creation. If they do not, then perhaps they are confused about creation, evolution, or Biblical doctrine. Or perhaps one wants the culturally acceptable label of Christian without the actual beliefs. The problem is, don’t call yourself something that you are not. Christians cannot believe in evolution because Biblical creation and naturalistic evolution are incompatible.
I think it is time for true believes to stand up and live up to what it means to be a Christian, in both faith and life, and call others to the carpet for what they believe and how they live. We can’t hold nonprofessing sinners accountable for Christian values, but we can and should and are commanded to hold brothers and sisters in Christ accountable for their actions and beliefs. I will not be popular, and will be labeled intolerant, but so be it.
