People/Christians these days tend to just accept what they are told are moral standards to live by, supposedly according to the Bible and/or their religious rules, without questioning the whole picture; cultural changes, history from the Bible times to now, original languages and the overall message of the Bible.
It seems that Christians (which inadvertently teach the world how to view us) highly equate how "perfect" our relationships are/seem with our relationship with God and even sometimes how genuine our Christian faith is. In other words, when someone is open about their sexual purity and then gets married to a single member of the opposite sex and then both of them are (seem) genuine in their faithfulness to each other and live their whole lives together raising a family where the woman (seems to) respect her husband and the man (seems to) love his wife and the whole family (seems) just perfect, these people can convince everyone that they are perfect Christians and that their faith is strong regardless of how strong it really is. However, when someone steps out of this pretty little mold, their faith is questioned maybe a little, maybe a lot depending on how far out and how currently accepted it is. We can judge someone else by something that is loud and clear like their relationship so easy because it is not usually something that is hidden, when someone moves in with their partner or gets a divorce it is something that is usually pretty obvious verses someone who is arrogant or deceitful.
Right now, I haven't organized my thoughts completely on this where I can point out facts and scriptures to back up that God is not as concerned with these pretty little "moral" standards when it comes to our faith in Him. The more I am open minded to believe God is more concerned with our direct faith in Him, how humble we are and how much we genuinely love others, the more I am convinced that is what true Christianity is about. Not how "perfectly moral" we appear to others. I am also learning that there is not one single person on the entire planet that believes exactly the same thing as another person. Take two extremely conservative Christians and two extremely outspoken atheists and each of them are going to differ on some point because our experiences are so much of what we believe.
I just need to say that we are supposed to have more freedom in Christ not feel more pressure to be perfect (whatever that means). When I was going to a very conservative church at one point in my life, I remember feeling so much pressure to be/look "perfect". I just know that based on the men and women of God in the Old Testament and based on the things Jesus said and so much more that the way I see most Christians acting is exactly the opposite of what God really wants. They remind me of the pharisees who walked around like they were better than everyone else because of the way they appeared to display their faith.
Rom 12:16 Live in harmony
with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people.
Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.
I just believe in God's love for everyone and in His grace above all. I will use Romans right now to make some points about my observations of the world around me and especially of Christianity/Christians lately.
Romans Chapter 2 :
Therefore, you have no excuse—every one of you who judges. For when you pass judgment
on another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, practice the very same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who act like this is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on those who practice these things and then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God's kindness that is leading you to repent? But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are reserving wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done: eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well, because God does not show partiality. For all who have sinned apart from the Law will also perish apart from the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not merely those who hear the Law who are righteous in God's sight. No, it is those who follow the Law, who will be justified. For whenever gentiles, who do not possess the Law, do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the Law. They show that what the Law requires is written in their hearts, a fact to which their own consciences testify, and their thoughts will either accuse or excuse them on that day when God, through Jesus the Messiah, will judge people's secrets according to my gospel. Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the Law, and boast about God, and know his will, and approve of what is best because you have been instructed in the Law; and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of ignorant people, and a teacher of infants because you have the full content of knowledge and truth in the Law— as you teach others, do you fail to teach yourself? As you preach against stealing, do you steal? As you forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? As you abhor idols, do you rob temples? As you boast about the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law? As it is written, "God's name is being blasphemed among the gentiles because of you."
Rom 5:15 But God's free gift
is not like Adam's offense. For if many people died as the result of
one man's offense, how much more have God's grace and the free gift
given through the kindness of one man, Jesus the Messiah, been showered
on many people!
In other words,
Rom
5:19 For just as through one man's disobedience many people were made
sinners, so also through one man's obedience many people will be made
righteous.
I love some of the
underlining messages in Romans that merges non believers with believers. Paul talks a lot in terms
of the law, Jews, gentiles/Greeks which can be equated with believers
and non believers of this day. While it is clear in God's word that
those who have faith in the gospel of Jesus will be saved, I am not
convinced it it clear what exactly we are being saved from. Most people
automatically assume it is from "hell" or eternal damnation or something
of that nature when we talk about Christian doctrine. One thing I am
sure of is that there are multiple things that faith in the gospel of
Jesus saves us from, not just possible eternal
damnation. The gift of strong hope and faith that this life is something
more than just random chance is salvation in and of itself. With this
in mind, I chose to believe God is much "bigger" than I feel general
modern Christian doctrine makes it seem. We are ALL sinners, God loves the WHOLE world and MANY people will be
made righteous through the gospel of Jesus.
Don't forget even Paul says:
Romans 7:15-25
I don't understand what I am doing. For I don't practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate. Now if I practice what I don't want to do, I am admitting that the Law is good. As it is, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. For I don't do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don't want to do. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me. So I find this to be a principle: when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. For I delight in the Law of God in my inner being, but I see in my body a different principle waging war with the Law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that exists in my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death? Thank God through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, because with my mind I myself can serve the Law of God, even while with my human nature I serve the law of sin.
EVERYONE lives this way, even believers. Let's not forget that we ALL struggle with sin nature. But like Paul says, we have the grace of God right there with us. Even when we are in sin, we can also be serving the Lord, thanks to His Grace and the gospel of Jesus. This is so powerful!!
Let us focus on God's grace and love for EVERYONE, regardless of the appearance of their lifestyle. God knows hearts!!
This applies to everyone and
everything, just because someone's "sin" appears so much worse than another person's "sin" still does not give the right to judge a person's genuine
faith. Even more so their should be no business judging the actions of
someone who is not a Christian. Bottom line is that if someone believes that
something is wrong and believes that there is a just God then it is a
waste of time fighting for something that is up to interpretation. People just need to focus on
not doing the things that they believe is wrong and on their own lives, own behavior and own faith/relationship with God.
I have heard some Christians say basically that God is not "grey" and that we can not say that one thing is okay for one person but not okay for another. When I read the Bible, primarily Romans I do not get this impression at all. I see Paul making points about each individuals convictions rather than overall set of rules or morals to live by. The biggest example of this is
Romans 14 :
Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him. Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand. One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind: The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living. Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As certainly as I live, declares the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise God." Consequently, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let's no longer criticize each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know—and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus—that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean. For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat. Do not allow what seems good to you to be spoken of as evil. For God's kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit. For the person who serves the Messiah in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. Therefore, let's keep on pursuing those things that bring peace and that lead to building up one another. Do not destroy God's action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat. The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that makes your brother stumble, upset, or weak. As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves! But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.
Of course Paul is talking about eating kosher and observing the sabbath here but I really feel this can be applied to almost anything we might consider sin. It is actually okay for one thing to be right for one person and wrong for another as clearly stated by Paul in Romans. To be so concerned about the practices of someone else shows a lack of trust in God to take care of it. Christians should be the ones building up one another, bringing peace, non judgmental, focused on love and grace and living in true faith in God. I understand that Paul does mention fighting the sin nature and that God's grace is not a license to sin but I think the whole picture shows that this battle in the end is a pointless one. We are all sinners and there is no need to judge anyone because no one will ever be "perfect". Focusing on this pretty little perfect moral picture that is all too common and is NOT what Christianity is about. True faith and love of the gospel of Jesus through God the father and true agape selfless love of others IS what Christianity is all about.
*International Standard Version was used for the verses from Romans
