That is a fair assessment. There's a long history of that sort of behavior among Christians.
But it can also be said that Christians do not draw enough of a moral line in the sand. We can be fickle about which aspects of the Christian faith we apply to our lives. I think this is especially true in our current cultural climate in which people are encouraged to make decisions and pattern lifestyles based primarily on what feels right.
Few people, especially in this day and age of "you do you," want to hear any criticism about the personal choices they are making. Drawing moral boundaries feels like a lack of love and/or a lack of recognition and appreciation for what makes a person who they are. Our modern western culture encourages and even promotes free self-expression to be whoever you want to be and to do whatever feels right and good.
A core part of this issue is our definition of love. If we define love as letting ourselves do whatever we want because it feels natural—or makes sense to us, or makes us happy—then we've misunderstood something.
The main concern with whatever ill will we feel toward God's loving commands in Scripture is that our response is based on feelings. It doesn't feel good that we should abstain from sex before marriage. It doesn't feel right that we should refrain from another round of drinks when we're having such a good time. It doesn't feel appropriate to forgive people when they have betrayed us.
But this is the power of God's Word: it supersedes our feelings. It knows our feelings cannot be trusted all the time and it gives us guidance in a myriad of circumstances when our feelings only serve to confuse us at best or deceive us at worst.
If we allow ourselves to live in whatever way "feels right" and let others do the same (usually under the guise of loving our neighbor), then we might perhaps live in a peaceful community, but it wouldn't be a distinctly Christian one.
A Christian community holds each other accountable to the standard laid out for us in Scripture. A Christian community believes that God's Word is both true and good, whether it feels like it at the moment or not, and strives to align our daily behavior and life choices with what God has revealed to us in His Word.
It is not for us to judge Scripture. If we begin to play judge on God's commands, we run the risk of pridefully assuming that we fully understand the whys of God's instructions. While some of His commands seem obvious - do not murder, for example - others can be more confusing:
And we want to uplift and exalt our Creator. That's our ultimate goal. He made us and graciously gave us instructions for how to exalt Him. God did not say "You are beautifully and wonderfully made, so you do you." He said, "You are beautifully and wonderfully made, meaning you're made in My image, so always be working toward letting that part of you be what pours out."
The problem with this way of thinking is that it ignores God's commands. It doesn't necessarily ignore God Himself; on the contrary, people will often point to God as making them the way they are and therefore they are okay "just as I am." The problem is apathy, if not aversion, to adhering to God's commands.
God has spoken through Scripture what He requires of us. This is not a matter of whether God has been silent about what he expects from us. God has spoken. So this is ultimately a question of the authority of what God has spoken through Scripture.
Do we believe God's Word is true? Do we believe it is good? Even when we don't understand it?
God has spoken through Scripture what He requires of us. This is not a matter of whether God has been silent about what he expects from us. God has spoken. So this is ultimately a question of the authority of what God has spoken through Scripture.
Do we believe God's Word is true? Do we believe it is good? Even when we don't understand it?
Charles Spurgeon once said, "We sometimes read Scripture, thinking of what it ought to say, rather than what it does say." Let's be honest: Scripture can sometimes be confusing, or even offensive. (I reread Leviticus in recent months and let me tell you...I have some strong feelings of confusion and disagreement with parts of that book!). Scripture is not meant to be read without a decent wrestling match now and then.
But when we have less-than-ideal feelings towards God's Word, our unfortunate tendency is to fill in the blanks and/or interpret it as we see fit, thus molding it to our heart's desire. More often than not, our negative responses to Scripture arise from the opinion that God's commands are not particularly loving. Is it loving to tell us no? Is it loving to rein in our natural tendencies? Is it loving to make us unhappy?
A core part of this issue is our definition of love. If we define love as letting ourselves do whatever we want because it feels natural—or makes sense to us, or makes us happy—then we've misunderstood something.
God's definition of love is declared throughout Scripture and it is, indeed, defined (ex: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 1 John 4:7ff). It has boundaries. It has parameters and principles that are meant for our good. It is not a wishy-washy, amorphous idea that can take any shape of the person trying to express it.
Which is why so many people in our day and age don't approve of it. Our culture wants our own definition of love, whatever we deem it to be, and we want Scripture to tell us what we want to hear.
The main concern with whatever ill will we feel toward God's loving commands in Scripture is that our response is based on feelings. It doesn't feel good that we should abstain from sex before marriage. It doesn't feel right that we should refrain from another round of drinks when we're having such a good time. It doesn't feel appropriate to forgive people when they have betrayed us.
But this is the power of God's Word: it supersedes our feelings. It knows our feelings cannot be trusted all the time and it gives us guidance in a myriad of circumstances when our feelings only serve to confuse us at best or deceive us at worst.
One of the hardest biblical commands for me to feel good about is the injunction to not be angry. First of all, there is so much to be angry about in this world! But also, when someone does something to make me justifiably angry, I feel satisfied and sometimes even glad to possess anger (which is sickening, I know, but anger fuels my pride and self-righteousness, which feels good if only for a time). God's command to be rid of anger is a tough one for me.
But God is clear: we need to rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, and slander (Colossians 3:8). Far too often I find myself responding to a situation with anger, which then turns to bitterness and sometimes even rage. Why? Because it feels natural to me. For a myriad of reasons that I've spent a long time working through, I am more prone to anger than other people in my life (like my husband, who is rarely ever angry). I struggle to let go of my anger when someone has hurt me deeply, and I also struggle to forgive easily.
For all of my natural sinful tendencies in this area, however, I have no excuse to continue in this way because God commanded me to let go of my anger and forgive my offender. He said, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13). It is my Christian responsibility to work towards this end.
Whatever the issue is—envy, slander, drunkenness, sexual immorality, lying, lust—if we critique and disregard Scripture's mandates because they don't feel right to us, then we either don't believe the Word of God is true, or we don't believe it is good, or both.
Whatever the issue is—envy, slander, drunkenness, sexual immorality, lying, lust—if we critique and disregard Scripture's mandates because they don't feel right to us, then we either don't believe the Word of God is true, or we don't believe it is good, or both.
If we allow ourselves to live in whatever way "feels right" and let others do the same (usually under the guise of loving our neighbor), then we might perhaps live in a peaceful community, but it wouldn't be a distinctly Christian one.
A Christian community holds each other accountable to the standard laid out for us in Scripture. A Christian community believes that God's Word is both true and good, whether it feels like it at the moment or not, and strives to align our daily behavior and life choices with what God has revealed to us in His Word.
It is not for us to judge Scripture. If we begin to play judge on God's commands, we run the risk of pridefully assuming that we fully understand the whys of God's instructions. While some of His commands seem obvious - do not murder, for example - others can be more confusing:
Greed? What if I don't act on my greed?
Filthy language? What if I said it only in jest?
Dissension and discord? What if I'm dealing with a crazy person who needs to be put in her place?
If we assume we fully understand God's commands, we assume we have the mind of God, which is a dangerous way of thinking.
Furthermore, if we assume we know all of His commands in and out, we are only one step away from interpreting them however we like, and then one more step away from disobeying our Lord.
This is not to suggest that we cannot or should not interpret Scripture—we most certainly can and should, especially when we consider cultural implications, both in the time when Scripture was written and in our own time—but we must never fail to approach Scripture with humbleness and awe. It is God's very Word, after all, God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Our interpretations of Scripture must only be done in light of Who the author is. If we attempt to interpret Scripture as if it were human-breathed, it would only be useful for muddling and confusing each other, for placating and exalting ourselves, and uplifting humanity instead of the divine Creator of all life.
Furthermore, if we assume we know all of His commands in and out, we are only one step away from interpreting them however we like, and then one more step away from disobeying our Lord.
This is not to suggest that we cannot or should not interpret Scripture—we most certainly can and should, especially when we consider cultural implications, both in the time when Scripture was written and in our own time—but we must never fail to approach Scripture with humbleness and awe. It is God's very Word, after all, God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Our interpretations of Scripture must only be done in light of Who the author is. If we attempt to interpret Scripture as if it were human-breathed, it would only be useful for muddling and confusing each other, for placating and exalting ourselves, and uplifting humanity instead of the divine Creator of all life.
And we want to uplift and exalt our Creator. That's our ultimate goal. He made us and graciously gave us instructions for how to exalt Him. God did not say "You are beautifully and wonderfully made, so you do you." He said, "You are beautifully and wonderfully made, meaning you're made in My image, so always be working toward letting that part of you be what pours out."
We should always be striving to follow His true and good Word so we can give glory and honor where it's due—to the One who actually knows all things and who doesn't confuse feelings with truth.
