Then all the elders of Israel...said to [Samuel], "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations"...And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." From 1 Samuel chapter 8
"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." Jesus, in John 17.
To be Christian is to be different. And yet, we have a difficult time understanding exactly what that difference may be. For some, being different means that we don't use "popular" type music or words when we worship, but sticking to that which has been around for centuries. For some, being different means that we recognize that our faith is different from what others believe, but not a lot else. For some, being different means that we attempt to do things as God says, regardless of how it may come across to others. And even for some, being different means you move away from "the world" and live in seclusion, creating your own little community to live differently from the rest of the world.
Are there valid points in each of these (and the many other thoughts that I didn't have space to reflect upon)? Yes, there certainly are. Are there problems if we try to limit our "differentness" to just one specific area of life? Yes, I certainly believe that there are.
Outside of Jesus, we don't really have much of a picture of what "being different" looks like. And even when we think of the life of Jesus, we have to admit that we are told relatively little about it. Just think about it. Even the four Gospels tell primarily about three years of His life, and only capture the highlights. Granted, these highlights tell us all that we need to know for how God took action in forgiving us and restoring us to Himself in Jesus and the cross, but we don't see the complete picture of just how different Jesus was from the rest of the people.
That's part of the reason for such confusion on this question: How are Christians different from the rest of the world? And while we can find numerous commands and instructions throughout the Bible, it's hard to imagine a day when everyone will agree exactly on how all those things should be implemented in the lives of Christians who remain in the world.
I'll admit, I don't have all the answers. I have a few thoughts, and I hope that these give you something to think about as you consider what it means to be different from the rest of the world.
1. Christians seek their primary guidance in how to live life from what God says in the Bible.
2. Christians seek to show love and compassion to all people, even when that love and compassion means confronting them on behaviors that are damaging to themselves and others.
3. Christians seek to be humble toward others, but in such a way that also demonstrates the strength of conviction.
4. Christians seek to bring their life in line with what God says, not to impress others or God, but because they see the value of doing things the way that God says.
5. Christians commit themselves to the things of God and don't turn back just because it may not be popular.
6. Christians seek to forgive, and to share God's forgiveness, even when it may not seem to make sense.
Again, I'm not making a definitive list, but rather, want to give you something to think about as we think about what it means to be different and Christian.
"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." Jesus, in John 17.
To be Christian is to be different. And yet, we have a difficult time understanding exactly what that difference may be. For some, being different means that we don't use "popular" type music or words when we worship, but sticking to that which has been around for centuries. For some, being different means that we recognize that our faith is different from what others believe, but not a lot else. For some, being different means that we attempt to do things as God says, regardless of how it may come across to others. And even for some, being different means you move away from "the world" and live in seclusion, creating your own little community to live differently from the rest of the world.
Are there valid points in each of these (and the many other thoughts that I didn't have space to reflect upon)? Yes, there certainly are. Are there problems if we try to limit our "differentness" to just one specific area of life? Yes, I certainly believe that there are.
Outside of Jesus, we don't really have much of a picture of what "being different" looks like. And even when we think of the life of Jesus, we have to admit that we are told relatively little about it. Just think about it. Even the four Gospels tell primarily about three years of His life, and only capture the highlights. Granted, these highlights tell us all that we need to know for how God took action in forgiving us and restoring us to Himself in Jesus and the cross, but we don't see the complete picture of just how different Jesus was from the rest of the people.
That's part of the reason for such confusion on this question: How are Christians different from the rest of the world? And while we can find numerous commands and instructions throughout the Bible, it's hard to imagine a day when everyone will agree exactly on how all those things should be implemented in the lives of Christians who remain in the world.
I'll admit, I don't have all the answers. I have a few thoughts, and I hope that these give you something to think about as you consider what it means to be different from the rest of the world.
1. Christians seek their primary guidance in how to live life from what God says in the Bible.
2. Christians seek to show love and compassion to all people, even when that love and compassion means confronting them on behaviors that are damaging to themselves and others.
3. Christians seek to be humble toward others, but in such a way that also demonstrates the strength of conviction.
4. Christians seek to bring their life in line with what God says, not to impress others or God, but because they see the value of doing things the way that God says.
5. Christians commit themselves to the things of God and don't turn back just because it may not be popular.
6. Christians seek to forgive, and to share God's forgiveness, even when it may not seem to make sense.
Again, I'm not making a definitive list, but rather, want to give you something to think about as we think about what it means to be different and Christian.
One where I struggle is number 5, committing myself to the 'things of God.' That's kind of a vague phrase, and many people could interpret it as things of God = go to church, chill with christians, help at the food bank. What do 'things of God' look like in the world we encounter every day? Am I committing myself to things other than God if I choose to listen to popular music on the radio instead of K-LOVE, for example?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much just being difficult here because this is a question which I wrestle with a lot. Don't feel attacked! :)
That's exactly the point, Katie! We have a tendency to look at so many different things and declare "This is what makes us different." That's why I don't believe that any kind of "list" ever would do justice to what God means by it. In fact, it seems to me that it is just as much how we think about things as it is the things we do.
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