"Exploring the Distinction Between Church and Non-Church Sinners: Is There a Difference?"
What About the Sinners in Government and All of Us?
As we enter yet again another cycle in our culture and revenge politics of what-about-ism and calling out the hypocrites we must never forget we are ALL sinners and ALL hypocrites.
Self-righteousness is waving its ugly hand looking for attention.
Accountability in our government is lacking and we have become a morally degenerate people which no doubt includes you and I. We the people elect people that reflect our values or so the theory goes. If we do then what we see today in our politics is sadly reflective of OUR sin and depraved desires.
The pot calling the kettle black!
Accountability (on our part) includes not electing or reelecting people who are obviously morally unqualified. That means people who lie, cheat, and steal as a beginning. We can't have perfect people but we must try to elect people who have values, scruples, and humility.
It does not take great powers of observation to know that all of us in the nation of America have fallen away from our "Christian Worldview" and have proceeded down the slippery slope of degeneracy.
The often bantered-about theory that God was using a crooked stick through Trump to save America is getting very thin right now.
Christianity has lost its cultural currency and you only need to look at the news every day to see an endless list of pastors and others who have sinned and fallen from grace.
But it is God's grace that sustains us every day!
The Sinners Inside & Outside the Church
What then is the difference between the sinners inside and outside the church? The difference is we have found the Physician. Aside from that fact, we are no different than the sinners outside the church.
God's Grace
Christians like everyone else are currently looking for a Biblical claim that we can overlook morality because it really does not matter. As long as we get the results we want we can be a little immoral.
Christianity isn’t about morality, it’s about grace is what we often hear.
In The Gospel, justification by faith alone is about grace and not works.
Romans 11:6
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
We are saved by God’s grace through faith.
Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
It's Not All About Grace
Our hypocrisy surfaces when we claim the grace that saves Christians doesn’t also make him distinct/different from the unbeliever in love, action, and speech. When we discount the grace of good works in the Christian's life, we show the world how little we know about God's grace and our faith.
God's grace is our saving grace it is the sweetest thing our souls can taste.
Right now the media mill is cranking out the hypocrisy labels. This is true of those in politics and all of us reading this. We are from time to time hypocrites.
This is a sin we must confess and repent of frequently. But repentance requires we stop the behavior. Can we, will we?
Many Christians seem to find much glee in their attacks on others' hypocrisy as they stand head held high, they being free of such behaviors.
As we look upon the landscape of Christian leaders we are treated with individuals who are liars, they cheat, get drunk, and gossip.
The question we must ask ourselves is if that includes us.
Following Jesus requires a commitment to honesty, integrity, love, goodness, and kindness on a daily basis.
Many Christians today seem unwilling to make that commitment.
We Are All Sick Saints
As sick saints, we acknowledge our Doctor.
Christians should be distinct from the world yet we often fail. We are prone to wander.
Becoming more Christ-like is not seeking perfection but allowing a new power, purpose, and direction to enter our lives. The sad claim of being human and prone to sin is not a realistic claim if you worship God.
You see there are no excuses.
When sick go to the doctor.
Christ is asking you to put aside your favorite sins. He wants us to be his hands and feet and to bear witness to a watching world. We are citizens of the world to come. Pray to God to help you live more boldly, be more salty, and shine more brightly than the world around you.
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