Christianity In The Balance

I will not delve into the question here of what makes one a Christian, but rather how is a Christian supposed to live? Paul writes in Romans 12.1 and 2  "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The meaning of his exhortation is clear; don't be self-concerned, be God-concerned! Our wills are to be submitted unto God in such a way that we can confess as Jesus did, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." Now I realize none of us are are at this level of maturity yet, but this is the goal to aim for. We are to allow the precious Holy Spirit to teach us, as Jesus promised He would, directly and through the Word of God, the Bible. In this way our minds will be transformed from thinking and changing us from obeying the world's thoughts to thinking and obeying God's thoughts. What would happen if Christians really did this? Here are few things that would probably change:

There would no longer be as many divorces among Christians as there are among non-believers. The number of abortions would drop dramatically, and those politicians that say, "I'm pro-choice" would no longer get elected. Stores and companies that market porn would lose business. Hollywood standards would change and so-called 'stars' that live immoral lives would no longer be held up as role models. Life style standards would change as Biblical standards are once again honored and non-Biblical standards are shunned. Discrimination would no longer be a dirty word, as it is once more interpreted to mean choosing between good and evil and not applied to racism. The concept of welfare would again be interpreted to mean charity to those in genuine need instead of financial support for those who will not work. Neither would it be a government program but instead it would be a vehicle of love from people to people. Love would once more come to be known as people giving of themselves for another's good, rather than just sex. Prayer would be a normal public event and Christian celebrations would be openly honored, not hidden in a building. God would be openly acknowledged for His blessings upon us without shame. Those who would wish to dishonor Him would find the going tough.

Those who call themselves Christians should be openly and politically ashamed of Judges that remove prayer to God, the Ten Commandments, or crosses from public view, as these things all honor the One who is responsible for our prosperity and blessings. School children who cannot pray in school have lost a foundation stone of our national heritage. Where is the political and public outrage for this? Do we not remember Daniel and the three Hebrew children who would not forsake their God for the sake of political expediency? Surely, these things are not the good and perfect will of God!

The Apostle Paul warns that there is generation coming that will fall away from God, who will follow the spirit of antichrist rather that the Spirit of Christ. The Apostle John warns that there will be a generation who have the name of Christian but they are dead. Are we that generation?

Charles Cooley