A nonnegotiable, uncompromisable standard of truth that is not open to interpretation. Truth is black and white, and truth is intolerant of personal opinions.
I will die for truth simply because it's true.
If my life and death can show others the validity of my beliefs because I value truth enough to sacrifice myself, rather than compromise and so violate my conscience, then so be it.
I will live out my faith and convictions in that truth because I love people enough to show them the truth.
What I do will reflect that truth, and I will not compromise or give in or back down. My life will stand as an example of a life lived out by the truth for the truth.
If I don't live for the Giver and Creator and Standard of truth, then who do I live for?
Now that may come across as harsh, intolerant, and bigoted. So please hear me out, as I attempt to present my reasoning somewhat logically. Recently the term "tolerance" has been ranted about in headline news. I've seen these following arguments debated, whether in person, through email, or in Facebook conversations. So since this issue continues to gain popularity, our own views of truth need to be ever strengthened both theoretically and practically.
The type of truth I am about to discuss is the truth strictly portrayed in God's Word. The Bible clearly points out and defines certain sins as sins, such as homosexuality, greed, pride, and adultery. God hates sin, and He commands us as a perfect and holy God to do the same. Throughout the Old Testament, He sets a high penalty for sin: the shedding of blood. When the Israelites committed a crime, whether small or large, they slaughtered an animal in place of themselves and their own blood. Many people have died because they chose to violate God's holy Word, and people today continue in their sin in complete rejection of Christ and His covenant.
Now, these are nonnegotiable.
God's truth is nonnegotiable.
We as believers cannot pick and choose what areas of the Bible to regard as truth. We must either accept the complete Word of God as the very truth and standard for our lives or throw it all away. As children of God, we have an obligation to take on His mindset and conform to the image of His Son, which means adopting His standards of right and wrong. We cannot compromise these sin issues. Christians have a duty to see sin as sin and label it as such. We cannot give in or differ from Scripture. We cannot indulge in or support areas of sin. We are separate, not of the world, but of the Light.
1) The hard-core, pound-truth-into-you love.
2) The all-accepting, tolerant love.
Both of these are unbiblical and here's why. First, it's not our place to condemn sinful people. It's our place to show them the truth, but in love! In gentleness and kindness! Shoving the truth down their throats will not help them change or see the sinfulness of their ways. Instead, it may just turn them against Christianity and the shameful hypocrisy of the church. We also were once sinners, stuck in our circular and corrupted mindsets without hope of change, until Christ presented us with a way out of our slavery. It is not our place to condemn them, but to gently show them the truth in humility and gentleness, remembering that we ourselves were no better off, but it's only by Christ's goodness that we now live as children of the one true God.
Secondly, true love does not compromise truth. Tolerance says, "I am fine with what you believe, and even though I think it's wrong, what's right for you is right for you." Tolerant people avoid conflict. They don't want to come across as judgmental, so they suppress their convictions and in doing so smother their conscience and their standard of truth. If something is true, it needs to be lived out in love. Biblical love says, "I love you as a person, and I care about your happiness and wellbeing. However, what you are doing is unacceptable, and I care enough about you to tell you that it's wrong and you desperately need to change. The path you're taking will lead to utter destruction, and I cannot bear to think of you ending up there."
Many Christians today compromise. They don't want to offend their neighbors or friends. They want to demonstrate Christian love, show kindness, and not exhibit hypocrisy or turn others away from Christ by their strict adherence to the rules. They want to support their friends as people with the freedom to choose what to believe.
And that's all correct and good, but there has to be a boundary. There has to be a point where you step back and say, "I'm not giving in anymore. That's definitely wrong".
Let's bring up a practical example. Homosexuality is big in today's culture. What if a friend became publicly gay and sent me a wedding invitation? Would I attend? On one hand, I know that numerous passages in the Old and New Testament clearly state that this practice is disgusting and wicked in God's eyes. However, she still is my friend, and I want her to eventually believe in Christ. By attending, perhaps I'll show that I don't judge her, though she engages in practices contrary to biblical standards.
First of all, Christians should not only not indulge in sin, but should not encourage it. By attending the wedding, I am demonstrating moral support. I am going against my moral values and beliefs. I am sending a message that I approve of this lifestyle and my friend's choice. That despite everything my religion holds, I choose to stand by and celebrate her decision. Now that is in strict contradiction to the Christian faith and does not help support its validity.
For example, let's pretend that we have a friend who's a devout Buddhist and vegetarian. He spends much of his time serving at the temple and praying. You've only seen him eating vegetables, and he always is very vocal about his vegetarian beliefs. So far, you have a pretty good view of Buddhism, due to the moral behavior of this particular friend. But one day, you are both invited to a wedding banquet, and there, you see him eating steak. What would your first reaction be? Wouldn't your noble impression of Buddhism and him as a person crumble?
Paul accused Peter of hypocrisy in the church. When Jews were not present, Peter would eat with the Gentiles, or non-Jewish people of his day. But when the Jews appeared, he would hurriedly switch and avoid eating with Gentiles because he didn't want to be judged by his Jewish companions. He didn't want to offend or make enemies of the Jews, so he tried to look like he shared their beliefs, although in reality, he didn't.
Isn't that the same today? If I believe homosexuality is wrong, but only support that belief in my own private bedroom, isn't that hypocritical? If I'm too scared or ashamed or timid to stand up for my faith and live it out, there's a big problem. And this doesn't just apply to gay weddings. For example, I probably would not attend a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian because it is unbiblical. Or say if my friends are attending a party or watching a movie or discussing things that are blatantly sinful and dangerous to my values. I would choose to adhere to my personal beliefs and stand up for the truth, whether that will mean missing out on the movie or alienating myself from that particular group.
And this stuff is hard. It really is. I'm guilty too of compromising my beliefs to appear favorable to other people. And it takes guts to stand up for the truth, and it's difficult and dangerous. But more and more, I'm realizing how less salty and less bright our Christians have become in the world today. No wonder people condemn us of hypocrisy, because we don't stand up for our core values. Our faith needs to become reality.
Faith exists to be lived out and practically applied. If faith is not lived out, it is worthless. What is faith for if it is not to be stood up for and defended?
Let's bring up another example, something less controversial. How about Christian friends who turn away from the church? As their friends, we have an obligation to point them back to the truth. However, this doesn't mean we shun them forever or send long emails condemning their wicked ways. We do need to be loving in our approach to reach out to them, but firm. What they have chosen to do is unacceptable and not right, and we need to point out their paths. Perhaps a long talk over coffee will do or an occasional friendly email to check up with them and their beliefs. There are many ways that demonstrate a genuine Christian love without supporting their individual decisions to sin.
Others will argue that standing by truth no matter what will turn others away from Christianity. We are supposed to support people who disagree with us because they have the right to believe whatever they so choose. If we judge them and condemn them with a critical and unyielding spirit, they may become disheartened and completely reject all of Christianity.
And yes, that's true. I do agree we need to love our brothers and sisters, whether they are murderers, liars, or simply non-Christian. Discrimination and persecution due to religious beliefs or practices are unacceptable. However, we cannot approve of their sinful lifestyle. We can love people without approving of their choices.
In fact, love is caring enough to show the other person the truth.
When we stand firm for our beliefs, nonbelievers will more clearly distinguish the truth of our beliefs. If something is true, people will stand by their convictions all the more strongly. And when we demonstrate that our faith is something worth defending, we will shine brighter for our King.
If I had a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth before giving a speech, I would sure hope that my friends would tell me about the problem before I endure eternal humiliation for the remainder of my pitiful existence on earth. Or if I was going to ruin my life through a dangerous relationship, I would certainly appreciate people around me who stopped me from going over the cliff. And how much worse is sin and its devastating consequences of an eternal hell? Don't we care enough for the people around us to live out that truth? To stick by the truth so they can see its reality through us? We owe them that much. At least that much.
Truth is nonnegotiable. And by standing for that truth, we will truly live out our faith and our love to those who need it.
{I would love, love to know your thoughts on this. Send me a message via facebook or email me here: starflower112@gmail.com}
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