Few cultures throughout time have been more hostile toward Christians who live by the moral standards set by God in the Bible. Thus, many are drawn to Christ’s forgiveness of sins but hold to the world’s standards for thinking and living their lives separate from the truths in the Bible. Sadly, many of those would identify as Christians and wish that when they die, they will go to Heaven, but they will not. Only those who understand that they have sinned against God and ask for forgiveness, repent, trust, and obey God will spend eternity with God.
Christ made it very clear as to how we should live according to His Word.
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matthew 22:37-39).
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Sadly, less than 4% of self-identified Christians embrace a biblical worldview, which means that their lives, decisions, and love for others reflect the way Christ lived and are in concert with the truths of the Bible.
George Barna writes: “If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience, and priorities of Jesus. The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Our behavior stems from what we believe – our attitudes, beliefs, values, and opinions. Although most people own a Bible and are familiar with some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea of how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We’re often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.”
These “born-again non-biblical” Christians, who do not regard reading the Bible and following what it says, make up 96% of all self-identified Christians. George Barna reports from the Cultural Research Center the following concerning a wide range of beliefs that are not in harmony with biblical teachings. Some of those mentioned are:
• 71% consider feelings, experience, or the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance
• 64% say that all religious faiths are of equal value
• 58% believe that if a person is good enough or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven
57% believe in karma
52% claim that determining moral truth is up to each individual; there are no moral absolutes that apply to everyone all the time.
Christians must first know that the Bible is God’s Word, absolute truth, and not a book of suggestions. They must go back to the basics of building a biblical faith and learn some basic apologetics to explain their hope by answering sometimes difficult questions others ask about the truth of the Bible, the meaning of Jesus’ gift of salvation, and how to live out our faith boldly in a very broken culture. Speaking truth is not merely a moral obligation but a reflection of God’s character in reaching out to the lost.
“in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
A few years ago, a friend of mine, who had chosen to live a lesbian lifestyle, asked me to have lunch with her and some of her friends. We met together, and during lunch, my friend asked me, “Why are you the only Christian who is a true friend of ours?” I was caught off guard because I knew the Christians she talked about. What she was saying was true. I paused, begging God to step in, and said, “I am sorry that those misled Christians have mistreated you. I think that they shun you because they don’t know you. They don’t know that you are loved dearly by God. That you are not a mistake but wonderfully made by God in His image, meaning that He wants you to know Him and live with Him.” I thought,” said another gal, “because I am gay, that God is going to send us all to hell.”
If you are asking me if the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, I will tell you that the Bible is clear in saying that it is a sin. The Bible is also very clear in teaching us that we all sin in many different ways: lying, cheating, jealousy, hating, and judging others, to name a few. These sins, and many more, are why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to pay the price of sin for people, like you and me, who sin in many ways. When we realize that sinning does not give us peace and turn to Jesus, who died for the forgiveness of our sins, only then will have a peace and a hope that we are loved and have purpose each and every day. When we put our trust in Him, He will forgive us and teach us how to live obediently with and for Him and to love and forgive people who hurt us. Then we will know that when we die, we will go to Heaven to be with God forever. In the meantime, His desire is that you love, trust, and follow Him. God is for you, and will never leave you.”
I will be forever grateful to God for giving me the boldness to speak the truth from the scriptures to these women. As followers of Christ, we should pray as Paul did that the Lord will grant us supernatural boldness to speak and live as He would have us do. In this age of great deception and resistance to biblical truth, we need boldness more than ever. Boldness, coupled with love and humility, is like a light in the darkness that gives hope to the hopeless. Is there a risk in speaking truth in a hostile world? Yes. Our job is to be obedient to our call to talk about truth in love. God is responsible for the results.
Paul says in Ephesians 6:18-20, “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.