I have been thinking a lot lately about some things I have seen. I have noticed a scary trend going on with several people I have come in contact with, and it disturbs me. They seem to have a distorted view of Christianity. I'm not sure whether it is because of faulty teaching they have received or because they never quite grasped the concept the way God wanted them to grasp it to begin with. Some of them, I believe, have taken the actions of the few and slapped it as a label as "that is what the Christian Church does."
It really saddens me. I read what the Bible says and teaches, then hear what others say about it. They say things like, "Religion should be about helping those less fortunate as me. Christianity does not do that." This is, in fact, a lie. Christians are, in fact, some of the most charitable people I know. Those who truly follow the teachings of Christ will give beyond their means to those in need. They don't need anyone to tell them what to do or how to do it.
They want to do it. They get joy and pleasure from blessing and giving to others. Now, I cannot say every single person who claims the name of a Christian helps other people, as simply being a Christian does not make one perfect. All that label means is that one has come to the conclusion that humans, in and of themselves, cannot enter into a relationship with God except through the sacrifice Christ has made for us on the cross. Lots of us are still works in progress. Paul himself said, "That what I wish to do, I don't do. That what I wish not to do, I do." Becoming Christ-like does not happen overnight. There is constantly a battle between those things that we know we should do and those things we know we shouldn't do. To judge an entire religious teaching based upon some of its followers is an injustice. True Christianity is for imperfect people.I have also heard it said that "Fundamental Christianity is all about converting people to Christianity." Again, this is far from the truth. Yes, it is true that Jesus says in Matthew 28, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you." However, He also says earlier in Matthew 22, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and Prophets."
You see, Christianity is not about converting people to a set of rules, a particular tradition or service, or getting people to a certain building on Sunday. Christianity is about encouraging people to know God. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, all our soul, and all our mind. That is, we need to love God with all our emotions, with all our will, and with all our logic. These parts of us should not be used to tear down others, but build them up. We are to love the unlovable. We are to love God's creation with the same love that Jesus speaks about in John 15 when He says, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Think of the implications of that statement! When we truly love others as the Bible teaches, we will not only be willing to be inconvenienced for each other, but willing to put aside our life, our will, our feelings and emotions. Christianity teaches to value others with the same value you put on your own life!
But, if we are honest, we realize we cannot achieve this on our own. As stated earlier, all of the entirety of the Law and the Prophets are summed up in loving God with our entire being, and loving other people just as much as we love ourselves. How many of us can, if we are honest, say that we can do this? I know I can't. I'm too selfish, too stubborn. Yet, that is what Christ's sacrifice on the cross was for. He realized we could not enter into that relationship with God that we were destined to be a part of on our own because of our sinful nature - and by sinful nature, I mean those parts of us that prevent us from loving God with everything within us. We need an intercessor, or a lawyer, to argue on our behalf to God. We need a covering to cover up our sins. If you don't believe this, then answer this one question: when was the last time you had true fellowship with God. If you think this is impossible and does not exist, then ask someone who truly follows the teachings of Christ if they have. Think of it as a challenge to prove me wrong. Honestly, no amount of words can really compare to personal experience with this point.
Others will also argue that there are other ways to connect with God rather than through Christ. If you are one of these individuals, my question is this: Why did Christ die? What was the purpose of it? If I could reach God through another means - whether that is through being a real good person or saying certain prayers - then why did Christ die? If He was who He claims He was - the Son of God - then why did He die only to provide another way later? Would you, personally, jump in front of a bullet for someone if you knew they were wearing a bullet proof vest? Why would Christ die if there was another way into fellowship with God?
At this point, I feel I must apologize some. Maybe I'm not intellectual enough. Maybe I don't think enough. Or maybe, just maybe, some may think too much? Honestly, I have no problems with seeking out truth and knowledge. It is a great thing. But I would wish to warn some to be careful that in your search for knowledge, you forget to search for truth. There are many theories out there which are filled with lots of truth, yet tainted with a little lie, which leads to a corruption of the whole. If you are seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, it will fail you every time. You will never be satisfied with what you find, because when the truth is revealed to you, you will be too skeptic to listen. You will always be looking for the newest thing, because you have to think it through.
In Corinthians 8, Paul says, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies." In your search for truth, are you looking for edification for yourself and for others, or are you looking to feed your ego? Or, even if feeding your ego is not your motive, but you begin to search for knowledge in effect for edification, what is the end result? When you love others and love God as Christ commands, we are edified as are others. When we constantly fill our heads with new theories and new methods of doing things, we only offer ourselves and God a disservice.
Love God with everything within you and love others as much as you love yourself! This is the basic, simple truth of life! When you can do this, then you will find the truth! If you find you cannot do this, ask God to help you! Trust me; He wants you to do this, so He will help! Give Him permission to change your heart. In Luke 22, as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion, He said, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." You see, even Jesus did not always want to love others in the same way He commanded - to die for one's friends. Yet, He still did. He made the choice to do so. He prayed that God's will would be done, not His. That should be our prayer too.
"God, I cannot do this. I do not want to do this. However, I know it is what you require, and to follow You is better than to do it on my own. Help me. Forgive me for trying to do it on my own instead of turning to You. Thank you so much for your sacrifice!"