Reading this morning I came across this, 1 John 3:12-13:
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
John cites the reason that Cain killed Abel was because Abel’s deeds were “righteous” while his own were wicked. I find this to be an idea abusive to the way most in our culture currently think about and “do” church.
Elsewhere in the same book, and throughout the rest of the New Testament, we find that those who are in Christ will definitely be growing in righteousness (1 John 1:5-10, Romans 8:13). So, by that rational we should have very little reason to believe that unbelievers coming among us will not exhibit some form of hostility or at the very least discomfort.
Yet, in spite of that, we find churches pouring outrageous resources into creating a comfortable environment for unbelievers. It seems that the reality would be, if unbelievers are able to come among us and find and truly find comfort in our presence, we may have to reevaluate our own lifestyles.
I’m reminded of a message delivered by Francis Chan a number of years back where he referenced Luke 6:26: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you”. While it doesn’t fit the verse’s context perfectly, the point is clear:
The Cross of Christ, and our subsequent righteousness therein, is an offense to the unbeliever seeking is own vein righteousness and we should expect that they would respond as one who’s been offended.
What kind of ramifications does this have for the Church, it seems that it should drive it more deeply into conformity with the Word of God. Rather than consulting our intellect to determine how we should relate to this work, we ought to consult God in his Word.
Many of us say we do. Few really follow through. Just a thought.
November 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I for one am constantly revaluating my lifestyle… And I struggle mightily with what it looks like to live a life of servitude. You hit on so many issues in such a concise post that it’s taking me a while to digest… In any case, I agree - and I think most would. Being the hopeless optimist… I can’t help but believe that God can and does use us in spite of our own horrible ineptitude to great effect. Like you, I find the skin of the American Church often ill-fitting.
I am such a hypocrite.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
[...] few days ago I posted on the topic of being persecuted because of our own righteousness in Christ illuminating [...]