One of the sayings of Jesus has stimulated my thinking lately about how difficult it is to be a Biblical Christian in the age of “tolerance.” Jesus Christ, the ultimate author and subject of the Bible, calls us to believe certain things and to live according to certain values. Doing that inevitably puts us in conflict with the values of the world around us. The whole “gay marriage” debate comes to mind (about which I plan to write later this summer). But that isn’t the only area of disagreement between Biblically faithful Christians and the rest of the world. The pre-abortion sonogram debate that recently raged in the Virginia Legislature is another example. Christian high school students who choose to live virtuously, who reject the “party lifestyle” stay well clear of drugs and alcohol, and otherwise behave themselves often become the butt of jokes and the targets of ostracism. Christian business men and women that choose to live and operate in truth also suffer for it. It’s just part of the reality of following Christ in a sinful world.
The problem is the pressure it creates to conform, to somehow change the message, to alter our lifestyle in order to appease. It’s a powerful temptation. We are social creatures. No one likes being rejected. So we think, “I’ll just adjust a little. I won’t abandon my faith or adopt worldliness. I’ll just keep quiet, do my best to fit in, live and let live and try to get these people to like me.”
The problem with that approach is that Jesus has already proved it doesn’t work. This is what he said to his generation.
"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." 'But wisdom is proved right by all her children." (Luke 7:31-35 NIV)
Translation? When people have decided to reject God in their lives it really doesn’t matter who carries God’s message or what his or her style may be, the people will find fault with the messenger.
So here’s the deal: Are you trying your best to live for Christ in a fallen world and finding it difficult? Are you doing your best to be friendly and kind and loving and truthful and experiencing rejection anyway? Don’t take it personally. Don’t change your style. It isn’t about you (the messenger). It’s about the message and the God behind it. Trust him. Live in the freedom and love of his grace. The wisdom of walking with God will be vindicated in the end.
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