Who Says?

I saw yet another post accrediting another God rejecting person with the quote “How much would you have to hate a person to not tell them about salvation if you really believe it?”  It doesn’t even matter who it was this time.  I suppose they could have all said or thought that at some point, but probably not.  I really doubt that these even think in that vein. But the thought that came to me as I read it was “So what.” 

Have we really gotten to the place in our society when the ‘testimony’ of a person who rejects God, ignores his presence, his power and his opinions, is more credible, even to followers of Christ, than the testimony of a person who honors God and does his human best to live out that honor in word and deed.  If we heard Billy Graham or Louie Giglio say “How much do you have to hate a person to not tell them about the love and redemption God offers?”  People would blow it off, give it no thought.  But let an immoral, abusive rocker or a foul mouthed blasphemous comedian say it and it’s suddenly amazingly credible, though they still claim to reject God.  Why?  And what is the true message of that statement given their stance in unbelief?

For decades people have catapulted themselves to fame and wealth through foul language, bad habits and immoral living.  It is a reflection of our society, but that doesn’t make it good or wholesome and should not make it acceptable to those who still claim allegiance to God.  We’ve turned our hearts to accept when we turned our eyes and set our minds to listen.  Why we have done that is irrelevant.  Peer pressure, media saturation, failure of Christian leaders to maintain relevance, attraction, search for ‘reality’: none of these are going to excuse us for going where we have gone –especially those of us who claim Christ as savior.

I know there are many who don’t like my stand –even in my own family- though I’m not sure they quite understand my stand.  I have been informed that my ‘religion’ is an embarrassment by more than one.  But I do know that you can’t have it both ways.  If you want to live like those people who ignore God, stop claiming that God is your source and your love.  I am pitifully human, but I don’t bear it proudly and it is not what I strive for.  God has grace for us.  But grace demands a turning.  In the ‘religious’ vernacular, we call it ‘repentance’.  To quote the Bible “We have turned from sin to serve the living God.”  Yes sin is still present in our humanity, but we are not to relish or glory in it no matter who our audience is.  The Bible seems to say that if you are loving sin and sinful acts and ideas, you have not found the way of truth.  People will retort with “BUT who’s opinion of what sin is?”  Generally, that categorizes you right there.  I’m not as condemning and self-righteous as many make me out to be.  I think that is their way of soothing their conscience and rejecting anything else I might say.  But I do believe there is “sin” and that it is wrong regardless of who accepts it.  God gave us a pretty good idea of what He sees as evil.  That’s really enough.  Jesus narrowed it down.  Love God!  Don’t love the world system, values and behaviors.  John said if you love these, love for God is not in you.  They were a lot harder than I am.

To me, when these perverse celebrities speak words like those at the beginning of this writing, they are only cementing their own condemnation for rejecting God and leading others astray.  Not very admirable.