Ten Things Christianity Doesn’t Mean

There is no tent bigger than Christianity. Jesus made this astonishing statement: “God loved the world so much…” (John 3:16). This was revolutionary thinking at the time. The Apostle Paul reaffirmed this startling statement when he wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.» (Galatians 3:28). Most Jews believed that God had no regard for anyone on the planet other than them. Christianity knows no national boundaries, nor racial boundaries, nor even cultural boundaries. You can’t get a bigger tent.

However, just because the tent is big doesn’t mean everyone will fit in it or that there aren’t standards inside. For example, anyone can become a Christian, but no one can dictate their own conditions for doing so. And while there is wide latitude in interpreting Scripture and applying doctrine, that does not mean “anything goes” when it comes to morals, ethics, beliefs, and behavior in the Christian tent. Holiness, not tolerance, is the gold standard of Christianity.

Today, much of what is presented as “Christian” is anything but true. The propensity of many to broaden the appeal of Christianity does not save more souls. This makes saving a lost soul more difficult for the few who labor in the Lord’s vineyard (which is the point made in the New Testament with the letter to the Galatians). Therefore, things can get very confusing for those who are seeking what Jesus has to offer as well as those who have become Christians in an “anything goes” denomination or church. There will always be a pushback from the Holy Spirit (a prick to the conscience) when the holiness of God is distorted and manipulated by those who are either ignorant or devious.

Here are 10 things that are often presented as being closely associated with (if not identifying with) Christianity. Study your Bible and you will find that none of them are a sure mark of what it means to be a Christian.

10 things that are often falsely associated with biblical Christianity

Happiness

Have you been told that you would be happier if you became a Christian or that to be a faithful Christian you must be happy? This is obviously false. The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus cried» (John 11:35). Study the context. He was in mourning. Paul became angry with Peter (Galatians 2:11-14), John advocated a measure of suspicion (1 John 4:1), and Jesus cried out that his soul was “very sad, even to death» (Matthew 26:38). Do a Bible study on the word “joy.” There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Jesus offers the former, not the latter (John 15:11).

Cultural acceptance

Some people have the ridiculous idea that being a Christian means everyone will like and respect you. How many times have you heard the expression “he’s a good Christian” to mean how acceptable and even enviable a person is? The idea that accepting Christ makes one more acceptable to society and culture is laughable. There is a reason why the cross is the worldwide symbol of Christianity. But in this day and age where there is a church on almost every corner, producing incredible competitiveness for parishioners, it is not considered a good business to remind those who turn to Christ that He said: “If they persecute me, they will also persecute you» (John 15:20).

Comfort

Meeting your material needs is becoming a selling point among many Christian circles. Whether it’s prosperity, recovery from illness, or a perfect family and a golden retirement, promises are regularly made about how God favors good Christians with myriad “blessings.” . But the reality is once again a bloody and painful cross. While the cross aptly communicates the love of God, it also evokes pain, suffering, destitution and death. How quickly we forget the cross and the fact that each of the apostles was tortured or martyred. Comfort? Are you kidding?

Majority rule

Many people have the idea that becoming a Christian somehow places them in some sort of socio-economic political religious majority. Everyone is a Christian, right? There are only a few resistance fighters left in the world. This one really gets under my skin since my undergraduate degree was in history. There has never been a time when Christianity was in the majority! Becoming a Christian does not put you on the same level as everyone else. In the parable of the sower and the seed, only 25% of the seed that the sower sowed produced the expected fruit. This means that 75% have not become “Christians”. Not to mention, Jesus said the path to eternal life was narrow and few would reach it while the path to destruction was wide and well traveled (Matthew 7:13-14). Most scholars believe that the word “Christian” was invented as a term of derision. That hardly makes them a comfortable majority.

protection

The idea that Christians are more protected by God than non-Christians against calamity and evil abounds. This is why so many books and articles have been written about when bad things happen to good people. The kind of protection God offers has little to do with the things of this world. An entire book of the Bible is devoted to this. It’s called “Job.” Yes, God protected Daniel in the lions’ den, but it is also true that He allowed His own Son to be tortured to death. Additionally, Jesus frequently reminded his disciples that they would be persecuted. This would not be true if God provided the kind of bodyguarding, type of protection that many claim is provided to Christians, would it?

Acknowledgement

One of the things that has intrigued me most in my 38 years as a pastor is the number of “Christians” who take offense at not being properly recognized. I’ve seen parishioners threaten to leave the church and cause trouble in the congregation because they wouldn’t talk to them at the grocery store or say “hello” to them when they passed my office. Apparently it never occurred to them that I might not have seen them while shopping or that I might have been studying while I was in my office. And it’s not just about parishioners. I was reprimanded for not publicly acknowledging a visiting minister who was attending a worship service. I mean, after all, the service was all about them, right?

Statement

Human nature craves (more accurately: demands) affirmation. We all want a pat on the back, a reward and approval from those around us. From our perspective, it’s not something we want as much as we deserve. Just look at the LGBT movement. It was not enough that they managed to change the very definition of marriage, both in the conscience and in the laws of the nation. They want affirmation. They request that everyone affirms their lifestyle. And so, if you’re a baker or a florist or a Christian t-shirt maker, they want you to be forced to affirm their sexuality. Unfortunately, a fairly significant portion of the Church seems to agree with them. But isn’t forcing someone to affirm you a bit like insisting that your partner say “I love you”? In Christianity, the only statement that means anything is “Well done, good and faithful servant» (Matthew 25:23).

Political neutrality

How many times have you heard that preachers should stay out of politics? Should doctors do this? Teachers? Firefighters or law enforcement? In a democratic republic, all eligible citizens are encouraged to participate in the political process. Everyone has the right to pressure their government to develop and pass legislation that reflects their values ​​(and that is precisely what any law is: a reflection of someone’s values). If they can gather enough support (votes), they shape the laws of the land. And Christians aren’t supposed to get involved in this process? What kind of ignorant thinking is this? It is truly telling and sad that so many preachers in this country believe it is their duty to stay away from politics, while those in repressive communist countries (like China) believe the exact opposite and are ready to be imprisoned for this!

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