Many so-called believers
of today entertain the
idea that Christians
must conform to the standards of
the world in order to win the world.
They know that wickedness is
flourishing in the earth and that
souls need to be won for Christ.
However, they realize that many
do not want to forsake their sinful
ways and give up all to follow
Him. Willing to please the world,
they conclude that Christianity
must be adulterated until it becomes
palatable to the multitudes.
The Bible, after all, was not written
in the 21st century, so surely
one need not require the people of
today’s society to conform to it
along every line.
They thus create and advertise
a new, more user-friendly religion,
which allows its converts
to speak, act, and dress like the
world while easing their conscience
in confessing the name
and blood of Christ (with the
mouth, not the life). Naturally,
such a philosophy attracts unprecedented
thousands of eager customers,
and “believers” are
thrilled at the “success of the gospel.
” There remains, however, a
problem. What have the new “converts
” been converted to–Christ
or merely a gilded form of their
old life? Has the world been converted
to Christianity, or has Christianity
been converted to the
world?
Paul warns us, “And be not
conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind” (Rom. 12:2). As born again
Christians, we have been transformed
from our old life of sin and shame to
a pure and holy life with Christ.
Since our thoughts and affections
are now centered on things above, we
are no longer interested in
fellowshipping with the world or
entertaining those “fleshly lusts,
which war against the soul” (1 Pet.
2:11). Scriptures such as 1 John 2:15-
16 and 2 Tim. 2:4 plainly state that
the spirit of the world is at complete
enmity with God.
We cannot hope to bring about
good by trying to adjust Christ´s truth to fit the world.
In the first place,
Christ is unchangeable
(Heb. 13:8). In
the second place, a
changed Christ
could do no good.
Rather than transforming base sinners
by His blood into holy people
who are fit to spend eternity with a
holy God, He would be bringing Himself
to their debauched level. Robbed
of His holiness and power, He would
have nothing to offer them. His saving
grace could do nothing worthwhile
because it could not save them
from anything. His atoning blood
could work no pardon, because His
unholy sacrifice would be unacceptable
in God’s sight. God is only good
as long as He is holy, and so is His
church. He has always been perfect
for each need, and He will always
remain perfect for anyone in any age.
He needs no alteration to fit the needs of today’s society.
The kind of religion sold by a
church reflects what kind of customers
she is looking for. Souls
that are truly seeking Christ will
be willing to give up everything to
please Him. They will not concern
themselves with trying to serve
God and holding onto worldly
pleasures at the same time, and
they will not be attracted by such
a compromising religion. Only
those who are still serving the god
of this world at heart and wish to
profess Christianity only for selfish
gain will be attracted by a
watered-down gospel. Let us not
be guilty of sympathizing with the
spirit of the world to win more
converts. Quality, not quantity of
Christians will lift up the name of
Christ and bring glory to Him.
Some suppose that a little bit
of the world let into the church will render the church more appealing
to the world–more compatible
with today’s lifestyle.
While this has proven to draw the
crowds, it is not the Biblical solution.
In God’s eyes, a church conformed
to the world is a church
won to the world, rather than the
world won to the church. Although
all have been brought to the same
level, it is a lower, not a higher
level they have been brought to. In
this decrepit state, the church is of
no use to the world and of no value
to God. It is a transformed, not a
conformed people God is looking
for.
By: Kara Wiebe
_________________
Samuel
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