Christians just got a whole lot stranger

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter called upon the early Christians to regard themselves as "sojourners and exiles" in this world and "to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." Peter realized that it is the trajectory of those who don't follow Christ to follow the "passions of the flesh."

Christians are supposed to be different. We have the very same passions but are called upon to live as citizens of the kingdom of God, and that means following God's rules, even when God's rules don't line up with our passions.

But Peter doesn't end there. He also urges the believers to live commendable lives in the eyes of the Gentiles, the unbelievers around them: "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."

So, let's be honest. With this Supreme Court decision denying the constitutionality of a federal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, those who continue to uphold this definition will increasingly be seen, in the eyes of the unbelieving world, as evildoers.

We cannot waver from the conviction that marriage is between a man and a woman, Christians are constrained by the Word of God. (Must reading on the need to deny the validity of same-sex marriage is Jonathan Leeman's article, "Love and the Inhumanity of Same-Sex Marriage.")

However, let's not forget the second half of verse 11. When they sepak against us as evildoers (which will happen), may they also see our good works. Let's pray that as we speak words of great truth and live lives of great integrity, those who see us as "evildoers" today will come to Christ and glorify God tomorrow.

In the meantime, Christians just got a whole lot stranger . . . at least in the eyes of our neighbors.

 

 

Comments

[Aaron]

Robin,

Thanks for the feedback. Pray I have wisdom as I try to say a few words about this issue before the pastoral prayer on Sunday.

Aaron

[Robin Spangler]

Thank you Aaron, for pointing us to the whole counsel of God.