We live in a you do you culture: a society that says whatever you feel is best for you is right, and unfortunately, this lie has been bought by many Christians. Having a view of you do you, is destructive and a breeding ground for sinful lifestyles.
God did not create us to do us but to do holy.
God tells the Israelites in Leviticus that they are to be Holy as He is Holy. He did not say do whatever makes you happy or feel good.
In 2 Timothy 3, Paul states, that in the end times, men will become lovers of themselves instead of lovers of God. This description could perfectly describe society today.
You do you, doesn’t ask the question, would God want me to do this? This is why we must shift to a mindset of you do holy. We need to begin asking ourselves; is what I think, feel, and believe about myself and others holy and pleasing to God? I wonder how many habits would be curbed by simply asking these questions and seeking an honest answer.
The Bible isn’t Open For Interpretation
Something that is really bothering me lately; is how many Christians openly support concepts against the word of God. They are accepting of something if it pleases them, eases them, appeases them, and releases them.
But we were never meant to pick and choose what concepts we believe in the Bible. Thou shall not kill still applies to life in the womb. Thou shall have no other god’s before me still applies to the god of self. It is time to sacrifice the god of self and serve God alone.
Beliefs Shaped by God’s Word
I challenge you to take a core belief you have and filter it through the word of God. Don’t force it to fit into the word but allow the word to shape it. And if this challenge bothers you, ask yourself why that is. If we will not allow God to change our minds about a topic, this is a sure sign that we are seeking to please ourselves and not God.
Leaving People in Sin isn’t Love
You do you culture says that we should just let people choose what is best for them and accept them as they are. I agree that it is up to the individual what they choose for their lives, and I also agree that we should be loving people no matter what they choose; condemnation is not what I am after here. My point is true love is not wanting to see someone destroyed, ruled, and defeated by sin.
Romans 6:16 states, don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
The people we love who live lives of sin are in bondage, and we have the key to unlocking them from a life of death, but we refuse to admit that they are slaves. Instead of seeing them as slaves to sin, many Christians are supporting them in their slavery.
Romans 1:32 speaks about such people Paul states, Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Christians must stop approving of things that are contrary to the word of God. How will the world ever be free if the Christians don’t show them the way?
Go and Sin No More
How we show them the way is by loving them with Christ-like love. Jesus spent time in the company of sinners, not condemning them but not condoning their sin.
With the woman caught in adultery, he told her to go and sin no more. Jesus did not say to her return to the man you were sleeping with and do what feels right to you. We find another example of this in John 5, where Jesus heals the invalid. Jesus told this man to sin no more, or something worse could happen to him. He wasn’t threatening the man but warning him as to what the consequences of sin were.
Sin is Sowing Death
Galatians 6:7-8 says, Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his flesh will from his flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Jesus warned the man because he cared about what happened to him in this life and the next. We must start caring about people enough to show them the truth, and the truth is sin leads to depression, addiction, anxiety, and pain. There is no true joy or peace found in a life of sin.
Friend of Sinners
Jesus was a friend of sinners; a true statement but one that is often misused; Jesus was a friend of sinners and often associated with them and tax collectors. Jesus stated that he spent time with sinners because he came to call them to repentance. When Jesus spent time with sinners, they didn’t stay that way long. He didn’t change his mission or message to be their friend; instead, his message and mission changed their hearts.
Heal the Sin Sick
Jesus used the example of the sick needing a doctor and not the well; he came to heal people from the sickness of sin, not to leave them drowning in it. Christians accepting and condoning sin is the equivalent of a doctor seeing a sick patient and doing nothing to help them. It is our job as the hands and feet of Jesus to help heal the sin-sick world we live in.
Speak the Truth in Love
We will not accomplish this by condemning or making one feel shame, but by reflecting word views instead of world views. Stand up boldly against social norms while proactively loving people. The word of God is not meant to beat people over the head but to be used to speak the truth when the opportunity presents itself.
We should also remember that no one is without sin, no not one. 1 John 1:8 reminds us, that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. We must approach the conversation with those living a life of sin with compassion and love and not with an attitude of superiority.
Referenced Verses:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1%3A8&version=ESVhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9%3A11-13&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A1-5&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A16&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A32&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208%3A1-11&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+6%3A7-8&version=ESV
Randall Freeman says
Carrie, I could not have loved your writings any more than if I had written them myself!
carrie says
Thank you so much! I appreciate that! 🙂