Mind of a Christian

Should Do vs Actually Do

According to pewforum and Gallup News, 70-75% of Americans are Christians.

I remember seeing "A Good Person" by Ilafox (see attached image) when I was an atheist. Its message was something I used to justify my grudge against Christians. The comic shows that an individual can do terrible things against people, yet be categorized as a good person by going to church.

Being a Christian now does not discount the problem that "A Good Person" reveals to us, but I will say that there is more to the human nature than what is shown in the comic.

In the defense of Christianity, let's start with what Christians should do:

"'... Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

'Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in? Or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

'And answering, the King will say to them, 'Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on the left, 'Go away from Me, you cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.

... 'Amen, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.' (Matthew 25: 34-41, 45 TLV)

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"'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?'

And He said to him, ''You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" (Matthew 22: 36-40 TLV)

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"'... If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are doing good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do this.

... But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of Elyon, for He is kind to the ungrateful and evil ones...'" (Luke 6: 32-33, 35 TLV)

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There are many places in the Bible that expresses what Jesus wanted His followers to do, and that is to love and give and take care of others. There should be many instances where the Bible sponsors generosity and humble servitude to others, and there are! If this wasn't the case, then it would be hard to believe that God is caring for His people.

Matthew 25: 34-40 addresses how Jesus wants us to carry out our lives: in service to others. Christians should give to the poor. They should take care of others, especially those who need them the most.

I also like how Luke 6 puts it: Followers of Christ should love everyone, especially disagreeable or hostile people. They should give and provide help to them. If you keep reading past the verses I've mentioned, Jesus elaborates further, and I think that you'll appreciate what He has to say.

God does not approve of selfishness. Matthew 25: 41-46, which is the second half of the Righteous Judge parable with the sheep and goats, makes it very clear that God does not approve of selfishness. If you think I'm being picky by choosing only New Testament verses, go through the laws and commandments outlined in Exodus - Deuteronomy.

Here are two:

"You are not to pick the remnants of your vineyard, nor are you to gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Instead, you are to leave them for the poor and for the outsider. I am ADONAI your God." (Leviticus 19:10)

"'Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the furthest corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Rather you are to leave them for the poor and for the outsider. I am ADONAI your God.'" (Leviticus 23: 22 TLV)

"I am ADONAI your God." (TLV)

"I am the LORD your God." (NASB)

Like many of the laws, God stresses the importance of these two laws in particular by saying these words. God reminds His people that these laws are coming from Him, God Himself. God's people would do well to heed His words. God's people would do well to make sure that there is something reserved for the poor.

Okay Ethan, but that's what Christians SHOULD do.

And this is where the sad reality hits. Do you see 70% of the people you come across devote their lives to God by serving others?

A lot of Christians do a bad job at doing what God commands us to do. We have a hard time loving everyone. We have a hard time setting aside time to serve others, whether that be helping our neighbor, or educating both kids and adults alike about the word of God. It's easy to be selfish and put ourselves first before others.

I'm no exception, and I'm probably not on the good side of the bell curve.

And you know what? There are also a lot of Christians who do a good job at doing what God commands them to do. They are the ones who really go above and beyond to make sure that everyone else is alright and taken care of. They are the ones who would unhesitatingly give sacrifices to help others - whether it be for his squad in the military, or for the homeless, or for the middle class person who has too much stress and worry to bear alone, or for whoever.

We do a bad job NOT because we're bad Christians, but rather because we're human. We make mistakes. Sometimes we pick ourselves up, sometimes we don't. Sometimes, we mess up big time, sometimes we do a great service to other people. Take a look at any group of people - religious or not. Take a look at classrooms, offices, churches, FOB's and shops. You'll see the same thing: sometimes people do well, sometimes they make mistakes.

And you're no exception, too.

Sources:

http://www.ilafox.com/

Newport, Frank. "Percentage of Christians in U.S. Drifting Down, but Still High." Gallup.com, Gallup, Inc., 24 Dec. 2015, news.gallup.com/poll/187955/percentage-christians-drifting-down-high.aspx.

Wormald, Benjamin. "Religious Landscape Study." Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center, 11 May 2015, www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.