Last Thursday, as my friends and I walked up and down the downtown farmer’s market, we passed by a booth for the “free thinking” atheists group. A banner that they had draped across the front of their table said in a bold font, “Good...without God.” I have no doubt that that these were, by most standards, good, kind, compassionate people who happened to have strong opinions about being under the authority of a Higher Power. I can imagine if I spoke with them they would tell me of all the good they have done, the homeless shelters they’ve volunteered at, the money they’ve given to disaster relief, the orphans they’ve adopted, and so on. Then maybe they would give me examples of Christians who lied, cheated, raped, murdered, all in God’s Name. They probably would be right. There are individuals who call themselves Christians and yet do disgusting things. I have to wonder, though, have they ever looked at Jesus?
Yes, there are Christians who fight, who hurt each other, who are bitter and broken. Sometimes I wonder why God has chosen us as His representatives. If everyone would simply look to Jesus, they could have nothing to say against Him. He was an advocate for the poor, he called out the religious on their hypocrisy, he healed the blind, the crippled, even raised the dead to life! Jesus didn’t pull any punches. He was firm about sin, yet he loved all. What is it about this Jesus that atheists hate so? Are they merely mad with him because his followers--or those who claim to follow him--can often be hypocrites? Or is that just a smoke screen for something deeper...something they themselves may not realize?
It can be scary following Jesus. Stepping out of that comfort zone to follow Someone we can’t physically see, and risking our reputations for His cause. I understand that fear. I have lived in it for a long time...the fear of man. I can tell you, it isn’t worth it. Perhaps if those of us who are Christians would believe God’s word and act on that belief, non-Christians would be attracted to that bit of Christ in us. I have lived in the shadows, not wanting any attention drawn to myself. I thought that maybe people would see Christ in me without me putting out any effort. They may think that I’m a nice person, but no different from the atheist sitting at that booth proclaiming his freedom from God.
 |
| Not exactly a vine, but you get the idea. |
What’s the difference? If both Christians and atheists alike can be good, loving people, why bother with Christ? According to the Bible, the very idea that there is any good without God is a fallacy. It simply cannot happen. In John 15 Jesus uses a parable to describe himself and his followers: he is the vine, we are the branches. He said, “Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (v.4)” What is fruit? He wasn’t talking about the dates and figs he and the disciples had for lunch. Turning several books down to Galatians 5:22-23, it says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” This is the Spirit of God. He is full of these things. Without Him, according to John 15, we are incapable of “bearing” this fruit.
I believe that we can be kind, compassionate, and giving without acknowledging God. I believe that is possible because whether we accept Him or not, His Spirit is living and active on earth. He was the One who created us with the capacity to love. Despite our sins we can still love to an extent, but it is only a poor shadow of the true love we can experience in Christ and give to each other. Without allowing ourselves to be attached to the very source of love, our love will be flawed. It will be tainted with greed, selfishness, envy, jealousy, and every antonym of the fruit of God. I don’t mean to say that only atheists fall into this trap; Christians do as well. When we stop believing in God’s promises and living for Him, when we decide to live like the rest, we become in our hearts as though we never knew Him. I’m not saying that they are no longer saved; I don’t have the answer to that one. Yet here on this earth, they might as well not even pretend to know Christ.
God is real. God is love. Without God, we live for a lie.
No comments:
Post a Comment