the balance
how does one find the perfect balance between Christianity and the world? as Christians, we often struggle to find the balance between being a holy Christian and being a relatable Christian. many probably don't think that it's possible. in fact, most "relatable" Christians are often viewed as "too worldly". does being relatable make one "worldly" and less of a Christian? i beg to differ. what is the definition of the perfect balance? what are the factors of achieving a perfect balance? i don't have the answer, i only have my own opinions that make up a discourse of my ideology.
Christians are often viewed as "holier than thou" and that is an attitude that some of us are admittedly guilty of having. what makes us different from the world? we were not born superior to anyone else. the only thing that makes us different is that we've been saved. that doesn't make us holier than others. we're all sinners. they're sinners, we're sinners. there is no degree to sin. the only thing that we have that they don't, is the knowledge that we have a God who loves us, and He sent His Son to die for our sins, thus redeeming us. if that's the only thing that sets us apart from others, what gives us the right to judge them? to turn our noses up, turn our backs on them? to condemn their actions by saying that they're unholy and never going to make it heaven? if Jesus is the only thing that makes us different, why are we not going out there to share the love? i've heard so many people telling me that they're "gone", that they can never become Christians, because they just feel so inferior, because they look at Christians and the way we behave sometimes, and they think that they can never be as "holy" as we are. and that just breaks my heart.
on the other end of the spectrum, you get the Christians who are viewed by other "holier than thou" Christians as "too worldly". what is that supposed to mean? we all live in this world. however, that does not mean that we need to be part of this world. everything boils down to our personal choices, seeing as to how we've all been given free will- it was a completely unbiased gift from God. what we choose to do with our lives is up to us- do we choose to squander it away on meaningless partying, drinking, gambling and promiscuity? or do we choose to live for God, to reach out to those who've yet been saved? one may be viewed as "too worldly", but what if others look at the same Christian that other Christians deem as "too worldly" and instead, sees someone who can empathise, who can understand, who has gone through the same thing, yet is different because he/she knows the answer, the Way?
i always believe that Christians are placed in this world for a reason. if we want to segregate ourselves deliberately, to cut ourselves off from the world of sin, that doesn't make us any different from those unorthodox cults that always appear in the news. if we're not here to relate to non-Christians, then God would have whisked us back up to heaven the moment we accepted Christ. but we're here for a reason and a relatable Christian is always more of an asset than a "holier than thou" Christian. it doesn't mean that we've to partake in the activities of the world, we don't have to party mindlessly, drink excessively, gamble and sleep around just to fit in and to be "relatable". that also applies to the littlest things. it doesn't mean that we have to swear to fit in. it means that we should go out there, and really live life as God meant it to be. we shouldn't shy away from experiences because we're afraid, because we're all super sheltered Christians. i think one of the major problems that the Church has these days is that Christians are becoming too sheltered. they don't know what the world is like out there. they have not lived. and because of that, Christianity appears to be becoming irrelevant in today's modern society. we're too backwards, we're medieval, we don't know what the world needs these days. but that's false. that's a complete misconception. the world needs Christianity more than ever now. and Christianity will never be irrelevant, it will never be phased out. and it is up to us to correct that misconception, to find the perfect balance.
Christians are often viewed as "holier than thou" and that is an attitude that some of us are admittedly guilty of having. what makes us different from the world? we were not born superior to anyone else. the only thing that makes us different is that we've been saved. that doesn't make us holier than others. we're all sinners. they're sinners, we're sinners. there is no degree to sin. the only thing that we have that they don't, is the knowledge that we have a God who loves us, and He sent His Son to die for our sins, thus redeeming us. if that's the only thing that sets us apart from others, what gives us the right to judge them? to turn our noses up, turn our backs on them? to condemn their actions by saying that they're unholy and never going to make it heaven? if Jesus is the only thing that makes us different, why are we not going out there to share the love? i've heard so many people telling me that they're "gone", that they can never become Christians, because they just feel so inferior, because they look at Christians and the way we behave sometimes, and they think that they can never be as "holy" as we are. and that just breaks my heart.
on the other end of the spectrum, you get the Christians who are viewed by other "holier than thou" Christians as "too worldly". what is that supposed to mean? we all live in this world. however, that does not mean that we need to be part of this world. everything boils down to our personal choices, seeing as to how we've all been given free will- it was a completely unbiased gift from God. what we choose to do with our lives is up to us- do we choose to squander it away on meaningless partying, drinking, gambling and promiscuity? or do we choose to live for God, to reach out to those who've yet been saved? one may be viewed as "too worldly", but what if others look at the same Christian that other Christians deem as "too worldly" and instead, sees someone who can empathise, who can understand, who has gone through the same thing, yet is different because he/she knows the answer, the Way?
i always believe that Christians are placed in this world for a reason. if we want to segregate ourselves deliberately, to cut ourselves off from the world of sin, that doesn't make us any different from those unorthodox cults that always appear in the news. if we're not here to relate to non-Christians, then God would have whisked us back up to heaven the moment we accepted Christ. but we're here for a reason and a relatable Christian is always more of an asset than a "holier than thou" Christian. it doesn't mean that we've to partake in the activities of the world, we don't have to party mindlessly, drink excessively, gamble and sleep around just to fit in and to be "relatable". that also applies to the littlest things. it doesn't mean that we have to swear to fit in. it means that we should go out there, and really live life as God meant it to be. we shouldn't shy away from experiences because we're afraid, because we're all super sheltered Christians. i think one of the major problems that the Church has these days is that Christians are becoming too sheltered. they don't know what the world is like out there. they have not lived. and because of that, Christianity appears to be becoming irrelevant in today's modern society. we're too backwards, we're medieval, we don't know what the world needs these days. but that's false. that's a complete misconception. the world needs Christianity more than ever now. and Christianity will never be irrelevant, it will never be phased out. and it is up to us to correct that misconception, to find the perfect balance.