What Model of Faith Will We Follow?
Christianity is not a complicated faith, but it is a demanding faith. While theologians may argue over controversial theories, such as atonement or eschatology or soteriology, in truth, the life of faith is not about pinning down with certitude the various interpretations of Scripture. Most of that stuff is speculative at best. There are no definitive answers in back of the Bible to tell us whether our understanding is right or wrong.
The decision to pattern one’s life after Christ defines the Christian faith, or at least it should. Striving to follow his example, treating people the way he treated people, living a humble and sacrificial life are the hallmarks of one who is in step with Jesus. The name Christian was a derisive label in the first century that described those who were trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, which the pagan world thought absurd.
“Forgive those who have harmed you? How ridiculous!” “Turn the other cheek when someone strikes you? Are you kidding?” “Love your enemies? Right. I’ll love my enemies by dropping a bomb on them.” The non-Christian world thought the teachings of Jesus were totally out of touch with reality and his followers had lost their mind.
Someone has rightly said, “It is not the teachings of Christ that I don’t understand that trouble me, but rather the teachings that I perfectly understand but am unwilling to do that trouble me.” Anyone who has taken the teachings of Jesus seriously would quickly agree. Following in his steps is a daunting challenge. I wonder if our tendency to focus on speculative theology, and argue endlessly about issues that can’t be proven, are merely distractions to justify our disregard for Jesus’ way of life.
Jesus was the kindest, gentlest and most loving man who ever walked upon the earth. He was compassionate toward sinful people, forgiving toward those who wronged him, and even though he was God’s presence on earth, he never lorded his divinity over people or tried to intimidate them with his power. His humility was genuine and not contrived. On one occasion, he took a towel and washed the feet of his disciples to show how they were to follow his example and be servants in the world.
Much of today’s Christianity, at least in America, has set aside the teachings of Jesus as a model to follow. It seems that many within the Christian community have substituted the way of Jesus—service and humility—for the way of the world—power and intimidation. The lure of political power has tragically bewitched segments of today’s church to believe that America can be made more Christian by following the Machiavellian model of brute force, instead of the Jesus model of kindness, forgiveness, love, and humility.
Have American Christians given up on the Jesus way? Has the American church forsaken the Christ of the Gospels and fallen into Satan’s trap? In the Gospels the evil one tempts Jesus to bow down to him and, in return, gain the kingdoms of the world. If only Jesus would have followed Satan’s way. No cross. No suffering. No death. It would have been so much easier! Jesus refused Satan’s trap. He chose the harder way. The way of the cross.
Have we? How can we claim to be followers of Jesus when we turn our backs on the poor, the elderly, and the sick, or when our language toward those we disagree with is filled with vitriol, anger and hatred, or when we blindly point out the sins of others while we refuse to see our own?
The Apostle Paul writes that those who walk in the footsteps of Jesus are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ( Gal. 5:22-23). When a person is in step with Jesus, these fruits of God’s Spirit will spill over consistently into their life. Can you honestly say that there is any political party in today’s combative environment that represents these spiritual traits? I certainly can’t.
The Apostle goes on to say that the opposite behavior of following Jesus, that is, the model of the evil one, is “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies …” (Gal. 5:19-21). Pretty much sums up our political parties and many of our political leaders, doesn’t it? To claim that one political party has the moral and spiritual high-ground over another is like pointing out the speck in our neighbor’s eye, while there is a bolder in our own.
Followers of Jesus should be skeptical with aligning with any political party, be they Republican or Democrat. Christian allegiance is to Christ alone, the Christ who warns his followers not to be taken-in by the beguiling temptation to pledge loyalty to any one man or any one party or ideology other than Christ. Church history teaches over and over again that whenever the church subscribes to a particular political organization, regardless of how well-intentioned or godly it may seem at the time, in the end, the church loses credibility.
Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as president of the United States on March 4th, 1861, just a month before the beginning of the Civil War. In his address to the nation, he pled with the southern states to remain in the union. Lincoln recognized the anger and hostility brewing in the south and knew that civil war threatened to tear the country apart. Yet he wanted the southern states to know that he would work hard to be their president, too.
Near the end of his speech, he voiced these irenic words to the people who fiercely opposed him, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.”
Tensions between the North and the South were at a fevered pitch, but Lincoln embraced those who stood against him as friends. That’s what godly leaders do. That’s exactly what Christ did from the cross when he forgave those who nailed him to the tree.
Tragically, Lincoln’s speech went unheeded. War soon broke out, and some 700,000 Union and Confederate deaths would be strewn across the battlefields of America.
President Lincoln did all he could to promote peace. To those who opposed him, he said, “We are not enemies, but friends.” Oh, how our nation needs a Lincoln today. A godly leader who does not hate his enemies, but calls them friends!
