Are You Serious?

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Proverbs 16:25 NLT

I guess what prompted me to write this is that I have been hearing a lot of statistics lately that are alarming. Things like, ‘30% of our high school students in Christian families think that gay marriage is acceptable.’ Or, ‘Over 30% of high school students in Christian families believe that living together before you marry is a legitimate way to see if two people are ‘right’ for each other.’ I hear that many of the people that are confessing Christians, believe that there is no conflict between being a practicing homosexual, or having sex outside of marriage, and the Bible. What I have to ask myself when I hear such claims is “Are you serious?” And I don’t mean that remark in the common vernacular that means, “You’ve got to be kidding?” I mean it as it is written, “Are you really serious when you make those claims?” The reason I say this is that I think there must be a disconnect between what ‘Confessing Christians’ are saying and what they really know to be true; or, we have many christians that don’t take the Word of God (The Bible) seriously. 

For those that know what the Bible teaches and yet hold to a different stance on subjects like those mentioned above, I have to ask you, why do you call yourself a Christian? I’m not trying to be mean, I’m asking a serious question. Maybe to be clear we need to define what is meant by ‘Christian’*. This gets into an even deeper hole of un-clarity due to the word ‘Christian’ having so many interpretations in our society. Some may say that a christian  is one who is raised in a christian home, they don’t hold to any particular belief but consider themselves christian because they aren’t Hindu, Buddhist or Islamic. I believe that many of us in the United States hold to this type of belief- they say they are christian, but they cuss a blue streak, don’t attend church (many do which is even more puzzling), believe that you get to heaven if your good outweighs the bad, get drunk, are full of hateful prejudice… you get the picture: they think that being raised in a ‘christian’ home is what makes you a christian even if you don’t actually understand what the Bible teaches about what it means to be a real Christian. 

Others are of the more ‘new age’ christian church, even though they may not consider themselves ‘new age’ and may attend a Catholic, Baptist or any other christian church’. These are those who say that the bible is one holy book out of many, and that we christians believe it to be true (but not The Truth); and, they say, there are other paths to god. They know what the bible says, or to be more precise, what they believe the bible says, but they evidently don’t think it’s serious when it speaks of belief in Jesus as the ‘only way’ to gain heaven or eternal bliss after death; and by contrast, was saying that if you don’t believe in Him as the only way to heaven, then you will go to an eternal hell. They see the different paths to god  in each of the different religions and truly believe that each one ‘must be convinced in their own mind’ of what ‘real truth’ is. Maybe you remember the infamous words of the one who sentenced Jesus to death, Pilate, “What is truth?” Well, I guess according  to the new christian, Pilate had his truth too!  Now this approach would be good if it wasn’t for one thing: the Bible and the Truth- I know, you are saying that is two words, and you’re correct in the number, but if you know the Bible- take a look at John 17:17- then you will see that the Bible (Word) is Truth! 

You see, the Bible says that there is only one way and one Holy and True word of God; it doesn’t give any alternative or wiggle room. The Bible in essence teaches that you either believe it as truth or not: it is an ‘either or’ proposition, not a ‘this and that’ proposition. So, you see, if the Bible is true (it either is or not) then my beliefs or your beliefs don’t hold any weight if they don’t align with what the Bible teaches: we are like someone trying to row a boat away from the middle edge of the Niagara Falls; even though ‘you think you can’, you are going over the falls! Now, you have the choice to either believe the Bible or not, but not to take only the parts you want and still consider yourself a Christian in the true biblical sense: the Bible doesn’t give you that option and neither did Jesus. 

Let’s get back to the question, “Are you serious?” Are you actually serious about Jesus, the Bible (his Word), and belief in an afterlife as the Bible teaches: The Truth? If you are then you will need to ask yourself the other question, “Do my beliefs line up with the Bible?” If you have truthfully examined your belief system in light of the Bible and can say that you hold to the truth of it, great! If you don’t know, then you need to read the Bible for yourself (don’t let someone else answer this life-determining question for you) and see if the Bible’s teachings are what you believe. Don’t look at the Bible and try to find a verse here and there to substantiate ‘your’ beliefs, but actually read the context of the Bible and see if what you believe is actually taught in the Bible. Remember, it is an ‘either or’ proposition, you either believe the Bible or you don’t. At the very least we need to be honest with what we actually believe and why we believe it. Yes, the Bible has some hard teachings that we may not like, however, if it is true then I accept even those things that I don’t like or don’t make sense to me as the true Word of God; or, I reject the Bible as the true word of God and say so, I don’t pick and choose those things I like even though the Bible itself doesn’t give me that option. I am honest with myself and others. At any rate, you don’t want to come to that day when, like we all will, you close your eyes in this life for the last time never having given any real time considering what Jesus said; what the Bible said; and, do I believe it? You may think it doesn’t matter, but, I sure wouldn’t want to leave this question unanswered, do you?

So, are you serious? If you are a Christian, are you serious about your belief in the ‘entire’ Word of God? If you’re not, then maybe you need to be more serious about if you really are a ‘Christian’ or not. It’s time for us all to examine ourselves and ask that question:

“Are We Serious?”  

“1You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”  2 Timothy 3: 1-5 NLT

"(2) I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, (3) since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. (4) For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. (5) Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"  2Co 13:2-5 NASB95

*The use of Capitalization or not throughout the article is intentional.