Good morning -
Followers of Jesus are uniquely qualified to be hypocrites. No other people on the face of the earth struggle with the dual nature within that Christians struggle with. We are called to a high and holy standard but - let's face it - we often live and act very humanly.
If there is one group of Christians that we get to look at up close and personal, warts and all, it is the Christians at Corinth. A man is involved in an illicit affair with his father's wife (presumably not his mother!); believers are filing lawsuits and going to court against one another; and "upstanding church members" regularly employ the services of prostitutes. Absolutely outrageous behavior! But, before we look down our noses at these carnal Christians, we do well to consider if all is in order in our own houses. Perhaps (hopefully) none of us identify with the bizarre behavior of the Corinthians, but I doubt that any of us could stand up to full public scrutiny of our entire lifestyle. There are likely some sinful "skeletons in our closets".
A recurring theme with the Apostle Paul in light of such behavior is a reminder of who we are in Christ:"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). He restates that same truth with an appeal to use our bodies in a God-honoring way: "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
I respect the Bible as God's Word and treat it with honor because I associate it with God. It's ironic, then, that I can vent anger or harbor sinful thoughts and not equate the inconsistency of such thoughts and actions with my body as God's temple. Remembering the extravagantly high price that was paid to appropriate my body and convert it to the temple of God is a great deterrent to such thoughts and behavior.
There will always be a tension between our sinful nature and God's indwelling presence and Spirit this side of the Kingdom. The real problem comes when we choose to indulge our sinful nature and then cover it up with the disguise of spirituality. Our hypocrisy may successfully fool others, but ultimately we deceive ourselves if we play this game long enough and well enough.
I'm convinced that confession and accountability are effective antidotes to carnality and hypocrisy. It's important that we be reminded of our status as God's temple and all its implications, and reminding ourselves personally is not enough. We truly need others whom we trust to remind us as well as gently guide us into a lifestyle consistent with God's indwelling presence.
May you tap in to all the resources within and around you today to live the lifestyle of God's temple.
Pastor Steve
Followers of Jesus are uniquely qualified to be hypocrites. No other people on the face of the earth struggle with the dual nature within that Christians struggle with. We are called to a high and holy standard but - let's face it - we often live and act very humanly.
If there is one group of Christians that we get to look at up close and personal, warts and all, it is the Christians at Corinth. A man is involved in an illicit affair with his father's wife (presumably not his mother!); believers are filing lawsuits and going to court against one another; and "upstanding church members" regularly employ the services of prostitutes. Absolutely outrageous behavior! But, before we look down our noses at these carnal Christians, we do well to consider if all is in order in our own houses. Perhaps (hopefully) none of us identify with the bizarre behavior of the Corinthians, but I doubt that any of us could stand up to full public scrutiny of our entire lifestyle. There are likely some sinful "skeletons in our closets".
A recurring theme with the Apostle Paul in light of such behavior is a reminder of who we are in Christ:"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). He restates that same truth with an appeal to use our bodies in a God-honoring way: "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
I respect the Bible as God's Word and treat it with honor because I associate it with God. It's ironic, then, that I can vent anger or harbor sinful thoughts and not equate the inconsistency of such thoughts and actions with my body as God's temple. Remembering the extravagantly high price that was paid to appropriate my body and convert it to the temple of God is a great deterrent to such thoughts and behavior.
There will always be a tension between our sinful nature and God's indwelling presence and Spirit this side of the Kingdom. The real problem comes when we choose to indulge our sinful nature and then cover it up with the disguise of spirituality. Our hypocrisy may successfully fool others, but ultimately we deceive ourselves if we play this game long enough and well enough.
I'm convinced that confession and accountability are effective antidotes to carnality and hypocrisy. It's important that we be reminded of our status as God's temple and all its implications, and reminding ourselves personally is not enough. We truly need others whom we trust to remind us as well as gently guide us into a lifestyle consistent with God's indwelling presence.
May you tap in to all the resources within and around you today to live the lifestyle of God's temple.
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 11:06 AM
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