The Primary Issue

I've observed something and learned something over time. Sometimes believers can get overly concerned about the behavior of non-believers. I can understand this, especially when the overt practicing of sin makes it more difficult to instill a proper worldview in my children or when other, particularly innocent, people get hurt as a result.

But when we get to the point where we challenge an unbeliever's actions or moral perspective only, maybe pointing out they don't line up with the Bible, I think we do the gospel a disservice. Think about the effect that has. What does it say to someone? I think the main thing it says is "You get to heaven by your own efforts in being good, but you're screwing it up." This inevitably leads to a response of "You just want to use that book to control how I live. Screw that."

Bummer. That's not the message. Behavior is a secondary issue. Yes, its important. Yes, the Bible tells us how we should live. However, that doesn't matter one bit for the person that hasn't dealt with the primary issue! And the primary issue is in the heart of man. We don't live up to our own standards, let alone God's infinitely higher ones. Changing our behavior on our own terms isn't going to help fix that. The only things that will help fix it is 1) agreeing with God's analysis of our condition -- we're broken sinful people that can't earn our way into his favor and 2) accepting his solution to the problem by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing that on the cross he took the punishment for our sins, paying a debt we could never pay.

So, for unbelievers who live together and are not married, there is only one solution

For unbelievers who practice homosexuality, there is only one solution.

For unbelievers who condone abortion, there is only one solution.

For unbelievers who railroad God out of school, there is only one solution.

For unbelievers who drunk themselves stupid every night, there is only one solution.

For unbelievers who waste their lives on trivial pursuits, there is only one solution.

The list could go on, but the one solution to all the bad behaviors we tend to get vocal about, and more, is Christ crucified. Period. That's it. We don't get our actions right and then come to Christ. Rather, we take care of the primary issue by coming to Christ as we are, in humility and faith, and then letting him do the cleaning up from the inside out -- bogus behavior on the outside vanishes when we have a new heart on the inside that wants nothing more than to live for Christ!

Grace and Peace