Someone post this in sgforum of "eternal hope" under the title "The "unwritten" truth about Christianity".
.
This is how his post goes:
.
This is how his post goes:
There seems to be an unwritten truth about the faith - that Christ is the only way to salvation and if you don't believe in Christ you are &^*^(^(& . Unwritten 'cos nowhere does it state explicitly if you don't believe in Him you are ^^(^^*)&*& .
.
I start this topic 'cos there seems to be two kinds of Christians today:
.
1. The direct and vocal one. Those who dare to "criticise" and "condemn" other religions' followers to ((&&^^^(&()&.
.
2. The diplomatic Christian. They say all diplomatic things like "oh we are no different from other sinners", "we shouldn't condemn other people to (^^^*(()".
.
Note that I don't mean group 1 people go around condemning other people. They are just more direct in their "logic of salvation" - we are all sinners; we will ALL go to &(&& & without Christ; I accepted Christ so I have salvation; I regret to inform you since you don't believe in Him you will land up in the default place.
.
My question is, since group 2 ultimately believe in the same thing as group 1, does that make group 2 hypocrites?
.
.
My reply:
I understand your concern. This is not new and not uncommon today.
.
In the first place,
What is hypocrite?
A:Hypocrite is a person who indulges in hypocrisy.
.
And what is hypocrisy?
A: It is the practice of claiming to have higher standards or beliefs than is the case.
.
According to the definition above, I don't think group 2 are hypocrites. God make everybody unique. As you have said, grp 1 is more direct and vocal while the group 2 is more diplomatic. They just have different personalites and according to the faith they have, they serve God. Even among the apostles, not everyone is the same. You notice that in their books. For example, John focus more on relationship and love and also Jesus. You can notice the different personalities among the over 40 authors of the bible as you study the bible.
.
.
As you study the bible, you may notice the different personalitites of each characters in the bible:
John the Baptise was eccentric to say the least,
Jonah was reluctant,
Thomas had doubts,
Timothy was timid, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered,
and so on ........
.
but God used each of them in His service.
.
.
I shall quote some verses for you:
.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4: 11-13)
.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire[e] the greater gifts. ........(1 Corinthians 12: 27-30)
.
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. (James 3:1-2)
.
.
In conclusion, I still have to stress that God make each of us unique and "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)" All who believe in Him are called to serve Him differently according to the different personalities we have and the amount of faith we have. We don't have to imitate each other.
.
.
Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life,
"You Were Shaped for Serving God."
Rate This Post
No comments:
Post a Comment