When Faiths Collide
By Grant McClung
Followers of Jesus Christ have to live out our faith without compromise and do it in a way that seeks peace and harmony. That’s a tough assignment but three Biblical reminders are helpful:
1 Be Simple
For those who follow Jesus Christ, the message is about Him, not about structures, institutions, religious history and culture. It is good for the individual Christian to remember that he or she is not on the line to “defend” two thousand years worth of Christianity and all the structures of “Christendom” that have grown up around it. Our job is to follow Jesus Christ – saying what He said, doing what He told us to do.
2. Be Sincere
That is another way of saying, “be real, authentic, transparent, open, accessible.” The word “Sincere” has an interesting background in the open air markets of ancient Greece and Rome where artists and craftsmen sold their products. Dishonest potters would smooth pieces of wax (their Latin term for wax was “cere”) into the pottery, covering up flaws and bad places. Later when the sun got hot it melted the wax and customers had a bad piece of pottery.
The honest sellers would place a sign on their tables. It read: “sin – cere” (it meant, “without wax,” without false substitutes). That gave us the modern word “sincere.” In the open air marketplace of competing ideas and religious hostility, followers of Jesus Christ have to be “sin-cere” – without wax. We have to be full of integrity and sincere faith.
3. Be Straightforward
Even though we have to keep it simple and possess a sincere inner integrity, we have to live out a straightforward witness for Christ. To follow Him means to speak out for him, to proclaim His message, and urge others to follow Him. When that happens, there will be tension, suffering, and persecution.
In all of that we are urged to “live in harmony, be sympathetic, be compassionate and humble, and not to repay evil with evil or insult with insult” (1 Peter 3.8-9). That is what one of the early Christian leaders, Peter, told his friends who were suffering persecution.
He reminded them not to be afraid, to remember that Christ was their Lord, and to be prepared to give a straightforward answer, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3.15). Jesus said there would be conflict but told us to be merciful, live in a right relationship to God, and to be peacemakers – Living out a simple, sincere, and straightforward faith.
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Dr. Grant McClung is a member of the Church of God International Executive Council. This reflection is a part of a World Impact Television broadcast scheduled for the Hallmark Channel and the Fox Television Network.
DISCLAIMER: Church of God and Faith News does not necessarily endorse or sanction all or any part of this news item.
