|
"There's
little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the
unchurched. There's as much pilferage and dishonesty among the
churched as the unchurched. And I'm afraid that applies pretty much
across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing.
People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming
depression--but it doesn't have primacy in determining behavior."
— George
H. Gallup
Dear
Saints:
If
George Gallup is correct in saying that religion "is not really
life changing," then, we may as well chuck the whole thing.
Why play games? After all, what good is a religion if it fails
to live up to its claims? And there's no doubt that
Christianity claims to change lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17
teaches us that "if anyone is in Christ, there is a new
creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
But
if those who claim to be believers in Christ don't exhibit any
verifiable differences from, say, the Buddhist or the skeptic, then
why continue going to church? America may still be the most
"religious" of the developing nations, but if our religion
produces nothing of lasting value in our lives, then, we're living a
lie. There's no other conclusion to reach but that we
Christians are pretentious windbags who are terrific talkers, but
lousy walkers.
No
doubt, Mr. Gallup's remarks have some validity, but do they tell the
whole story? I'm convinced they do not. Polls never tell
the whole story because they are fundamentally subjective. No
pollster may produce a purely objective questionnaire. The
questions and their results will always be skewed by the biases of
the pollster.
Yet,
more than this, I'm convinced Mr. Gallup cannot tell the whole story
for the simple reason that I believe the Bible does
tell the whole story. As God's word for us the scriptures won't
mislead us. The Bible is reliable and, therefore,
trustworthy. And if the scriptures say we are new creations in Christ–then
we must be. If they inform us that through baptism we've been
baptized into union with Christ–then
we are in fellowship with him. If they teach us that in
baptism we were also baptized into Christ's death having been
"buried with him...into
death"–then
our old, sinful self must have been defeated. Therefore, if
it's true when they declare that just as Christ has arisen from the
grave by God's glory "we too might walk in newness of life"–then
we should accept what it says at face value.
We're
now in the season of Lent. Lent shines an uncomfortable
spotlight on those aspects of our lives that are in need of change
(We are indeed too much like our unchurched neighbor!), but it does
so with the express intent of bringing those changes about.
We're not controlled subjects in a B. F. Skinner behavioral
psychology experiment. We're new creatures in Christ who have
been filled with the Spirit of God. This Spirit, who is
regularly equated with the power of God (see Luke 1:35) is constantly
at work in us to transform us into the image of his glorious Son (2 Corinthians
3:18).
Mr.
Gallup may have a point. Maybe religion isn't really
life changing–but
Jesus is. To know him is to know the One who achieves
the impossible. This Lenten season make it your point to
turn to Jesus; and, know that you don't have to remain where you
are. You can live differently in the power of his Spirit.
"What
shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism
into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." — The
Apostle Paul
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
