The other day, while driving in my car, I was listening to a radio talk show. The caller remarked about the Koran, the holy book of Islam. He said that there were over three hundred scriptures that dealt with death to the infidels, viz., anyone who isn’t a Muslim. The host then remarked that there was an X-rated Bible that someone produced showing all the violent Scriptures that were in the Old and New Testaments. The purpose of this particular bible, I assume, was to show that Christianity is a very violent belief system. If anyone had read just a little of the Bible, they would have to agree that the Bible is indeed full of violence, but that does not mean that Christianity is violent. You must understand, God chose to intervene into the lives of ordinary men and ordinary men are violent! Men have fought each other since the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain. Men have been sexually immoral, greedy, slanderous, idolaters and homosexual offenders. They have killed for selfish reasons and have gotten drunk for any or no reason. Unfortunately, this is just the way people live. The good thing is that God does intervene into the affairs of men, through Christ Jesus. And when He does, lives change!
Paul tells us plainly in 1Corinthians; “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Then, Paul goes on to say what happens when God intervenes; “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” You see, the implication here is that we are no longer this type of person nor do we do those things any longer that will keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God. Any Christian who refuses to allow God to circumcise his heart is a Christian in his own eyes only and in the end he will see that he has deceived himself.
I recently read an article about the great linebacker, Ray Lewis, who plays for the Baltimore Ravens. The article talked about God intervening in his life while he sat in prison and now he is a new man. He may have changed a few things in his life, but he didn’t become born-again into the Lord Jesus Christ based on some of the things that were quoted in the article. So here we have a sports figure stating he has a relationship with God, who makes statements in accordance of worldly wisdom rather than Biblical truth. Someone may say, “Brother, you shouldn’t judge him, or, you shouldn’t say his name.” I wonder if these same “someones” would think the Bible was wrong when Paul told Timothy to be on guard from men whose teaching was like gangrene; among them were two fellows that he named in particular, Hymenaeus and Philetus. 2Tim.2:14-19
I cannot sit by and allow the world, or those in the church who are not preaching the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ to define our Christianity. The Bible defines our Christianity through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, be not deceived, for even the devil can appear as an angel of light. Paul told the believers in Corinth, that they should follow his example as he followed the example of Christ. You see, Jesus Christ defined Christianity –we are just supposed to reflect it!