Conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come
and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith
of the gospel~ Philippians 1:27 NASB
I recently reached a milestone I was not expecting to reach
for at least another couple of decades. I have officially lived long enough to
be astounded by the changes I have seen in my lifetime.
Just a few short years
ago blackberries and apples were fruit. Green was a color not a movement. Crocs
were reptiles. Living together prior to marriage was considered way out of the
mainstream. People used payphones in emergencies. Restaurants had smoking
sections and watches had a practical rather than simply decorative purpose.
Tweeting was something
birds did. Microwave ovens were for rich people. No one had ever heard of
social media, reality television, iPods, helicopter parenting, DVDs, online
dating or life coaches.
Changes have not been exclusively reserved for the
technological and secular spheres of life. The Church has seen more than its fair share
of radical shifts in the years since I became a Christian.
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when no one in
the Church had ever heard of coffee bars, the emergent church movement or the
purpose-driven ministry model. Worship teams, small groups, overhead projectors
for music and padded chairs (as opposed to pews) were considered cutting edge
ministry innovations.
I don’t have a problem with tweaking the way we do Church.
There is nothing heretical about changing how we reach a relentlessly changing
culture. I do have a problem with change for the sake of change. Change for
change’s sake is a silly waste of time, spiritual energy and fiscal resources
One change I find particularly troubling is the tendency to
shy away from holding anyone to a higher standard of behavior. Back in the day,
Pastors and Bible teachers spent a great deal of time highlighting the
importance of Christians being different and living their lives at a higher
level of morality than the rest of the culture.
Today I want to make a case for living life at a higher
standard. I am not advocating high moral values for non-Christians.
Non-Christians should not be expected to behave like Christians. Neither am I
advocating eccentricity (being different for the sake of being different) or
legalism (doing things or adopting behaviors in an effort to earn salvation). I
am advocating a return to a pursuit of holiness and Christian distinctiveness
(1st Peter 2:9). Higher standards of behavior benefit believers in at
least three ways:
Higher standards cause non-Christians to self-evaluate- 1st
Peter 3:1
When Christians make the effort of living their lives
according to God’s standards, marriages tend to be stronger and families more
loving. Folks tend to be more content with what they have and suffer from fewer
life-controlling addictions and behaviors. Non-Christians observe the
differences and sometimes the disparities trigger self-evaluation of their
priorities and lifestyle choices. Assessments of lifestyle choices often lead to
repentance and a relationship with Jesus.
Higher standards act as a safeguard- Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm
119:45
God’s decrees aren’t magic bullets but sometimes they look
and feel like it. Families are happier and healthier when parents follow
biblical principles for family life. Managing money according to biblical
principles shelters folks from many financial disasters. God’s rules for sex
have protected generations from heartbreak, disease and unintended pregnancy. Doing life God’s way inevitably produces
superior outcomes and happier human beings.
Higher standards
deepen our relationship with God- Psalm 62:7, 2nd Corinthians 12:9
Living life by biblical standards is not easy, and it is not
something we accomplish without God’s help. The commitment to live at a level
we are not really capable of forces us to seek a deeper dependency on God. If
you don’t feel you need God’s help to live up the moral standards you’ve set
for yourself, your standards are not high enough.
Christians have confused moral standards with legalism and
rigidity for far too long. It is not legalistic to be vigilant about what we
allow into their minds via books, television, music or other forms of media
(Proverbs 4:23). It may be antiquated, but it’s not legalistic to be cautious
about the words we use (Ephesians 4:29). It is not puritanical to believe that
Christians should not divorce without biblical grounds or that God’s views on
sexuality (1st Thessalonians 4:3-8) are still relevant today.
A return to higher standards of morality will empower
individual Christians to reach a world that urgently needs to witness the power
of holiness in action.
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