The Only Real Difference
Unbiased truth in news reports seems to be a thing of the past. I have been monitoring the various news sources available online, and I don't like what I see. It's almost as if I'm reading about two different events when I'm actually reading two, or more, skewed interpretations of the very same thing.
You know what I'm talking about: left versus right, Republican versus Democrat, rich versus poor, black versus white, pro-choice versus pro-life, gay versus straight, Christian versus atheist, even conservative Christian versus liberal Christian.
And, when I read online reports, I can scan through some of the comments that have been written by interested readers, and that's where the real conflict continues, over and over, and over again. It's obvious that our nation has become hatefully polarized.
The thing that disturbs me the most, though, is this: the constant bickering of Christians versus atheists, and even conservative Christians versus those who are more liberal, and the misuse of God's Word that crops up as believers and unbelievers alike pick and choose verses that seem to support their points of view. Then, there are the hateful remarks, often made by liberal unbelievers who invariably accuse all Christians of being hypocrites. Sometimes, professing Christians reply in ways that just seem to prove the points of their adversaries.
All that hate! I would hope that the whole nation is beginning to tire of the hate, but so many people can't bring themselves to reach out, in love, towards those who are different from them.
The thing is, we aren't as different as some people want us to think. The majority of Americans are hard-working people who want what's best for our country, even though they may disagree on the best way to accomplish what they want. Every faction includes people who worry too much, drink too much, maybe even eat too much or exercise too much. Every group includes people who struggle with economic and family pressures, as well as people who seem to have it all together. And all of the groups, even the Christians, struggle with sin.
It's irritating, yet intriguing, to see how some self-professed atheists go out of their way to accuse Christians of wrongdoing. But they are right, you know. All Christians are sinners. All people living on the earth are sinners. We may sin in different ways. Some sins seem bigger than others, at least to us, but in God's sight, sin is sin. Even a tiny little sin is big enough to separate us from God.
But, there is one major difference, the only real difference, between Christians and non-Christians: Christians trust in Jesus to cleanse us from sin. We know we can't earn this gift. We certainly don't deserve it. But, we have accepted God's grace, and we are forgiven.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
You know what I'm talking about: left versus right, Republican versus Democrat, rich versus poor, black versus white, pro-choice versus pro-life, gay versus straight, Christian versus atheist, even conservative Christian versus liberal Christian.
And, when I read online reports, I can scan through some of the comments that have been written by interested readers, and that's where the real conflict continues, over and over, and over again. It's obvious that our nation has become hatefully polarized.
The thing that disturbs me the most, though, is this: the constant bickering of Christians versus atheists, and even conservative Christians versus those who are more liberal, and the misuse of God's Word that crops up as believers and unbelievers alike pick and choose verses that seem to support their points of view. Then, there are the hateful remarks, often made by liberal unbelievers who invariably accuse all Christians of being hypocrites. Sometimes, professing Christians reply in ways that just seem to prove the points of their adversaries.
All that hate! I would hope that the whole nation is beginning to tire of the hate, but so many people can't bring themselves to reach out, in love, towards those who are different from them.
The thing is, we aren't as different as some people want us to think. The majority of Americans are hard-working people who want what's best for our country, even though they may disagree on the best way to accomplish what they want. Every faction includes people who worry too much, drink too much, maybe even eat too much or exercise too much. Every group includes people who struggle with economic and family pressures, as well as people who seem to have it all together. And all of the groups, even the Christians, struggle with sin.
It's irritating, yet intriguing, to see how some self-professed atheists go out of their way to accuse Christians of wrongdoing. But they are right, you know. All Christians are sinners. All people living on the earth are sinners. We may sin in different ways. Some sins seem bigger than others, at least to us, but in God's sight, sin is sin. Even a tiny little sin is big enough to separate us from God.
But, there is one major difference, the only real difference, between Christians and non-Christians: Christians trust in Jesus to cleanse us from sin. We know we can't earn this gift. We certainly don't deserve it. But, we have accepted God's grace, and we are forgiven.
1 John 1:8-9
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