Genuine Belief or Self-Service?

 

How can anyone think that it is legitimate to make up one’s own belief system about spirituality and the afterlife? Corresponding to this is the practice of selecting various beliefs and practices from a wide variety of conflicting religious systems. Reducing any belief system down to its foundations teaching establishes theories and practices that are exclusive.

When someone holds beliefs and practices that are internally inconsistent, they must understand the fallacy of doing so. Unless someone doesn’t actually believe what they claim to believe and only do so to make themselves feel better. Self-deception is a reality and internally inconsistent beliefs cannot hold up to critique. What does life look like for one who is living a lie?

What is the point?

 

What is the goal of our actions? We are vocationally active, we earn money, we spend money, we spend our time in activities but what is the ultimate goal in all of this? As someone once said, “Life is short, live it to the fullest, but eternity is forever, life should be spent preparing for it.”

If we live a life centered on being comfortable and entertained, we are not preparing for eternity. If our focus is on the pleasures of this life, we are not seeking after God but are only serving ourselves.

The Defining of Terms

 

It seems odd that additional labels need to be added to the term “Christian” when someone identifies themselves as such. “I’m a Baptist, I’m a Calvinist, I’m a Seventh Day Adventist etc., etc. This really is a simple matter. Either one is a Christian or one is not. Jesus taught the disciples and the disciples, in turn, taught those things to the first century Church. That teaching has been handed down to each subsequent generation even to this day.

One either believes the apostolic faith or he does not. The need for additional labels comes from the confusion that has been introduced over the centuries as groups of men tried to redefine the apostolic faith while trying to retain the label Christian for themselves.

The church addressed men such as this in the seven ecumenical councils. In these they minced no words. The church fathers pointedly defined the Christian faith on various points in the first 800 years of church history. They said, “if you do not believe these things, then you are not part of the body of Christ.” Everyone is so concerned about inclusivity and being nice, that they are afraid to use the term anathema or heresy in identifying those who seek to change the apostolic faith.

One either believes and practices what Jesus taught the apostles or one does not.

Money, Romance, and Life

 

Having money may make your life comfortable but it will not bring joy. Having romance may make you life warm and fuzzy, but it will not bring you joy. You can surround yourself with people who make life easy by telling you what you want to hear, but it will not bring you joy.

You can abuse and take advantage of people to “get ahead” and this may work for a time, but it will not bring you joy and there will be negative consequences. The pursuit of holiness will put you at odds within your culture and life will be difficult, but it will be full of joy.

It is easy to follow the culture in which you live, especially when that culture is nice and comfortable but taking that path will not lead you to holiness but only self-deception. When everyone around you tells you that everything is fine, they are not telling you the truth and they are not helping you. The path to holiness is contrary to the culture that surrounds you.

The Closed Heart

 

It is not your responsibility to make sure people think, speak, and act right. Unwanted advice is never beneficial. If someone is not open to change or is not interested in hearing you, there is no value in speaking your mind to them, in correcting them, or in proving them wrong.

People will choose to do wrong, and they will perform the mental or emotional gymnastics to justify it to themselves, even to the point of projecting their wrongs onto others. People will point out those who are “worse than them” in order to minimize their own sins in their own eyes.

Productivity and Distraction

 

We look at an animal, a dog, a cat, a horse, or a cow and we wonder how they can be so content and not bored as they go about their lives in and around our homes. What is it that drives man differently, so as not to be content and to have the need for activity?

On one hand, man is not just another animal, he was formed by God in his image and likeness, whereas animals were merely spoken into existence. Man was created to be productive and to improve and take care of his world. So, in this regard, man should not be content with simply doing nothing, he should be productive.

But on the other hand, so much of our time is spent on silly and worthless distractions that benefit no one and improve nothing. We should not be content, but we should not be merely distracted either. We are called to use our time wisely to pursue holiness, and to care for our neighbor and the world around us.