The world measures God by our works

We ended our last article by saying that if Islam could be judged by what Muslims do, it should come as no surprise that non-Christians would do the same with Christianity. In fact, if God created us in his image, it was so that we could show all around us what he looks like. When sin entered the world, we failed in this mission, so God created a people who would reflect his character to the surrounding nations. So much of what the surrounding nations know about God comes from what we do as Christians. Of course, whether God exists or not, whether He is just, holy, good and loving, is an objective truth that doesn’t depend on what we do, but men evaluate our God according to what His children do. If we resemble the idols we have (Cf. previous article) then it seems obvious that we resemble the only true God we worship!

In fact, Christianity is less and less criticized for its « irrationalism ». Many are rediscovering that the Christian faith is logical and based on arguments. On the other hand, where Christians are currently most criticized is in their conduct. In France, all the pedophilia scandals in the Church have made many people allergic to the Christian religion. These are the toughest criticisms we have to answer, because they are real, concrete and visible, and not simply based on logical argument. In the words of Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan, « the message is the medium », i.e. the person who conveys the message is just as important as the message itself. If the messenger does something completely contrary to the message, then the message cannot get through. When educating children, for example, it’s important to teach by example and not simply ask them to do « what we say and not what we do ». If you do that, the message isn’t really conveyed. When you’re a Christian, you have to be very careful about what you do, because it really does communicate a profound message.

The messenger is just as important as the message

Francis Schaeffer takes us back to what Jesus told his disciples. We see in John 13 and 17 that for Jesus, unity in the Father is the final apologetic, the ultimate means of testifying to our faith.¹ « In John 13, Jesus explained that if a Christian doesn’t show love to other true Christians, the world has the right to judge that he’s not a Christian. Here, he affirms something that is even more incisive and much more profound; the world must not be expected to believe that the Father sent the Son and that Jesus’ claims and the Christian faith are true, unless it sees some reality of the unity of true Christians. »2 It’s important to constantly remind ourselves that the world is watching! We are a people of priests, that is, we are called to be the link between God and the other nations. When we don’t respect His decrees, the world thinks that God is neither just nor good. When we are evil, the world thinks the Lord is an evil God. On the other hand, when we act with justice, with love, with compassion, with order, etc., the world understands that the LORD is a just, orderly, loving and compassionate God. Our Christian life therefore has a much greater impact than we might imagine. It doesn’t just affect our personal lives, or even just the Church, but the whole world.

Unity in the Holy Spirit

We’ve highlighted two things in particular that make the world know God through the Church. The first is, of course, love. The second follows on from this, since it is unity according to the Holy Spirit. It’s important to emphasize right away that we’re not talking about love or unity as the world sees it. For Jesus, we must love others as ourselves, especially in the Church. If we belong to Jesus Christ, our deepest desire for others is that they live for Christ. This will require listening and understanding, but also a great deal of correction.

The unity of the Church does not come from an administrative or institutional structure, but from this common desire to advance in our Christian life, to rid ourselves of our sins and give everything to Christ. Without this desire, we may have a common structure, a common confession of faith or common projects, but the true unity of the Spirit will not be lived out. When we think about the unity of the Church, we must not think primarily in terms of friendship, structure, etc., but in terms of belonging to Christ. The closer we are to Christ, and the more we rid ourselves of our sins, the closer we will be to one another.

Jugment in the Church

We’ve talked about how the world judges the Lord and the Christian Church. We must remember, however, that within the Church, we don’t necessarily have the same criteria as the world. Of course, unity and love are important, but doctrine is an integral part of what the Church is: « the Church has the right and duty to judge a man on the substance of his belief and teaching. But we must not expect the world to judge in this way, for the world cares absolutely nothing for doctrine. »3 When someone proves by his actions that he is not of God, we can say that he is not a Christian. Similarly, when someone claims that Jesus is not God, that he did not die and rise again, that he is not our Lord and Saviour, he is not a Christian! In short, those who don’t believe in the Apostles’ Creed can’t call themselves followers of Christ. It’s important to emphasize this biblical truth: « Know the Spirit of God by this: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God, but of antichrist » (1 Jn 4:2-3). Although the world does not care about this criterion of unity, we have a duty to protect the Church against « false prophets », against those who lead us away from God while claiming to be of God. Since all truth comes from God, true doctrine should lead us to him. The Triune God therefore calls us to live the true unity of faith by seeking the truth and abandoning ourselves to him.

1 SCHAEFFER Francis, La marque du chrétien, Éditions Telos, Fontenay-sous-Bois, 1975, p. 15-16 (translated via internet).

2 Ibid,p. 16 (translated via internet)..

3 Ibid, p. 17-18 (translated via internet).