Why do Christians do dumb things?
Martha Olawale
Each time I turn on the television, read an article or hear about Christians making news for reasons other than for the kingdom, it breaks my heart. I find myself ashamed of the conduct because of how it clouds the cross of Christ. No matter how hard I try, I never seem to understand why temporal pleasures would lead someone who knows the pain of Christ’s journey to the cross, make certain decisions.
It always feels like nailing Jesus to the cross over and over again. Instead of living out the truth of Matthew 5:14-16, we trample on the fabric of our faith, making Christianity less attractive. Yes, our salvation in Christ changes our nature to adopt God’s, but the importance of redemption leaves us to guard our salvation with spiritual diligence.
The knowledge of God’s sovereignty makes a man wise because he lives in the light of who God is—His mightiness, His love, His power, His majesty and His holiness. Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” While our perfection is a process that continues till the day we see Christ, we are called to grow in it. In the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, Jesus said in verse 48 “Be perfect.”
No doubt, perfection seems unachievable because the world is a difficult place to live, but Christ left an example for Christians to follow and eternity with Him is worth the fight. It is worth giving up the unhealthy desire that sends a man out of his marriage and the drive to live with pleasures outside the will of God. God’s grace is sufficient, but we have the responsibility to work out our salvation. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12 (NIV), “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
The great news is, regardless of how deep we fall, we have a Father whose love is always welcoming, wiping the slate clean so we can keep moving. We all have our daily struggles and slip every now and then. But, the moment we begin to delight in our weaknesses instead of laying them at the cross, we cease to walk under God’s grace and deny the sufficiency of it. As the light of this world, we cannot continue to look for ways to excuse ungodly behaviors and, to save face, cover things that should be confessed and dealt with. Christ is more than enough and the power, money, acceptance and desires that lead us into immoralities are not worth losing the soul He died for.
Christ is our perfection; His death was not a down payment but an absolute atonement for our sins. We may not look perfect today, but our daily walk with Him will get us closer to it as we journey to Heaven.” Martha Olawale
