Today we ask a very fundamental question; if a certain behavior is permitted by God, should we refrain from doing it because it might cross someone else’s taboo?

If God, for example, permits us to work on Sunday, but our neighbor (incorrectly) believes that Sunday is the Lord’s day, should we refrain from working on Sunday, lest they think us unrighteous?

There is certainly an argument that we should, indeed, rest on Sunday as well lest we offend them. But then we run afoul of a command of God “six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work” (Exodus 20:9).

So would God rather we worked Sunday, in obedience of His command, or rest Saturday and Sunday, in obedience with the consciences of our Baptist neighbors? If we have a Muslim neighbor on the other side, shall we likewise rest Friday?

At first, the answer seems easy; derived from the answer of Paul regarding meats offered to idols: “But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9).

The idea behind that passage is that ex-pagans, who had once believed that all meat must be offered to an idol before consumption, were coming into the true religion, and were now uncomfortable with eating meats that had been offered to idols, wanting to draw a clear line between their old practices and their new practices.

Jewish Christians who had no such idolatrous baggage had no problem eating something that some guy waved in front of a chunk of marble. The idol meant nothing to them, neither did the offering. This caused a significant amount of friction in both Rome and Corinth. Paul’s conclusion was…

Romans 14:14-17 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don’t destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Then don’t let your good be slandered, for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This is reasonably applied by Christians to all aspects of life; deferring to the taboos and expectations of others in their interactions with the world. However, there are two major flaws with that concept… first, this is applied specifically and strictly to “your brother.” Applying this to every random pagan you meet is a gross misapplication of Paul’s intent.

James 4:4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Second, this was an action that implicitly encouraged your brother to do something he believed wrong, by your example. You eating Apollo-blessed meat, the smell of roasted lamb wafting across the table while the juices dripped from your blissful face, would reasonably tempt his heart to demand something his spirit was still not convinced he was permitted, risking a compromise which he shouldn’t make. So better not to tempt him.

But me mowing my lawn on Sunday while my Baptist neighbor goes to church is not the same thing. First, his religion doesn’t really forbid working on Sunday, it just frowns on it. Second, if he were tempted to work on Sunday, he might be tempted likewise to inquire why I rest on Saturday instead.

Thus he is not being tempted to sin, but tempted to learn the Truth. This draws a real distinction between this and eating blessed meat, because eating blessed or unblessed meat makes no difference; resting on Saturday or Sunday makes a huge difference. Keeping Saturday does commend you to God in a way that keeping Sunday does not.

DON’T MAKE WAVES

Christians today try to blend in with the world’s customs and expectations as much as possible, in a vain effort to become their friend; I say vain, because no matter how hard you try, you will always be too weird for them to truly accept and in the process you will lose the very God whom you claim to serve.

1 John 4:4-6 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Today’s Christians are told not to make waves; to blend in; to hide their beliefs as much as possible. But how, then, is it possible for the world to hate you?

John 7:7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.

1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

How can it hate someone who hides their beliefs? Someone who avoids working on Sunday lest the neighbors notice he’s different? A person who makes excuses about why they don’t eat pork, work on Saturday, or vote? “I’m allergic, I’m busy, I don’t care about politics”… these aren’t the truth.

Those three answers, all of which I’ve heard used frequently, are flat out lies. You are not allergic to pork. You were commanded by God not to eat it. You are not busy on Saturday; if you are, you’re breaking the Sabbath which is a day of rest, the opposite of busy. And no, you care a great deal about politics in your own kingdom… when it comes.

Matthew 10:32-34 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

So no, you should not hide your beliefs, nor modify your behavior to make it more acceptable to your worldly neighbors. If they don’t like it… well, Gehenna with them. Not a swear word – if they don’t like the behavior God commanded, that’s exactly where they’re headed. And if you are afraid to model that behavior in front of them… to Gehenna with you, too.

Matthew 10:24-28 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household! Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

So to return to our original question, there are many things permitted – some even commanded – by the Bible which are forbidden or at least frowned on by today’s customs. Some of them are major, some are minor.

We are permitted, for example, to eat meat offered to idols. We are permitted (arguably commanded) to work on Sunday. We are permitted to have multiple wives. We are permitted (arguably commanded) to spank our children. We are permitted to eat animal heads and feet.

We are commanded not to go to war, not to work on Saturday, not to keep Christmas and Easter, not to pledge allegiance to the flag or otherwise divide our loyalties to the kingdom of God, and various other things.

Clearly, for those things commanded, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). (Although most Christians I know manage to hide and compromise on these things as far as possible so as not to seem strange to the world.)

Now if our brother dies leaving no children, we are commanded to sleep with his widow and give her a son in his name, so his name and inheritance doesn’t disappear. How would that go over, if anyone tried to do that today? Not well, I think?

But what about those things not commanded; things we are permitted to do, but are not required to do? Should we model correct Biblical behavior in every sense, or should we try not to stand out unless absolutely necessary lest our liberty bother others?

The best place to start is our one perfect example. Paul and David were men; they did well, but not every example of theirs is one we should necessarily follow. Jesus, however, is a perfect example; we can follow in every one of in His footsteps confident that we are doing no wrong.

And Jesus… went out of His way to provoke the Pharisees at every turn.

His favorite tactic – besides calling out their own hypocrisy – was to do something which was permitted by God, but which the Pharisees had forbidden. In other words, to model perfect behavior. A few examples:

Plucking grain on the sabbath (Mark 2:23-28).

Endorsing David’s unlawful eating of the showbread (same passage).

Healing on the sabbath (Luke 13:14-17).

Telling a man to carry a bed on the sabbath (John 5:10).

Eating with unwashed hands (Matthew 15).

Eating with prostitutes and publicans (Too many to cite).

Having His feet washed by a prostitutes’ tears and dried by her hair (Luke 7:36-39).

Each of these things were minor, and Jesus could have easily avoided doing them – at least when the Pharisees were around. But unlike Paul, he seemed to delight in rubbing His liberty in their faces. And when the disciples pointed out that His actions offended the Pharisees, He didn’t care at all.

Matthew 15:12-14 Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?” But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

He was well aware that this would offend the Pharisees, and that they would use this action as an excuse not to listen to Him; “So what?” He said. “Gehenna with ‘em.”

John 7:23 (NKJV) “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

If you wanted to, you could find a reason to ignore Jesus; the man drank wine, for Christ’s sake. Not using that as a swear word – He literally drank it for His own sake (arguing with heretics is thirsty work).

But that was always going to happen; you literally could not be perfect enough for them not to be able to find a reason to ignore what you say. If necessary, they’ll invent one. Which is why in the context, Jesus went on to say exactly that; there was no winning with these people.

Luke 7:33 For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Wisdom is justified by all her children.

John lived the most perfect, Jew-approved life possible in fasting, self-denial, prayer, celibacy, and so on; the Jews’ response? He must have a devil.

Jesus went the opposite way – living the most permissive life possible, within the real limits of God’s law. Their response? He’s clearly a drunk, hedonistic sinner-lover!

Their teachings were the same. Their lives were polar opposites, within the constraints of real righteousness. The Pharisees found fault with both lifestyles because what they really couldn’t handle was the message they brought.

And if you think that today’s Christians are any different, you’ve never talked with one. So should we let their misunderstandings about righteousness prevent us from exercising the liberty of Christ? Should we let our fear of their reactions make us into people-pleasers?

Are we disciples of Paul… or disciples of Jesus? Whose example should we follow?

ABSTAIN FROM THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

Much of the problem – as always – comes from a misunderstanding of Paul’s writings. The key scripture is…

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Taken as it reads there, that means we should avoid anything that looks evil. Holding hands before marriage, say, or a girl showing a little bit of ankle below her dress, drinking wine or listening to rock music or any number of other things I’ve heard prohibited by this category.

Yet Paul’s words, as understood, would have flatly forbidden Jesus from doing any of the things in the list above. But Jesus went out of His way to do things the Pharisees considered “the appearance of evil.”

I mean, how would you feel if you had been in the room with a man who claimed to be a prophet and a prostitute came in and washed his feet with her hair and tears? That’s the sort of service you usually have to pay extra for! So how bad did it look that this happened at all – and in public, no less?

And yet far from being ashamed, or telling the woman “this is not the time, don’t you know how this looks??” Jesus was proud of it, and used it as an opportunity. What would you have done?

Seriously think about that for a moment.

Nor did He care at all what people thought about Him conversing with a woman of very questionable virtue at the well:

John 4:27 At this, his disciples came. They marvelled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?”

This looked bad, folks. There’s really only the one reason guys talk with a prostitute. Jesus knew how it looked, yet He didn’t seem to care. Jesus knew He had done no wrong, and He didn’t particularly care if you believed Him or not. He certainly made no effort to avoid the appearance of evil, here or anywhere else.

So what did Paul mean in 1 Thessalonians 5:22? It’s woefully mistranslated in the KJV. Most translations do better, with some variation of “avoid evil in all its forms.” In other words, to avoid evil no matter where you find it.

But Paul most certainly did not say to avoid righteous acts which might appear evil to others, as it’s understood today. Because no matter how hard you try to avoid triggering others or doing anything that might look bad to someone, it won’t work; Paul himself said so:

Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

To the enemies of the truth, nothing you do is pure; they will take your best act and turn it against you. The lesson is, people are going to say whatever they want.

All you can do is make sure what they say isn’t true.

BUT WHAT DID PAUL MEAN?

As I said before, the Bible’s examples are all inspired for our education – but not all of those examples are meant to be copied. And I find Paul’s and Jesus’ approaches to be very contrasting; in the matter of offending people, Paul said…

1 Corinthians 8:8-9 But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.

Romans 14:13 …judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion for falling.

But Jesus seems to have downright flaunted His liberty, trying to encourage anyone who would stumble over Him to do so. Indeed, He was deliberately sent to become just such a stumbling block, as Paul well knew!

Romans 9:33 even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”

Jesus made no effort not to offend people; because a large part of His purpose was to make those who would stumble over permitted, Godly behavior… well, stumble; and fall. Knowing many would stumble at His actions and words, His only response was “good for those who don’t.”

John 7:23 (WEB) Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.

Now if you model His behavior exactly, many will stumble at you as well. Is that a “you” problem, or a “them” problem?

Matthew 10:24-26 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household! Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

It seems clear that Paul would have counseled Jesus not to pluck grain on the Sabbath day, even though it was permitted by His understanding of the law, lest this liberty of his encourage spiritually weak Jews to do the same and compromise their conscience.

Yet Jesus embraced the conflict; celebrated the chance to argue about it and instructed us to follow His example. HE didn’t worry about what others might do by copying His liberty not to wash up to the elbows.

He didn’t seem to care how others interacted with their conscience; for He realized that it was none of His concern provided He modeled good behavior.

Now if you do a bad thing, and that encourages others to sin – that, indeed, is a grave fault (Matthew 5:19). David and Bathsheba, for example (2 Samuel 12:14). But if taking your ox out of the ditch encourages your neighbor to work on the Sabbath… is that really your problem?

If you do a permitted thing which others incorrectly think is bad, and they then violate their own conscience to follow your example… how is it your fault that they don’t live by their consciences?

You cannot be held responsible for policing how someone else obeys their conscience. No human can possibly bear that burden for someone else! By definition the New Covenant holds us as individuals responsible for our choices!

So if you worry about how your righteous actions might look to others, and whether it might encourage them to break their conscience, you will forever be self-censoring and worrying about appearances which God told us not to do! (John 7:24).

And so in the matter of people pleasing, we should learn from Jesus, and not Paul. Jesus made no effort to please His enemies – nor His friends for that matter (Mark 8:33, John 6:66, etc.). He thumbed His nose at their traditions as often as possible.

He knew what He believed in, knew what God had told Him in the Bible, and His obedience wasn’t dependent on the approval of any man; if they were offended by His obedience, that was a “them” problem.

Jesus lived His life, did what He believed in, and Gehenna with anyone who didn’t like it.

Be like Jesus.

PEOPLE PAULEASER

So why didn’t Paul act the same way? Because it seems like there is a major disconnect between Jesus’ approach to washing up to the elbows and how Paul would have handled the a similar situation. Acts 21 is our case in point.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, he met with some of the apostles – James and Peter particularly, among other elders, and told them all the things that had happened. And they loved it… provided he would make some accommodations for their traditions “for the people:”

Acts 21:20-22 They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.”

Let’s pause to note that what the assembly had heard was completely true. Paul had indeed been teaching Jews as well as Gentiles that “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19).

Verses 23-24 “Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.”

So the apostles hatched a plan to calm the multitude and prove that what they had heard about Paul was wrong! Only… it wasn’t wrong. It’s EXACTLY what Paul was teaching! So did Paul stand by his teachings? Tell them that if they didn’t like it, either prove him wrong or go to Gehenna?

Verse 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfilment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

Nope, Paul went along with their plan thus denying his own teachings. All in an attempt to not appear evil by violating the customs of the Jews, not to offend their beliefs so that they would listen to his other teachings. Jesus pointedly did not do this with. Ever. And did it work for Paul?

Verses 27-30 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!” For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. All the city was moved, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.

So he was literally trying to prove that he wasn’t trying to do away with the temple – which he in fact was – and even though he did what they asked, it wasn’t good enough and they still tried to kill him. Wouldn’t it have been better for him to stand up for his beliefs in the first place?

Remember, the Bible was inspired to correctly report the acts of the apostles; but those acts were not always, themselves, good or wise acts. Otherwise, we would be copying their sins as well as their successes.

So what Paul did here was wrong; plain and simple. He allowed himself to be pressured into performing a ritual that had no meaning, in an overt attempt to satisfy the multitudes by showing them that he did not teach something which he did in fact teach. And that was wrong of him.

Nor was it the first time he had acted this way.

Acts 16:1-3 He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek. The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him. Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Here again we see Paul doing something which was permitted – it wasn’t a sin to circumcise – but which he knew was not necessary specifically to placate the beliefs of others. Something which, in this case, placed the burden of the old covenant on Timothy.

Galatians 5:3 Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

And in defiance of his own instructions to the Corinthians (albeit those were not written yet).

1 Corinthians 7:18 Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

So out of his own mouth, I condemn him; for rather than live by the rules he taught people to live by, he made Timothy get circumcised to appease the Jews. Would Jesus have done that? When did Jesus ever appease the Jews? Jesus antagonized them at every turn.

True, Jesus was circumcised – but only because He came to fulfill the law. He had to be circumcised so that we don’t have to be. PAUL taught us that!! And yet compromised with his own teachings to keep the Jewish Christians happy.

I find something deeply unchristian about that. Literally unchristian, for it is something Christ would not have done.

PAUL’S JUSTIFICATION

1 Corinthians 9:19-21 For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

As I have said, the Bible is an accurate, inspired record of the events, teachings, and beliefs of the people in it. Inspired for our learning and understanding. And given the great wisdom and understanding of these men, we rarely err taking them at face value. But when Paul’s example so strikingly contradicts that of our Lord and Master, we must question it.

So then, is this scripture an endorsement of Paul’s choice that we should seek to live by? Should we act as the Jews to gain the Jews, and act like the rednecks to gain the rednecks? Act like the hippies to gain the hippies? That by all means we might save some?

Just to be clear, if that is indeed what God wants us to do, I am perfectly willing to live under the restrictions of the hippies and eat vegan and recycle everything in order to gain the hippies; I’ll even wear the shoes with the separated little toes (ugh).

And if I’m supposed to hunt, fish, drink beer and watch football I can do that, if that’s what it takes to gain the rednecks. So this isn’t about my personal desire to exercise my liberty in Christ; I’ve been doing exactly that my whole life, being a people pleaser, not exercising my liberties in order to get people to respect what I have to say. But was that the right thing to do? Did it bring forth good fruits? Matthew 7:17-20.

In that example cited in Acts 21, even as he was doing the ritual they asked for, they still banded together to kill him; in fact, forty of them took a vow not to eat or drink until Paul was killed as a result of that event (Acts 23:12-15).

So he acted like a Jew to gain the Jews… but which Jews did he gain by so doing?? I would bet money that not one Jewish Christian changed his mind about Paul’s beliefs as a result of his attempt to placate them by performing a ritual in the temple.

I dare you to name one who didn’t already believe him beforehand. Because the only ones worth saving, the only ones who could be saved… had already heard him!

Acts 21:17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

You see, these people had already accepted him without the ritual. They accepted his arguments, and his beliefs, and his works, without the people pleasing. And the ones who didn’t… they’re the ones who tried to kill him anyway! (2 Corinthians 11:24)

ANOTHER MAN’S FOUNDATION

But now we have another question, a better one; why was he even TRYING to gain the Jews? Because he wasn’t sent to the Jews! So why try to save ANY of them? That was James’ and Peter’s jobs!

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

Romans 15:20 yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another’s foundation.

Galatians 2:7-9 …I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcision (for he who appointed Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision appointed me also to the Gentiles); and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

WHY did Paul feel a need to “be as the Jews, to gain the Jews”? That was Peter’s job, and that of the twelve, and none of his business! But it is textbook people-pleaser behavior; it’s not enough that the entire Gentile world was given to him to teach, he needed the Jews to like him too.

Paul said he “became as one under the law, to gain those under the law.” He circumcised Titus, shaved his own head, and did a purification ritual in the temple to gain those under the law. But he had no business doing that; and the fact is, Paul did that for Paul, and not for Jesus.

There is absolutely no evidence that Paul’s efforts to “be as a Jew” helped him with that audience; and every reason to believe it didn’t make a bit of difference. So why not just be true to yourself, your beliefs, and your actions? Like Jesus did.

Because if you don’t trust me, trust Jesus; people aren’t always going to like you. Sometimes, every single person is going to be against you.

Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

Because when you try to please everybody… you wind up pleasing nobody. Not God, not the Jews, not even the Greeks; for it was not just the Jews that Paul’s approach failed with; he arguably failed with the Greeks too.

2 Timothy 1:15 This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me; of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

So is this really that man whose ministerial approach we should be copying? Don’t get me wrong, he was a great man, and he wound up accomplishing exactly what God wanted; but he didn’t accomplish what he wanted.

A different person, doing things a different way, could have accomplished God’s goals with a lot less persecutions, distresses, and suffering. At least, in principle. But Paul was bullheaded and insecure, as are most of us, so in practice… we’ll be lucky to do as much as Paul did.

But that doesn’t mean we should aim to repeat his obvious mistakes. We should, instead, be at least trying to act like our Lord and Savior, who said…

Matthew 15:12-14 Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?” But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

This is what Paul should have told the apostles in Acts 21; he should have said yes, I do teach that the temple is meaningless just like your own Master taught you (John 4:20-24). Just like Stephen, whom I killed, was trying to teach you (Acts 7:48-50).

He should have said yes, the Jews will probably be offended if I don’t make a token visit to the temple; but you know what? If God hasn’t planted these people in the New Covenant church they’ll be rooted up… so let’s just let them alone. If they leave, well…

Gehenna with ‘em.

And the horse they rode in on.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Christianity was a disruptive religion from its inception. Jesus’ stated mission, which no one seems to believe, was…

Luke 12:49-51 “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.”

If your liberty to, say, work on Sunday, eat meat offered to idols or have two wives offends your neighbor… well, that sounds like a “them” problem to me. If you believe in what you do, if you know the Biblical ground you stand on and are prepared to explain it, and if necessary die for it; well, then do what you believe in. You answer to God, not man.

You are not responsible for their assumptions about your actions, their beliefs about your actions, or whether or not they violate their conscience based on your actions. Nor should you care how your actions look to anyone – except God.

And if they have a problem with it, great! This is when you have a chance to “always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

Use the opportunity to explain why you’re different! Why you have this liberty their religion doesn’t give them. Do as Jesus did, and prove to them that you are righteous, and God is just, and it is they who are provincial and backward, not you.

And to be clear, I’m not saying you have to verbally assault everyone you meet with your interpretation of morality and make them live by your more-permissive code; that’s not what this means at all.

Jesus corrected people whose actions were wrong, gladly; as should we. But Jesus did not start a fight with people for not doing what they were technically allowed to do (like pick a handful of grain on the Sabbath). But He loved baiting them into starting a fight with Him on those subjects as should we.

So this liberty of yours should be used to be an example to people of morally right behavior; you needn’t yell at them for not living as you do. Unless, of course, they take the bait – then it’s open season.

This, to be clear, is a completely different thing from rebuking their sins. That, you are free to do whenever and wherever you feel like it. “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife,” John told Herod. You needn’t teach only by example.

But you do need to walk through life with the confidence Jesus had; not the arrogance that you, and you alone, are right; but the confidence that you have made choices based on your beliefs, and you stand behind them and will defend them to anyone.

To do this, you have to accept the fact that it’s no one else’s fault if you’re wrong, nor is it your fault if they abuse your example. If you’re wrong, you change. If you’re right, who cares if they still think you’re wrong. If they’re wrong… what does it matter to you?

It’s failing to accept all these things which cause people to seek validation from others for their opinions; makes them hesitate to take a stand on that which they believe. But when you can take responsibility for your actions, your beliefs, and your words; you don’t need anyone else to approve of them. Nor do you need anyone else to act like you, in order to feel right.

If you can live this way, it’s quite easy to say “blessed is he who is not offended by me.” You need not trumpet your righteousness, announce your beliefs; nor do you hide them. You simply do what you believe and don’t care who sees, who notices – or who doesn’t.

Because you don’t live your life for them, but for you, and for the God who died for you. When you can do that, you will not be far from the kingdom of God.

The best single example of the kind of self-confident lifestyle I’m talking about, besides Jesus, is Daniel; when his enemies put forth a proclamation that praying to any God but the king was illegal, and violators were to be cast into the lion’s den – a very close analog to Gehenna, where dead animal carcasses were cast – how did Daniel handle it?

He could have gone to the king and demanded special permission; he didn’t. He could have gone to his closet and hid his prayers – and been morally defensible in doing so (Matthew 6:6). But rather than let their rules affect his lifestyle at all, he risked certain death because he believed in what he was doing.

Daniel 6:10-11 When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before. Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.

Of course they found him! Because he wasn’t going to let their rules dictate his worship of God even though he could have found a way to hide it. That’s exactly what Jesus would have done. It’s not what most people would have done; but then God loved Daniel more than most.

Because Daniel continued to live by what he believed in, not caring how it looked to others; he said, in effect… if they have a problem with my righteous actions, then to Gehenna with ‘em.

And that’s exactly where they went.

Be like Daniel. And to Gehenna with everybody who gets in your way.