Thankfully, our country is moving out of an era where an occasion to blaspheme Christ has been given to the American public, onlookers from other countries, and skeptics of faith in Christ alike. This occasion was given by not only authority in the form of the President, but pastors and ministers who claimed to be called to promote the gospel message. Instead, the message of the gospel has been lost and replaced with an over-emphasis of support for a candidate who confuses the idea of what a Christian is―thus making it easy for others to blaspheme Christ.
To blaspheme means to speak irreverently about God or sacred things. When people in authority or in the church loudly proclaim sacred things without the love of God associated with those things; an occasion to blaspheme the God “misrepresented” is provided.
The Bible says it like this:
If I speak in the tongues of men or angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1
A resounding gong and a clanging cymbal is a nuisance. As soon as you try to whine down in quietness and peace a loud resounding gong disturbs you. That is what it has been like in the last four years. One loud, annoying thing after the other. The loud annoying things are what’s focused on instead of the more important focus of walking in the character of love.
The Bible makes it clear that we can do several spectacular things, but without love, the spectacular things do not mean much. If a person isn’t willing to walk in love; it would be better for them to keep their faith or religion a secret. We don’t need to know a person is a Christian if that person isn’t willing to walk in love.
A genuine Christian should be known as a Christian before they open their mouth based on how they treat others—how they love others.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” – John 13:35
The Bible warns the Jews in Romans 2 that non-believers will begin to blaspheme God based on the actions of the Jews instead of the true knowledge of God. This is a dangerous thing to be responsible for misrepresenting God in such a fashion:
You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” – Romans 2:23-24
The Bible is warning in the above scripture against pushing the law without obeying it. It puts God’s name in a place of irreverence among those who aren’t learned in the way of the Lord. In a time where many Millennials are turning against God, faith, and the gospel; it’s more important than ever that genuine Christians walk in genuine love and truth. The Bible has historically been associated with hate and racism in this country and Trump’s administration bought back horrible memories for many while associating itself with the Bible while promoting hate. Some of us have seen former believers allow their hearts to become hard as they struggled to hold on to faith in a God that they see as promoting hate.
Not that God promotes hate because he doesn’t. Some people simply do not have the discernment nor the knowledge to tell the difference between what is God and what is a person who claims to follow God but acts in opposition to what God stands for. This is why it is so important as leaders to be careful about how we represent a relationship with God to others. The Bible, Christ, and Christianity should be approached with fear and reference, not loud boisterous carelessness. People are important to God as he died for all men. We cannot treat people any kind of way and think it’s okay.
Thankfully, we have an opportunity for something different with Biden in office. My hope is that believers would pray for him just as much as they prayed for Trump. It is my prayer that believers would not disrespect him by saying he isn’t their president when the Bible tells us to pray for and submit to our leaders’ period.
It seems that some of our Christian leaders traded the gospel and mantle to obey Christ for Balaam—fame, money, and notoriety. Our relationship with God should not be used to manipulate who is elected into office or not. I firmly believe that God exalts a person and sits down another and whoever he wills to be in office will be in office. We have to continue trusting God for our future no matter who is in office. It’s my prayer that we would be willing to do the work of healing and humbling ourselves as believers within this nation to begin loving one another as Christ prayed for before he ascended into heaven.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. – John 17:20-21
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