Who Lives in Unapproachable Light
How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? (See 2 Corinthians 6:15)
Many people today, in the name of interfaith and
multiculturalism, misinterpret the “Love thy neighbor” command of the Bible
(Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). Instead of helping unbelievers embrace
salvation through Jesus (thus obeying the Great Commission Jesus gave us to
make disciples, teaching them to obey him – Matthew 28:18-20), they embrace
whatever non-Christians believe. They adopt a policy of “live and let live.”
They think that there are many ways to reach God and that perhaps Jesus is also
among other paths. This deliberately devalues the uniqueness of what Jesus
said: “No one can come to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). Such an attitude or interpretation is an
obvious indication of breaking the Covenant with God. In fact, it amounts to
spiritual treason on the part of those who call themselves followers of Christ.
Such views and behavior desecrate the Divine Truth and actively encourage
others to do so as well, thus paving the way for eternal destruction. (1)
Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us (John
13:34). If God is impartial and loves us with impartiality, then we need to love
others with that same high standard. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that whatever
we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. If we treat a person with
contempt, we are mistreating a person created in God’s image; we are hurting
somebody whom God loves and for whom Jesus died.
Malcolm Gladwell authored a secular marketing book entitled
Tipping Point. A tipping point is when an idea, product or movement becomes
accepted by the masses. Gladwell says "It is the best way to understand
the emergence of fashion trends, crime waves, or unknown books becoming
bestsellers." He says ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread just
like viruses do but he has discovered there are usually three types of people
involved in the marketing process for this to happen. He calls them connectors,
mavens, and salesmen.
Connectors are people with a special gift for bringing the
world together. They know lots of people who have an ability to make impact.
Mavens are people who accumulate knowledge about a
particular area. They are information brokers who like to get information and
share it with others to help solve their problems.
Salesmen have an ability to persuade when we are unconvinced
of what we are hearing. They are critical to the tipping point for
word-of-mouth epidemics.
I believe these three people correlate to the apostle
(connectors), often defined as "one who is sent"; the prophet
(mavens), defined as 'one who proclaims truth" and the evangelist
(salesmen), "one who wins the lost" - all described in Ephesians
4:11. (2)
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NIV
Atheism cannot be proven, and God’s existence must be
accepted by faith. Obviously, Christians believe strongly that God exists, and
admit that God’s existence is a matter of faith. At the same time, we reject
the idea that belief in God is illogical. We believe that God’s existence can
be clearly seen, keenly sensed, and proven to be philosophically and
scientifically necessary. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night
after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their
voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the
ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).
But anyone who's committed to living a godly life must be
willing to stand alone and face ridicule or even persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). At
other times, we consent to activities that violate our conscience just to avoid
conflict, but peace at any price means we have to sacrifice obedience to God.
However, the temptation to compromise doesn't always
originate with others. In fact, James 1:14 says we are tempted when we're
carried away by our own lusts. How many Christians have fallen into sexual
immorality or pornography by desiring a second look? Greed is another
motivation that drives us to compromise. If you fudge on your income tax or
take a few things home from the office, you've stepped over the line of
obedience to God. Our choices should be based on scriptural truth, not on our
feelings and desires.
In order to stand firm against compromise, we must make
God's Word the standard for our conduct. If you begin each day with the Lord in
His Word, He will guide your way. Then when the Spirit gives a warning, obey
immediately, because giving consideration to the temptation opens a door for
Satan.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we
brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we
have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich
fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the
good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called
when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the
sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while
testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to
keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only
Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who
lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor
and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to
be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put
their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and
willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a
firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that
is truly life. (1 Timothy 6)
The Lord gives us all the ability to rise above the things
that limit us. If we will only lean upon Him, He will give us the will and
drive to succeed in every situation. His power can be our power when we call
upon His holy name.
References:
(2) Tipping Point by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.
Blessings,
Raj Kosaraju
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