Let Us Not Stand Silently By

Dear Professing Christian,

If you're not deeply insulted and repulsed by the effort to silence or marginalize Christianity, then you should seriously consider whether or not you have anything of substance to lose. Because we were not purchased by the blood of Baptists nor Methodists nor Catholics nor any other denomination under the sun, but by the pure and holy blood of the Son of the great I AM -- the same Son who was with the Father at the beginning of creation and now sits at His right hand in Heaven. So, while it may be considered acceptable to ignore so great a sacrifice when made by a mere sinful man, it must be held entirely reprehensible to ignore the sacrifice of One so completely holy and Supreme -- if indeed we are, as we claim, purchased by that blood.

For such is this salvation -- if we are in Him as His children, then He is everything to us. The desire to please, to serve, to glorify Him permeates every part of our life. To expect us to be silent is akin to asking us to cease to breathe or take nourishment. Our hearts yearn to share Him with others, our minds are filled with His words, and our souls overflow with His love. To disregard His sacrifice as though it mattered not is profoundly reprehensible – unthinkable even, because He is our holy and most worthy Lord. Whether profitable by the standards of man or not; we must speak of His righteousness, His mercy, and the eternal wealth of belonging to Him.

Consider rightly then to whom you align yourself. If man, then silence is acceptable. But if God, would not that same silence be both highly offensive and unacceptable to Him?

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? – James 4:4-5

The simple truth is that our God, the great Creator of the Bible, is a jealous God. When we prefer man’s approval more than His, we literally say to Him we value man more than Him. Further, the idea that we should “keep the peace” is contrary to the will of the God we claim to serve. We are not here to “play nice” with others. We are here to fight for the souls of our neighbors, our relatives, and even those strangers we meet in our everyday lives. That is what it is to be truly Christian, to contend for the faith. Consider how the disciples lived. Did they not contend for the faith as though salvation was all that mattered, giving even their very lives to reconcile us to Him? Therefore if being silenced in regards to the things of Him does not offend us to our very core, then we need to recognize that our core must – by the examples set before us -- not be fully His.

In closing, to stand by while the truth of the cross is silenced, marginalized, belittled, maligned, and/or compromised; is to say that we regard Him not and, having said that, that we are indeed not nearly as committed to Him as we profess – for salvation does not lie in the mere professing of belief – even the demons believe (James 2:19); but rather, in the transformation of our sinful natures by the Spirit of God within us (Romans 12:1-3).

God’s peace.