The Bible is clear. There are only two choices: God or the world. To follow one is to deny the other, and there is no way to walk the fence down the middle. “No man can serve two masters.” (Matt. 6:24)
We can pretend that we have a faith that saves us while still enjoying the pleasures of the world, but we will only be fooling ourselves. God will not be fooled. “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Gal. 6:7-8 RSV)
Kidding ourselves
Some people say their hearts are right but you can’t always tell it from what they say or the way they act. These people are kidding themselves. The Lord Jesus says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34 RSV) In another place he says, “you will know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:20)
Consider Joseph. It would have been very easy to succumb to the seduction of Potiphar’s wife, but he refused, even though he was unjustly sent to prison for it. He believed that God would be with him in the long run, and his belief was shown by his conduct. Observe Ananias and Sapphire. If they really believed that the Lord had given Peter the gift of the Spirit to govern the ecclesia, would they have lied to God? Surely their actions revealed what kind of people they really were.
Or take Noah and Abraham as examples. When asked to build the ark or sacrifice Isaac, how believable would it have been if they had said, “Well, yes, I believe, but I just can’t go along with what you ask right now.” What would their failure to act have shown? Without doubt, it would have indicated that they did not really believe in their hearts what God had said.
God reads our hearts and we can too! Our words and actions reveal the condition of our hearts. God expects us to examine ourselves and bring the intents and motives of our hearts into conformity with His will.
Choose to obey
To be a true child of God, we must take a stand. There are three options open to us. We can take a stand for right and life; we can take a stand for doing whatever we want; we can do nothing, wavering and adrift, afraid to make a decision. Either of the last two options leads to death.
When put that way, it is easy to see which course makes the most sense. But when we go out to work or school or to be with our friends, things are no longer so clear. It is so easy to put off taking a stand for what is right. It seems so attractive to go with the flow of the world.
If we are serious about wanting eternal life, then making the commitment to serve God is the only way. It means forsaking the standards of the world and striving wholeheartedly to follow the standards of Christ. It means letting everyone know that activities which do not fit Bible morality do not fit into our lives, either. It means exposing ourselves to the dislike and possible ridicule of many. It means consciously choosing to obey, irrespective of what our peers may think.
Profit and loss
There is sacrifice involved in becoming a true disciple of Christ. We forsake a lot of activities that we would naturally enjoy doing. We give up a lot of free time because of the obligations we take on. Some have to give up friendships, even family. Some have to give up their lives.
Is it worth it? “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse…” (Phil. 3:7-9) This was the evaluation of the apostle Paul.
He had lost a great deal: power, prestige, wealth. He was upwardly mobile in the highest social class of his culture. This he traded for untold hardships: beatings, imprisonments, stoning, shipwreck and eventually death. But the way he speaks makes it abundantly clear that he felt he got the best of the bargain.
How much would people give to have the security God offers the disciple? How much is it worth not to fear death? What is it worth to be able to pray to the Creator of the universe about our problems and have Him help us solve them? What is it worth to have the guarantee that our basic needs will always be provided (Matt. 6:31-33)?
The choice is ours. The cost is this: our life. Our direction in life must be changed from seeking our own ease and pleasure to seeking to please God. The reward is this: life that will never end. Even in this life, the benefits make it worth the cost, although at times we find it hard to see this. Ultimately, the infinite benefit will come when we are given eternal life free of all the present suffering and corruption. If we are willing to pay the price, satisfaction is guaranteed in a way immensely more secure than any other guarantee we will ever receive. The guarantee is that God has already done it for Jesus, raising him from the dead (Acts 17:31).
Courage
Taking the stand for Christ requires courage and anyone who tells you it is easy does not understand the cost and commitment. It takes courage to say to the world around us, “I decline what you have to offer and refuse to conform to your way of life.” It takes courage, too, when we see ourselves falter in our resolve to keep going.
No matter how hard we try to choose the right, we will sin. Then we have to rely on the forgiveness of our sins. But God has guaranteed He will forgive if we sincerely follow His way. He has sealed his guarantee with the birth, life, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:6-11).
God’s way is not easy, but His offer is a great one. It is up to us to make the choice and take our stand for the Truth. We will not have to stand alone. Our forerunner, Jesus Christ, has been through it all and has overcome. He will help us to overcome, too.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One