Pastor's Blog

I was reading a brief devotional passage the other day when I encountered these questions.  They’ve stuck with me, and I want to share them with you.  The author asks:  “Have we so conformed ourselves to a sinful world that we are satisfied with unholy living?  Have we sunk so far below God’s standard that when someone does live as God intended, we consider that person ‘superspiritual’?”  Interesting questions, aren’t they?  Let me analyze them with you today.

First, “have we so conformed ourselves to a sinful world?”  I’m convinced that we don’t realize how much the world influences our thinking.  We’re under constant assault from a thoroughly godless media, and those hours of watching and listening inevitably soften our hatred for sin.  Our educational system is so anti-God that in most of us it has formed a secular worldview far removed from biblical values.  We conclude that sin is normal, and most of us have given up trying to struggle against it.  Thus, while we think we’re good Christians, our thinking and behavior is full of compromises—many of them subtle to the point we don’t even recognize them.  Our tendency, therefore, is to read Scripture through the lenses of our spiritually and ethically compromised outlook, and that’s why the few individuals we meet who are genuinely seeking to live as God intended His people to live seem “superspiritual.”  But Scripture says:  “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).

Second, are “we satisfied with unholy living?”  That’s a tough one, because many of us know, deep in our hearts, that our compromises don’t please God.  When we fill our minds with the profane and obscene content of the media, when we use language that is either irreverent or indecent, when we fraternize with worldly infidels (and enjoy it), or when we engage in materialistic idolatry and questionable morality, and then take our Bibles (along with our pious attitudes) to church with us on the Lord’s Day, we know that we are out of the will of God.  But our entire week is spent assuaging our consciences by making mental excuses for ourselves.  Yes, we are satisfied with unholy living.  Scripture says:  “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.  For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph 5:3-5).

Third, “have we sunk so far below God’s standard?”  In 21^st-century America, the answer is, “yes, we have.”  The things previous generations agreed were sin, we regard as normal.  Thus, few of us—even we who profess faith in Christ and are actively involved in our churches—are able or willing to muster anything approaching indignation against evil.  So we either passively ignore it or, even worse, we actively indulge in it.  To a significant degree, the reason for this is that God’s Word has been replaced with the world’s media.  How many Christians, and especially Christian families, actually spend time in the devotional reading of God’s Word and prayer?  We’re too busy and don’t have time, although we do have time to spend four or five hours a day in front of the television or computer.  How much time do you spend watching PG-13 or R rated movies?  Or how much time do you waste on Facebook?  What is God’s standard?  He tells us, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15).

It’s no wonder, then, that truly godly Christians seem to most “average” Christians as a little bit extreme—just a little fanatical—frankly, a bit “superspiritual.”  What about you?  If you’ve never been accused of being “superspiritual,” you might want to ask, “why not?”  Maybe it’s time for a spiritual inventory.