Circumstantial Holiness

Circumstantial holiness, or maybe we can call it convenient righteousness, or easy virtues. It’s all just a form of hypocrisy.
It is only natural, only “human'”, only logical to take the path of least resistance. Protected by culturally acceptable practices in our Christianity. Yes, “Christianity” as a general term has moved from describing a relationship to a religion and now just a culture. Protected by the fear of being caught out for doing wrong. Protected by family values, healthy bodies, wealthy pockets. Doing the right thing is sometimes the easy thing.
Here is the problem that we “good” Christians face: it’s all to easy. Too easy to do good, too easy to cover up the bad, protected by our safe bubbles of separation from society. Take a person out of that bubble, put him in poverty, take her family away, show them reality, the reality of a godless world, of poverty, war and corruption. Soon the path of least resistance becomes: cheating your neighbour and hating your brother - because loving is not easy anymore. Taken out of our protected society, we may find that doing the right thing or the wrong thing is not a moral choice anymore – it is the difference between living or dying.
Here is the problem that we “good” Christians face: we don’t know what it is to die. When it is no longer a question of right or wrong or of moral obligation but a question of: If I do what is right, I may loose everything, including my life, if I do what is wrong, I will save my skin. Then what will we choose?
Maybe you, maybe I, maybe we never killed anyone, but maybe we thought about it. Maybe someone else, murdered a man for his money. Would we be any different to him? See, circumstantial holiness is not holiness at all, its a facade, a flimsy cover for rotting innards.
I know that I am not innocent of these things, but I also know that by truly making Christ the centre of my life, by putting him first, by following him, by allowing him to rend my heart, he is creating something beautiful within me. Through repentance of my sins, constant reliance upon him and refusal to let anything else lord over my life I am being made new. When the time comes, when reality is realised, when there can be no more facade of righteousness, when all is exposed, what will I look like? A light in the dark or cancer in the body of Christ?
With a life transformed by the Holy Sprit, with a heart of gold from the Father and the mind of Christ - holiness, righteousness, become the path that we simply cannot resist, no matter the consequence.

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him – Job 13:15

From Relationship to Religion to Culture

I am no expert historian, I never studied history academically, but I do like to read and observe and it is through this casual observation that something has come to my attention: the move in Christianity from relationship to religion to culture.
Back in the day…way Back, Adam and Eve hung out with God, good times…then the fall came and they were separated from Him, so Jesus came and now we can come back into a relationship with God. I think the Church of the Bible got this right, but after a while all the acts of the Apostles started becoming religious practices that would be set in stone. “The apostles did it this way…so we should too”, was the presumption (i think), but what they failed to realise was that the apostles themselves were not following some rigged set of rules or formulae of doing things, they were simply following God where He lead them. Thing is, God doesn’t always work the same way with everyone, he doesn’t always do things the same way, neither does he need to make some specific formula for how things should be done…why? Because he is God: Proverbs 19:21 “People may plan all kinds of things, but the Lord’s will is going to be done.”
That’s somewhat history, not for a lot of people all over the world, but for most of my immediate circle of friends, it is history. Now, Christianity has become a cultural thing…it’s more like a “I think there is a God but I’m not Moslem, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Buddhist…well I guess I’ll just be Christian since that’s what my friends are and I don’t agree with Terrorist and those Hindu’s with the strange looking idols” Well, what I think is that that kind of Christianity is no different to Hindu or Moslem, it is powerless, it is a worldly thing, it exists only for the purpose of the person believing in it and the followers are equally lost.
What we need, really need, is a relationship with our creator. If this is not something you are willing to pursue with all your heart, all your strength, all your mind, if you are not willing to die for it, live for it, breathe for it…why bother calling yourself a Christian?