I
am a lover of all things candy. It’s a
lifelong fascination. From penny candies
to elegant chocolates, hard candies to luscious caramel, I have found few to
hate and many to love. The appeal of a
candy store is overwhelming. I have fond
childhood memories of visiting stores with entire aisles dedicated to the
display of brightly wrapped and colored candy where I could mix and match my
own special bag. Half the joy was being
able to choose only what I wanted and leave behind those I found less
enjoyable. In a recent moment of
contemplation, it was impossible to miss the comparison between my candy
shopping and today’s brand of Christianity.
The concept of Christianity in
today’s world is so different than the one that was prevalent when I was a
child. Back then we believed the Bible
was the indisputable Word of God, meaning that we believed it all. Heaven and hell. Faith and doubt. Sin and salvation. Every miracle. Every promise. Every commandment. God said it and that settled it. We sought God and found him. Not a Band-Aid for our conscience, but true
repentance in faith rewarded with salvation and honest change. I still subscribe to these beliefs.
Society does not. Today’s special brand of Christianity seems
to be the candy store shopping variety.
They pick and choose what they want to believe, cast in doubt the things
they can’t explain, completely leave out the parts that make them
uncomfortable, and busily “interpret” words Jesus spoke although the original
meaning was crystal clear. Beware. This is candy store Christianity and the Bible
is not a Pick-A-Mix event. Treating it as
such has led many to the same place as the church of Laodicea referenced in
Revelation 3—neither hot nor cold, simply lukewarm Christians. Or perhaps better stated, they have a form of
Godliness, but lack the true spirit thereof. (II Timothy 3:5) Whatever the case, it has weakened today’s
churches and, in turn, today’s society.
The
damage is terrifying. As the general
public attempts to conform the Bible to society our churches fall apart, our
values disintegrate, confusion reigns, and Satan has a heyday. Young adults, heady and haughty with their
newly acquired adulthood, are being blown about by all the differing opinions
about God’s Word. Some of them abandon
it altogether. Others create their own
beliefs concerning its legitimacy. The few who hold to its absolute truth are
often rejected by their peers. Sadly,
many of the older adults who should be leading the charge to salvage true
Christianity are busy rewriting it to be more palatable. Society spirals
downward and, while everyone remarks about how out of hand things are, they
fail to make the connection between this spiraling event and the decided turn
from true Christianity to the candy store variety.
There is grave cause for concern because,
whether we choose to believe it or not, the Bible is true from start to finish.
None of Jesus’ instructions began with “If you feel like it” or ended with
“Just kidding”. The Ten Commandments may
have been written in Old Testament times, but they are still wholly in
effect. Every. Single. One. The Bible is still the high road. Being unpopular doesn’t negate its
truth. Re-interpretations do not change
its original purpose. And the only way
to get to Heaven is still through that one door—Jesus Christ.
I want to make it to Heaven. Honestly, I want everyone to make it to
Heaven. But there is no back entrance;
you have to go through the main door, Jesus Christ (John 10:9). And to get through the main door, you have to
believe in Jesus, accept him into your heart, and base your life in the
eternal, irrefutable, unchangeable truth of the Bible. You can’t sneak in the
back door, you can’t ride the wave of someone else’s experience, you can’t let
society determine your Christianity, and you absolutely can’t make it on your
own.
So don’t be deceived. Don’t be driven about with every doctrine
that comes along. Read your Bible. Know what it says. Believe it. Like the
Psalmist, follow hard after God. (Psalms 63:8) Resist the forces of Satan that
consistently try to draw you aside. Purpose in your heart to live true
Christianity and firmly state with Joshua, “…as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Only after these things will we be able to
reclaim our families, our churches, our society for Jesus Christ.
And may we do just that. May we
leave behind the candy store Christianity and cleave to Christ alone. May he make us Christians in every possible
way. May our lives distinctly portray
our choice. Most of all, may we take
back our world for Christ.
