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UnChristian Conduct

I once read in a book [The Light And The Glory, I think] on American history how, during the years of slavery in the South, one woman had punished her house slaves by making them stand on one leg for long periods of time. The room where the slave’s cries were heard was later used as a prayer and Bible study room when the slave owner's friends were over. That story struck me. I have wondered how a person could be so cruel on the one hand and “Christian” on the other hand without any apparent knowledge of the contradiction. How could a Christian have such unChristian conduct?

”Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise...” [Eph. 5:14-15]

UnChristian Conduct

Of course, the problem is not new. Jesus faced the same thing with the Pharisees. They were so religious—dedicated to studying the Old Testament, praying, and fasting—but their hearts were as hard as concrete. They studied the passages about the Messiah, and they could quote many of them. Yet, when the Messiah stood right before them, they missed Him.

History is full of such examples right down to our own time—people who appear very religious on the outside but commit acts of cruelty or unChristian conduct. The sad fact is, many times, they think they are doing God’s work or, at least, see nothing wrong in their acts. In doing wrong, they believe they are doing right. They are asleep to the Truth.

Some of the most frightening verses in the Bible are found in Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ [NASB]

Jesus said that "many" think they are saved when they are not. They may even have great ministries and do miracles, but Jesus does not accept them. They are like the Pharisees, looking great on the outside but corrupt on the inside. Like the woman at the beginning of this article, they can engage in the most hideous and unChristian conduct, feel no conviction of the Holy Spirit and see no contradiction in their lives. They are zombies - the walking dead, thinking they are alive.

Self-Examination

As I look into my own life, I have to ask, am I asleep to the Truth? Are there areas where I am doing wrong while I think I am doing right? Is my life growing to reflect the character of Christ, or can I sin without feeling guilty?

We would like Christianity to be a very “spiritual” religion. Unfortunately, Christianity is very practical. It gets right to where we live every day. It deals with how we treat our spouse, children, employer or employees, and every other facet of daily life. It rolls up its sleeves and gets to the bottom of the muck of our lives - stuff we would much rather forget about or gloss over with a “That’s just the way I am” or “It doesn’t really matter.” It says "No" to unChristian conduct and "Yes" to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Are we quick to repent and change, or do we keep on pleasing ourselves at the expense of others?

As you know, I believe in Bible Study, prayer, going to church, praise and worship, and all those things, but if they don’t impact our daily lives, I am afraid we may still be sleeping in sin. If we can sit comfortably in church, pray, and study our Bibles, then yell at our spouse, use profanity, ignore the needs of others, etc., without it even troubling our conscience, then we are in trouble.

Spirituality Is Practical

Practicality is true spirituality. To put it briefly: We need to live holy lives. God requires it. If we callously indulge in sin - bitterness, anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, etc. - then we may have never awakened, and we may not truly be saved no matter what we say or think. Maybe we are still dead in sin and only think we are alive because of our “religious” activities. Authentic Christianity changes people’s daily lives. We are no longer content to live with sin. We are at war with sin. Our unChristian conduct is changed into Christian conduct. Yes, there are struggles and temporary defeats. The struggle itself is evidence of a new life within us. We are no longer content with being the way we were. We now walk wisely, planning the strategy to defeat sin practically. We look at our areas of weakness, commit them to God, and examine ways to avoid situations that lead us into temptation. Our eyes are open. We are awake, watching our steps, not blindly stumbling into every sin-filled ditch.

God demands a holy people. If we will inherit His promises—live in our Promised Land—then we must be that people. It is not a work of the flesh; striving to be better. It is when we realize we already belong to God that we allow Him to give us the desire and ability to walk in victory and holiness. Then, we please God, and we leave unChristian conduct behind.

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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