What Kind of People Ought We to Be?

“...what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming...” 2 Peter 3:11-12

I just finished reading an interview with the comedian Ricky Gervais, who is an outspoken humanist and atheist.  In this interview, Gervais makes clear his dislike of religious people, especially fundamental (i.e. evangelical) Christians.  He absolutely does not respect Christians and goes out of his way to confront them and ridicule them whenever possible, in his stand-up comedy routine and in his movies.

And, while most people are not as blatantly hostile towards Christianity as Gervais, his negative attitude towards evangelical Christians is still reflected in a sizeable portion of the population today.  It is routine to hear disparaging and disrespectful comments directed against national leaders such as former President George W. Bush, Vice-President Mike Pence, and Samaritan Purse’s Franklin Graham, simply because of their public adherence to a Christian faith.

Things were not always like this.  Historically, Christians were considered in high regard in the U.S., and pastors were among the top of the most respected and admired professions.  However, as Bob Dylan pointed out, “The times, they are a changin’...” 

In a recent list of most respected professions, pastors were not even listed in the Top 10.  A 2018 Gallup poll said that only four out of every ten Americans place a high level of trust in clergy, and one blogger reported another survey where pastors came in just above used car salesmen in the list of most respected and trusted professions.  Without a doubt, the opinion of the public towards clergy and Christians is at an all-time low in our country. Why is this? 

Certainly, some of the disrespect and dislike of Christians comes from the negative association with fringe groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, which has infamously protested at funerals of veterans.  Their vocal stances on homosexuality and their pronouncement of God’s judgment and wrath on this nation has negatively affected the opinions of the nation against Christians, whether you agree with their positions or not.

Some of the disrespect has been the result of national media coverage of prominent Christian leaders and clergy who have fallen from grace for a variety of reasons, from adultery to financial discrepancies and scams.  Other examples of fallen Christians are those politicians and political leaders who were outspoken in their faith but who experienced very public moral or legal failings in their lives.  Critics have pointed to these cases and cried out, “See, all Christians are nothing but hypocrites.”

A good deal of the disrespect we see comes from a shift in societal norms, with issues such as homosexuality, transgender acceptance, and abortion rights becoming part and parcel with the mainstream culture.  Cultural and moral shifts such as these often run counter to traditional, orthodox Christianity.  Christians and churches who publicly disagree with the popular stance on these issues end up being labeled in the press and in social media as “bigots,” “racists,” or worse.

So, a decline in the acceptance and respect of clergy and Christians in our country is understandable.  But, it is not desirable.  How can the church be salt and light and bear witness to the grace and good news of Christ if the country either actively opposes us or looks down on us?  In other words, what kind of people ought we to be in the face of such dislike, disrespect, and persecution?

Peter gives us the answer in the verses I quoted above: “You ought to live holy and godly lives.”  The key to being a true witness of the Christian faith and proclaiming Christ in this world today is to live out our faith in our lives.  To not just give lip service to the Christian ideals, but to demonstrate them in our homes and in our families and in our communities.  To actually be the people who Christ called us to be.  We should be living holy and godly lives, not only because that is our calling as Christians, but also as a witness to the world around us.

Let us not forget the culture into which Peter originally wrote these words.  The first century AD was a time of extreme persecution of Christians.  Not only did the Romans and other pagan cultures persecute the Christians, but they also faced persecution and derision from the Jewish faith communities from which they derived.  The disrespect and derision we face is nothing like the seriousness of the persecution the early church experienced, which included physical death at the hands of both mobs and the Government. 

To a people who daily feared for their very lives, Peter wrote, you ought to still live holy and godly lives.  Even though you face persecution, even though you may suffer fiery trials and die a martyr for your God, strive to live a holy and godly life.  As he wrote in 1 Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”  The answer to a hostile world is to live our faith to the best of our ability.

So, what does this look like for us?  What does living a holy and godly life look like in our day? 

First, it means not compromising our faith or our beliefs.  We must remain true to what God has taught us and what He has called us to.  We don’t counter negative comments and hostile remarks by compromising with an immoral culture.  Instead, we hold fast to our beliefs and strive to live them out in our lives. 

This means that we hold ourselves to a higher standard than the world around us.  We follow God’s law and obey His calling in our lives.  We strive to be righteous and holy in all our endeavors, especially among those who are not of the faith.  To be honest, we haven’t done a very good job at this.

Statistics show that the same percentage of Christians cheat on their taxes, get divorced, tell white lies, and sin in a myriad of ways just like non-Christians.  We are more like the culture than we are willing to admit.  In order to make a difference in this world, we have to commit to living holy and godly lives.  That means that we actually strive to live as God intended for us to live.  To separate ourselves from the culture through our behavior and our faith.  We need to be serious about obeying God’s law and living holy, righteous lives, not just giving lip-service to it.

Next, we must learn to respond and not to react.  We have to learn to be unoffendable, to expect others to be hostile or disrespectful to us, and to receive their comments with grace.  We can disagree with people without being disrespectful in return.  We can remain true to our own beliefs without blasting those who do not agree.  We can tell people what we believe and why we do not agree with them and offer them an alternative to their actions or beliefs, but we must do so in a humble and graceful manner.

I heard a testimony one time from a Christian who had forged relationships with the homosexual community where he lived.  He made it clear that he did not agree with their lifestyles, that he felt that their lifestyle was a sin and forbidden in the Bible.  But, he still associated with them.  He loved them.  He ministered to them.  He did not avoid them or respond to them in hate.  And later, when one of this community was in a hospital dying of AIDS, he was the sole Christian that this homosexual man was willing to see and listen to.  Because he had responded to these people with humility and love, he was able to share the gospel with this man on his death bed.

Finally, we have to be good neighbors to all those around us, whether believers or not.  We must love our neighbors as ourselves, sharing God’s love with them in tangible ways.  Being God’s hands and feet in this world to those around us who need a hand.  Doing good to others, speaking good to others, and not bringing harm or injury to anyone. 

Speaking of those who reacted hatefully to President Obama and other liberal politicians, Michelle Obama counseled, “When they go low, we go high.”  And, although I do not agree with her politically, Mrs. Obama was certainly correct in her recommendation to respond gracefully to those who attack us.  Jesus demonstrated this principle with His life, and He always responded with love to those who persecuted and attacked Him physically and verbally.  We should do the same.

One of my favorite verses is from Acts 9:36, “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.”  I can think of no greater epithet or description than that given to Tabitha.  May all of us be described by those around us as doing good, living holy and godly lives, and bearing ourselves in a manner worthy of our calling.  This is the kind of people we ought to be.