It can be so easy in our religious life to get caught up in the minutia of what it means to be a Christian and miss the bigger picture all together. I don’t want that to be you so today we are going to talk a little bit about the big picture of what it means to be a Christian.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Micah 6:8
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Isaiah 1:17
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
Matthew 11:4–5
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
Social Justice: The impartial and proportional treatment of each person as a necessary condition of their human dignity
How we tend to identify a religious person:
- Church Attendance
- Devotional Time
- Bible Knowledge
- Giving
- Bible Memorization
- Spiritual Language
Is there a better measure for a religious person?
Micah 6:6–8
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
James 1:27
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
John 13:34–35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 5:23–24
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 23:23
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
More accurate measures of a religious person:
- A relentless passion and pursuit of justice, particularly for the poor, oppressed, marginalized, and easily exploited members of society.
- An ever-growing heart to show mercy to the poor and those who cannot repay a debt owed.
- A person of integrity who can be trusted to do what’s right and follow through on agreements.