In the business world, leaders are constantly seeking ways to improve their “window” to the world that includes and attracts their prospective customers. They want to know how they and their product are perceived. They authorize surveys for those purposes. While our motives are different, they are far more urgent and important.
In the Bible, the actions of Jesus and His disciples often determined how the people “saw” them and how they judged their efforts. When Jesus healed a lame man, those who doubted Him accused Him of sin. Those who saw the man healed and whole, had the following reaction:
“…when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God,” Matthew 9:8.
Others who were present “saw” something different and accused Him of blasphemy. So, it is also possible that even good motives can be perceived as being bad, depending upon the viewpoint of the witness.
It is appropriate for all of us, individually and collectively, to take care that our deeds are right in God’s eyes, and that others are made to see that our deeds, motives and actions are pure.
People can make improper judgments of us. If a person wants to judge our deeds as “wrong”, we may not be able to prevent that. But we must make every effort to do what God says is right, even if we receive the scorn of others.
How do our neighbors see us collectively? Do they see a group of self-righteous, stiff-necked people? Do they see us as arrogant and prideful? Or do they respect us for wanting to do what the Lord has told us to do, Acts 5:11? Do they know what we believe? And why we believe it? Or have they heard that we think we are “perfect”? Do they see genuine humility in our pledge to follow the Bible in all things, whether in the church building, the school building, the gymnasium, the work place or the home?
If we want to be respected for our faith, we must be certain that we not only believe the truth but also live in harmony with that same truth.
On the other hand, we cannot allow ourselves to be so much concerned about how friends and neighbors “see us” that we put that principle above our allegiance to the Lord.
We must do what is right if friends, foes or neighbors agree or disagree. It will never be right for the Lord’s church to try to be the “accepted” church, the “popular” church. If that becomes our major thrust, you can be sure that giving honor to scripture will soon fall by the wayside. We must be true to Him whether we are accepted and appreciated by others or not. It really is that simple.
The church in Corinth had a problem somewhat like that faced by Christians today (see 1 Corinthians 5). Evidently they did not want their neighbors to think they were self-righteous and “pious”, so they took off in the opposite direction. They allowed a situation to exist in which either incest or adultery described a family in the congregation. But, instead of correcting the situation it appears that they were proud of their “tolerance”, were “puffed up” and seemed to encourage it.
Paul rebuked them for their attitude and their action. Later, in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8, Paul had to demand that they “confirm” their love for that sinner by forgiving him. (It appears they refused to forgive the man though he had repented and confessed his sin, 2 Corinthians 2:6-8.) They had obeyed the words of 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, but would not follow through with forgiveness.
When God’s people live and behave as they should, the world can see the beauty and the joy that is part of being a genuine Christian. It will always be appropriate for us to do what God has commanded. You can be assured that it will be the best thing in any circumstance. If our neighbors see us doing what is right, yet disagree, then we must continue to walk in the “light,” 1 John 1:5-7, for that is the “way” we must live.
Such disagreements can be a beginning point for meaningful discussions on
other Bible principles. We cannot expect all to agree with us and understand, but we can love the lost,
Luke 15, and we can
“stand fast in the faith,” 1 Corinthians 16:13.
