The Good, The Bad and God

The man with no name

2For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
James 2: 2 - 5 NKJV

A friend of mine recently related a story to me on why he and his family had grown sour on their local church, a church he had never stepped into but was eager to try.  Well, it seems that as he was parking his car in the lot one particular sunday morning, a woman walked out of the church and sarcastically "reminded" him that first time visitors were to park in another section of the parking lot.  That was enough for my friend to forgo his visit to this particular church.  I don't blame him at all.  After he told me his story, I told him that I would have done the very same thing.  I'm sorry, but I have neither the patience nor the self control for self righteous christians who hold to the belief that their way is the only way to pay tribute to God.  Now, if I sound a bit hardcore, good.  Obviously, the person my friend came into contact with had never before read the words of James, or is she did she had conveniently tossed them away as not useful to "modern" christianity.  I get it.  After all, we all worship in our own way, right?  I attended a church for quite some time where greeting new visitors had become a priority in the congregation.  This is a good thing.  I have also visited my share of churches in my life and it can be a nervous experience for some.  Think about it, you're stepping into a large group of people whom you've never met under the assumption of welcoming christian fellowship.  Sadly, there may be a large number of first time visitors to a church who would never come back due to a bad first impression.  Even more damaging is when these visitors equate the behavior of those they come across with the traits of our heavenly Father.  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.  For it is we who are dependent upon God, it doesn't work too well the other way around.  A question I asked my friend after he related his story was, why did James even bring up this example of avoiding personal favoritism in his writing?  Obviously in James' day they were dealing with that same issue we ourselves have dealt with.  We should not judge God through the actions of men.  God is welcoming, forgiving and His desire is that ALL would come to know Christ {John 3:16-17}.

19cSo then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1: 19 - 20 NKJV

Whether I like it or not, there are people out there who are going to make a assumption about God from the way I conduct myself.  After all, I'm His representative, right?  Yes, but I am also created in His own image, good and bad.  Most people don't feel comfortable when they first hear of the opposite "bad" side of God.  Oh yes, God has another side to Him.  Fortunately, He has chosen to manifest Himself in His loving and merciful side.  However, along with the God we see as merciful, loving and all forgiving, is a God of punishment, torment and fire and brimstone.  My point is this, as I am created in His image, this is my identity.  That is who I am.  It is Christ Jesus who now lives in me {Galations 2:20}.  Regardless of the actions of my flesh, the Spirit of Christ still resides in me.  However, most people all too often recognize a simple equation about christians.

Bad behavior = christianity = God

Nothing could be further from the truth of who it is we really are.  Despite the fact that our heavenly Father has two natures does not take away from the reality that He created us in His very image.  Just because God has chosen to embrace His Holy nature over His opposite does not mean that He nonetheless a Holy and merciful Lord.  Trust me, it was a tough time coming to the realization of the harsh nature of the God I love.  So, is our own bad behavior a reflection of the God we love?  Absolutely not.  Do we, as christians, sometimes choose to react within our flesh?  Absolutely!  However, this in no way is a indication of who it is we truly are.  I have the realization of Christ Jesus in me, yet there are times that I make decisions to act according to the flesh...that's on me.  My friend might have felt slighted by the conduct of a few christians choosing to act according to the flesh, but my prayer for him was that his eyes would be opened to who he, and they, truly are.

16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

~Scott~