Soldiers of Christ Arise
John Bright, in his book, The Authority of the Old Testament, offers a somber warning to those who profess to follow Jesus. He writes: “We are parade-ground troops, reluctant to dirty our uniforms; we are soldiers who refuse orders, sleep on duty, serve when convenient, and often enough traitors to the cause . . . We do not like to think of the church as militant at all, but rather caught up in a stream of fraternal progress. We are men of tolerance and goodwill who find it hard to believe that the God of the Bible (though infinitely more loving) is not necessarily as tolerant as we. Feeling no animus towards the enemies of God, we fraternize with them until we no longer recognize them as enemies, and are ready to make almost any compromise with them in the interest of peace.”
John Bright was right. In our quest to get along, we embrace the false notion that tolerance is the only real virtue, but tolerance will destroy civilization. Defined as modern culture defines it, tolerance is completely incompatible with New Testament Christianity. Contrary to the modern perception of Christianity, our goal is not to just get along, go along, or belong! Our goal is to faithfully live and teach the word of God (Matthew 28:18-20). The Bible makes it clear that choices have consequences. Bad choices lead to bad outcomes, and good choices lead to good outcomes. Labeling evil as good, and good as evil to get along or please others in the name of tolerance is a formula for disaster (Isaiah 5:20, 25).
We cannot compromise truth, ignore divine commands, or rewrite the Bible to please people. Our deepest desire is to please God (Galatians 1:10). To do that, we must be faithful to His will (Deuteronomy 12:32).
Yes, God calls His people to love, and love requires tolerance in the matters that do not matter. A good marriage requires that we tolerate the minor flaws in our mate, and they must tolerate our imperfections. But when it comes to God we must be committed to honoring and obeying Him above all else. To do that we must love sinners while hating sin. The loving thing is always to be faithful to His word and will.
Our society has rejected God’s teaching on marriage, home, and family. It has blatantly disregarded His will regarding human sexuality. It has devalued human life to the point that the unborn and the infirmed have no intrinsic worth. All truth is now relative (you cannot be certain about anything), and they are absolutely certain about that. Men have dethroned God and exalted themselves. Paul wrote about this when he said, “men worship and serve the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).
The situation is not hopeless. We can make a difference, but we must put on the whole armor of God, unsheathe our sword, and fight for truth and right. There is no room for compromise when we are talking about the salvation of souls (Ephesians 6:10-20). The fight will not be easy, but the outcome has already been determined. In the end we win. It is time for the soldiers of Christ to arise.