I had a discussion with a fellow Christian one day, and I was unpleasantly surprised by what I realized about him. I have known this man for many years, so I am quite familiar with his life, personal choices, and results of many of these in his life. I happened to be with him when he was arguing religion with another Christian. His arguments were actually solid and Biblically based. By that, I mean that I could not find any Scriptural problem with what he was professing. The problem is that I know him. The way he argued his points would cause anyone listening to him to assume that he was a man who lived by the principles he espoused. As he argued his points, I could hear the urgency in his voice desiring that the other person would believe him and agree with his argument. Again, the problem is that I know this man, and his life does not line up with his knowledge of the Word of God.
Now, let me be clear, before you may decide that I am being judgmental or too harsh. I do not expect anyone, including myself, to never make mistakes or get things wrong. And, let’s not forget the old, and tired phrase, “Nobody’s perfect,” as if people actually forgot that. I am not saying that this man should not quote the Bible or argue Biblical points unless he was perfect, that would be ludicrous.
My point here is that I know this man, and no matter how well he argues any Biblical doctrine or position, he does not really believe what he is arguing. Keep this in mind, “People do what they do because they believe what they believe.” If a person truly believes something, then they will live, act, choose, and decide things according to that which they believe. This is true of every single human being, and it is true of God.
If you were to enter into a discussion with this man about some Biblical point, I will guarantee that he will counter any argument of yours with solid Scriptural reference. But, I also know that later on, when he is just being himself, making choices, and/or reacting to situations and circumstances in his life, he will revert to emotional choices and reactions. He argues good Bible, but lives according to what he believes is the appropriate response or choice at the moment. He can tell you exactly what the Bible says about this or that, what to do or not to do, how to believe or not to believe, but, he will always choose to do what he believes is right at the moment.
Am I saying he is a bad man? No. My argument in this article is more about you and me. Are we like him? A little bit, somewhat, or a lot? Do we have a fair knowledge of the Word of God, but notice that we too do not always live according to what we espouse? Can we find contradictions, or at least differences, in how we live and what we tell others we believe from the Word? Do our words sometimes sound empty, even to ourselves? Do we really believe what we say we believe?
This man I mentioned is not well liked, but he is well believed to be well informed on the Scriptures. If you were to need a question answered that related to the Bible, he is your man. He can quote the verses, he remembers the location of the verse and passages he uses to make his points, and he is quite skillful at providing enough supporting references to convince you that the answer he is giving you is believable. The reason he is not well liked is that those around him who know him best also know that he does not live according to him claimed beliefs. As a matter of fact, he will often question his own belief in the Scriptures. He will, at times, wonder out loud as to the validity of the Bible. He is just familiar enough with the Bible as we know it to also know that there are things about the Bible that raise unanswerable questions. He tends to ignore or disregard these problematic concerns as much as realistically possible for him, but, yet, he will argue those very points with others quite skillfully. For example, he will wonder if some point or other in the Word of God is actually true, but on the other hand, he will argue the “truth” of the questionable point and offer Scriptural support to validate his argument. See, he will sound as though he believes what he is arguing, but those who know him know he does not believe what he is saying because they also see how he lives.
Is this true of you and me? Do we claim to believe the whole Bible, some of the Bible, or even just parts of the Bible, and then live differently than what we espouse, while continuing to argue those points according to which we do not live?
I also am quite proficient in my knowledge of the Scriptures. And, I will admit that I enjoy that people are impressed with my knowledge of the Word of God. I also can answer most questions from the Bible with the adequate expectation of giving someone an answer which will not only be satisfactory, but I can back up my conclusions with valid Scriptural support enough to lead most people to accept the truth of the answer. And, as with this man I mentioned, I also am aware of things about the Bible that are questionable. But the question here is, “Am I also like this man is some ways?”
Just like any other person, I want to believe that I am okay, that I am not some hypocrite. I want to believe that I live according to what I tell others I believe from, and about, the Word of God. I do not want to believe negative things about myself, so I tend not to dwell on possibilities of failures and/or errors on my part. Watching this man in action, and knowing the things I know about him, challenged me. Am I like him as well? Do I fool myself? My immediate reaction demands that I say, “NO!” But, I also know my own life. I also know my own choices, decisions, actions, and behavior. Like everyone on earth, I am also not “perfect.” I also fail to do the right things at times. I have also made mistakes of which I am not proud. I am sometimes hard while believing myself to be just firm. There have been occasions, here and there, where I also did not live according to what I told others I believed from the Word of God. And, the same is true of you.
So what does that say of you and me? Are we like this man I described above? Not really. Even with all the errors and failures on my part which I am willing to admit to myself, I still know him and his life. I am different in many ways from this man, and you probably are different from him in many ways as well. The real question is not so much. Are we like him? But rather, “Do we also blurt empty words from our mouths that impress others, but do not truly indicate our real beliefs.” Do we espouse things we do not truly believe, and therefore do not actually live by these claimed “beliefs?”
Let’s work on this in our lives, you and me. Let’s be people who “preach” what we believe, and then choose to live by what we “preached.” Let’s get rid of any “words of emptiness” from our lives, and be men and women of God who live according to our word, and the Word of God.
