VALID TESTIMONY

#1 · August 18, 2008, 10:44 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 18, 2008, 10:44 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
VALID TESTIMONY

August 17, 2008

TEXT: Galatians 2:11-21

In a devotional article, Dave Branon writes, I have a neighbor who cant stand hypocrites. In fact, he tells me that he stopped going to church because he saw too many hypocrites there. Hes not alone. Thats one of the most popular reasons people give for rejecting Christianity. My neighbor is right there are too many hypocrites in the church. (Dave Branon, The Hypocrite Excuse, Our Daily Bread, August 11, 2003)

I would be a hypocrite to try to deny such an accusation. The factual evidence is overwhelming: there are hypocrites in churches. In fact, during the years I have served as a pastor, the church in America has been rocked with some high profile hypocrisy. The scandals of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker were front page news stories in their day. Those scandals provided ammunition for those who sought to discredit the church, and they even caused some who were following and involved in those ministries to become disenchanted and to fall away. These are all sad testimonies, to be sure.

But Swaggart and Bakker were far from the first hypocrites in the church; neither will they be the last. In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul writes of an encounter he had with fellow laborer Peter. The issue was over the treatment of Jewish Christians toward Gentile Christians. The Jews began to separate themselves from the Gentiles, and Peter went along with them instead of standing up to them. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (Galatians 2:12-13)

This attitude is not all that surprising. Within their cultural surroundings, there was still a great deal of such separation. It was difficult to change beliefs and attitudes that continued to be such an entrenched part of their lives. It still is difficult to change established habits and patterns, but there is an important observation to make here: there are hypocrites in the church because of what is brought in from the outside, not because of the testimony from the inside.

In his devotional article, Dave Branon continues, The problem of hypocrisy is not the issue to pursue with people who reject the gospel. The key is validity. Does the presence of hypocrites in the church invalidate the gospel message? (Dave Branon, The Hypocrite Excuse, Our Daily Bread, August 11, 2003)

The answer to such a question is a resounding, No! Paul certainly did not throw up his hands and say, Well, that settles it. I thought I had found the truth, but you hypocrites clearly indicate that Christianity is not the truth. If you cant live like Jesus says you are supposed to live, then Christianity has no validity. Pauls response to hypocrisy was just the opposite. Instead of losing faith in Christ, he appeals to Christ for the solution. We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16)

Paul uses the technical legal term justification in his appeal to Peter, which introduces potential misapplications. Even modern commentaries that try to explain the application get a bit confusing in their discussions. But what Paul kept before him and before those he was addressing is that, no matter how hard Paul had tried to conform to righteousness and he had tried very hard he was not made righteous until he put his faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, he builds his case by saying, If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (Galatians 2:17)

Here, then, is the answer to the question, Does the presence of hypocrites in the church invalidate the gospel message? Of course it doesnt. The validity of the Christian testimony is not based on imperfect Christians. Its validity is founded upon the perfect Christ. I can thoroughly understand a persons disillusionment with someone else who has failed to live up to a real or perceived ideal. None of you want a pastor who preaches the Christian message but lives a lifestyle that contradicts that message. No pastor wants church members who do that either. But let us make a clear distinction here: if I am committing some hypocrisy like Peter was doing, it does not invalidate the gospel I preach. Peters hypocrisy did not invalidate the gospel he preached. The testimony of Christ remains valid because it remains based on him, not us.

All of those who argue that they cannot go to church because there are too many hypocrites do not have any basis for their argument unless they can show that Jesus was a hypocrite. Unless the one who is the source of our justification and the source of our instruction for life and belief can be found to be the hypocrite, then there is no basis to discredit his teaching or the faith he established. There is no basis to abandon the Christian faith. Christs testimony is valid.

Mahatma Gandhi, still regarded as one of the most respected leaders of modern history, admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Gandhi he asked him, "Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?" Gandhi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Yes, Gandhi accepted specific teachings of Jesus that matched his particular worldview, but he rejected Christ as savior. Gandhi was one who liked to believe that all religions were valid. But Jesus, the same Jesus that Gandhi liked to quote to give support to his non-violence ideology, declared himself to be the only Savior and the only way to God. Gandhi very much rejected Christ on the basis of the hypocrisy that is too easily found in imperfect Christians.

Those who want to challenge the validity of Christian testimony because of hypocrisy must demonstrate that Jesus, not his followers, was a hypocrite. Only then can they use hypocrisy as an excuse to reject his testimony. Of course, this is a charge that they will never be able to have stick, because Jesus did everything that he said he would do. He fulfilled prophesy. He lived what he taught. He redeemed his people with his very life. Jesus is not the hypocrite.

Paul was completely aware of this. When he confronted the hypocrisy he wrote about in Galatians, he knew that the problem was not with the testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus testimony was never in question. His testimony was and is always valid. There was no need for Paul to fall away from the faith because of Peters hypocrisy. Instead of looking at the hypocrites as his source of truth, Paul looked at Jesus. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

This should be the attitude of every born-again Christian. Our faith in Christ is dependent on no man. No hypocrisy or sin can separate us from the love of God in Christ unless we allow it. If this is our response, then it is only an excuse we use for our own convenience to justify disobedience. Jesus love and Jesus testimony remain valid no matter what. Instead of looking at hypocrites, look at Jesus. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

VALID TESTIMONY

August 17, 2008

TEXT: Galatians 2:11-21

In a devotional article, Dave Branon writes, I have a neighbor who cant stand hypocrites. In fact, he tells me that he stopped going to church because he saw too many hypocrites there. Hes not alone. Thats one of the most popular reasons people give for rejecting Christianity. My neighbor is right there are too many hypocrites in the church. (Dave Branon, The Hypocrite Excuse, Our Daily Bread, August 11, 2003)

I would be a hypocrite to try to deny such an accusation. The factual evidence is overwhelming: there are hypocrites in churches. In fact, during the years I have served as a pastor, the church in America has been rocked with some high profile hypocrisy. The scandals of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker were front page news stories in their day. Those scandals provided ammunition for those who sought to discredit the church, and they even caused some who were following and involved in those ministries to become disenchanted and to fall away. These are all sad testimonies, to be sure.

But Swaggart and Bakker were far from the first hypocrites in the church; neither will they be the last. In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul writes of an encounter he had with fellow laborer Peter. The issue was over the treatment of Jewish Christians toward Gentile Christians. The Jews began to separate themselves from the Gentiles, and Peter went along with them instead of standing up to them. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (Galatians 2:12-13)

This attitude is not all that surprising. Within their cultural surroundings, there was still a great deal of such separation. It was difficult to change beliefs and attitudes that continued to be such an entrenched part of their lives. It still is difficult to change established habits and patterns, but there is an important observation to make here: there are hypocrites in the church because of what is brought in from the outside, not because of the testimony from the inside.

In his devotional article, Dave Branon continues, The problem of hypocrisy is not the issue to pursue with people who reject the gospel. The key is validity. Does the presence of hypocrites in the church invalidate the gospel message? (Dave Branon, The Hypocrite Excuse, Our Daily Bread, August 11, 2003)

The answer to such a question is a resounding, No! Paul certainly did not throw up his hands and say, Well, that settles it. I thought I had found the truth, but you hypocrites clearly indicate that Christianity is not the truth. If you cant live like Jesus says you are supposed to live, then Christianity has no validity. Pauls response to hypocrisy was just the opposite. Instead of losing faith in Christ, he appeals to Christ for the solution. We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16)

Paul uses the technical legal term justification in his appeal to Peter, which introduces potential misapplications. Even modern commentaries that try to explain the application get a bit confusing in their discussions. But what Paul kept before him and before those he was addressing is that, no matter how hard Paul had tried to conform to righteousness and he had tried very hard he was not made righteous until he put his faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, he builds his case by saying, If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (Galatians 2:17)

Here, then, is the answer to the question, Does the presence of hypocrites in the church invalidate the gospel message? Of course it doesnt. The validity of the Christian testimony is not based on imperfect Christians. Its validity is founded upon the perfect Christ. I can thoroughly understand a persons disillusionment with someone else who has failed to live up to a real or perceived ideal. None of you want a pastor who preaches the Christian message but lives a lifestyle that contradicts that message. No pastor wants church members who do that either. But let us make a clear distinction here: if I am committing some hypocrisy like Peter was doing, it does not invalidate the gospel I preach. Peters hypocrisy did not invalidate the gospel he preached. The testimony of Christ remains valid because it remains based on him, not us.

All of those who argue that they cannot go to church because there are too many hypocrites do not have any basis for their argument unless they can show that Jesus was a hypocrite. Unless the one who is the source of our justification and the source of our instruction for life and belief can be found to be the hypocrite, then there is no basis to discredit his teaching or the faith he established. There is no basis to abandon the Christian faith. Christs testimony is valid.

Mahatma Gandhi, still regarded as one of the most respected leaders of modern history, admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Gandhi he asked him, "Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?" Gandhi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Yes, Gandhi accepted specific teachings of Jesus that matched his particular worldview, but he rejected Christ as savior. Gandhi was one who liked to believe that all religions were valid. But Jesus, the same Jesus that Gandhi liked to quote to give support to his non-violence ideology, declared himself to be the only Savior and the only way to God. Gandhi very much rejected Christ on the basis of the hypocrisy that is too easily found in imperfect Christians.

Those who want to challenge the validity of Christian testimony because of hypocrisy must demonstrate that Jesus, not his followers, was a hypocrite. Only then can they use hypocrisy as an excuse to reject his testimony. Of course, this is a charge that they will never be able to have stick, because Jesus did everything that he said he would do. He fulfilled prophesy. He lived what he taught. He redeemed his people with his very life. Jesus is not the hypocrite.

Paul was completely aware of this. When he confronted the hypocrisy he wrote about in Galatians, he knew that the problem was not with the testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus testimony was never in question. His testimony was and is always valid. There was no need for Paul to fall away from the faith because of Peters hypocrisy. Instead of looking at the hypocrites as his source of truth, Paul looked at Jesus. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

This should be the attitude of every born-again Christian. Our faith in Christ is dependent on no man. No hypocrisy or sin can separate us from the love of God in Christ unless we allow it. If this is our response, then it is only an excuse we use for our own convenience to justify disobedience. Jesus love and Jesus testimony remain valid no matter what. Instead of looking at hypocrites, look at Jesus. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org