The very essence of Christianity is defined by Jesus
Christ in the book of Mark, 12:29-31(NIV) wherein, Jesus, in response to a
question as to which is the greatest commandment, says, “29The most important one…is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind, and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
commandment greater than these.”
In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV), Paul tells us, “1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do
not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but
do not have love, I am nothing. 3If
I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may
boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing”.
Lastly, but certainly not least, in the book of
Matthew 6:24 (NIV) we are told by Jesus; “24No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the
one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money (in some versions, money is
translated as Mammon).
My mother used to say, “Do as you say, not as you do”,
or, “Practice what you preach”, a commendable goal to be sure. Also, Paul tells
us in Romans 3:23-24: 23”For
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that came by Jesus Christ”.
It is my firm belief, therefore, that these teachings:
our love of God, our love of our neighbor, and our love and belief in the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very essence of Christianity.
For those of us who call ourselves Christians, where
in Heaven’s name is there room in our lives for hate, greed, and corruption?
Where is there room for lying, cheating, stealing, or any other fraud and
deception? Where is there room for such widespread poverty in this world when approximately
40% of our food production in this country is thrown away? Why should 1% of the people in our
nation command almost all of our nation’s income when the majority of us live
near or below the poverty line? Why, also, do we constantly engage in wars with
one another rather than seek peace and harmony? We have been in and out of war
constantly for the past 100 years.
Let us probe this subject from another angle. From
where does the thesis, “Survival of the Fittest and Let the Devil Take the
Hindmost come? From where do we get the idea that bailing out corporations is
OK but helping the underprivileged isn’t? Why is the utilization of slave labor
abroad all right and livable wages at home a no no?
In our hearts, we all know right from wrong. Even if
we are unbelieving Atheists, we cannot deny the universal wisdom and teachings
of Christianity and the love and sharing it commands. Jesus said, “24If a
kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a
house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3: 24-25). Why
can’t we get together? Wasn’t it Rodney King, who in May of 1992 asked the
question, “….can we all get along? Can we get along?” Some of us claim to be
Republicans. Others claim to be Democrats. Why can’t we get together and be
Americans? United we stand. Divided we fall. It is our choice.
These are my views. What’s yours?
In the meantime,
This is Ronald
Miller
No comments:
Post a Comment