A few years ago, a lady in the church I attended exclaimed, "A beer never touched my lips!" Well, a beer had touched mine. Did that mean that she was somehow "better" than me? Not according to the word of God--for ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. She may not have been a drunkard, but she had some kind of sin.
Another person e-mailed and said that they liked reading my testimony, but that they've been a Christian all their life. That's a lie. God has no grandchildren. Every Christian has come to a point where they've said "no" to their sins and "yes" to Jesus. It was as if the writer was saying, "Tsk, tsk. You poor dear." Christians need to stop acting like they've never done anything wrong in their lives. This is not a biblical position. Throughout the Bible, God gives us glimpses into the pasts of His people.
Moses committed murder, David committed adultery and had the woman's husband killed, Lot's daughters committed incest with him, Peter denied Jesus three times, Paul persecuted the church, James/John/Peter fell asleep when Jesus asked them to pray with Him in Gethsemane, Solomon went awhoring after the gods of his wives, etc.
God included things that show that His own servants disrespected Him, e.g., Moses hitting the rock and not sanctifying the Lord God in front of Israel. Many of us today would take out stuff like that. But praise be to God, He uses their failures to show us that we can share our experience too. I can think of several reasons to be upfront with others 1) demonstrate that we were personally sinners by nature (once you become a disciple of Jesus, God calls you righteous, not sinner) 2) to share the comfort wherewith we were comforted by Jesus Christ 3) to show how knowing Jesus changed us 4) to empathize with the sinner.
When a Christian acts like they've never done anything wrong, this is not endearing to the child of night. I'll bet that's where "holier-than-thou" came from. Being holy is God's command. Trying to make yourself look better than others is not--that is not holiness. Christians aren't supposed to judge children of the night. The Bible says that God judges them.
For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?But them that are without God judgeth...
I Corinthians 5:12-13
Christians are clearly told to judge the body (people that call themselves brethren) but not many people are doing that! I get letters all the time, "You shouldn't judge other groups." But what does the Bible say? "Mark them which cause divisions among you," and "If any man preach any other gospel than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Today's effeminate Christianity has everything all turned around. When Jesus was on this earth, He was criticized for hanging out with publicans, sinners, prostitutes. He was called a winebibber because he partook of wine. The Bible says that the poor, the publicans, and the sinners of this earth heard Him gladly. It was the religious hypocrites and self-righteous that had a problem with Him.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34
How to witness to the child of darkness? Love them--they are like the lost sheep in the parable of the ninety-nine safe and one lost. Share the gospel from the word of God. Declare it all--call sin what it is--SIN. But don't be critical and self-righteous like, "How could you do that?" and turn up your nose. Jesus came for such a person as that.
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:17 and Luke 5:32
Be like Jesus. Look past the exterior into a soul desolate and in need of Christ. Satan will use our "self-righteousness" to keep the child of darkness away from us. But we are not ignorant of his devices. Let us rise up past pride and look to the needs of others. I heard a saying that goes something like this, "a person doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care." Have compassion on the lost. They wander like sheep without a shepherd. Be like Jesus.
