|
"Nevertheless
even of the rulers many believed on him: but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out
of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that is of men more
than the glory that is of God."
(Jn. 12:42, 43).
From
its beginning, the cause of Christ has suffered because of
disciples with closet convictions; the kind of men who know and
believe the truth but will not stand up for it. Consider, for
example, these influential rulers of our text. Potentially,
their worth to the cause of their unconfessed Christ was
immeasurable; effectively, however, they contributed absolutely
nothing. Worse, their influence remained where they did, as must
always be the case. What a testimonial to the tremendous swaying
power of cowardice and pride! — It keeps them among those whom
they oppose and puts them in opposition to their own faith and
convictions. "But, after all", they may have reasoned,
"we do have our standing in the community to think
about". "And, besides, how could we ever explain to
our friends of the synagogue circle about what we really
believe? Why, what would they think?" — and so goes
people-pleasing religion.
And
so stay the people-pleasers in religion — in their
"synagogues" of compromise and out of God's kingdom.
But most of them do not see their "going along" as
being all that serious, let alone as jeopardizing salvation. For
example, it is not unusual to meet denominationalists who freely
admit certain unscriptural practices espoused by their church,
but will not speak out against them. They know and believe
| |
certain Bible truths, but will not practice them, for fear...? Now, what is the
essential difference between these and the elders of our text?
Is it less honorable to deny Christ than His word? The false
idea that men can honor Christ while ignoring, perverting and
desecrating His doctrine is of the devil! "He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in
the last day." (Jn. 12:48) Man's part in gaining a right
standing with God lies in his knowing, believing, and obeying of
gospel truth (Jn. 6:45, 8:32; Mk. 16:16; Rom. 6:17; Jas.
1:21,22). Every right relationship with God is a
truth-determined relationship! All that God requires of man
and all that man can ever do to please and glorify God is made
known in His word (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Jn. 9). He who shuns it,
compromises it, or adds to it reflects on the God who gave it (1
Thss. 4:13), whether Jew, denominationalist or Christian.
In
recent years, many members of the church of Christ have
"awakened" to find themselves in
"synagogues" of liberalism. They share the dilemma of
the rulers to some extent. "Shall we speak out and risk
being put out — or shall we go along to get along?" May
God help them to see the seriousness and importance of standing
up for the Lord by standing for His truth. To continue
"going along" is to continue violating conscience and
fellowshipping error. Friend, your influence is where you are.
Demonstrate your allegiance to Christ and His truth while you
can! Stand! Dan S. Shipley
[Previous
Article] [Next
Article]
|
