If you’re happy and you know it,
clap your hands!
If you’re happy and you
know it, clap your hands!
If you’re happy and you know it, then your
face will surely show it.
If you’re happy and you know it,
clap your hands! (Clap, Clap)
Where did you learn
this little ditty? Pre-School? Scouts?
Barney? I’m not sure where I first learned it, but I’m
pretty sure we sang it in church. Right
alongside “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy,
joy, down in my heart! Where?! Down in my heart to stay!”
But more and more on
social media, I see posts like this:
"Jesus wants everyone to be happy. This picture makes me feel good. I think Jesus was one of the happiest people on earth. He proved this by dying for us and that He loves you and me. What more could you ask of our Lord. He asks very little from each of us. May Jesus bring you a blessing today!"
And this:
"You might be a hypocrite if...you turn Jesus' message of faith and love
into one of fear and hate."
Aaaaand these:
"The best cure for CHRISTIANITY is reading the Bible." -Mark Twain
"GOD HATES BIBLE THUMPERS."
And many other similar
posts calling out the so-called “hypocrites”
of Christianity in the name of “God is Love.” And I’ve got to admit, it rubs me the wrong
way.
- Do I believe God is love? Yes. Whole-heartedly.
- Do I believe we should sit in judgment over people and eagerly point out their sin? That would be a no. Got my own sin to worry about.
- Do I believe we should never talk about sin or Hell because it may turn people away from God’s message of love? Sigh.
I think this is where
things have gone awry. And I’m guilty of
it, too. But friends, the “good news” of
the gospel is this: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans
5:8
Yes, it’s about
love. But it’s also about our desperate
and utter NEED for Him. While we were
yet SINNERS.
So when I hear friends assert
that Christians need to read the Bible because they obviously don’t get it- that
Jesus is all about love and acceptance since He ate with prostitutes and tax
collectors- I feel such a pang of unease.
Not because I feel guilty that I am “one of those hypocrites” who
stresses fear, but because I feel guilty
that I’ve perhaps contributed to this misnomer that God is ONLY about love. That I’ve misled souls into trusting that
because God is good and God is love and God is merciful, that He is not also a
God of righteous judgment and a God of wrath and a God of justice.
So, yes! Let’s read the
Bible. Let’s see what the scriptures
say. Let’s not act like we already know
what it says. Because I don't think you can read the New Testament and still believe that all Jesus asks of you is to be happy and spread love. There's so much more--let's not simplify the Bible.
“For the word of God is living
and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the
division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts
and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews
4:12
