Jeans

Hm. My thoughts are kind of scrambled on this one. Hopefully you can grasp what I was trying to say. If you can't, I'll just...post more Songs of the Week, or something...(ahahaa)

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Imagine the commercial with me:

A group of friends is walking down the street, laughing and teasing one another. They all look cool, wearing their brand-name clothing which no reasonable human being can afford in good conscience, and their body language screams "you so want to be me."

Then one of them turns to the camera, looks straight at you, and says: 

"These jeans are the only brand I'll wear."

0.o As much as I'd love to rant about how stupid it is for commercials to scream "be your own you" while wanting you to be just like them, I will stick to what I came here for. The above commercial can be applied to the theological aspect of life. Stick with me, 'cause it works eventually.

What denomination are you? 

That's the question, and that's the problem. The answer every Christian should give is "I belong to Christ." That's the only denomination we need. Unfortunately, that's not the first answer. People hear or read that question and they think "Baptist, Catholic, Reformed, Puritan, Calvinist, Arminian, etc. etc. etc." 

Sadly we've put labels on ourselves. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad to be one of these denominations anymore than it is bad to wear a particular brand of clothing. The problem is when we say our jeans are the only good jeans and people who wear other kinds are stupid, fat and ugly. 

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be discussion on any matters - we all have incorrect theology that needs to be corrected. It's just that usually when we discuss things with people who don't agree with us 100%, we argue from a prideful standpoint. We know we're right and we know they're wrong. 

Mark 9:50 - "Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

The salt loses its saltiness when our pride goes ahead of us, controlling our tongue. 

We are prideful creatures. We get an idea in our heads and we're sure about it. We LOVE that we're right - and that we know it. We're so quick to turn the blessing of God into a thing of corruption. Having the truth becomes a stain of sin on our own vile hearts, as we turn it into a weapon to use against those who don't know the truth as we do (or think we do). 

Once again, I must say that I have no issue with denominations. I am part of a denomination myself, being Protestant, Calvinist, Reformed Baptist, etc. etc. I disagree with some of my brothers and sisters in Christ about theology, and I think that in certain cases I must take a stand on the truth of the Word of God. (Not that I know anything. :} But I do know one thing, and that is that God's word is truth. I will die proclaiming that as a certainty.)

I'm not arguing that we should all ignore the faults and get along, lovey dovey kum bah ya. Because, honestly, that would never happen. It would be false love. Real love is saying "You've got that wrong. Here's where Scripture is at odds with your view." Real love is also saying "I disagree, but I'm not going to pursue that further, because you're my friend, my brother/sister in Christ, and I love you."

We can't say "You've got that wrong" to a fellow Christian and leave it at that. There has to be a source, a basis for wrong and right. There has to be a standard. That standard is Scripture. 

Back to clothing. I can't tell someone that my brand of clothing is the best kind without some preliminaries. If the person were to believe me, they'd have to know me. They'd have to see that I choose wisely, that the clothes fit how they're supposed to and that I was a living witness to how comfortable and awesome they were. 

Likewise, with Scripture, I can't just say I know it, and then try to tell others how to live by it, without living it myself. 

Romans 2:13 "For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."

James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

If someone were to tell you "This brand is the greatest!" and they didn't even own any clothes from that brand name, wouldn't you raise a skeptical eyebrow? Or is it just me who doesn't trust anyone? >.> <.<

If I were to tell you "this is the way God wants us to live" without showing you with Scripture and my own life, would you believe me? I hope not. By your works...

So, when you get up in the morning and are getting dressed and ready for the day, remember:

Romans 13:12 "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Galatians 3:27 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Ephesians 4:22 "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,"...24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Colossians 3:9-10 "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Colossians 3:12 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience...14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

So, instead of sticking to a particular brand of Christianity made by man, and fighting others over denominational arguments which are expensive to your spiritual life, and which fray easily, grasp with vicelike hands the brand of Christ, knowing that it is the brand that is the best deal for the dollar of your soul. 

Imagine yet another commercial with me:

A group of friends is walking down the street, laughing with one another. They are wearing spotlessly white t-shirts with writing on the front. You get closer, and you see the words: "I have put on Christ." 

One of them turns to the camera, looks straight at you, and says, 

"Have you?"