Denying God by Actions

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
Live Justly in the Reign of God
Hear and Do the Word

Titus 1:10-16

The Message

^10-16 For there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst. They’ve got to be shut up. They’re disrupting entire families with their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck. One of their own prophets said it best:

The Cretans are liars from the womb,
    barking dogs, lazy bellies.

He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules so they can recover a robust faith. Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act. They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They’re real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.

For Reflection

Well, that's strong language.  Paul is speaking about early Jewish Christians who held strongly to the Jewish customs and argued that to be part of the new movement one had to become Jewish and obey Jewish law, as they interpreted it.  

Such notions, then as now, are off-putting.  When Christians insist upon holding others to narrowly focused views that exclude the compassionate justice that characterizes a life transformed by accepting the gospel, their actions are not consistent with Christ's teaching.  Because of  hypocrisy perceived by observing the actions of many Christians, God fearing spiritual people are rejecting religious affiliation.  The sin of hypocrisy not only separates the hypocrite from God, but also, separates God fearing people from the strength and growth in grace offered by communion with a community of God fearing righteous people. 

Pray

that you action will scream the righteousness of your faith.  Pray that your compassion and sense of justice will cut through the chaos of hypocritical Christian pretenders and show the truth in a life transformed by following the Way.