A man was being tailgated by a woman on a busy street. As they approached the lights at an intersection, they turned Amber, and even though he could have accelerated through the lights and maybe just beaten the Red, he stopped. The tailgating woman hit the roof? (metaphorically). She held one hand on the horn ring, wound down the window, gesticulated through the window and proceeded to abuse the fellow in front who had stupidly stopped her from getting through the intersection on his tail.
Well, she was in mid rant when a very stern-looking Police officer arrived at her door and ordered her out of the car. He put her in the police van and took her to the station where she was searched, finger-printed, photographed and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours she was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. “I’m very sorry for the mistake. You see I pulled up behind your car when you were blowing your horn, and calling the guy in front of you for everything under the sun. I then noticed the “Choose Life” licence plate holder, the “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker, and the reflective fish emblem on the rear window. So naturally I assumed you had stolen the car!” Who was it that said “consistency thou art a gem!” – Shakespeare? Consistency is bound upon the Christian (Matt.5:16; 1 Cor. 15:58). Consistency is a difficult thing to do right consistently. There are some people who are consistent – consistently bad (Acts 7:51). But consistency cuts across many lines:
Some time ago a man in the U.S.A. said in a speech, We have come to see the Bible very differently from the way we used to view it…God gave us the Bible, not as Constitution, with case law and blue prints, but as the way to know His heart and will…. That puts it all very nicely, but whoever thought we never understood that the Bible was the means to understand God’s heart and will!? But they tell us we need to read the Bible differently…like a love letter. Deceptive talk is talk that is not outrageously wrong: it would be too obvious, like the clock that is five hours wrong. But the clock that’s five minutes wrong, that’s the one which will get you into trouble. Whoever thought the Bible was not an expression of the love of God?! (John 3:16 has been the most well-known verses for yonks). But we need to remember that the Bible is not only a ‘love-letter’ – we are to behold in it both the goodness and the severity of God. We are being told that we ought not to use proof-texts. Liberals are telling us that the old-fashioned ‘proof-texting’ is no longer appropriate. I’m not saying it’s not possible to pluck a verse out of context and misuse it. That can and is done. But the misuse of proof-texts doesn’t eliminate the right use of such. The Bible shows that Jesus did it, as did Paul and the other apostles. When His listeners would not obey Jesus quoted Isa. 6:9,10, You hear but do not understand, you see but do not perceive. When He chose to chastise the Pharisees for their traditions, He cited Isa. 29:13, This people draw near me with their mouth but their heart is far from me. When asked about about divorce and remarriage he quoted Gen. 2:24, Have you not read that He which made them from the beginning…. When the apostle Paul wanted to convict the Jews of their sinfulness he quoted six O.T. verse in Rom. 3:9-18. When he wanted to convince them that salvation had always been a matter of grace , he cited Ps. 32:1, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. When he explained why so few Jews embraced the Messiah he quoted Isa. 10:22, For thy people Israel shall be as the sand of the sea yet a remnant of them shall return. To convince his readers that salvation was by faith apart from the law of Moses he quoted Hab.2:4, The just shall live by faith. But the thing is this: even those who say we shouldn’t do this do it themselves as they try to push some new doctrine! For example, to justify placing women in positions of leadership they cite Gal. 3:28, There is neither male or female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. To shore up the idea that sinners are saved by grace through faith without baptism they cite Eph. 2:8,9, For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of themselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. And when you call them for their hypocrisy they quote Matt.7:1!!! Judge not that you be not judged.
“You can’t judge!” Isn’t that tiring? It wouldn’t be so bad if those who like to trot that line out were consistent, for that is a judgement! They are saying in effect “I judge you to be in violation of the injunction of Matt.7:1!” God did not leave us in a position to make no judgements – either for or against. We must decide. To not decide is to decide – against Christ! So John 7:24 is right on the money – judge righteous judgement as consistently as we can and so on.
“You just think you’re right, don’t you”. Sometimes I hold my tongue but sometimes I say “Yeah”. It makes perfect consistent sense to believe that what I believe is right. Think of the alternative:- “Oh no, I think I’m wrong and I’m going to defend to the death what I believe to be wrong!” By what measure you use it shall be meted to you. Does the person who says this intend to imply that he or she doesn’t think he or she is right!? Prov. 16:2; All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes…The person who says this does the same. It would be far more consistent to to say, “I think I’m right and you’re wrong and here’s why”. But when people just say “Oh you just think you’re right” and walk away it is hypocrisy and inconsistency of the highest order.
Recent times, both here and in the U.S.A. have seen some political commentators make an observation that Biblical values have seemed to have played a higher role in elections than normal. It’s amazing how some people get terrified at the prospect of Christian ethics and morality being held up for consideration in political policy. So the old catchcry gets trotted out, You can’t legislate morality! What a silly statement for it is obvious we already have and continue to do so! Don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t rape and so on are examples of legislated morality. Many of them reflect the influence of the Bible from times past, going all the way back to England, the mother country from which our parliamentary processes sprang. The person who says you can’t legislate morality, wants to legislate, but just another sort of morality!
Consistency is all encompassing. This is the truth: I read of a fellow who didn’t like debates. They were part of the religious scene not too long ago, but many denominational pastors and priests have lost any zeal to defend their cause in public debate anymore. Some of my brethren think it’s ‘unchristian’ too (though you have to wonder what they think of Jesus locked in polemic battle with the Pharisees, or Paul debating on Mars Hill or in the synagogue). One such fellow signed a debate proposition that it was wrong to debate- Can you beat that?!
Some brethren have become ashamed of the term Church of Christ and are calling themselves by other names such as Community church. I have a great antagonism in my soul when people feel like they need to expunge the name of Christ (the name that is above all names). Sure, get rid of it where it is associated with ungodliness and other things in which Jesus would have no fellowship, but His church?! Question: “Was the community crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of the community? Did the community purchase the church with its own blood?” They’re saying that the term Church of Christ conjures up some distasteful images in the minds of many people. Well, well, well. Didn’t not they say some bad things about Jesus? Was not the early church spoken against everywhere (Acts 28:22)? Like Master, like disciples. Jesus told us that. Get over it and get on with it, I say. Let the chips fall where they will. If the community has some got some legitimate gripes against the church, then the answer is not to take Christ out of the name but to repent and do better. What will happen when the term “Community Church” creates prejudice in the community and becomes odious? Pick another name? Man, we’ll have more moves that a bucket of worms and more stripes and colours than a chameleon.
Somebody described the theory of evolution as fairy tales for grown-ups. When people ask me why I don’t believe in it, I say, First, it’s impossible and second, I don’t need it to fill some vacuum in explaining how we got here. Many who believe in evolution believe in the impossible because they have no room for God. Yet other who believe in evolution believe in it because they think most people believe in it, and they don’t want to be thought of as part of the lunatic fringe. They think there is safety in numbers and if most people believe something then it must be true. If you’re ever in a conversation with an atheist or agnostic who’s got that Oh-you-poor-ignoramus-I’m-smarter-than-you sneer on their face, and they tell you evolution must be true because so many people believe in it, then tell them they have just proved the existence of God for most people believe there is a God! And that’s the truth – atheists are a decided minority in the world. People take minority positions and regard the majority argument of no weight, when it suits them.
Important it is that we think and argue consistently. Also, it is important that we live consistent with what we profess. Several Christians were discussing the pros and cons of various translations of the Bible. One argued for the K.J.V., another for the N.A.S.V., and others for several other versions. Finally one piped up and said, “I like my mother’s translation best of all”. “We didn’t know your mother produced a translation” the rest said, “She doesn’t know a thing about Hebrew or Greek”. The son replied, “But the way she lives is the best translation I have ever seen”. May it be so with us.