If you stood next to Jesus of Nazareth, the man relgions have been based upon, wars have been fought over, and people have died for would you act differently than you do in everyday life?
The question is spurred by a debate I had with my nephew’s cadechism teacher. She perports that everyone of Catholic Christian upringing would have less sin in their lives if they lived as if Christ was walking next to them.
I briefly noted to her I was raised RC and left the church upon confirmation due to my disagreement with most of the Catholic doctrine. I went on to ask what she thought was the difference between living as if walkng next to Christ/Buddah/Muhammad and living honestly?
I have met people who truly do live honest lives, not all of them believe in God.
What is so efficacious about walking as if next to Christ? Is it that different from walking an honest path?
Well, the general idea that the Guy Who is going to be our Judge is looking over your shoulder at what you’re doing, could have an impact on the choices you make.
But I want to correct a slight misconception here. Probably as a result of the confutation of “live a moral life” with “Good little boys and girls don’t do bad things, and always tell the truth,” there seems to be the assumption that righteousness before God consists in moral behavior.
Nope.
It consists in living a life based in love of God and of one’s fellow man. That is what Jesus expects of His followers.
This is not to say, to forestall any misunderstanding, that such behavior is restricted to Christians – I see no reason why a devout Jew, Moslem, Baha’i, or whatever cound not live by those principles, and a secular humanist without theistic beliefs at least by the part of “love…of one’s fellow man” – that’s what humanism is, for Pete’s sake!
But it is a different call than “walking an honest path” or even “living a moral life” if the latter is seen as keeping to one’s own moral code in a sense of “An it harm none, do what thou wilt” or the equivalent.
That standard prohibits what moral theologians would call “sins of commission” – acting unethically towards others. However, it does not have the added demand of “insofar as it is possible, take that act which most shows love of God and fellow man” that is the underlying ethic of the sincere Christian.
As for proof, I know of none that would satisfy a skeptic. All I can testify is that the God in whom I sincerely believe commanded it, and that my life has been much the richer for my having done so, in quite practical if subjective terms.
I’m sure there are moments in any day that I would react differently in thought or word. As much as I am mindful that He is always with me, there are moments when I have left Him.
Poly has provided the difference between the two.
Christ loved perfectly. As Poly explained, being honest can be done without love. I’d add that it could not be done the other way around.
Your proof is in the actions and words of those who walk with Christ. If you knew Lib’s sister, you’d know one of them.
Edlyn is Lib’s wife – a truly lovely lady, in countenance and inner person. It was my great pleasure to meet them in person and get to know them offline six weeks ago.