This is going to be a very inflammatory post, I’m afraid, but I’ll try to keep it so that it’s just the subject matter that gets people going. I don’t want this to sound like a diatribe against the modern Christian faith.
So, what percentage of modern Christianity follows the teachings of Christ to even a considerable degree? If I’m reading the gospels right, Jesus is pretty clear that it is a RADICAL religion. As in, you walk away from everything that ties you to the world, and spend the rest of your days glorifying God with your faith, and showing the rest of the world that God will provide for his followers. The rich need not apply, as a Christian doesn’t even think to save enough for himself - he gives to all who beg from him, and trusts in God to provide. I daresay that eliminates the vast, vast majority of people living in anything approaching comfort in first-world countries while people around the world live in poverty.
Am I wrong in thinking that when one becomes a Christian, they completely renounce the ways of the world, ceasing to care about things like money and social standing, from then on focusing only on living with a pure soul, giving to others, and perservering through faith? The whole idea is that you give up on this world, and start focusing on the next, right? If this is so, why do we in America associate Christianity with Republicanism?
I’m afraid that I would have to say that I have never met a Christian. I’m sure that some still exist to this day, but that they are few and far between, and probably not much associated with the organized churches. Maybe the Franciscan monks of the Catholic church? The legend of St. Francis seems to define what I picture as a Christian lifestyle… Still, they’re associated with Catholicism, which I consider to be a related and equally valid in every way, yet different religion from “original” Christianity (the polytheistic elements and structures that came from the previous Roman state religion being a big part of that).
So, what are your opinions? Oh boy am I going to get it now…
Probably about 0.00000000001% follow His teachings.
About 99.9999999999% claim to. What proportion of these really try? Check back at the Last Judgment; you’ll get the proportion. And, probably, a lot of surprised looks.
BTW, Lucki, what Francis had to say about obedience to those placed in authority over him, and the limits on that, might be of interest. I don’t have references handy to cite it to you.
I know I do give it my best shot – and inevitably fall short. And ask for and receive forgiveness, pick myself up, and keep on trying.
I think that’s the crux of the opposing argument. Your conception of what Christian should do does not bind Christians. They get to decide for themselves whether or not they’re living in conformity with God’s will and the Bible’s teachings. Some Quakers will say that Christians need to avoid technology, and some Southern Baptists will say that you can’t drink or dance, and some Catholics will say that you need to confess your sins, and some people will say you have to be able to dance with snakes, and some Methodists will say that all you need to do is try your best to live according to God’s will and teachings.
Personally, I think it’s up to the Christians. But I think even a significant number of Christians will admit that they aren’t living strictly in conformity with all of the Bible’s teachings, but that they’re doing they’re best.
By the standards that you have chosen, very few of us.
If the standard of this Scripture, all of us who believe in Jesus:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should no perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16)
By this Scripture, perhaps everyone:
“Many sheep have I that are not of this fold.” (I can’t cite chapter and verse and the wording is very general.)
Confusing, isn’t it?
Honest questions: Is there a specific verse where Jesus said that everyone is to live as you described in your OP, or was he talking to an individual at the time? (Maybe he expects different things from different people.) And wasn’t there something about “the poor we have always with us.”
Where exactly does the Bible say that becoming a Christian means renouncing the ways of the world? Unless, by “ways of the world” you mean sexual promiscuity, greed, lust, theft, and murder.
The message of Christ is that all the things of the world are less important than matters of the spirit. What is gained in life is inevitably lost, whether gained by noble effort, or base greed. The pleasure and wealth of the world are ephemeral. What does it benefit you to gain the whole world, if it costs you your soul?
Prayer is for private communion with God.
In the world are the other children of God. Each of us has been given gifts, and each of us has power. The service of the Lord with those gifts and that power is the duty, on Earth of every willing servant of Christ. But it is not a matter of being righteous or earning salvation. Being a faithful servant of the Lord is not a quid pro quo. It’s a good thing, because it accomplishes good. It’s the right answer, quite aside from the wishes of the Lord. Good is better than evil. It helps your soul grow closer to the Lord. You do your soul some good, when you serve the love of God for His children.
I am not qualified to tell you what work the Lord has for you, here on earth. I am only qualified to do what work the Lord has for me. That is enough to keep me busy as long as I am likely to live. And it is a sad truth that I am not a good worker in the field of the Lord. I shirk my duty, I waste my time, and I fail to show my love for my brother. But I am not lost because I fall short. I am loved. And that love alone is enough.
So, in answer to the question. None are righteous, no, not one.
Love Him, love each other. Read the book, with love in your heart. Live the message so that others may know. Telling them about isn’t really enough.
Tris
“We have met the enemy and it is us.” ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo ~
The problem with Christian belief, with reference to the teachings of Jesus, is that Christian faith is essentially founded upon the writings of Saul of Tarsus. Add to that the tradition of men as decided through various potentially politically orientated councils, through which all things deemed “right” were decided, and you end up with a great breadth of a gap between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of any denominational organisation.
Actually, I have a friend who insists that the entire Christian fatih was effectively derailed and usurped by Saul of Tarsus:
