Should a Person Actively Engaging in Sin Keep Quiet About Their Faith?
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Here are my thoughts on the situation:
1. It's uppity of any Christian regardless of how they are living to imply that they are a better Christian than someone else and should be followed as an example. Kind of reminds me of the Pharisee who prayed, "Oooh God I'm glad I'm not like this depraved tax collector..."
2. It's very possible that Cindy's real story isn't known. If someone were to say, "Cindy, why haven't you and so-and-so every married?" She might say, "We said vows to each other and consider ourselves married. The bible doesn't demand we involve the state for a marriage." (all true)
OR
She might say, "Well, so-and-so is very reluctant to marry even though we have children. Technically at this point, we are common-law married. I consider him my husband because I'm committed to him and our family."
OR
She might say, "Mind your own business."
(Which, ya know, we probably should do more often).
3. As to the world's perception of Christians as being hypocrites. In MY experience, the world doesn't really judge Christians based on the sexual morals posited by Christianity. So, most non-Christians wouldn't consider a Christian a hypocrite for having premarital sex...but they WOULD consider you a hypocrite for committing adultery (because even the world has views against adultery).
Usually people are considered hypocrites if they go around correcting others on certain points of ethics that they don't adhere to themselves. So, if I told everyone how awful it was to eat meat while I was chowing down on a triple bacon burger, they'd think I was a hypocrite. (Just consider the "scandals" associated with fallen preachers. Part of what was scandalous was how they preached against a certain behavior only to be caught in it).
However, if I'm kind and tolerant and happen to get caught in some sin, even non-Christians will often extend grace.
4. If people are not in my innermost circle and they tell me what to do, my standard operating response is: Please tell me which bill of mine you'd like to begin paying. To the degree that you pay for part of my life, you may dictate how I should then live.
1. It's uppity of any Christian regardless of how they are living to imply that they are a better Christian than someone else and should be followed as an example. Kind of reminds me of the Pharisee who prayed, "Oooh God I'm glad I'm not like this depraved tax collector..."
2. It's very possible that Cindy's real story isn't known. If someone were to say, "Cindy, why haven't you and so-and-so every married?" She might say, "We said vows to each other and consider ourselves married. The bible doesn't demand we involve the state for a marriage." (all true)
OR
She might say, "Well, so-and-so is very reluctant to marry even though we have children. Technically at this point, we are common-law married. I consider him my husband because I'm committed to him and our family."
OR
She might say, "Mind your own business."
(Which, ya know, we probably should do more often).
3. As to the world's perception of Christians as being hypocrites. In MY experience, the world doesn't really judge Christians based on the sexual morals posited by Christianity. So, most non-Christians wouldn't consider a Christian a hypocrite for having premarital sex...but they WOULD consider you a hypocrite for committing adultery (because even the world has views against adultery).
Usually people are considered hypocrites if they go around correcting others on certain points of ethics that they don't adhere to themselves. So, if I told everyone how awful it was to eat meat while I was chowing down on a triple bacon burger, they'd think I was a hypocrite. (Just consider the "scandals" associated with fallen preachers. Part of what was scandalous was how they preached against a certain behavior only to be caught in it).
However, if I'm kind and tolerant and happen to get caught in some sin, even non-Christians will often extend grace.
4. If people are not in my innermost circle and they tell me what to do, my standard operating response is: Please tell me which bill of mine you'd like to begin paying. To the degree that you pay for part of my life, you may dictate how I should then live.
B
What faith?? If the person is sinning unrepentantly then its really not Christian faith. I would say they shouldn't talk about what they are not familiar with. Really though if one has sinned and they need to confess they should do that to the proper appointed servants. If they just want to brag may it fall on deaf ears.
It's interesting to read the posts in which people say if Cindy is unrepentant, she must not really be a Christian.
I can't remember which book of his it was (I've read a handful of them), but also interestingly (to me at least), John Bevere writes in one of his books that the times he preached the most "on fire" sermons for God were when he himself was going through his most severe times of being addicted to pornography. The more and more he looked at it, the more he would preach to people about "eradicating sin" from their lives and being "holy".
I was thinking about a guy I knew once who was always telling people what they needed to do in order to follow Jesus and live a Christian life (he would even say that he saw himself as a teacher.) Then he would talk about watching porn everyday and his struggles with lust... He said he wasn't proud of it but he also wasn't all that concerned about it because "men are just built that way--we're visual" and "besides, God understands." Was he really a Christian? Where is the line?
I've also had friends who were refused leadership positions in their church--because they were smokers who were seen as being caught up in unrepentant sin, and therefore, in the church's eyes, unfit to lead anyone else.
I've seen in my own life that for some people, the deeper in sin they are, the more judgmental and preachy they become with other people. This often makes makes me raise both eyebrows when I run into S.A.P.'s (Self-Appointed Preachers/Prophets, in Seoulspeak.)
Cinder, as usual, you brought up very good points (in regards to some adopting children and their stories being misread.) In this case, Cindy recently gave birth to a child, and the father was presumably the man she lives with.
Lynx--I've often thought I should just stop giving examples at all, but I've seen threads that just ask a question and then everyone says, "What the hee haw are you talking about? Can you elaborate on that a little more?" Unfortunately, it seems to be a no-win situation.
I can't remember which book of his it was (I've read a handful of them), but also interestingly (to me at least), John Bevere writes in one of his books that the times he preached the most "on fire" sermons for God were when he himself was going through his most severe times of being addicted to pornography. The more and more he looked at it, the more he would preach to people about "eradicating sin" from their lives and being "holy".
I was thinking about a guy I knew once who was always telling people what they needed to do in order to follow Jesus and live a Christian life (he would even say that he saw himself as a teacher.) Then he would talk about watching porn everyday and his struggles with lust... He said he wasn't proud of it but he also wasn't all that concerned about it because "men are just built that way--we're visual" and "besides, God understands." Was he really a Christian? Where is the line?
I've also had friends who were refused leadership positions in their church--because they were smokers who were seen as being caught up in unrepentant sin, and therefore, in the church's eyes, unfit to lead anyone else.
I've seen in my own life that for some people, the deeper in sin they are, the more judgmental and preachy they become with other people. This often makes makes me raise both eyebrows when I run into S.A.P.'s (Self-Appointed Preachers/Prophets, in Seoulspeak.)
Cinder, as usual, you brought up very good points (in regards to some adopting children and their stories being misread.) In this case, Cindy recently gave birth to a child, and the father was presumably the man she lives with.
Lynx--I've often thought I should just stop giving examples at all, but I've seen threads that just ask a question and then everyone says, "What the hee haw are you talking about? Can you elaborate on that a little more?" Unfortunately, it seems to be a no-win situation.
