We have raised chickens for many years for their eggs, so we usually don’t need to buy our eggs from the grocery store. But one time sticks out in my memory: Our chickens for some reason were not producing as many eggs as usual so we had run out, and we needed to get some from the store.
After returning home with our groceries, we began to mix up some ingredients for our recipe. If I remember correctly, after breaking our first egg, we noticed a smell that shouldn’t have been there. The egg was bad, and it stunk. Not wanting to deal with any more of those bad eggs, we threw out the entire package. It is possible that some of the other eggs may well have been good, but because of that one bad egg, we threw the entire carton out.
You may have seen in the news in the past few years about how there are a lot of people who are angry with some of the police in certain cities in the United States. I think that most people would agree that most of those in uniform carry out their duties very well, and that you also may have a few who are bad or corrupt. It is these “bad eggs” who can sometimes cast a dark shadow over the entire police department, and cause some people to have a very negative opinion towards law enforcement.
People can sometimes be very judgemental of others or groups as a whole, and this is why we, as Christians, need to set an example of how a true Christian lives and behaves.
Paul was writing to some Jews in Romans 2 that circumcision only profits a person if they keep the Law, but if they break it, what profit is there to be circumcised? Here is the entire passage:
“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:17-29
This same example can be applied to Christians. No longer under the Judaic Law, we have been given liberty, and given a new command, one much simpler. Love. Love God and love your neighbor. If a Christian does these things, then they will be keeping God’s word.
But if someone who calls themself a Christian does things which don’t align with God’s word, people out in the world can look at that and form a negative opinion of Christianity.
Look at what has happened in the Catholic church. How many lawsuits have been formed against Catholic priests because of inappropriate actions towards young children? The Catholic church has many other issues that do not follow Christian doctrine, but they are the largest recognized group of “Christians” throughout the world. If someone who knows nothing of Christianity sees this kind of thing happening in a church, what kind of opinion might they form about the entire Christian faith as a whole?
This is why we need to be diligent in our faith and set a proper example for others to see. It starts with yourself: are you doing what you need to be doing? Are you following the example that Jesus and His apostles have shown us? Don’t be the “bad egg” which turns someone away from believing in Christ.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 