“Religion can have an important influence in moral decision-making, and religious reminders may deter people from unethical behavior”. That is a quote from an article about the effects of religious music on moral behavior. Do you see anything wrong with that sentence? As a pastor I would word it like this: “Religion should have an important influence in moral decision-making, and religious reminders should deter people from unethical behavior”. Now, keep in mind the article wasn’t written by Christians as a Christian study. It was from a secular psychological viewpoint. What struck me about it was that it tells us what the secular world thinks about the moral behavior of us Christians!

 

                They look at Christians and see hypocritical behavior. They know we profess a clean, moral lifestyle yet they see us living in ways that betray that profession. Religion can have an effect…but it doesn’t necessarily have an effect. I know that one problem is that a lost person cannot possibly know how a Christian should live; their expectation is based on some unrealistic idea of perfection and even then, it is their definition of perfection. Believe me, Satan has placed such a spiritual blindfold on the lost that they will never be satisfied with Christian activity; they will always find something wrong.

 

                “How can a Christian be against immigration?” “How can a Christian force a woman into a ‘back-alley’ abortion?” “How can a Christian vote for Trump?” (That is one of my favorite false assumptions). “How can a Christian……..” You get the picture. Those things actually give us opportunity to share our faith and tell people exactly why their assumptions are wrong and how our Christian beliefs drive us.

 

                Unfortunately, they too often see us engage in behavior that is decidedly un-Christian according to Biblical standards. They see us speaking with hatred in our hearts and they see us treat people in ways that would not please Christ. They see us acting and reacting to common, everyday life situations the same as some who are not Christian. They see anger, jealousy, and greed. They hear harsh words and vile things coming from our mouths. Is it any wonder, then, that they say our religion may influence our behavior but not necessarily?

 

                Let’s be the Christians that people, all people, look at and know that our religion, our beliefs, our relationship with God doesn’t just influence our behavior but drives our lifestyle.

 

Say good things about your Savior and your church!