“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans” (Matthew 5:21-26; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

We Christians can be great at writing up new rules for morality. We zealously follow biblical guidelines regarding sexuality and condemn those who either stumble into sexual sin or explicitly reject God’s standards. We might add new rules: Some churches think women should wear dresses that extend below the knees (pants are forbidden); others prohibit dancing. Some churches strictly prohibit alcohol and tobacco, along with other illicit and illegal drugs, even though the Bible is not very explicit about these activities.

However, we can find excuses for anger, bitterness, and hatred. Jesus never said we should not dance, but He did give the stern admonition in Matthew 5:21-26. Perhaps we prefer these external rules because they are easier to follow and enforce than the “rules of the heart” that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5. It is easier to stand still than to face the cacophonic music of anger that rings between our ears and in our souls.

About five years ago, an article on this site addressed the issue of gun violence in America. Although I want to defend the Second Amendment and every law-abiding American’s right to bear arms for self-defense, I do not believe we can ignore the violence in our society. As that article showed, even if we eradicated all gun-related crime in America, our homicide rate would still exceed that of most developed first-world countries like Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Japan. Instead, our murder rate is more like those of less-developed and often politically unstable countries like Cuba and North Korea.

My conclusion at that time, which has not changed, is that we do not really have a gun problem in America. We have more serious problems, such as sin, anger, hostility, and divisiveness. We need an attitude adjustment.

Sadly, American Christianity does not seem to be up to the task. Many Christians say, “If there was a revival in this country, this problem would be solved.” Are we certain of this? America’s homicide rate is higher than that of many countries with fewer active Christians, less church attendance, and more atheism. Is faith in America bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

Perhaps this is why I believe the Holy Spirit has guided me to focus more attention on the words of Jesus in this blog. We try to avoid His hardest teachings. We try to adopt a softer Gospel, one that is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. In the first century, Peter noticed that Paul, in his letters, was writing “some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). Some things never change. In America, you can find many variations on the Gospel: the prosperity gospel; its fraternal twin, the health-and-wealth name-it and claim-it gospel; and a gospel that views America as the promised land. Name your idol, and someone has baptized it in biblical proof-texting to create a new twist on the gospel. Many of these gospels remove the radical call to discipleship for believers. They are not the solution for a world gone crazy.

I offer a challenge today: replace the title “Christian” with “disciple of Christ” in your life. There are numerous definitions of “Christian”: these include someone who was baptized at some time in the past, who identifies with a particular denomination, or who attends church occasionally. The title “disciple of Christ” forces us to face the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and accept Him as our Savior and Lord. A disciple of Christ follows Jesus wherever He chooses to lead (which will always be in line with His eternal unchanging Word).

This is what true revival, which positively changes our society, will look like. To end our nation’s pandemic of violence and hatred, we need the love of Christ shed abroad in our hearts, and that will only come as we follow Him, obey His Word, and surrender to the power of His Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, we cry out for revival in our land. Begin revival in our hearts. Your Word said that if Your people who are called by Your name would humble themselves, pray, seek Your face, and turn from their wicked ways, then You will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Draw us to Yourself. Direct us to follow Your Son. Revive and renew us with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this issue. Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

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