Are You a Christian All the Time?

 

Most of you are probably familiar, at least, to some extent, with the writings of Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.  His perennially popular writings include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Pudd’nhead Wilson, Life on the Mississippi, The Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and many other books, short stories, and articles.  It may surprise you, as it did me when I first learned about it in the early 1950’s, that Mark Twain wrote a devastating critique of Christian Science.  Mark Twain was not particularly friendly toward any religion.  He was especially critical of Christian Science.  Mark Twain’s book has the simple title, Christian Science, and was published in 1907 by Harper & Brothers.

 

Mark Twain predicted that Christian Science would become a dominant force in the United States by 1940 and would retain that, permanently (p. 74).  Obviously, he was wrong, but at the rate Christian Science was growing in the late 1800’s and in the early 1900’s, I can understand why he made the prediction.  Mark Twin believed Christian Science could succeed and would succeed if its adherents permitted their convictions to influence their daily behavior.  In other words, if the deeds of the Christian Scientists matched their creed, they would become a mighty force in the United States and worldwide.

 

Even though Mark Twain was an enemy of New Testament Christianity, as is evident from the very last book published by his family, modern Christians should listen carefully to what Mark Twain had to say about the public lives and moral values of professed Christians.  I invite you to listen carefully to this excerpt from Mark Twain’s book, Christian Science.  “This is an honest nation--in private life.  The American Christian is a straight and clean and honest man, and in his private commerce with his fellows he can be trusted to stand faithfully by the principles of honor and honesty imposed upon him by his religion.  But the moment he comes forward to exercise a public trust, he can be confidently counted upon to betray that trust in nine cases out of ten, if ‘party loyalty’ shall require it.

 

“If there are two tickets in the field in his city (by which he means ‘political tickets’), one composed of honest men and the other of notorious blatherskites and criminals, he will not hesitate to lay his private Christian honor aside and vote for the blatherskites if his ‘party honor’ shall exact it.  His Christianity is of no use to him and has no influence upon him when he is acting in a public capacity.  He has sound and sturdy private morals, but he has no public ones.

 

“Our Congresses consist of Christians.  In their private life they are true to every obligation of honor; yet in every session they violate them all, and do it without shame; because honor to party is above honor to themselves.  It is an accepted law of public life that in it a man may soil his honor in the interest of party expediency--must do it when party expediency requires it.  In private life those men would bitterly resent--and justly--any insinuation that it would not be safe to leave, unwatched, any money within their reach; yet you could not wound their feelings by reminding them that every time they vote ten dollars to their pension appropriation nine of it is stolen money and they the marauders.  They have filched the money to take care of the party; they believe it is right to do it; they do not see how their private honor is affected; therefore their consciences are clear and at rest.  By vote they do wrongful things every day, in the party interest, which they could not be persuaded to do in private life.  In the interest of party expediency, they give solemn pledges, they make solemn compacts; in the interest of party expediency they repudiate them without blush.  They would not dream of committing these strange crimes in private life...There are Christian Private morals, but there are no Christian Public morals, at the polls, or in Congress or anywhere else--except here and there and scattered around like lost comets in the solar system” (pp. 358-361).

 

Do I have to tell you that his is a severe indictment of all those who call themselves Christians--and not just Christian Scientists?  Like all speeches and writings of professional humorists, Mark Twain’s book probably exaggerates the situation--but not too much.  What he wrote almost ninety years ago is just as true and just as badly needed as it was when he wrote it.  Christians would be wise if they did not forget Mark Twain’s stinging rebuke of their conduct.  If what Mark Twain wrote is true of even one professed Christian--and it undoubtedly is--we should be ashamed and resolve with God’s help to remedy the situation.

 

Now, a vital question for you and me and for all who call themselves Christians: Are you and I Christian all the time?  Church-going people usually call themselves Christians on Sunday morning and maybe even on Sunday night.  But are we Christians only when we are attending worship service or Bible study?  If we are not Christians throughout the week in our homes, on Monday morning when we go to our offices and when we attend sporting events, are we really Christians at all?

 

New Testament Christianity demands total commitment.  We are supposed to be Christians when we get up in the morning, when we go about our daily chores, when we play golf or go fishing, or whatever we do.  No better expression of this truth can be found than in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.  “He who sent me is with me: the Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things which please him” (John 8:29).  On another occasion, our Lord said, “My meat is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).  In 1984, it was my privilege to edit the annual Freed-Hardeman lectureship book which had the title, Everyday Christianity.  The entire lectureship in 1984 was devoted to applying the principles of the Bible to every facet of our lives. 

 

How tremendously troubling when those who call themselves Christians act in unchristian ways when they occupy positions of power and influence.  Geraldine Ferraro, a Roman Catholic, personally opposed abortion-on-demand, she said, but insisted she would not allow her private convictions on abortion to influence her work if she were elected as Vice President of the United States.  Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York for many years, made similar statements.  How sad that anyone would compromise his religious and moral beliefs in order to obtain or to maintain a position.  No wonder our governments--both state and national--are in the midst of confusion, consternation, and chaos.  The situation will not improve until the American people vote their convictions and elect men and women of integrity--men and women who live their beliefs all the time.

 

Christians--whether professionals or blue-collar workers, or whatever, are supposed to acct like Christians--all the time.  Let me ask you some questions about doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.  How can a medical doctor perform abortions in view of his oath not to do so?  Are not physicians supposed to have deep and abiding respect for the sacredness of all human life?  How can a doctor refuse to see an indigent patient when the patient has nowhere else to go for treatment?  How can a doctor charge such exorbitant rates for his services when many needy patients cannot possibly pay and yet need help so desperately?  If a doctor or other health care professional is not a Christian all the time, how can he claim to be a Christian any of the time?  Incidentally, there is a growing distrust of American doctors because of the way a few of them are behaving.  Actually, a few physicians in the United States apparently believe they should be free to do their own thing without any interference from anyone--including the patient, the medical associations, or the government.  They seem to want to make and to observe their own rules.

 

Lawyers enjoy one of the worst reputations of any professional group in the United States--almost as low as television and radio evangelists.  Lawyers are often accused--and apparently many are guilty--of doing anything for a dollar.  Let me give you an example.  A friend of mine accidentally killed a child in an automobile accident.  The accident was absolutely unavoidable.  My friend’s insurance company voluntarily agreed to pay the parents of the child $4,000 for burial and other expenses.  The family accepted the insurance company’s offer.  Then a lawyer called the family and persuaded them to file a lawsuit against the driver of the car.  Eventually, the case went to court.  The final judgment against the insurance company was $4,000 of which the lawyer got 50%.  In my judgment, the lawyer should have been indicted for malpractice.  Can Christian lawyers behave in such a fashion?  Such lawyers deserve the name “shyster.”

 

Judges and other law enforcement people have an extremely difficult time being honest, fair and Christian.  Our judicial system in the United States needs some drastic modifications, as most Americans will readily concede.  Some judges take bribes, ignore the devastating effects of crime on the victims of crime, seem to be more concerned about the rights of criminals than of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.  Let me ask you a question about judges.  What if a judge is faced with approving or denying a thirteen-year-old girl’s petition for an abortion?  If he is a Christian or claims to be, what will he do--what should he do--in a situation like that?  Judge Randall J. Hekman, a juvenile judge from Kent County, Michigan, was confronted with such a choice.  Judge Hekman’s book, Justice for the Unborn, (Ann Arbor: Servant Publications, 1984), tells how the case developed and his response to it.

 

The girl in question--Judge Hekman calls her “Jane Doe”--had become a temporary neglect ward of the court in Michigan.  She had become unmanageable and had run away from home.  Judge Hekman describes the young woman as “very streetwise and physically mature” (p. 1).  Judge Hekman, a devout Roman Catholic with several children of his own, believed it was morally repugnant to order an abortion for “cosmetic reasons.”  He believed--as I do--that abortion was the deliberate killing of a human being--a human being made in the image of God almighty.  He could not deliberately violate the law of God against killing (p. 2).  Judge Hekman faced a serious dilemma: Should he allow the abortion--as the law seemed to demand--or save a child--as God’s law clearly demands?  The press, the feminists, and other radical elements vigorously supported the abortion and treated Judge Hekman as if he had just crawled from under a rock.

 

Judge Hekman knows what the Bible teaches about the sacredness of all human life and could not in good conscience join with society in killing the baby.  He took courage from the Bible’s record concerning Daniel’s experience in ancient Babylon.  There is much more in Judge Hekman’s book which deserves our attention, but I want to summarize his disposition of the case.  He sincerely argued that the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade in 1973 was illogical and contrary to the actual spirit of the United States Constitution.  He argued on the basis of "higher law” relied on at Nuremburg (p. 13).  Judge Hekman received a letter from the thirteen-year-old involved in the case.  I want to read a few statements from the young woman.  “Dear Judge Hekman: I am writing to tell you how happy I am that you made the decision you did about me not having an abortion.... I just want to thank you for giving me the extra time to think about it.  I am looking forward to having my baby.”  Judge Hekman’s decision prevented a young woman’s killing her own baby and her conscience.  Are we Christians every day when we violate the law?  Obviously, it depends on what the law says.  After all, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abedneggo were law violators--and with God’s approval.

 

Can a Christian businessman or woman succeed if he or she is a Christian all the time?  Would it surprise you that there are many business people in this country who have answered that question in the negative?  A group of American businessmen were asked if they believed a businessman could succeed if he followed the Golden Rule?  The majority thought he could not.  Before you start imagining I am being a liberal theologian who strongly opposes business and profits, let me give you a little look at my background.  I spent a number of years as president of a life insurance company.  I was in private business in Georgia for sixteen years.  I am an enthusiastic supporter of our American system of competitive free enterprise.  But I am deeply troubled at some of the business practices which are rampant in our country.

 

Many Americans are fed up and angry about the business climate in this nation.  It is not unusual to hear Americans insist that there are no honest businessmen and women in the United States.  I know the charge is false, but when a substantial number of business people use deceptive advertising or crooked tactics in their day-to-day dealings with their customers, it is no wonder many of us are disillusioned about the business community.  Some of our major corporations and some not-so-major are cheating the government and many others.  I am aware that many of these business people--perhaps most of them--do not claim to be Christians, but many of them are members of various churches.  A businessman who claims to be a Christian must be a Christian all the time--even if he stands to lose money from his operation.

 

If we are Christians all the time, our conduct in our homes will give evidence of our commitment to Christ.  There are men and women who are scrupulously honest in their business or professional lives, kind and considerate toward their neighbors and friends, but who give no evidence in the home that they are committed to Jesus Christ and to his kingdom.  Let me give you some examples.  A man may treat his business or professional subordinates with great respect and integrity, but be gruff and overbearing with his wife and children.  Christian wives are divinely instructed to be in subjection to their own husbands, but that does not justify a man’s treating his wife as if she is a second-class citizen or a slave.  In our modern world, many wives work outside the home--either because they must or because their husbands demand it.  That means that wives work at two full time jobs--being a wage earner and a wife and mother.  The average woman in the United States who works outside the home must work about fifteen hours while the average man works about eight.  If a husband is going to be fair with his wife--if he is going to be a Christian all the time--he ought to shoulder a substantial amount of the housework--if his wife works outside the home.

 

I am aware that most men’s fathers--including mine--did very little, if any, housework.  But the times and demands were different in the 1940’s and 1950’s.  My mother never worked outside the home, had no desire to do so, and could not have done so with twelve children.  Today, wives who work outside the home are too heavily burdened.  Could that be one of the reasons there is an increase in heart attacks, high blood pressure, and other stress-related illnesses among women?

 

Let me ask the men in my audience today a very simple question: How do you want to be remembered by your wife and children?  Do you want them to remember your kindness and concern for every member of the family?  Or do you want them to remember you as one who had little time for his family?  It may be too late for some of us older husbands and fathers to alter what we have done or failed to do, but I would appeal to the younger men in my audience to make your family a high priority in your life.  Convince your family by your behavior that you are a Christian all the time--not just at the worship services on the Lord’s day or on Wednesday night at Bible study--but every day of your life.  God will bless you for always doing his will from the heart.

 

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334

 

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