The True Light of the World
by Christopher Hendrix
Where does the line stop for Christians to cooperate and be co-belligerents with people of different religions? In a pluralistic society, this line becomes blurred very quickly. Some areas are obvious, such as collaborating with people from other religions to advocate for the abolition of abortion, seeking justice for a wrong done, or helping to alleviate poverty in the nation. Others are not so obvious. Can a Christian attend a prayer breakfast with an Imam? Should a Christian hold a special unity service with a heretical denomination? Should we participate in bible studies with Roman Catholics? How about acknowledging the Hindu holiday of Diwali? This is exactly what many self-proclaimed Christians did this past week in the US. From the White House to the governor of Texas, many celebrated Diwali in order to show unity with the Hindu population.
Down on Diwali
Diwali is a festival of lights that celebrates the conquering of good over evil. Depending on where you go in India, they acknowledge different lords who are said to have conquered demon gods. The festival is based on the religious beliefs in false gods. In fact, every aspect of the festival is designed to joyfully celebrate the work of these deities. So, what we had in our capital cities was the recognition and celebration of false gods. All of this under men who claim to worship Jesus Christ (though certainly some of them have already shown not to be Christian). They pursued other lights instead of standing upon the ground of the Light of the World. A heart of unbelief evidences itself in the actions of a person. What would drive these men to invite this worship into our capitals even though they are not Hindus? The desire to please men. They are men-pleasers.
The Vital Warning
The warning in Hebrews 3:12–19 directly applies to these leaders. The writer of Hebrews warns those who proclaim Christ to be vigilant in guarding their hearts. The original recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were in danger of returning to Judaism. Their hearts were leading them towards this because of unbelief bound up in them. They were exposed to the truth of the Gospel but began to turn away from it. Their souls were in danger of rejecting the very truth that they had once proclaimed. Just as the Israelites who were exposed to God’s power and glory rebelled and rejected God, so too are the Christians at risk who were being addressed.
What were they to do? Exhort one another! Call each other to repent and not fall to the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is deceitful in that it makes a person think he/she is doing the right thing. Of course, in some sense, he/she is. The problem is that the right thing has been redefined in his/her mind to not align with God’s Word! But the Lord uses His church to come alongside one another and reveal or remind each other of truth. Christ dwells in His bride through the Spirit, and the Spirit uses Christ’s people as instruments to warn one another of waywardness.
““Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.””
Loving Those Above and Around Us
So then, let us call those above us to repent for embracing idolatry in the places where bills are created, vetoed, or sent back. We should not be blinded by our partisan loyalties, but rather call out the evil on our side when such things happen, especially in places that symbolize our culture and values. America’s roots are deeply rooted in Christ. This was built into the culture from the beginning. John Adams, the 2nd President of the US and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
As we do this, let us also examine our own hearts. Are we in sin? Have we been deceived, or run after idols that have captivated us? Has culture gripped our hearts? Are we pleasing men instead of God? If so, let us repent and turn to Christ. We don’t need other lights. We need only the Light of the World.