BELIEVERS vs UNBELIEVERS
Just to clarify the title, we’re talking about belief in Jesus Christ. I generally don’t even use the terms believers/unbelievers anymore because lots of people “believe” but are not “followers” and tend to ride the fence quite often or have limited depth and understanding. Scripture says even the demons believed and trembled (James 2:19).
This particular blog isn’t like my normal rants about Christians being satisfied with going through the motions and just believing instead of following the God they serve…with passion and depth. This is more about the misunderstanding that many unbelievers have about believers and sometimes vice versa. Somewhere along the lines people have taken an “us against them” mentality and that should never be the case. I recognize the “if you’re not for me you’re against me” mindset, but it’s God’s job to sort that out after our last breath.
Our job as believers is to do our best to learn about the God we serve and do our best to lead by example in every area possible. Unbelievers generally don’t understand that many believers are just scratching the surface themselves and their mistakes don’t necessarily negate their belief in Jesus Christ…although it makes it easier to pull the hypocrite card. Unfortunately we’re all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, and we are often hypocrites on various levels. The intention is to continue to improve as we progress in our faith. It’s not a requirement to be perfect before giving your life to the Lord. Actually, it’s just the opposite. When you truly believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, has sent His Holy Spirit to intercede for you and promised you eternal life with Him, it’s natural to desire to walk in His image and obey the commands of the one you love. John 14:15 “If you love Me, you’ll obey what I command”. It’s a process, not a magic trick. There are instances where people have had miraculous transitions in various areas immediately upon receiving Christ, but that’s not always the case.
Although leaders are also human and make mistakes, it’s understandable why unbelievers have an even harder time believing when they see leaders that aren’t representing the faith with excellence themselves. I also expect a lot more out of those who consider themselves leaders in the church, so it’s imperative that they be sanctified and set apart. But I wouldn’t consider abandoning my faith because of a few bad apples. Believers have faith that they will spend eternity with the God they serve and love and have most likely experienced something to solidify their faith in the spiritual realm. This creates a desire to want to be better (scripturally speaking). Unbelievers generally don’t understand the full spectrum of a Bible-based belief system and just catch bits and pieces here and there that - quite frankly - sound pretty stupid to them. Taking things out of context is quite popular and shows ignorance on both sides of the fence. Unbelievers also see the confusion among different religious organizations that call themselves “churches” and often just get a bad vibe across the board. This is why each believer must make it a point to live a life worthy of following with a “follow me as I follow Christ” mentality. It’s not about us but what God can do through us.
Unbelievers don’t realize that believers just want to share the amazing experiences they’ve had and the faith that defines them. Believers often don’t realize that unbelievers haven’t experienced the same things and just don’t understand it, and so they are apprehensive. Unbelievers don’t understand that believers love them so much they don’t want them to go through life without knowing Christ. It’s not that we are trying to force our beliefs on you, because we don’t get credits or additional shares of heaven stock if you join our club. We just genuinely want to share what we’ve experienced. Believers could selfishly keep their faith to themselves and not share of God’s great love, but scripture has commissioned us to go into all the nations and tell of the Gospel. Unbelievers generally aren’t interested in unsolicited information about our crazy faith but living a life that is set-apart may give them reason to entertain our convictions or belief system. Unbelievers are only one decision away from changing their lives and avoiding an eternity in hell - but sometimes hell doesn’t seem so bad to them when they are disgusted with the actions of those who believe. Give them a reason to believe on a regular basis and your responses may be different in future encounters. Unbelievers (atheists, scientologists, other religions…etc) are not the enemy (unless they are professed Satan-worshippers) so share your faith in a manner that is respectful but still confident. It takes faith to believe, but it takes maturity to follow.