A warning from Scripture

16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)

As I have been doing for many months - if not years- I'm going to continue to highlight some spiritual principles for Christians, and provide insights for my friends who don't share my faith, so you can clearly know the principles we're supposed to be living by and can call us out if we go off piste. Christians are human, so allow for the frailty and fallibility of being human, but still. You can smell if someone is trying and failing or is blustering without any intention of being accountable!

What is God saying here?

So this passage is a reminder that God will not be mocked. God is not stupid, God sees your heart and God has standards! Laying these out is firstly a heart-check for each of us who have faith in the God of the Bible. Are we doing any of these things? Do we need to repent? 'Repent' doesn't just mean 'say sorry'. It also means turning away from the sinful behaviour/attitude. I.e. it's not just lip-service but action.

This Divine heads up is also a way to discern what you're seeing in others, not least those you might be considering to let lead you. If they're displaying these qualities, that's a problem. If they're proudly living out these qualities or even encouraging them in others, then Houston, we have a red flag problem. 

Now if that person doesn't claim to follow God then of course, they may be working to a different set of values and it'd be weird to try to hold them to the standard of a faith they don't subscribe to. That said, it feels like God has set a pretty low bar for 'basic human decency' here, so you'll excuse me if I think they're a low bar for functioning members of society!

Things get more sticky when someone is trying to claim Christianity AND revelling in these behaviours and attitudes.

God didn't stutter. He really gets the crayons out here and makes it simple to understand: these behaviours are NOT OK.

If you follow God and a leader you're drawn to is behaving in these ways, RUN. If you're a Jesus follower, your first allegiance is to God, not your pal, pastor or a politician. If you're a Jesus follower, you need to make sure that the leaders you follow are doing their darnedest to be like Jesus. And to be clear, the Jesus of the Bible did not display any of the qualities listed above.

Note to my cherished friends who don't share my faith

Whether we share the same worldview or not, you may find that on many things we actually agree, not because you need to be a Christian to be a 'good person' because that's nonsense. 

However what I want you to get from this is that God is very clear and sets a really low bar for humanity, yet we still manage to crawl beneath it with monotonous regularity! These verses perhaps give you a way to remind us Christians who we serve and how we're supposed to be able to discern whether someone is actively following God or just using their words to deceive as many as they can for their own selfish (as opposed to God-honouring) ends.

Another verse you might find useful for this is Matthew 7:16:

"By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles?" (NIV)

When Christians tell me we shouldn't judge, I agree, but we ARE supposed to discern, and the 'fruit' or results of someone's actions tell you what kind of 'tree' you're dealing with.

I hope this helps as we navigate difficult times where all manner of nonsense is being pushed under the 'Christian' banner. If you've any questions, do ask and I'll do my best to answer. If this has been helpful, please share it and help others.