Cycles of Cynicism

History often repeats itself and humanity seems destined to make the same mistakes over and over again. Society seems caught in cycles of cynicism, never learning from the past, while blindly pursuing power and wealth at the expense of everything and everyone of true value. Historical attitudes regarding God display a profound sense of entitlement and prioritizing “self” over our Creator.

The apostle Paul said this presumptuous trend in human perspective would continue until the “last days,” when people would be “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7). The famous quote by George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” unambiguously confirms this reality.

Perhaps nowhere in history is this inherently flawed logic more obvious than in the chronicles of Israel. Three months after the Israelites were led out of Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1). With the miraculous escape at the Red Sea still fresh in their minds, God commissions Moses to speak on His behalf and summon the Israelites into a formal covenant with Him.

In Exodus 19:5-6, we read, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

The people accept this calling and agree to the covenant, saying “We will do everything the Lord has said.” (verse eight). From that point on, Israel is called to be a distinct people, a holy nation, reflecting God’s holiness; set apart from the other kingdoms of the world and to set an example for the nations of the world.

Indeed, the moral code given to the Israelites has provided unprecedented guidance throughout civilization as the standard by which humanity measures ethical behavior. However, Israel stumbled into a cycle of being disobedient to the Lord followed by periods of extreme difficulties, subsequently repenting and being blessed, only to become disobedient once again.

THESE PEOPLE HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIPS

This apparent default setting prompted the Lord to speak through the prophet Isaiah, “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.’” (Isaiah 29:13-14).

Ezekiel 33:31 echoes these sentiments: “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.” In the next verse the Lord states, “They hear your words but do not put them into practice.” (Ezekiel 33:32).

In many ways Israel’s struggles can be likened to the quote attributed to G. Michael Hopf, “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” Throughout the Old Testament the nation of Israel endured hard times because of their disobedience to God, including their defeat and enslavement to the Babylonians and other conquering nations. These difficulties were followed by good times because of their repentance and return to a posture of obedience.

In the first century, Jesus pointed out that this vice was prevalent among the religious leaders and subsequently embedded in society of the day. In Matthew 15:7-9, Jesus exposes their pretense: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right about you when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

This declaration by Jesus chastised the religious leaders and the people of Israel who were called to be God’s chosen nation. Though they claimed to be God’s chosen people, set apart for Him, their daily lives weren’t much different than their pagan neighbors. They said one thing and did another. Even the religious leaders who were entrusted with the spiritual guidance of the nation had not learned from the history that was revealed in the scriptures.

Jesus admonished His followers to live in a manner that would exemplify His teachings. In John 14:15, Jesus asserts, “If you love Me, you will obey My command.” And in 2 John 1:6, the disciple declares, “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”

DO NOT MERELY LISTEN TO THE WORD

Furthermore, James writes, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22). Believers are obligated to be followers of Jesus, not simply Christians in name only. This profound truth seems to escape many nominal Christians today.

1 Peter 2:9 drives home the very same message to Christians that the Israelites were given. Just as Israel was called to be a distinct society with God as their Lord, Christians are called to be living examples of the testimony of Christ. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

Peter instructs believers to be prepared for action. This is not simply acknowledging Jesus but following Him. This is what repentance signifies. “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-15).

So, what does it mean to be holy? The Hebrew word “kadosh” literally means separate or set apart. In the same way that the nation of Israel was called to a lifestyle that was dramatically different from pagan societies, Christians are summoned to live their lives in a manner that is unique among humanity. A lifestyle marked by love for God and love for other human beings. Holiness also encompasses purity. God is pure and believers are to strive to be pure.

Christians are to walk in the Spirit and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23). Paul tells us that the Spirit desires what is contrary to our sinful nature and our sinful nature what is contrary to the Spirit. Worldly values oppose Christ-like ethical behavior. The implications of a true commitment to Christ drastically influences the social context of a believer’s societal integration. Much like oil and water, that cannot form a solution. Christians must not blend in to the point of vanishing or being indistinguishable.

We cannot cease to function within society but we must be an identifiable entity that is recognizable based upon our faith and the good works that faith produces. Our lifestyle matters because it becomes a living testimony to the authenticity of our faith and the God we serve. The majority of our culture has never read the Bible and their perception of Christianity is determined by how Christians live.

OUR LIFESTYLE MATTERS

We are saved by grace, but our lifestyle matters. If we are called to be a kingdom of priests, we must hold the ethics of the Bible in the highest regard and demonstrate to nonbelievers our reverence for God. This means being completely committed to following Christ seven days a week and not simply attending church on Sunday while living as nonbelievers do the rest of the time. True believers are betrothed to Christ and are obligated to be faithful to Him.

James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4). We are called out of the world (John 15:19; John 17:14-15) and we are not to conform to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2). Society today seeks to normalize sin and even celebrates sin in an ostentatious and pernicious attempt to justify sin, so why would we want any part of it?

The persistent obstinance of the people of Israel resulted in the ultimate rejection of their Savior, Jeshua Hamashiach, Jesus Christ, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and their subsequent scattering among the nations. Throughout their history, Israel has remained a “stiff necked people with uncircumcised hearts” (Exodus 32:9, Acts 7:51), and the prevalence of these same characteristics were evident in the Pharisees when Jesus confronted them.

Are Christians today guilty of the same hypocrisy? Do we claim to be citizens of heaven but live worldly lives? Do we claim to follow Christ yet follow the world? Are our actions contrary to our words? Have we learned anything from history, particularly the history of Israel? We are called to be holy as Jesus is holy. Set apart. Different. Unless Christians fully embrace the belief which they profess and the faith that is a saving faith, they worship in vain and their religion is counterfeit.

We stand at the foot of the cross and proclaim Christ crucified and His resurrection. It is up to us to break the perpetual cycle of cynicism that undermines our worship of God. We must follow Jesus, who exemplified how we ought to live and taught us truth. He said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).