Comparing Ourselves With Ourselves
Many believers seem to decide what is right and wrong Biblically by what other believers they associate with believe and practice, instead of following the truth – John 17:17. Perhaps II Cor 10:12 refers to this attitude when it warns “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
Could this be the main reason the great majority in some denominations make the puzzling decision to accept the sprinkling of infants for baptism when the Bible so clearly teaches believers (Acts 8:35-37) should be buried (Rom 6:4) in baptism? Might it be because they have developed a confidence in the belief of their parents, their preacher, and/or especially those that are in their church circle of friends? “Sprinkling babies must be okay; the majority of my faithful church friends go along with it.”
And is it possible this is the main reason many Christians don’t work very hard at personal evangelism (Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 8:4, II Cor 5:11), because the Christians they associate with the most don’t do it either? They reason – if those I respect as Christians aren’t diligently working to get studies with non-Christians, then it must not be important to God for me to do such either. This ideology makes for problems among Christians in other areas also, like the general disdain for public religious debating (Acts 19:8-10), ignoring God’s instructions regarding fasting (Acts 13:3, 14:23, etc.), the trend toward more immodest clothing (I Tim 2:9-10), and some never even studying the covering issue (I Cor 11:2-16). There are many areas this attitude could affect. We (myself definitely included) need to guard against this comfort trap. Instead of comparing ourselves to the church people around us, we should challenge ourselves with Jesus, his apostles, and their teaching (John 8:31).
hear Bible Crossfire Sunday nights at 8:00 central on SiriusXM radio Family Talk 131 or at BibleCrossfire.com