I grew up in a christian family - half Catholic/ Lutheran and the other half Baptist. I've participated in Sunday services of all three, and I love qualities of each branch of the religion. While they are still very different from each other, they have something in common when they ask their congregation to do their best to lead a Christian life style. There are plenty of things asked of Christians to do to lead a godly life, so instead I'm going to discuss the three things a Christian should never do.
1. Participate In Hypocrisy
"Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?" - Romans 2:3
If you identify as a Christian, you are expected to follow the Ten Commandments. These entail always putting God first, worshipping God only, using God's name with respect, remembering the Sabbath, respecting your parents, not hurting others, being faithful in your marriage, not lying, not stealing and not being envious. While it's understandable that it's hard to constantly follow these, as long as you try you're void of the hypocrisy. But if you are capable of disobeying your parents without regret, you're a hypocrite. The same goes with all of the commandments. If you can break a commandment without regret or guilt, you're a hypocrite.
2. Worry About Other's Sins
"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" - James 4:11-12I was taught that all sins are equal, no sin is worse than the other. Society has created the different levels of sins. But if you can sit back and decide that you're better than your gay cousin or Muslim coworker, and not ask for forgiveness for your own sins then you're no better than any other sinner. The only person who is granted permission to decide if someone else is sinning, is God. The only thing you can do as a Christian is teach by doing. Teach that you're capable of being forgiven, and that by living as a Christian, your life is better by doing so.
3. Not Love Your Neighbor
“The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them.” -Louis C.K.
The Bible preaches that as a Christian, you are to love thy neighbor. In today's world, it seems like everyone is in a competition. Who is better than who, how can you make more money, how can you become more materialistic? Instead, the questions you should ask yourself are: How can you make sure your neighbor has enough? What can you do to make sure someone else's life is a little bit easier? The hardship that comes with this is pushing aside the constant pressure to be better than everyone else, and focusing on how to make other people better.
The reason I wrote this article is because I see too much people who identify as Christian and then live a non-Christian lifestyle. Even as a waitress who works every Sunday morning, I feel as though I am constantly judged for needing to work rather than going to church. Too many times I am left a pamphlet on why I should accept God into my life, but they're okay with not tipping. Why would anyone want to be associated with a religion that treats others as though they are less than them? If everyone who identifies as a Christian strives to live the best possible Christian life, imagine how great America, much less the world, could be.
