Convicted
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? This question has been asked in many sermons and displayed on church marquees; its origins date back to the 1930s and ‘40s as President Jimmy Carter has cited this question as having influenced his faith as a young man. It’s an interesting question to consider, and the Bible addresses this idea of evidence of faith quite a bit.
“‘So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’” (John 13:34-35)
“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Matthew 3:8)
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” (James 2:14-20)
James goes on to give some examples of those who were shown to be right with God by their actions. He cites Abraham and his faithful action to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God, and he mentions Rahab when she hid the messengers in the city of Jericho. The entirety of Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews lists out those who “earned a good reputation because of their faith” (v.39). The writer refers to these people as the “great crowd of witnesses to the life of faith” (Hebrews 12:1), and the Scriptures record the evidence of their faith.
So if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? One issue that can arise in a courtroom is a contradiction of evidence, which can happen when the prosecutor presents certain evidence as a means of conviction, but the defense may present other evidence that contradicts the prosecutor’s evidence. In the pursuit of evidence to convict you of being a Christian, would people find contradictory evidence in your case? Is your social media page a mixed bag of contradictory evidence? What about your words, your jokes, your book collection, Internet history, your streaming watchlist, your movie collection?
“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-15)
In the first half of the 2nd century, a Greek Christian author, Aristides of Athens, was commissioned by the Roman Emperor to give a report on what he called the “four classes of men in this world: Barbarians and Greeks, Jews and Christians.” Here’s some of what Aristides wrote about the Christians:
“Their oppressors they appease (literally: comfort) and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies; (…) Further, if one or other of them have bondmen and bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. (…) And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. (…) And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food. They observe the precepts of their Messiah with much care, living justly and soberly as the Lord their God commanded them. Every morning and every hour they give thanks and praise to God for His loving-kindnesses toward them; and for their food and their drink they offer thanksgiving to Him.”
Sounds like plenty of evidence to convict. If someone were commissioned to go out and make a report on Christians today, would it sound the same as the one Aristides of Athens made in 137 A.D.? Would there be enough evidence to convict you as a Christian? Do away with any contradictory evidence to your claim as a Christian and pile up enough evidence to convict. Strive each day to live as Christ instructed, to love one another as He loved us and in that way, be identified as His follower.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
—Redeemed
