What does your life look like? Loaded question, I know. But, one that I would like us to think about seriously. When you evaluate – seriously evaluate – your life, every aspect of your life, what do you see? Does your life look like a person you try to imitate and emulate? Have you become so enamored with someone that you actually try to pattern your life according to what you see in them? Or, let’s think of it in larger terms. Perhaps your life looks like the culture around you. Perhaps you have chosen a lifestyle that is prominent in your cultural setting.

We are all disciples of someone or something. Oftentimes, probably more often than not, the term is used in reference to followers of Jesus Christ. But in reality, we become a disciple of whomever or whatever we follow, striving to be just like them or it. So, back to the first sentence in this blog: What does your life look like?

We make choices every day that answer this question. It can be something as simple as the choice of clothing we will wear, the places we will go, the people with whom we will spend time, the investment of our time, the investment of our resources, etc. Those are decisions we will make each day, and which will in large part define who we are, and yes, what we look like.

Now, think specifically about you. Take some time to look seriously at your life right now. Based on what you see, would you say that you are a serious-minded person in your resolve to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, or does your life bear more resemblance to the culture in which you live? Don’t pass over this question flippantly. Take enough time to give serious thought to your answer. Allow me to suggest a few things to consider which might be of assistance in your self-evaluation. For those of us who identify ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ, let’s simply ask ourselves a few very specific questions.

First, does my life look more like a disciple of Christ or of culture in the area of my personal beliefs? Disciples of Jesus Christ should follow His teachings which are found in the Bible. Jesus took a hardline stand against sin. He took it so seriously that He gave radical instructions on how to deal with it. He said, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:30) Those are serious and sobering words. It is difficult to explain away what Jesus taught about what we should believe about sin.

Second, does my life look more like a disciple of Christ or of culture in the area of my personal behavior? Behavior, for the most part, is determined by your personal beliefs. The things we do are driven by what we believe about those things. Of course, it is possible to behave in a manner that is opposite of what we believe. A person can believe that adultery is wrong and still decide to engage in an adulterous relationship; or believe that dishonesty is wrong and yet decide to tell a lie because they feel that telling the truth would be harmful in some way. However, I do believe that our behavior is determined in large degree by what we believe. If the Bible teaches that a certain behavior is wrong, then believe it, and behave according to it.

Third, does my life look more like a disciple of Christ or of culture in the area of what I can and can’t condone? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to condone means to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless. This has so many different nuances that we must be careful as to how we understand it. First of all, sin is forgivable. No matter what sin(s) a person has committed, God offers forgiveness. However, God does not condone sin. He never regards something bad or blameworthy as acceptable. If we are going to be sincere disciples of Jesus Christ then we must follow His lead. We are never to condone sin.

And yet, it seems that the acceptance of sinful behaviors and lifestyles has become the norm of our day, even within the confines of professing believers. To accept sinful behaviors and lifestyles is to live in disobedience to the clear teachings of Scripture. Thus, if we, as professing believers, condone and even approve of such behavior, then we are committing sin ourselves. We are living in disobedience to the teachings of our Lord.

I guess we could boil it all down to one simple question. I say it is simple, but it can become rather complex and profound when we begin to dissect the far-reaching ramifications of our answer. Will I be a true follower of Jesus Christ, or will I pick and choose what I want to believe and what I would rather discard? One of my professors at Criswell College in Dallas, TX, had a favorite saying that he used quite often in speaking of how one reads and studies the Bible. He said that far too many operated on the principle of the “Burger King hermeneutic. They want to have it their way.” Those who embrace this type of Bible interpretation pick and choose. They accept the parts of the Bible that are acceptable to them and reject those they dislike.

If we are to be sincere in our application of Bible truth, then we have no room for having it our way. We must have it God’s way. And when God’s Word says that something is sin, then it is sin, period. There is no room for debate or discussion. So, start naming those behaviors that are now completely acceptable in our culture, and then turn to Scripture to find out what God says about them. If our personal beliefs are contrary to God’s Word, then the only right thing for us to do is to change our minds to agree with God’s Word. Abortion, human sexuality, marriage, adultery, pre-marital sex, living together outside of the Biblical model of marriage, human biological design of male/female (and no others), all men are created equal and bear the image of God, therefore, every life matters, racism (there is only one race – the human race – and many ethnicities), the sanctity of life inside and outside the womb, the reality of heaven and hell, and the list goes on and on.

A sincere follower of Jesus Christ will not be persuaded by the pull of culture to compromise the clear teachings of Scripture with the whims, the ebb and flow, of culture. Rather, we will be counter-cultural. We will be change agents in a world that desperately needs the light of God’s revealed will through the pages of His inspired Word to once again be heralded from every person who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, what does your life look like right now? If it looks more like the culture around you than the Word of God within you, then repentance, a turning back to the clear teachings of Scripture, would be the only correct response. Are you willing to follow Him? Then do it – today!