Have you ever been challenged by someone with the phrase: “You can believe what you want to, but keep your religion at church or at home”? There is a notion that is becoming increasingly popular that you can somehow detach what you believe from how you are to live, especially when in the public arena. I recall an encounter I once had with an employer of mine when I first became a believer in Christ. I was so excited about the good news, and I was telling all of my coworkers about the free gift of eternal salvation in Christ. One day my boss came up to me and repeated that same line, asking me not to talk about Jesus while I was at work. Conservative public servants are also often accused of bringing their religion where it doesn’t belong (in public service), often quoting “separation of church and state”. So how is one to respond?
First, we should turn to Scripture and see what the Word of God tells us. Proverbs 23:6-7 says “Do not eat the bread of a selfish person, or desire his delicacies, for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” but his heart is not with you.” The context is a warning against people who think internally one way but outwardly appear or say something else. We are called to have consistency in our lives, no matter where we are or what we are doing. This is the definition of integrity.
I am reminded of the Latin phrase “Coram Deo”. The late theologian R.C. Sproul was once asked “What’s the big idea of the Christian life?” His response was: “The big idea of the Christian life is Coram Deo. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life.” This phrase literally means “before God”. Christians are called to live our lives before, or in the presence, of God. We cannot separate what we believe from who we are. This means we cannot compartmentalize and be a Christian at home, on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, then live a separate life void of our faith and Biblical values everywhere else.
By the grace of God, I want to encourage you to live your life as a redeemed sinner, saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. No one is perfect, but we should not let our imperfections prevent us from moving forward in our faith, growing in grace, and displaying ourselves as living testimonies to the life-changing power of the Gospel. J.I. Packer once said: “We never get to a point where we can cease to thank God for Calvary on a day-to-day basis and humble ourselves before Him as hell-deserving sinners. There is no sinless perfection in this life. Sinless perfection is part of the hope of glory. Here, the best the Lord enables us to do is less than perfect, and we must constantly ask God to forgive what is defective.”
Coram Deo,
Jeremy Schram
Elder
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