Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that the point that Jesus was emphasizing is that His disciples should act, and should judge themselves, according to God's standards and guidelines for their beliefs and conduct as found in the Bible, rather than allowing themselves to be drawn (or influencing others to be drawn) into sinful behavior or opinions that others are exhibiting or espousing because of caring more about whether they are popular than about whether God approves of them. In fact, if Christians receive popular approval, it might be time for them to perform an examination of their words and actions to make sure that they are not compromising their faith. 

For the Christian, being approved by God should be infinitely more important than being approved by other people. In fact, adhering to God's commands is more likely to be a cause of unpopularity, because of often being opposed to the way that "the world" thinks and acts. This should not come as a surprise to Christians, and they must not let it weaken them in their faith or compromise their beliefs, words, or actions because of an overriding desire to be accepted or liked by others.

May 20 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report