Philippians 2:12-15 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (14) Do all things without complaining and disputing, (15) that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
A major role that the church plays in the nations in which God places them is to demonstrate the righteousness of God to them. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul tells us that the church is meant to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. In other words, God expects the church to live according to His standards in the midst of this world which heaven views as a perverse society. The scripture describes those in the world as being darkness and those in the kingdom as being light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). And so just as light is a direct contrast to darkness, so it is that the righteous conduct of the church directly contrasts the sinful conduct of the unbelievers in the earth. The scripture couldn’t be clearer when it instructs the church to not allow sin to be named among them as is fitting for saints (Ephesians 5:3-4).
Michael E.B. Maher
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