Christians in a Globalized World; Moral Duplicity in Rome

See previous messages in the series: (1)  Christians in a Globalized World; Saints in Rome. – (2) Christians in a Globalized World;  The Just Shall Live By Faith. -  (3) Christians in a Globalized World:  God’s Wrath on Rome.

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Christians in a Globalized World; Moral Duplicity in Rome

By Kato Mivule at Yesu Mulungi

The Sin of Rejecting the Knowledge and Truth of God…

Romans chapter 2 is basically a continuation of Romans chapter1. Paul continues to warn the Christians in Rome about the wrath of God that was coming on the Roman society and civilization because of their sin of rejecting God. The greatest sin that Paul warns about in the Roman Society was not simply homosexuality or lesbianism, it was actually the sin of rejecting God, and it was the sin of rejecting the knowledge and truth of God.

This in no way trivializes the impact of sexual sins on society and God’s response to the same. However, homosexuality and lesbianism were a direct result of a society that had rejected the knowledge and truth of God. Paul mentions how The Lord was going to reveal His wrath on those who knew truth but rejected it.

However, the warning was not simply targeted to the secular Roman society but also to the Christians and Jews who knew about The Lord…a warning that they walk not away from the knowledge and truth in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 2 makes the point very clearly that Paul was addressing Christians also when he wrote Romans chapter 1.

Rome and the culture of Elitism…

Rome, being the center of civilization, was a society prone to self justification, conceit, and self righteousness just like much of  Western Civilization today, in the way they view themselves. Barbarians were seen as the worst among the uncivilized and Rome thought it had some ‘divine mission’ to go conquer the world and impose a ‘Roman’ style of governance while ‘educating’ the uncivilized populations in the ways and cultures of Rome.

Of course Western Civilization is far more advanced than the Romans in that they don’t necessarily force any world citizen into accepting Western style of Democracy. However, the Western Civilization has been very successful in creating global systems in place, without which any global citizen can almost not survive.

One finds themselves bowing down to Western Powers at will just to earn bread. Take for instance how IMF and the World Bank treat poor Africa in dealing with economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. If an African president is being ‘stubborn’, economic sanctions are imposed and sometimes a coup d’état takes place.

The latest example is President Mugabe of Zimbabwe and his failure to comply with the demands of Western Powers; it resulted in a hyper-inflated economy with sanctions imposed on top of that. Mugabe thought he could fight off Western Powers and influence but was proved wrong; Mugabe was fighting against a New World Order.

This is in no way excusing the corruption, excess, and greed that is carried out by African Dictators, however, many African Dictators know that if they dance along the drum beats of Western Powers, then they become untouchable.

Rome and Self Conceit…

This brings us to an important point, self-conceit. The Romans for instance become prideful and aloft after conquering most of the known world at that time. There was a sense of pride and self deception that they were more advanced than the conquered peoples. They deceived themselves that they were the elite of their civilization.

Yet when one reads Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 1 and 2, we see a Roman society given over to moral decay and degeneration. We see the family social structure breaking up in the Roman society.

A number of Historians record greed, gluttony, sexual orgies, warmongering, and political in-fighting among the elite social class of the once invincible Roman power, just at the eve of her collapse.

Rome begun to self destruct from the inside and what Rome preached, Rome did not practice.

However, on the spiritual side it was very easy for Christians and those who knew God to be caught in the ‘Pride of Rome’. It was easy to view one’s relationship with God as based on merit rather than the free justification in Jesus Christ.

It was easy to get caught up in preaching to others yet never walking the talk ourselves.

Western Civilization does have many of the same self-conceit similarities reminiscent of the Roman Civilization. While Western Powers preach Democracy, they do so hypocritically; a dictator in the sands of the Middle East is overthrown and democracy is used as an excuse, yet a another notorious dictator is left to butcher thousands in sub-Saharan Africa – democracy in the interest of Western Powers.

The social fabric, especially the family unit is disintegrating and divorce rates are alarming in the Western World. Morality is being thrown out of the window and instead relativity is becoming the norm.

While Western Powers preach economic and fiscal discipline to the poor nations, at home, Western Powers produced CEOs embroiled in greed, gluttony, and self-indulgence. The current economic crisis is because of the sins of greed, gluttony, excess and self-indulgence that have eaten up the souls of CEOs in the Western Financial Institutions. Yet even with such moral duplicities, the Western World continues to preach Financial Morality to the rest of the world.

On the other hand Preachers of the gospel in the Western World got caught up in materialism, greed, excess, and self-indulgence all in the name of preaching the prosperity gospel. What the Secular CEOs did in becoming greedy, the Spiritual Leaders – CEOs did by using the gospel to amass wealth in the name of prosperity and promises of heaven on earth.

No wonder, the same sins that Paul mentions in Romans chapter 1 from homosexuality, infanticide, and rejection of Truth and Knowledge of God can be found in the Church today.

On one hand you have liberal Christianity that sees no wrong with ordaining homosexual pastors, yet on the other side is a group of ultra political conservative evangelicals who see political Christianity as the solution to the moral questions of the Western Civilization. However, recently both groups have been plagued with the same sins that Paul mentions in Romans chapter 1, even homosexuality. Conservative evangelicals have fallen prey to this too.

Yet there is a piousness and conceit that is portrayed from Western Preachers and sometimes missionaries who speak down, condescendingly to Christians in poor nations in an elitist way. It is very easy to get caught up in elitism and self conceit while enjoying the benefits that Western Civilization has brought,  such as education and personal economic independence.

This form of elitism not limited to the Western World…

This form of elitism in not just limited to the Western World but it is very much live and well in the rich and well to do class in Africa’s growing Middle Class society. Many make the mistake of thinking that the social evils which  Paul speaks about in Romans chapter 1 are limited to the rich and affluent Western Societies.

However, wherever there is an abundance of money, these evils mushroom and exist. Uganda and much of sub-Saharan Africa is currently experiencing an exponential growth of a middle class thanks to the Oil revenues, Technology growth in the Telecom sector, education, a robust young population, not to mention numerous mineral resources highly coveted by the Western Powers, including Eastern Powers like China and India, that are willing to spend millions of dollars for resources to satisfy their own populations.

Paul the apostle warns Christians in Rome not to be caught up with self conceit, elitism, hypocrisy, and self righteousness. If the saints in Rome were to preach holiness, they ought to practice a holy living…otherwise they risked judgment from The Lord…

Practice what you Preach, otherwise judge not…

Romans 2:1-3
(1)  Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
(2)  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
(3)  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Some Christians mistake this verse to mean that The Lord said “Judge Not” and therefore Christians who engage in discernment are at risk of judging. The verse here is not speaking about not using discernment, it is not telling folks not to judge, but if they are to judge, then they better be sure they don’t fall into the same sins. In other words, if someone is a thief how can they have the moral grounds to judge another thief? Even in the secular world, a thief does not sit as judge to pass sentence to a fellow thief unless that society is in a state of anarchy.

Matthew 7:1-5
(1)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
(2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
(3)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
(4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
(5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Jesus Christ makes it clear when He states that if you are going to help remove a mote in your brother’s eye, first remove the log in your own eye so you can SEE CLEARLY. If you are a thief, it would be wise to stop stealing and then preach to your fellow thieves to stop the habit.

It seems from Paul’s writing to the Romans in chapter 2 that there were Christians who engaged in hypocritical behavior of sin yet they continued to preach a holy life. Such behavior could stem from an elitist attitude.

For example, a Roman citizen who was thief in Rome but had converted to Christianity might have continued stealing but yet preached to Barbarians a message that they should stop stealing…or even visa versa.

Western Civilization Self Condemns…

Before God, the Western Civilization condemns and judges itself when it preaches morality and ethics which it does not practice. The latest example is the current global financial crisis. The greed, excess, self indulgence, and lack of accountability that the Western World preached to poorer nations are the very things the Western Financial Systems have fallen prey to.

It is not that the economy, education, technology, and a higher standard of living are bad, but some Christians think that this is what merits them to be somehow ‘more equal than others’ who do not have the same privileges. This kind of elitist spirit makes one disregard the log in their eye as they scramble to remove a tiny speck in another person’s eye.

A call for a new missionary outlook…

I have spoken to and interacted with some missionaries from the West who clearly understand this issue. Rather than go to Africa to “Teach the Africans”, these missionaries go to serve and learn from the African Christians so they can come back to the West and teach Westerners.

Secondly the demographics in sub-Saharan Africa are dramatically changing. There is an exponential growth of ‘Africa’s Middle Class’…This new middle class – young adult population is ‘tech savvy’, all might not have computers but at least all have access to Internet Café’s, email addresses, FaceBook, YouTube, and Google. This population is only projected to increase exponentially in years to come as more younger Africans gain access to higher education.

I spoke to one brother who claimed that he wanted to come to Africa to start a Youth Movement. This brother claimed that the Youth in America had failed and that the door of the gospel was closed to the American Youth… Well, I asked this fellow,  if he could not reach out to American Youth and had failed to minister to them, how was he going to make a ‘Youth Movement’ in urban Africa where the youth are very much in touch and in tune with Hollywood? It is time we reexamine our Evangelistic Strategies and philosophies as most of them are outdated, however, God’s Word is true and never outdated.

African Pastors dismissive of the realities of Apostasy in Africa…

On the other hand is a more dangerous trend among Christian Leaders in Africa who hold to an attitude that apostasy and sin seem to be sanctioned only in the Western World.

When one talks to any of them about the need to correct false teachings and doctrines, they seem to think that it is only the Western Church that is plagued by sin and false teachings.

Yet in Uganda for example, we have countless stories of preachers and pastors that have been exposed by local press for sodomizing young boys, homosexual behavior, greed, excess, control and manipulation of church members, extortion and other vices. The Prosperity Gospel has been a very big influence in derailing Christians from Sound Doctrine and therefore bringing sin into the church.

But in Uganda, among evangelicals, we still preach repentance to the outside world, we preach anti-corruption messages to the political world, we preach fairness to Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda’s main tax body, yet at the same time we live differently.

We in the evangelical community can be found on streets having debates with Muslims, Catholics and other religious groups about how false their religious doctrines are, yet Uganda’s evangelical community has been consumed by pastors who act as dictators, teach false doctrines, and impose their lifestyle of greed on Christians in the name of Prosperity Gospel.

Time to self-examine if we are still in the faith…

Paul’s question to us as Christians in this globalized world is are we practicing what we preach? Do we examine ourselves to see if we are still in the faith? Do we pray that The Lord will help us act on His word and obey Him? Are we caught up in seeking justification from Man or God?

No one is perfect and none has reached perfection, therefore it is important that on a daily basis we come before The Lord and ask Him to help us live His word and that we remove all the logs in our eyes so we can clearly see to help our brethren.

This is a very important issue that even many in the discernment ministries need today.

There is a lot of flesh, wars of words, self exaltation, control, and manipulation even among folks with so-called discernment ministries and it is time that we begin to examine ourselves and see if we, who are involved in the discernment ministries, are still in the faith.

We might be very busy trying to remove the specks out of the “false prophet’s eye” yet there be logs we need to remove from our own, so we can clearly see to help others discern better…this is not a sign of weakness but rather strength, growth and maturity in The Lord…

Justification by works in Western Civilization…

The Western Society is structured in such away that society rewards hard work and places strong emphasis on academics, entrepreneurship, and advancement in the corporate world.

Therefore it is not unusual for folks to boast as to how they have attained all these successes because of their own ‘hard work’ efforts.

However, this attitude creeps into churches and Christian gatherings, were by Christians think that they are justified before The Lord because of merit rather than the free grace in Christ Jesus. These Christians with such attitudes will often look down on other poorer Christians, accusing them of not “working hard enough” to obtain success.

The whole Prosperity Gospel is structured around the same philosophy…”if you give so much to the pastor, then God will give so much back to you…”, Christians then work very hard to give so much so that they can earn justification from God for Prosperity.

Yet at the same time the Christians who claim to be successful because of their “hard work” never check the log that is in their eye but engage in judging others less privileged than they. This is hypocrisy and moral duplicity that is at the root of Western Civilization…Ethics and Morals are defined in the eyes of the beholder…

There are consequences for hypocrisy…

Romans 2:4-11
(4)  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
(5)  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
(6)  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
(7)  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life:
(8)  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
(9)  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
(10)  But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
(11)  For there is no respect of persons with God.

Paul gives a serious warning to the Christians in Rome that Christians had to business in a life of hypocrisy, they had no business preaching one thing and yet doing something else. Paul cautions the saints in Rome that God’s goodness leads one to repentance.

Hypocrisy is a vice which is making headways into the Church today at greater speed.

The reason for this is that Sound Bible Doctrine has been cast outside and Christians simply don’t know what to do. They cannot tell their right arm from their left. It is the Christian Leaders who have failed in leading and instead teach things that people love to hear. Evil and sin then find their way into the church and into the pulpit.

Yet Paul tells the Christians in Rome that The Lord’s Goodness leads to repentance. Many times in the West the phrase ‘The Lord is Good’ is attached to material wealth and prosperity, yet Paul the apostle speaks about The Lord’s Goodness leading one to repentance. When are we glad in our churches that a sinner repents? When are we glad that a minister who has failed repents?

We instead condemn them and judge men with yardsticks borrowed from the corporate world.

At the same time Paul is very adamant with his warning against hypocrisy; that those who practice hypocrisy risk facing judgment and wrath from The Lord, if they don’t repent. This is a message to Christians and not to non-Christians as some from the Calvinism camp would like us to believe.

Learning from mistakes is a sign of growth…

It is time that we examine our selves in light of God’s word to see if we still stand in the faith. This is not a position of weakness… There are times for pruning but that does not mean a tree is dead and won’t again bear fruit; the tree will finally bare even more fruit.

It is time for growth and maturity in The Lord by examining ourselves before Jesus Christ and leaving all hypocrisy behind.

Our justification is not from Man but freely from Jesus Christ. Removing the log in our eye is not a sign of regress but rather spiritual progress;  as Jesus Christ states, the benefit being one will be able to see clearly, and then help remove specks in their brother’s eye…. without hypocrisy.

Kato Mivule