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By April J. Buchanan | Religion Columnist

What happens when professing Christians claim to believe God’s Word, yet disobey God’s Word and play the victim when corrected?

While it’s true that Christians will endure false accusations, and slander, and will suffer for Christ, we must be careful that we’re not acting self-righteous.

When a Christian behaves in a way that’s not representative of the new nature for which they’ve come to be known, even those who are not saved will ask, “What’s wrong?” When a professing Christian is known for poor behavior, the world recognizes them as a hypocrite. And when they’re unwilling to admit wrong and cast blame on those who expose their behavior, they further misrepresent God and behave more like a self-righteous Pharisee.

Sadly, many today in the church sit under such superficial, man-centered teaching where even correction is seen as persecution. To silence those who – well-meaning or not, both inside and outside the church – expose ungodly behavior, (or false teachings and practices), are said to be attacking them, slandering them, or being used by satan to attack someone’s anointing or calling.

Man-centered teaching has led to much narcissism in the pew.

Many today cannot endure sound doctrine and cannot endure hearing that they’re not as great as the narrative they’ve created of themselves and tried to sell to others.

The teaching we sit under and apply will bear fruit. Some fruit looks so good that it presents itself as superior to all other fruit until it’s tested; anyone who sees it for what it is is said to be jealous. When it’s bad, many still will not be able to identify rot and will see themselves as a victim.

Not everything we endure is because of persecution or others despising us because we are Christians. Sometimes the things we suffer are self-inflicted wounds and other times it’s the fruit of bad theology.

Many want the by-products of a relationship with God and they want to operate in power concerning what they believe about the Holy Spirit and become puffed-up in doctrines that tell them how great they are, but they forsake the true work of the Holy Spirit as they do not sit under sound doctrine whereby the Holy Spirit works in regeneration and sanctification.

The Christian desires sound doctrine. We are called to “be holy”. It is not superficial: maintaining outward appearances of morality and piety. We who are in Christ have been declared holy by the imputed righteousness of Christ and we progress in holiness. We desire that God’s Name Be Hallowed and His Word regarded as Holy. We do not want the Word of God maligned or the name of God blasphemed because of our poor handling of His Word or disobedience.

Superficial preaching leads to superficial holiness. What do we sit under? What do we desire? May we regard God’s Word as Holy, His name as Holy and may we be Holy as He is Holy.

Grace and Peace

Soli Deo Gloria