What is the “dividing line” in our society? If you were to turn on your tv or radio for any length of time, you would probably get the impression that politics is the dividing line. Left vs right or Republican vs Democrat. There’s also racial dividing lines, socio-economic dividing lines, and generational dividing lines that all get attention. While these are the dividing lines people tend to talk about, they aren’t the dividing line that matters most.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? This is the only dividing line with eternal significance. There are those who are members of Christ’s mystical body and those who are not (though I prefer to think of them as not yet members). One’s standing in Christ determines where one spends eternity, but should also determine the organizing principles of one’s life. A life based on following Christ and becoming more like Him should be radically different from a life that isn’t. A Christian should think, speak, and act differently. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should mark the life of a Christ-follower (sound familiar? See Galatians 5:22).
That raises an important question: Why don’t we see this dividing line clearly in our society? For one thing, it’s not exciting. It’s not Christians vs non-Christians. It’s quite the opposite; it’s Christians seeking to be kind and win over non-believers. It should even be Christians serving non-Christians! Unlike politics, this dividing line doesn’t look anything like a hockey match. The other, and more important reason, is that Christians fail to live like Christ is their top priority. Everything else doesn’t come together under the heading of becoming more like Christ. We fail to impress with our lack of kindness and self-control. Being a Christian for many has become merely one of many choices in life: What career do I choose? Where should I live? What activities will I pursue in my spare time? Will I become a Christian? If we as Christians better understood and lived out the truth that Christ is our priority above all else, then we could finally get this right. Then the other dividing lines would seem only a distant second and cause us much less trouble.
