Last Updated on November 13, 2021 by Pastor Ikechukwu Chinedum
Today we will be teaching the five selfish attitudes Christians must stop. The Christianity we celebrate today was first coined out in Antioch when the people saw the behaviour of the apostles. They called them Christians for the first time because they saw Christ in their behaviour.
The early Christians exhibited some characters and that was why it was not difficult for them to be called Christians. For the records, Christian means Christ-like. It means people whose life depicts the doctrine of Christ. When Christ came to the world for the work of salvation, the tenet of his work was built on two principles, Love and Charity. And after Christ had gone, the early Christians maintained this standard.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Unfortunately, most Christians of this age no longer have some of these attributes. Instead, we have developed some selfish attitudes towards other people especially those who are not Christians. One thing we forget so soon is that salvation is not for the saved, it is for those that are yet to be saved. If the entire world were saved, there was no need for Christ coming to die for the sin of man. He bought us with His precious blood, we were redeemed by his precious blood. And, we must also exhibit good characters towards other people even if they don’t share the same fate.
Interestingly, most Christians don’t even know that some of their attitudes are not right. With this article, we hope you will be able to identify these attitudes and make amends as a believer.
5 Selfish Attitudes Christians Must Stop
Being a Judge of Others
Matthew 7:1-5 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The scripture said it emphatically that we must not judge other people. But it is sad to see that today many Christians have become moral and spiritual judges of other people who are not believers. We are always too swift to condemn their actions because we see them as sinners. We have forgotten that before saved us, we were once like them.
Instead of judging, we should preach love. Instead of condemning others, we can show charity. It is what Christ wants from us.
Being Selective When It Comes To Preaching The Word of God
Mathew 19:28 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Matthew 19 vs 28 mandated that we go into the world and make discipleship of all nations. The scripture didn’t tell us to select a few nations or focus our attention on a selected few. Unfortunately, it is sad today that many Christians would rather prefer to explore the word of God with their fellow believers than take it to those people who don’t share their fate.
We always want the people around us to know how much scripture we know and how much understanding of the scripture we have acquired. What we fail to understand is that those that need to hear that word are not the believers but those who don’t know Christ at all.
Many believers would want to take pleasure in seeing an unbeliever perish just they can establish the fact that they died because they were not Christians. This is not supposed to be like that. If it was so, Christ would not have needed to die on that cross for us to be saved.
We Only Love our Christian Neighbors
Mark 12:31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
It is funny to see that many Christians have misconstrued the real meaning of Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? They have interpreted this as though the scripture is telling us to only love our neighbours who are Christians and avoid the ones who are not.
Take for instance, if Christ only came to those who believed what will be the fate of those that do not believe? Christ entered the house of Zacchaeus and dined with him. This single act of love changed Zacchaeus For good. But if our love and charity are only towards the people we share the same faith with, the essence of Christianity has been defeated.
Praying For The Death of Our Enemies
Matt 5:43-45 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
The number of Christians that go to church these days to pray for the death of their enemies is overwhelming. Admittedly, the best prayer points some believers get engrossed with is such that commands the death of their enemies. Jesus didn’t teach us to pray or seek the death of our enemies.
And it is funnily amazing today that most Christians see the unbelievers as their enemies and they suspect every move they make. The feeling of insecurity mixed with hatred for people who don’t share similar faith leads to many Christians today praying for the death of their supposed enemies. That man you claim is an enemy is so because he has not received the light of the gospel of Christ. And you owe that enemy a duty of preaching the goodwill message of Christ to him so he can stop being your enemy.
Thinking Everyone Will Go To Hell Except Christians
Ezekiel 18:23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
This is one of the most selfish and biggest mistakes believers make. Many of us believe we are the only candidate of heaven and every other person are going to hell. We forget that we were born sinners, Christ redeemed us. Meanwhile, it was someone that preached the gospel of Christ to us before we became Christians.
Also, we need to preach the gospel to other people. But instead of doing that, we sit back and condemn them to death. God doesn’t want the death of a sinner but repentance through Christ Jesus. Preach to them instead of condemning them to hell.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
