What’s behind the bad smell

To some, Christianity has a bad smell to it, while Jesus Christ, from whom Christianity originated, is the best person you could ever have imagined, and left us with teachings about love and justice no one could argue against.OR: that cannot easily be surpassed. So, where’s the bad smell coming from?

Below you will find some explanations as to why there is or seems to be a discrepancy between what Jesus taught, and the lives that Christians live (or the lives that Christians-in-name-only live).

But whatever the case, we should ask ourself the question, “Do we judge Christianity by what Jesus Christ said and did, or by what a number of Christians you’ve met have said and done? Or even, by your perception of what those Christians have said and done?”

Note that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father (God) than through Me.” He’s the one who has the keys to heaven and hell. You don’t wanna miss his offer for eternal life because of what a number of people who called themselves Christians have said and done.

Find here a few explanations of why Christianity, which is a good thing, has gotten such a bad smell over the years. Do we judge Christianity by what Jesus Christ said and did, or by what Christians have said and done?

They already warned us

It is well-known that Christianity has brought forth a lot of good things, like hospitals, charities, shelters, abolishment of the slave trade, many scientific inventions, and what not; inspired as they were by the great example Jesus Christ gave them.

But, we should also note that under the guise of Christianity a lot of damage has been done throughout the ages; things that Jesus himself would’ve strongly condemned. Damage through the use of too much force one way or another, or damage caused by watering down the urgent message of Jesus, for which He has paid a high price by shedding His precious blood on the cross of Calvary.

Also in this day and age you will have to do your homework if you want to be able to discriminate between people or groups that are Christian only in name, and the ones that really want to be followers of Jesus Christ. This is nothing new, as the Bible already warned us that there would always be heretics among us in our churches, people that are in it for some kind of profit, and even seduce other people that are too gullible or not grounded enough in God’s truth. (2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 Corinthians 11:18-19)

Of course, every Christian should do well not to boast in his self-righteousness or in his knowledge of God’s truths, but always be open for things that might still not be as desirable in his own heart. A lack of humility does a lot of harm. But, I do want to warn you that the terms Christian and Christianity have been deflated by these evil acts that have been done in the name of Christianity.
See also: Does Christianity Cause Wars? by Mark Spence of Living Waters (find the original Living Waters page here.)

Work in progress

If in the past you have been disappointed by a Christian church, or by Christians in general, you should not let that cloud your judgment, as you would much too easily throw out the baby with the bathwater. Just like any human being the Christian falls short of God’s holy standard too, albeit that he is trying step-by-step to live his life with God now. You should focus, however, on what Jesus did and spoke of in the Bible, and not be distracted by the possible incorrect deeds of people who are a work-in-progress in becoming a person after God’s heart. You see, after we have made the choice to become a Christian (i.e., a follower of Jesus), God doesn’t expect from us to all of a sudden be exactly like Jesus; on the contrary, He gives us time to grow in patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, etc. And He also wants us to give each other time to grow, and even help one another in that process, with gentleness and patience. You can hear that expressed in the song below, in the lines “I’m not yet where I’m going / But I’m a long way from where I was.”

No Doubt About It – We The Kingdom »

(Live at Ocean Way studio, Nashville)

There’s no doubt about it
I’m on my way home
I’m not yet where I’m going
But I’m a long way from where I was

I hear a choir of angels
Cheering me on
I’m not yet where I’m going
But I’m a long way from where I was

A huge mistake people often make is that they think that Christians believe they are better people and therefore will go to heaven one day. However, a Christian is actually someone who admits he’s not a good person (by God’s standard, that is; and what other standard is there to objectively determine if a person’s thoughts and actions are good or bad?). He is a person who has acknowledged of being a sinner who could never earn his way into heaven (as none of us can; see Ephesians 2:8-10), and needs Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of Calvary as a divine payment for his sins and sinful nature, and as the way to be reconciled with God, thereby receiving also the gift of heaven as his future home.

So, everything is a gift from God, who saw that no person was able to fulfill His law, starting with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2–17, Deuteronomy 5:6–21), and summarized by Jesus as two spiritual commands in Matthew 22:36-40:

  • “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. (verses 37 and 38, NLT)
  • A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (verses 39 and 40, NLT)

See also: What About Hypocrites in the Church? (thorough answer)
or Frank Explains How to Respond to “Christians are Hypocrites!” (3:21)

If in the past you have been disappointed by a Christian church, or by Christians in general, you should perhaps take into account that any Christian—although being born-again, and forgiven and saved by Jesus Christ—is a work-in-progress, whereas the Christian faith is the pure and true faith advocated by Jesus Christ. You see, a true Christian is not a proud person who stands above people like an authoritarian schoolmaster, but a humble person who at one time in his life has admitted to being a sinner in need of God’s salvation; that is, a person who comes short of the glory of God, and clings to God’s mercy.

So, perhaps your disappointment with Christianity is based upon the things that churches (or people who have called themselves Christians) have wrongly done, but it could also be a frustration over what Jesus taught us, for He didn’t always tell us the things we want to hear. For you to be able to understand Christianity, however, it is vital that you try to separate the things being wrongly done by the church (or by Christians) with what Jesus actually did and taught in the Bible.

By the way, Jesus is not against the idea of church as being a place where people meet, because He wants His people to get together and encourage each other, and share life with each other, the up side as well as the down side.

Homeless people

If you find Christians, who want to sell their convictions to you, kind of annoying, you should note that Christians are not like sales people … (see below)

Also, if you are annoyed with Christians coming at you with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please understand that a Christian is not (supposed to be) like a sales person who wants to gain a profit out of it, but more like a homeless man, or a hungry street kid, who has found out where the bread is, tasted it, and now wants to tell all other homeless people where to find this good food.

And, of course, when he gets the idea that one or more of these other homeless people do not believe what he says, maybe because they have already heard too many lies regarding that issue before, he keeps insisting that this good bread is real, and easy to get, and if necessary presents them with all kinds of evidence to let them see that it’s real. He knows these people will ultimately die when they simply cannot believe that the real food is there for the taking.

Now, some people might respond with, “Who do you think you are to come and tell me where the bread is?” Or they might say, “Oh, don’t worry, I’m good. I thank you, dear man, for the offer, but I don’t think I’ll be needing that bread you are talking about.”
Of course, people can react that way, and it could be because they are no homeless people, or not hungry enough for the bread. Could also be that they have some serious trust issues that prevents them to take his word for it. Who knows.