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Being Conservative and Radical
By By Anika Sandy-Hanson
Apparently, John R.W. Stott, author of Becoming a Christian said, “Every Christian should be both conservative and radical,” or so I’m told. My sources further informed me that Stott meant we should be “conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.” The current American political landscape would have us believe that the two concepts are always opposed to one another; however, the Biblical record of Jesus, our Savior and role model shows us that we can (and must) be both conservative and radical. He boldly defied the religious leaders preferring to uplift people who were outcast. The book of Matthew gives us two scriptures that exemplify Jesus’ instruction to us.
First, in Matthew 5:19-28, the Messiah tells us that we are to keep the commandments. Although there may be differing views as to what Jesus meant when he used the term “commandment,” no one can argue that in this chapter the Savior explicitly refers to two of the Ten Commandments. In verses 21-22 Jesus addresses murder and in 27-28 He highlights adultery. In fact, by giving the deeper requirements of these laws, Jesus shows that He expects us to preserve our faith through deeds and thoughts.
The second scripture, Matthew 25:31-46, shows us that Jesus was radical about applying His faith. He didn’t stop at obeying the law and trying to stay on the straight and narrow…and He commands us to follow His lead. In these verses, we are told to focus on others and to help those who are in need. It is important for us to note the punishment for not reaching out to our fellow human beings; according to Jesus, the King sentences the selfish into the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” This is a pretty hefty penalty that should make us realize the importance of applying our faith in a tangible way.
Our society throws around the term “community service,” so the idea of giving back isn’t new to most of us; however, this was a radical concept to the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. To them, applying one’s faith meant keeping the Mosaic Law at all cost; by extension, it meant staying away from people who might be “bad influences.” To Jesus, keeping the law meant living righteously and helping those in need whenever the opportunities presented themselves even if it was on the Sabbath.
The Messiah applied His faith by feeling compassion for those who were hurting, downtrodden, and outcast. Examples of this can be found in John 11:35 where Jesus wept for the pain felt by Mary and Martha and for the death of His friend, Lazarus. In Mark 2:15-17 He seems to taunt the Pharisees by telling them that He spends His time with sinners because they needed healing. John 8:3-11 shows Jesus standing up for the woman brought to be stoned for adultery; after confronting the hypocrisy of her accusers, Jesus commands her to celebrate her forgiveness by refraining from sin.
If we are to follow Jesus’ example, we must hold fast to the important guideposts provided to us through the laws and commandments. Once we study the Biblical commands and prove to ourselves that they must be kept, it is our responsibility to keep them faithfully. When we stray, we must pray for forgiveness and get right back on track. While we live faithfully to avoid sin, we must also be radical in helping others.
The perfect scripture can be found in Matthew 22:36-40 where Jesus says that first we are to love God; which would lead us to keep His commands. Second, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, which would lead us to help others. As an example, the first part means standing up for the fact that premarital sex is wrong; the second part means helping (not ostracizing) a single mother or encouraging an unmarried father to be a strong figure in his child’s life. It may also mean refusing to work on the Sabbath day, but would require us to help someone with a flat tire even if doing so makes us late for church… if that’s too radical for you, at least use your cell phone to call the person a tow truck.
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