Does Your Life Offer These Four Positive Effects for Unbelievers Watching You?

Various Scripture passages challenge Christ followers to live their lives in such a way that unbelievers in Christ would not only see them as the real deal but also honor God and His Word. 

The beauty of these scriptures is that we learn of four positive effects concerning: 1) our influence, 2) our integrity, 3) our incontrovertibility, and 4) our intentionality. 

From our influence, God and His Word will be honored. From our integrity, only good things will be said about us. From our incontrovertibility, we will be vindicated on the heels of false accusations. And, from our intentionality, we will purposefully and publicly do good for God’s honor.

1. Influence: Do we give people a reason to believe in God and the Bible?

Many who watch us already have a basic understanding of what the Bible teaches. When we clearly disobey some portion of Scripture clearly required of the Christ follower, those observing us see our hypocrisy and are likely to then dishonor the Word of God by claiming none of it is for real nor authoritative. 

In Titus 2:5 we are given both a principle and a truth: as Christ followers, we are to live according to God’s specific call on our lives according to the Scriptures “so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

As believers, we should aim at making sure people do not dismiss the Word of God as authoritative and relevant because they conclude from watching our lives, “It isn’t authoritative and relevant to this believer.”

Do we realize that we will profoundly influence those people in our world who watch us? We will influence them to believe either that the Word of God is worthy of honor or that it is not worthy of honor. This hefty influence weighs on all Christ followers, as we are constantly being observed by our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, and even our family.

An adult son who had come to Christ later in life wrote to me about how his parents did not trust and follow the Word of God while he was young and under their daily influence. Sadly, he reported, he stayed away from the faith for many years because his parents who professed faith in Christ went along with his demand for his girlfriend to move into their home with him so he could sleep with her. (He and his girlfriend were both in their twenties at this time.) 

Because these parents acquiesced to this unbiblical request of their son, he actually questioned and dishonored the truths about Christ and the Bible. He recognized that his parents’ readiness to accommodate him meant compromising what they said they believed about pre-marital sex. As a result, he concluded they did not believe what they said they believed, which caused him to reject the Bible as truth and compelling. What he also mentioned, however, is that secretly he desired for them to remain true to their convictions. Deep within he longed for true truth in his life, but their compromise caused him to conclude their faith wasn’t real.

Does how you live your life and stand with your convictions lead others to draw closer to Jesus, curious to learn more about what it means to follow Him; or do you lead unbelievers like this son to conclude your faith and convictions must not be true because your actions and decisions do not match what you claim to believe?

2. Integrity: Do we live so well that people have nothing bad to say about us? 

Many unbelievers around us do not believe we can be for real in our Christ-following ways, and therefore are observing us, looking for hypocrisy in how we live. Do we live in such a way that they end up having nothing bad to say about us since they cannot find any glaring double-standard? 

We read in Titus 2:8 that we are to live according to certain criteria set forth in Scripture “so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” Put another way, we disappoint those wishing to expose our hypocrisy. 

Did you know that there are moments in life when it is good and holy to disappoint people? Those who expect us to be hypocrites ought to be disappointed! From God’s perspective, that’s a good thing.

Forty years after high school graduation, a fellow contacted a classmate who now served in the ministry. Meeting in New York because both had mutual business there, the fellow drove the pastor to various areas of New York, including a red-light district. He asked the pastor if he wished to visit several of the places in that area, since this fellow enjoyed that setting. The pastor declined, having no interest in that. Later this man said to the pastor’s wife, “He’s the real deal, isn’t he?” To which she replied, “Yes, very much so.”

The high school classmate may not have been seeking to expose any hypocrisy, but then again, when someone lives a sensual life, they know deep within that their choices arise out of lust and lack of self-control, and they feel ashamed. Oddly, to relieve that guilt, if they can prove a supposedly good and righteous person is no different, the burden of their wrongdoing can be lifted, not by confession but by rationalizing, “I am no worse than this pastor.”

What do your unbelieving friends, neighbors, and coworkers say about you and the way you live? Of course, no one is perfect, and every believer will have moments when they fall short in their efforts to live like Christ. But overall, do others say about you that you live no differently than the greedy, selfish, gossipy, self-righteous, and quick-to-anger unbelievers, or do they say, “He (or she) is the real deal”?

However, even those who are “the real deal” are not immune to having false accusations made against them, which we will discuss next.

3. Incontrovertibility: Do we turn a false accusation into a moment of vindication, affirmation, and validation?

Even Christ followers will be accused of wrongdoing at certain times in their lives. When this happens, these accusations serve as opportunities for the facts to come out that the Christ follower is the real deal; and the accuser is forced to acknowledge his or her good deeds and good lives.

Consider what the apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV): “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Have we considered that a false accusation, as hurtful and discouraging as this is, can result in our vindication and God’s honor? 

Though Peter suggests that such vindication may not come until the Last Day when they will glorify God on the day He visits, in principle we know that Christ followers have been wrongly accused but when others heard the evidence, the courts or public opinion discounts the false accusation. 

I know of a husband and wife who welcomed into their home a teenage girl in the foster-care system. This family loved God and served faithfully in a local church. After living with this family for many months, this girl falsely accused this Christian dad of sexually molesting her. Eventually, her accusation took them to court, and for many months the father lived under the stigma of being a sexual molester. 

As the evidence came to light, judge and jury exposed the girl as a chronic liar. The testimony of this father as caring, kind, generous, sacrificial, and honest made it near impossible to conclude he molested her. But she sealed her fate when it came out that she frequently used this molestation story. Furthermore, the father had huge birth marks on certain parts of his body that were glaring and could not be missed, and this young lady knew nothing of these when asked if there was anything unusual about his body and appearance in their numerous sexual encounters. 

As much pain as the legal process inflicted, the vindication and affirmation of the dad throughout the community raised his credibility among all who knew him. 

It’s been said that those who always tell the truth never have to worry about being caught in a lie. Similarly, those who always live their lives according to God’s call never have to worry about a false accusation being proven true. If your life were put on trial, what would the evidence prove to a jury of unbelievers?

4. Intentionality: Do we purposefully shine in front of others by displaying our good deeds, because this matters far and above projecting our beauty, bronze, and brains?

As Christ followers, we have the opportunity to consciously and willfully let our light shine in front of others, doing so in humility, but intentionally so they will see our good deeds and have to pay tribute to God’s involvement in our lives. 

In Matthew 5:16 (NIV), Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Have we considered that Jesus is not telling us to grab center stage and boast about our good deeds but instead is telling us that we don’t put a light under a basket since light is to bring illumination, guidance, and counter darkness? In seeing our sacrificial and purely motivated good deeds, people see the truth, can follow our example, and resist the darkness in their lives. 

I recently listened to a sermon of my friend Don Cousins at Discovery Church in Orlando, Florida. In his time of announcement, he made a comment about a new ministry that provides goods and services to the community. What I heard him say in effect was, “I want this church to be such a light and example to the community that if the government shut the doors to this church, the outcry in protest from the community would be so loud and significant that the government would back down.”

Jesus did not mince words when He told His followers, “You will be hated by all because of My name” (Matthew 10:22). As a Christ follower, you will not loved by all, nor should that be your goal. When it is, you lead others to conclude you do not truly believe what you say, like the son whose parents agreed to let his girlfriend move in with them. However, when your life is so characterized by the love of God, which you reflect on everyone around you much like the moon reflects the sunlight on the earth, Jesus said these “haters” might just glorify God because of what they see in you!  

As we wrap up, let us ask: Can it be said about you that because of your influence, God and His Word will be honored? 

Due to your integrity, can only good things be said about you? 

As a result of your incontrovertibility, would you be vindicated on the heels of false accusations? 

And because of your intentionality, do you purposefully and publicly do good for God’s honor?