Biblical Conduct - Part 1 What then shall we do?
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover what God has to say about how we as believers in Jesus Christ should conduct ourselves both inside the church and outside in our public and private lives. You will discover that the Word of God has much to say about our conduct.
Have you heard about Maya Forstater? In 2019 she lost her job because she posted her personal views on transgenderism to social media. When she took her employer to court, the judge ruled that since her views were “incompatible with human dignity and fundamental rights of others,” her employer was allowed to fire her.
Though this case would be overturned three years later, the ramifications were far from over. In December of 2019 author J.K. Rowling tweeted support for Maya Forstater, which led to Rowling’s harassment, threats of violence, and even the burning of her books. Then, author Gillian Philip was sacked for using the hashtag #IStandWithJKRowling.
There is a long trail of suffering here that is still ongoing. But these are just a few snapshots of the Cancel Culture that is now gripping the West. For those guilty of saying, thinking, or doing the “wrong” thing, the results may range from boycotts to firing, to social shaming, to personal harassment, to loss of relationships with friends or family members. In case you have not noticed it, our culture is filled with conflict.
So this leads us to ask, should Christians be involved in these sorts of debates? How should Christians respond to sensitive social issues? And more generally, is there a proper way for believers to act? If you have found yourself asking similar questions in these difficult times, you’re not alone! In fact, this is a primary question Christians have asked through the ages, and it was even asked by the followers of John the Baptist:
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins… And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” (Luke 3:3, 10)
Over this series of articles we will dig deeply into Scripture to learn what wisdom, love, and godly conduct look like. We’ll look at character, virtue, manners, and issues like Cancel Culture and Political Correctness.
As an introduction, let’s look at a few years in the life of the Apostle Paul. Take some time now and read through Acts Chapters 17-20.
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (Acts 17:2-3)
Paul had a consistent pattern when he entered any new town. First he would attend the local synagogue and share the Good News of Christ Jesus with the Jews. In these chapters, Dr. Luke uses vivid language to describe Paul’s animated and passionate presentation of the Gospel, saying he spoke boldly, proclaimed, testified, reasoned, explained, preached, persuaded, and proved. (Acts 17:2-3, 13, 17-18, 18:4-5, 19:8)
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (Acts 17:4)
The Lord blessed Paul’s ministry, and we see that in town after town, people were saved. But the Jewish leaders were extremely unhappy with the conversion of their brothers and sisters.
But the Jews [in Thessalonica] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:5-7)
These attacks led the Christian brothers in Thessalonica to send Paul and Silas away by night to another town, Berea.
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. (Acts 17:13)
Again, the Jewish leaders came to cause trouble for Paul, so he made his way through Athens to Corinth…
And he reasoned in the synagogue [at Corinth] every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:4-5)
Paul continued his custom of seeking out the local synagogue and preaching the Good News.
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. (Acts 18:6-7)
When again the message was met with hostility and opposition, Paul determined to go to those who would receive it. But as before, those who opposed Paul were not content to let him go peacefully, and they brought him before Gallio, the proconsul of the region, saying:
“This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” (Acts 18:13)
The proconsul was not an upright man, but even he could see through this false and frivolous charge.
And [the proconsul] drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. (Acts 18:16-17)
So having lost their legal battle, Paul’s adversaries again responded violently.
And [Paul] entered the synagogue [in Ephesus] and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. (Acts 19:8-9)
Paul’s travels took him to many other towns and cities until he arrived at Ephesus, where he followed his custom of entering the synagogue and teaching boldly. Note Paul’s response when people in the congregation began “speaking evil of The Way”.
But the Jewish leaders were not the only ones who were upset by Paul’s ministry:
…a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel… for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:24-34)
The Jewish leaders resented the Gospel message because it threatened their power and influence. The merchants opposed Paul because Gospel-changed lives threatened their business and financial interests. But the treatment Paul received isn’t surprising, as even Jesus Christ warned that this would be the response.
In fact, Paul was following the instructions Jesus gave his disciples for what to do in such cases:
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. (Matthew 10:14-15)
The Apostle Paul’s faithful, bold obedience is a preeminent example of Biblical Conduct for believers. Paul practiced non-coercion: presenting the truth, always reasoning and explaining why it was true, and moving on if his audience would not listen. Most of all, he was dedicated to Scripture, teaching the whole counsel of God to everyone. This was a radical and controversial thing to do, because the Gospel message he shared was highly offensive to many who heard it. As he would later write, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (I Corinthians 1:23).
Acts 17:13 shows that instead of yielding to the fear of man, Paul acted in love, preaching the same message in Berea that he did in Thessalonica. In fact, he refused to change his approach to make it more palatable, instead continuing to present the same message in town after town, despite the danger of doing so.
Since the enemies of God were untethered from all moral restraint, they repeatedly assaulted the first Christians, dragged them before civil authorities, stirred up riots, and lied in their maniacal attempt to stop the progress of the Gospel. Since they did not have the truth on their side, and could not defeat Paul with either logic or Scripture, they tried to silence him and intimidate new converts through physical danger. They tried to slander The Way, misrepresenting Paul’s teaching and speaking evil about him, offering, at best, half-truths in their accusations, even to the point of lying in court.
Does any of this remind you of events going on today? There is intense pressure on Christians to compromise the Gospel message and Biblical teaching. Just this week I saw a news article where a church was being urged to water down God’s Word because, “[we need to] love on one another and embrace one another. Not to judge, not to separate.”
Just like in the first century, many people today stand in opposition to the Bible, the Gospel, and godly Christian conduct. But the first thing we need to understand as we look to the Bible for guidance on how to live is that, like Paul, we should love our neighbors by following the Lord Jesus Christ and anchoring ourselves on God’s Word, regardless of what the world says or how people react. Never use the world’s approval as a guide! Slander, violence, threats, and hardships could not stop Paul from preaching, or entice him to change his message or his approach — they should not stop us, either.
When faced with so much opposition, it’s easy to wonder, is it really worth it? We’ll see the answer to that in the next article…
Join us Tuesday evenings starting February 7th for a look into God’s Word on Biblical Conduct, as we work through the Answers for Difficult Days Bible study series by Ben Quine. Click here to register today, or visit the Christians Engaged store to purchase your copy of this vital series!
Click here to register today for the most recent class with Ben Quine.
Or check out our Christians Engaged Store to purchase the Answers for Difficult Days books. (4-Book Bundle $40 , shipping not included).
ABOUT BEN
Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben also has recently accepted a full-time position with Christians Engaged as the Director of Curriculum & Strategic Ministry Partnerships.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.