Above Reproach
The world we live in loves tearing people apart. It doesn’t really matter who or what it is, if it can be hurt or made to look bad, it’ll do it. But, there’s one type of person that the world really loves to hurt and see fall, its Christians. Because of this, we as Christians need to be careful of our appearance, not only to the world, but to other Christians as well.
Peter, in 1 Peter 3:16, speaks of this. He says that we need to have a good conscience, so when people slander us or say things about us, people will realize that they are lying. In order to have that kind of a good conscience, people need to see us as who we are. We can’t lie, or sin, or anything that’s going to make us look unchristian. If we do sin, as all of us eventually will, we need to confess it, and not try to bury it. Look what happens when people try to bury things in their past, when people make accusations against them, all those things come right back in their faces.
People are always looking to tear down leaders in the church, so leaders need to be above reproach so that there is nothing for people to use against them. Paul repeatedly says that leaders in the church need to be above reproach, making it one of the primary qualifications for a pastor or deacon. People judge churches by their pastor and deacons and other leaders. If they aren’t good, people question the entire church. If people can’t trust a pastor or a deacon, what does that say about the church as a whole? If you’re a leader in a church, you need to make sure that your life is clean and that there is no sin, hidden or visible, that people could fault you for if they knew about it.
Not only do we have to be careful of our own actions, we need to be careful about what we do with other people. Hanging out with poor company not only can affect our own spiritual lives by putting us in situations where we may get tempted, but it also destroys our own reputation as well. I’m not saying to ignore the unsaved, but I am saying to be careful about what situations you let yourself get into with them. Don’t put yourself in a place where you will be tempted to do something wrong. You may think that you’re helping them or witnessing to them, but all you’re really doing is setting yourself up for a fall.
Living above reproach in this day and age is hard. But, with God’s help we can do it. Find another Christian to be accountable to, and together, make your walk with God better. Take a good hard look at yourselves. Is there anything in your life that makes people wonder if you’re a Christian? Is there any sin in your life you haven’t dealt with?
