Bashing the bride

To my embarrassment, I have to admit that I have watched a programme called ‘Four Weddings’ on DSTV a couple of times. In this programme, four brides get the opportunity to judge each other’s weddings including the dress, venue, food and atmosphere. Needless to say, it results in some horrible ‘bride bashing’.

I could choose not to watch this programme again, but there is another type of ‘bride bashing’ going on that is becoming hard to bear and I for one have decided to speak out against it. This is the bashing of the bride of Christ. We can also call it ‘Christian-bashing’.

Christians are continuously bashed with descriptions and accusations such as the following: Being judgemental, offending people and/or human rights, being hypocritical, having double standards, being guilty of empty religious activities and having weak relationships with God.

These are somewhat to be expected from non-Christians, but the thing that concerns me most is that more and more Christians themselves seem to accept these accusations as true and the descriptions as part of their identities.

Today, I am standing up against it. I do not accept these accusations. Not from anyone. Actually, there is only one accuser working through many.

Before I continue, let me be absolutely clear that when I refer to Christians I am talking about those people who have truly accepted Christ as their Saviour and have received His Holy Spirit to show that they now belong to Him.

I am not talking about people who merely call themselves Christians. It is easy to call oneself a Christian. Calling oneself a Christian and speaking ‘Christianese” if I can make up such a word, does not equal being a Christian. Jesus said you would know people by their fruit. Close inspection of the fruit of a person’s life will reveal whether they truly love the Lord. To those who call themselves Christians without being earnest in their desire to follow Him, Jesus gave this warning:


“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

With this understanding, let us turn or focus back to the bashing of the bride of Christ.

One of the favourite accusations against Christians is that they are judgemental. Whenever a Christian speaks out against sin in the life of a non-believer or even another believer, he or she is regarded as being judgemental. Although at times this might be true, I believe that in most instances, this is not the case or the real issue.  For when you tell someone that the acts of homosexuality, adultery, drunkenness and the likes are detestable to God, you have offended nobody – you have shown them the way of death and the way of life. The truth is that they are offended by Christ. They have stumbled over the Rock and often their own consciences condemn them. 1 Peter 2:8 describes Christ as a “stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,” and the reason they fall is because “they disobey the message...”

When the bride of Christ start to accept and own this false accusation of offending people, going against human rights and being judgemental...she is effectively silenced by the accuser...she who according to Revelation 22:17 should, together with the Spirit, be inviting others to the free gift of life, now leaves them on the path of death for fear of offending them and being judgemental!

Another popular accusation against Christians is that they are hypocritical, having double standards. Did Jesus Himself not ask the people, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Yes, but His intention was not ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil’.  

If having faults and struggles of our own disqualifies us from speaking out against sin, none of the disciples had any right to do what they did. Then certainly Paul and Peter should have kept their quiet instead of writing all those letters telling the saints what they should and should not be doing! Did Paul and Barnabas not part ways because of unresolved conflict? Did Peter not eat with Gentiles but when certain men came from Jerusalem he separated himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of what they would say and do if they saw him eating with Gentiles? Yes, but they were not disqualified from the task of going out into the world and preaching not only the love of Christ but also His principles to be obeyed.

Why did Jesus not call them hypocrites and send them off as well?

Because there is a huge difference between those who do not love God and happily follow their own agenda (whether it is living in ignorance of the One Holy God or being hypocritical), and those who truly love God and have received His Holy Spirit who is working in them to teach, guide and sanctify them.

For although, as Paul said in Philippians 3:12, we cannot claim that we have already been made perfect, WE KNOW AND HAVE FOUND THE TRUTH, THE WAY AND THE LIFE AND WE DARE NOT KEEP THAT TO OURSELVES. WE DARE NOT LET ANYONE FOLLOW THE WAY OF DEATH WITHOUT TELLING HIM THE TRUTH.

I think Gandhi has once said something like “I like your Christ but I don’t like you Christians. So many Christians feel bad and think that they are rightly accused when they hear this saying but it was not a word of wisdom!  Christ is the Head and we are the body. You cannot like the Head but dislike the body. We are one. If anything, this comment showed that he knew little of our Groom and what was already accomplished in the heavenly realms. Take a look at the following Scripture:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”  (Zechariah 3:1-4)

I love this. Satan, the only accuser who is working through many even to this day, is rebuked by God because he dared to accuse His child. Satan saw the filthiness; God saw the new garment – the righteousness of His Son, paid for by the highest price possible.

To my fellow Christians, the bride of Christ, I want to say this: Walk and be led and live in the Spirit. Allow Him to sanctify you more and more. Search your hearts and bring any wrong doings in repentance before the Lord. But, also stand tall and do not give out your ears to Satan, standing there to falsely accuse you. Do not be quieted by any such accusations but continue to speak out the love and the truth of God as He guides you in your everyday dealings with your fellow man.

You are His bride adorned, inviting others to come to Him and receive of the same grace that saved you!

God bless

Lize