Christianity is a relentless pursuit of the truth. So, unless you live in a culture perfectly aligned with Christ, you’ll find yourself in opposition to the culture of the day. And you’re not going to fit in to the politics of the day either. Because politics is centered around beating your opponent. But Christianity is about conforming yourself to the likeness of Christ. (John 14:6, 1 John 2:6, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Matthew 10:25)

Jesus told us on many occasions throughout His public ministry that the world isn’t going to be too fond of those who try to be like Him. (John 15: 18-20, Matthew 10: 22). Human beings are naturally competitive and predisposed to sin; you don’t have to teach someone how to lie and cheat and try to get one over on someone else. And when a society isn’t rooted in Christ, these things are excused or even praised.

Jesus offers a radical departure from all of that. When Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself, He doesn’t put an asterisk next to “neighbor;” we do. That’s the culture we build when we let our sinful natures run the show.

Christianity is about loving your neighbor, not beating your neighbor. (Luke 10:25-37, John 13:35)

And if we don’t have that asterisk next to “neighbor”–like the rest of the culture does–the culture and political climate we’re in isn’t really going to feel like home.

Because it’s not. As Therese of Lisieux was fond of saying, “the world is your ship, not your home.”

Inspired by Father Dominic Maichrowicz

Written by Wes Beyer and Kurt Bennett

Kurt Cameron Bennett best known for his book Love Like Jesus. After attending church and studying the Bible for most of his adult life, he was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven-year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote Love Like Jesus for himself as much as for others. He currently lives in Hillsboro, Oregon, just a few miles from his son Gabe, daughter (-in-law) Charise, and grandson Andrew. He has another son Nate and daughter (-in-law) Anastasia who live in Sammamish, Washington. His blog, God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.

Featured Image by Deepai.org