Different

When I was younger in my faith, I often struggled with the relevance of God’s word in today’s world.

People seemed to live according to their own desires, but when I attended church or read the Bible, it conveyed a message that contradicted the way many professed Christians were living their lives.

At times, it felt as though following God would be challenging, especially since popular culture often appeared to be anti-God. I found myself wondering if, perhaps, God would lower His standards to fit the context of the modern world.

This dichotomy still exists today. While God’s word clearly expresses one set of principles, the world seems determined to pursue a different path.

The word “different” has its roots in the Latin word “differre,” which means “to set apart.”

As Christians, we have been set apart, separated unto God. God made His love available to the world through Jesus Christ, as indicated in John 3:16, but it is only those who accept Him who will receive eternal life—God’s kind of life.

These individuals become partakers of His divine nature and are referred to as Sons of God. This transformation is often described as “newness of life” or being “born again.”

However, the process does not end there.

After receiving this new life, a born-again Christian is expected to think, act, and engage with others in a way that is fundamentally different.

Their value systems, moral standards, devotion, desires, ambitions, attitudes toward money, lifestyles, and relationships should stand in contrast to the prevailing worldview. This represents a countercultural lifestyle.

Believers are now bound by divine rules—the word of God—and are to be guided by the Spirit of God. The problem arises when we assume we can live however we choose and that God will be pleased with us.

This was the reason Apostle Paul wrote his first and second letters to the Corinthians to address issues in the early church. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, he used various comparisons to highlight the difference between believers and unbelievers.

He reminded them that they are God’s temple, called to separate themselves from the world and to abandon every form of corruption, compromise, and impurity. He emphasized that God now resides within them and desires to work through them.

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 6:15-18; NKJV

Similarly, we must live with the awareness that we are now God’s temple and that He dwells within us. We should strive to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, regardless of the direction in which the world is headed. It is through our being different that we truly influence people around us.

If you feel that living a life of holiness and righteousness is difficult, remember that the grace of God is available for you and for me.

This grace is not intended for indulgence; rather, it empowers us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. It teaches us how to live each day by turning away from ungodliness and self-indulgent lifestyles and equips us to lead self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

Titus 2:11-12; NKJV