It is popular to say, “God is for things, not against things.” This is one of the many pendulum swing reactionary ideas facing the church today. The background of this is that for many decades, all churches or Christians talked about were those things they were against. All that anyone outside of the church knew about Christianity was what Christians were opposed to. 

I would agree with that for the most part. They spoke out against everything that they or God were at odds with. In doing this the church became a one man band, and people didn’t have a harmonious clue what Christianity stood for in the positive light.

This was not all the fault of Christianity or the church. When an enemy digs in against you, he doesn’t go after the good you do, or the things you stand for in a positive light. He goes for your weakness. He swings at you in the arena of opposition. The issue was that Christians let themselves be defined by their enemies. They spent so much time blocking punches, they forgot to hit.

The Pendulum Swing

So at the turn of the century, Christians, churches, and pastors noticed this flaw. They started swinging, in a good way. They talked about all of the positive blessings of Christianity, Christ, and the church. They drew attention to how Christ was for godly families, solid finances, children, and the oppressed. This was commendable.

The problem was that the church started to lose her way once again. Instead of focusing on the mission of the church taught through Scripture, she just decided to do the opposite of what she saw in Christianity of the previous generation. We went from “those on the outside know what we are against, but not what we are for”, and jumped to “what God is for. Let’s not talk about what He is against.”

God is For (Good) Things

We all know God is for stuff. Romans 8:31b says, “if God is for us, who can be against us.” God is for the building of the church, for people coming to Christ, for being kind to each other, and for Christians to take care of the weak and lowly.

God is Against (Evil) Things

But God is also against things. He opposes people, actions, and mindsets. James 4:6b says, “God opposes the proud.” In Proverbs 6:16-19 God actually lists seven things He hates. Jesus says in Matthew 12:30a “Whoever is not with me is against me.” God stands against things, as He stands for things.

The Gospel Stands For Good and Against Evil 

So is God for or against people, actions, things, and ways of thinking? He’s both. He has a balanced approach, and the Gospel stands in opposition to anyone who is one sided in their thinking. Our mentality should be like Christ.

Which way do you tend to lean when it comes to being for or against people, things, actions, and ideologies? If you are always against stuff, how can you discover what God’s heart is for? If you are always for stuff, can you look at those things God is against? The goal here is not to be balanced for balanced sake, but look at things through God’s eyes, which is at the center of this issue. 

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.