A couple of days ago, John and I were at Strand Books on the corner of 12th Street and Broadway in New York City. Strand has been in business since 1927 and boasts the tagline, “18 miles of books.” By the looks of the inventory, the claim is no exaggeration.
At the back of the store, customers can sell back used books and receive cash or an in-store credit. I noticed most of the booksellers opted for the in-store credit and left with a handful of brand new books. It’s exciting to trade in old things that no longer serve us well for something new.
In fact, the concept is Biblical. But scores of people understand only half of the equation.
Sadly, there’s a common perception among non-believers and even some misguided Christians that reduces Christianity to a list of things to avoid.
Think for a moment about your most habitual and insidious sin. It doesn’t serve you well and it never has. God not only wants you to avoid it, He wants to replace it with something beautiful.
For instance, Christians aren’t supposed to lie, cheat, steal, murder, or commit adultery. Of course, it’s true, there are things the Bible instructs Christ followers to avoid. We’ve got to remember that God never commands us to stop doing anything that is beneficial to us, and therefore, the Scriptures contain detailed instruction on how to avoid self-induced destruction.
But we make a big mistake if we reduce Christian living to avoiding certain behavior. The Scriptures call us to exchange our old lifestyle that leads to destruction and replace it with something beautiful. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25-28:
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do no sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity o the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Notice how Paul not only instructs his readers to “put away falsehood,” but he also commands his readers to start speaking truth into other people’s lives. Yes, we are called to avoid lying, exaggeration, flattery, and inauthenticity, but we are called to replace falsehood with words of truth that edify those who hear. Trading falsehood for truth is a beautiful exchange.
In the same way, Paul not only instructs us to avoid sinning when we are angry, but also commands his readers to “do not let the sun go down on your anger.” In other words, Paul insists that we deal with our emotional issues, so the enemy doesn’t have the opportunity to exploit our vulnerabilities. Trading a life filled with anger induced sin for emotional stability is a beautiful exchange.
Likewise, he instructs the thief to quit stealing, but again, he doesn’t leave it at that. He goes on to say the former thief should find work, live a productive life, and share with people who need help. When the Bible commands us to avoid a specific behavior, it always instructs us to replace it with another one. Trading the life of a thief for an excellent work-ethic that leads to generosity is a beautiful exchange.
Authentic Christian living means far more than avoiding specific behavior. Because of Jesus, we are empowered to trade in the behaviors that destroy us and replace them with habits of beauty. He’ll never send us away empty handed.
