It is Christ, not morality, that saves us and attracts the world

Immorality is all around us. It is hard not to lash out say, on Facebook, to all of the immorality that we see. It is blatant. In our face. And it is Christians who are mocked, made fun of, declared intolerant.

But I would propose to you that non-Christians will not be drawn to our moral speeches or outrage. They will not respond positively to our online rants. They will not change from mere judgments or condemnations.

They will be drawn to Christ and our love for one another. Jesus said, “32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Jn. 12:32). He also said, “35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:35).

Morality without Christ has a limited appeal. And furthermore, without the Spirit, people cannot follow God's laws. Remember how the people tried to follow God in the Old Testament and failed over and over again? God, in fact, knew that they could not follow his laws on their own.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God foretold that he would bring about a massive change to help them follow his laws: "26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezek. 36:26-27).

Paul also speaks about how people need the Spirit in order to follow God:“7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you” (2 Cor. 8:7-9).

So introduce people to Christ. Allow them to receive him and his Spirit. Then they will be able to follow his moral decrees and way of life. Lead with Christ, not morality and condemnation. And the Spirit will transform their lives. --James