Inconsistency
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
At the end of Chapter Two of John’s Gospel, Jesus was being praised for the miracles and signs He was performing during the festival of Passover. The Apostle John says that He did not entrust Himself to them because He knew what was in man. What do you think He meant by, “He knew what was in man?” Did He know the motivation of those praising Him because of the signs and wonders He was performing? Could He see beyond this moment in Jerusalem to when they would greet Him with palm branches, singing Hosanna in the Highest, and within a week they were shouting … crucify Him. I can relate to that kind of inconsistency.
I think all of us have moments when we praise God for being good, and at the same time we’ve frustrated with Him.
To do anything well, consistency is key … and in matters of faith, inconsistency can be perilous! ~Alistair Begg
I think Jesus saw the inconsistency in the hearts of men and knew things could change at any moment with human beings. When Jesus was arrested, all His Disciples who had witnessed the miracles of Jesus firsthand, would not stand with Him … they all scattered. It was the Apostle Peter who denied Christ three times, and it was this same Apostle who had declared earlier, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
Inconsistency can be found in many of us for many different reasons, but I do believe fear is at the core of most of it. The statistics estimate that roughly 59% to 95% of Christians seldom or never share their faith. Studies have indicated that up to 95% of Christians have never led anyone to Christ. Yet, it was the Last Will and Testament of Jesus for Christians to go into all the world, and be a witness to His teachings. Jesus also said that if we are ashamed of Him in this world, He will be ashamed of us when He returns.
One of the ways our inconsistencies can be countered is by developing convictions. I know for myself, when I begin to show signs of being inconsistent with my practice of my faith, I shift my focus to a conviction that reminds me of my commitment to Christ. One of those convictions focuses on the courage He provides us with the Holy Spirit. I have failed the Lord so much in my life when it comes to becoming that bold and brazen witness, that I have determined I will no longer live with the fear of what people think or what they may say about me. I have decided to live my life by the convictions I have established from God’s Word … the Bible. It is the convictions of God’s Word that will confront the inconsistencies in my life and replace them by the consistent power of God’s Spirit living within me.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Here, the promise of the New Covenant explains how God will write His Laws on the inside of our hearts, helping us to be consistent with God and live accordingly. It is the Holy Spirit who places God’s Laws in our hearts, and He is the One who gives us the courage to stand for Christ. There is no inconsistency with Him.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler