The Elephant in the Room (Harrub)
by Brad Harrub, Ph.D.
Within our society, there is a tendency to measure success using a secular material yardstick. We identify one another by jobs (e.g., “Oh, he’s a pharmacist”), neighborhoods (e.g., “Oh, they live in Woodbury Estates”), bank accounts (e.g., “Oh, we just purchased a beach house in Destin”), and even looks (e.g., “Oh, I wonder if she has had cosmetic surgery”). This tendency has tentacles that even reach well into the Church. Many Christians measure success by worldly standards rather than by spiritual ones.
Thus, it is not uncommon for me to have a conversation with someone and learn all about where their child went to school and the high-paying career he/she is now pursuing—but when asked about what congregation he attends, an awkward silence occasionally follows. I have been told by elders, preachers, deacons, and numerous Christians “career successes” about their children, only to later learn in the conversation that the children are no longer faithful. Oftentimes the question is answered in this fashion: “Well, she married a really nice person, but he wasn’t a Christian. Now they attend the _________ denomination,” or “well, they don’t attend anywhere right now.”
Friends, our children are leaving the New Testament church in droves, and we sit idly by, celebrating their new homes, new cars, and new wives. Does it not occur to you that those cars, homes, and fancy jobs will one day burn up? What good will these be in eternity?
In Deuteronomy 7:3-4, we find God warning the Israelites not to allow their children to marry into these idolatrous nations—and yet we justify parading our children up the aisle to marry a non-Christian because the future spouse is nice and “successful.” At what point will parents and elders address the enormous elephant that sits in the church auditorium? Our children are embracing other religions.
One of the side effects of this is that many New Testament Christians now quietly recognize denominations as “Christians” rather than identifying their own children as lost. We have relaxed our definition of Christian, and we silently (or maybe not so silently) believe that they are either saved or at least safe. As a result, we have forgotten the uniqueness of the one true Church.
In Nehemiah 13, we read one of the saddest passages of Scripture in all of God’s Word:
"In those days, I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, 'You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves'” (Nehemiah 13:23-25).
These were children who could not even speak the language of Jehovah God. As we analyze our current situation, it becomes painfully clear that this apostasy did not end in Nehemiah’s day.
God warned and commanded His chosen people -- the Israelites about marrying those who are not faithful to Him. Today, we are His chosen people.
Commenting on this passage, The Interpreter’s Bible noted, “Entering what was said to be the land of their fathers, the Israelites yet found themselves surrounded by polytheism. Inevitably, they intermarried with the inhabitants of the land. Just as inevitably, they came to worship local gods” (Wright, 1953, p. 378).
It is long past time we address, encourage, and influence our children to select spouses who can help them reach the goal of Heaven. It is time we as parents recognize that while career success is nice, it pales in comparison to spiritual success. It is time for elders and preachers to teach these truths from the pulpit without fear of hurting families. It is time we protect our sons and daughters from false religions and teach them how to identify the true church in the Bible!
