Assuming you understand the Two Realms, it’s not hard to summarize and crystallize your thinking about how it all works in this domain.
When the Apostles began taking the gospel among Gentiles, they had to struggle with their own cultural baggage. Paul’s comment about “rightly dividing” the Old Testament was a phrase pointing to our life’s work in following Christ. We have to discern what it is about the Law Covenants that applies to us. I noted some time ago that the solution arrived at in that first church council in Acts 15 echoes pretty much what today the Jews call the Noahic Laws.
With Judaism, the idea is that those unwilling/unable to convert can still participate as allies to the Covenant of Moses. With the churches in the first century, the point was that folks typically joined with their whole families, not all of whom were actually converted fully. So there had to be a minimum standard for folks to hang around the church meetings where Jews naturally showed up, too. In general the list might go like this:
- Avoid engaging overtly in idolatrous practices.
- Observe standard sexual prohibitions.
- Be careful about draining the blood from meat.
- Don’t eat anything that’s been strangled (typically a pagan ritual sacrifice).
The rest of the Noahic Laws were generally covered by Roman law. The aim was to deflate the Jewish Christian fussiness. The Noahic Laws were well known and Gentiles were not converting to Moses, but the Christ. The whole point of the conference was to note that while Jews were welcome to fastidious observance of Moses if they wished, this was not Judaism and they need to get over it. Peter’s experience and his use of the Keys of the Kingdom to open the gospel to all humanity was the final burial of Moses as the way to God.
For those lacking that Jewish perspective, those rules are more or less tolerable since they are consistent with things Christ taught. In His famous comments about two fundamental commandments, He offers a particularly Eastern explanation meant to be taken broadly. Christians should rightly expect sinners to sin. Nothing should surprise us. We reserve our disapproving comments for those who claim to be part of our faith. So long as people make no pretense of following Christ, we should mind our own business. The whole biblical ethic of evangelism is that we preach when folks gather to hear a sermon, not at every moment when someone else is in earshot. We aren’t called to rudeness. The two fundamental guidelines Jesus offered that day applies to those who follow Him.
For those who simply want to keep peace with us, we need to adjust our expectations. So long as people don’t blaspheme our God and don’t overtly attack Christ’s message, we have no reason to be unfriendly. I’ll go so far as to say this is the fundamental covenant of peace with God for those who simply don’t have a sense of calling to serve Him directly. So for those who hold to other religions, but want to keep peace, that should be our terms. Indeed, we are compelled to offer a blessing in Christ’s name if we can just get them to come that far.
Let’s take this to an extreme: Let’s pretend someone with another religion, or none at all, simply wants me to pronounce some ritual of blessing on them in regard to one thing or another. For the sake of ritual, all they need to do is affirm a clear conscience regarding blasphemy and attacking Christian faith. Blasphemy is in essence insulting God, either by disparaging His claims or by elevating something else to His position. That’s not the same as me demanding they be monotheistic, only that they recognize Jehovah (by any other commonly used name or title) in His unique claims. Just take it seriously; don’t attack His reputation and you can’t go wrong.
As for attacking Christian faith, that’s sort of a corollary. This person need not fear having harmed a Christian in that sense, since too many professing Christians wander far and wide outside God’s moral boundaries. You should never be surprised that the majority of Christians foolishly put themselves in harm’s way, including putting themselves in a position to be hurt by your actions, regardless of your religion. That’s the way things work in the real world. Rather, the issue is avoiding slandering the faith as best you can understand it. Attack any religious organization all you like if you can see moral flaws, but don’t attack Christian belief itself. That is easily the other side of not attacking God’s reputation.
If any human on this planet tells me in clear conscience they are clean on those terms, then I cannot deny their request for a blessing. You see, Christian, there is a difference between something Satanic and any number of things which are simply not specifically Christian. When Christ calls us to be at peace with those who hate us, how hard is it to be downright friendly with those who do us no harm? As long as they don’t slander Christ, it won’t much matter what else they promote in competition with Him. It’s not as if our Lord needs our help, and Paul said several times there is not a thing we as humans can do to change the heart of another human. People can change their actions and opinions, but dead spirits cannot breath God’s life into themselves. God’s Word says it doesn’t work that way. Spiritual birth cannot ever be a human decision. Let’s let God handle His business and we take care of His calling on us.
Embrace His sovereignty and live in peace.
