“Cynic? Who,
me?” Isn’t that our typical
response? It isn’t that we don’t
recognize it in others; but do we as Christians see it in ourselves? Are you a “Christian” cynic?
The dictionary describes a cynic as a critical person who is
pessimistic about almost everything. A
cynic doesn’t trust anything or anybody and takes delight in poking fun at what
others consider sacred or important.
Some people, including many journalists, law enforcement
officers and teachers pride themselves on being hard-nosed, pragmatic
cynics. Nobody can pull the wool over
their eyes. They’ve seen human nature at
its rawest. They’ve been conned by the
best. They know human beings are selfish
and that human conduct is wholly motivated by self-interest.
They’re turned off to politicians, religionists,
philanthropists, do-gooders at all social and economic levels. They’ve found too many times that behind the
shinning facade of altruism lies a dark, ugly desire for self-gain – get in the disguise of give.
Have you ever tended to agree?
God certainly has a lot to say about human nature in His
Word. You might even say Jesus Christ –
the Creator of human beings, the One who suffered the most as a direct result
of the acts of our human natures -- may have the best reason to be the world’s
greatest cynic.
Jesus can see through the hypocrisy of human beings and He
understands human nature. But, in
actuality, He’s not our worst critic.
He’s our Mediator before God the Father day in and day out.
As children of God we have also come to understand our own
human natures and how they work. We can
quote Jeremiah 17:9 and other scriptures that show the innermost motivations of
human beings.
Should we be the world’s greatest cynics then? If not, should we be “balanced” in our
cynicism – just critical enough to let everyone know we’re nobody’s fool, that
we are easily taken in?
I think too many of us have taken that route. Some of us pride ourselves that we can handle
it – the truth, that is, about what really happens behind the scenes and
why. We heard that Mr. So and So really
said, what he did, etc, etc, ……….
As someone so aptly put it:
“A cynic is a man or woman who knows the price of everything and the
value of nothing.”
Cynicism in scripture is usually referred to as scorning or
scoffing and is strongly condemned in both the Old and New Testament. It is a bent of the spirit that God cannot
accept.
Proverbs 13:1 (read) depicts a cynic as unyielding. Receiving correction requires teachable spirit
or attitude, a desire to improve and an acknowledgement that others may know
more than you do – attitude not in a cynic.
Cynics are locked in a negative response pattern that
requires them to see everything as a sham, pretense and hypocrisy. This is the opposite of what Paul wrote to us
in Philippians 4:8 (read). So even if
the information we have is true, we are not to meditate on it if is not noble,
just, pure, lovely, of good report or has any virtue.
Who is the world’s greatest cynic?
None else than Satan the devil, the accuser of the
brethren. And not only is he the world’s
greatest cynic, he’s the world’s first.
He was the first to cast aspersions on God and His plan for humankind in
the Garden of Eden. He told Eve the
“real” inside story of why God didn’t want her to eat of the fruit and the
“real” motivations behind God’s commands.
The world’s greatest cynic, Satan, who accuses us night and
day before God, views all others, including God, through his own
weaknesses. And whenever you criticize,
beware, you may well be revealing your own most personal problems to your
family and friends.
God’s purpose for us is not that we should be others
critics. We are here to grow and develop
in Christian character. If we are
forever picking at others, questioning motives, faultfinding, how can we work
on our own shortcomings and prepare of a position in God’s Kingdom? Those guilty of cynicism are probably far
behind others in their development toward serving in God’s Kingdom.
How does God expect us to think about our brothers and sisters
then? Read Philippians 2:3.
As well, read Matthew 7:1-2.
Jesus continues in the next few verses to show who we should be examining
and criticizing – ourselves.
This world, ruled by Satan, has become a vile, disappointing,
ever worsening environment for human beings to live in. At every turn we’re cheated, lied to,
betrayed, maligned, hoodwinked by human beings deceived by Satan.
But no matter, let’s not allow what happens to us in the
world to affect our attitudes toward God and our fellow man. Let’s not let the world’s greatest cynic
instill his negative, critical, faultfinding attitude in us.
Put simply, God cannot abide cynicism (read Proverbs 3:34;
21:24). It is as foreign to His nature
as anything imaginable. Where cynicism
is, God cannot be.
