Dogs Will Be Dogs

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a dog house makes you a dog…”  I’ve heard this said many times.  Usually by someone trying to justify why they don’t regularly attend church.

Okay, so  it might be shocking to hear that I  agree.  Sort of.

A dog barks… a dog scratches its ears with its hind legs…  A dog wags its tail.  These are all things a dog DOES, but doing them doesn’t MAKE him a dog.

I can bark.  I might be able to scratch my ear with my leg.  I could even wag my… tail.  But DOING these things doesn’t MAKE me a dog.
A dog is a dog, not because of what he does… but he’s a dog because of how he was MADE.  He’s only doing the things which he was created to do; the things God created him to do.

So, sitting in a church doesn't MAKE you a Christian....But it is what Christians DO.

Within His creation of man, God has built in certain designations; meaning, we were designed a certain way for certain tasks.   Sin has DE-formed us and has led us away from those things which God created for us to do and be.

No, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian… but it is where you hear God’s Word. It is where you receive God's Word. By God’s Word, faith is created in us.  God's Word is the antidote to the sin that infects us.  When we have faith, we are restored and are able once again to DO the things which we were created to do...like go to church, love our neighbor, train our children. It is the Creator who MAKES us to believe and it is HE who continues to CREATE and strengthen the faith within us.

So, going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than sitting in a dog house will make you a dog... However, you stand a better chance of becoming a Christian by going to church, than you would of becoming a dog by sitting in a dog house.

Just sayin’.