The Idolatry of "Nice"

An alternate title might be

 "Am I a Shapeshifter?"


Shouldn't we be "nice"? What is WRONG with being "nice"? Didn't Jesus tell us to be "nice"?

Those are all good questions, and not easy ones to answer.

Are Mormons "nice"? Are Jehovah's Witnesses "nice"? What about Buddhists, and Catholics, and atheists? Aren't (most of them, anyway) they "nice"?

Let's start with

Shouldn't we be "nice"?:

Well, that depends on what is meant by "nice", doesn't it? If someone is being beaten up by a criminal, would it be "nice" to stay out of it? God will take care of it, won't He? Why should I get involved? I might get dirty or beaten up if I try to get involved. Why not leave it to God?

Does being "nice" mean "looking good to others"? ...or rather, looking good on the outside? Having a "form of godliness"? If someone tells me something that exposes a problem, should I change the outer behavior or appearance so that I can have a more "godly" appearance? Is that what it's all about? Then the Pharisees really would have been the best, and the "nicest" because they had that "godly appearance" down pat.

What's wrong with being "nice"?:

Again, that depends on what is meant when the word "nice" is used. Being polite and doing good, there is nothing wrong with that....UNLESS it is a manipulative tactic, and let's face it we are all so good at it that we can even fool ourselves. We cannot fool God into thinking we are "nice" by the "good works" that we do, because He can see underneath our outer facade. He knows the truth about how we really are.

Is that depressing?

Or does knowing the fact that Jesus is a loving and forgiving God make us joyful to know that He can see all that muck? Our outer image that we set before the world has nothing to do with the truth that God sees about us.* That* is the reason He came, was born into flesh, walked on the earth, broke bread, ate, healed the blind, the lepers and the demoniacs, and bled and died...and rose again. He didn't do it because He is "nice" or wanted us to have an appearance of "nice". He did it because He is God.

Doesn't Jesus want us to be "nice"?:

So by now, this question shouldn't be so difficult, should it? Does Jesus want us to be "nice" to others? Not if "nice" means not telling the truth because it might give an appearance of  not being "nice". Then the appearance of "nice", is that "form of godliness but denying His power" (which the Bible warns about), and God is not at all in favor of such manipulative behavior, in fact, it is a form of idolatry and self-worship. And this image of "nice" can change it's form to conform to what the world wants to see, so that to some you may have an "appearance" of not caring whether someone practices homosexual behavior, and then changes to have the "appearance" of being against it when in the company of someone who shows the deadly consequences of practicing things that should not be practiced.

We need to throw out all the false idols that keep us from accepting the truth of what Jesus REALLY said, and from fully realizing what Jesus died for and freed us from. We need to throw off the false image of "nice" and fully agree with Jesus that no one is good, only Jesus. That frees us to tell the truth to others, to tell them of sin, the consequences of sin, the eternal consequences for unrepented sin, and the truth about forgiveness, which comes from truly being honest before God and men, telling the truth about who we really are, and what we truly are without Jesus is not "nice" at all. And if we are in Christ, we aren't concerned about whether we appear "nice" to others or not. What we are concerned about is telling the truth so that others might find out the truth that will set them free. And that really IS "nice".