I believe the Bible speaks of choosing to please God rather than people because only one opinion ultimately matters in the end. God won’t commend you for your popularity or for your appeasement of others but for your faithfulness and obedience. There is no merit to compromising away your convictions and beliefs in order to gain a crowd if you lose the very gospel that is the only power to save in the first place.

As a recovering approval addict, I can vouch that much of the time I want nothing more than to be accepted, no matter what. It’s easy to keep silent on divisive issues, and especially on matters of faith, if it means I keep myself in good standing. But that’s not being faithful to the gospel.

We’re called to tell the truth in love, but tell the truth. We’re called to love the sinners without loving their sin but pointing them to a Redeemer who can save them from their sins. We’re called above all to live for an audience not of many but of one — God.