According to Proverbs, there are some egregious sins that God despises. They are arrogance, deceit, those who kill innocent people, a conniving heart that devises wicked plans, a desire to embrace evil tactics, those who promote lies, and people who seek to divide others with their treacherous schemes. Although many who profess Christianity in today’s culture claim to believe in the authority of Scripture, it is striking how often Christians wield these very weapons of evil in defense of Christ. It is, however, a destructive abomination to both God and the Christian faith that presumes to serve God.

Arrogance is a sin that is rooted in fear. When one is fearful of being undermined, exposed, or facing a world that is different than that which is personally desired, a common defense is a façade of arrogance. This is often seen in the presumptive nature of angry people who are puffed up on their own self-indulgent pride and egotistical worldview. Arrogant people cannot—or perhaps will not—attempt to understand others. It can also manifest in devising manipulatively evil schemes to promote one’s desires. Instead of showing God’s love for those they do not comprehend, people blast a barrage of arrogance that shields them from being uncomfortable, but also prevents growth, connection with others, and fidelity to God.

In today’s world of biased media, willful deceit and evil distortion of truth are demonically popular commodities of influence, power, and politics. Politicians, pundits, and social media posters often refuse to see reality and sinfully choose to capitalize on the half-truths, lies, and unfounded beliefs that serve their own narcissistic worldview—often in the presumptive desire to justify themselves and their presumed fidelity to God. Yet, to embrace such lies and treacherous schemes, even when they are consistent with one’s own belief system, without prayerful and careful analysis of the facts, is a violation of God.

Those who kill innocent people understandably include murders, but also extend to those in positions of power, authority, and populist support of those who can order or orchestrate innocent deaths. This includes governments, military leaders, and politicians, as well as those who, by virtue of their implicit backing of murderous regimes including, governments, leaders, powers, and principalities, or anyone who helps bring about the death of innocent people.

Those who sew the seeds of division and discord among God’s family are also ranked among the accursed by God. This is, perhaps, one of the most simultaneously destructive and deceptive reality of modern Christian faith. Christians appropriately have standards which they wish to faithfully uphold in the face of great diversity. Arguably, the Christian faith cannot be—and should not be—a religion of “anything goes.” Yet, when legitimate differences arise and individual perspectives are found to be in conflict, the way Christians embrace diversity is critical. Tragically, rather than seek faithful understanding and showing God’s love, far too many Christians embrace evil schemes to demonize, ostracize, discredit, and otherwise judge others while pompously promoting their own presumptuous worldview.

This week Christians will be faced with making very serious choices regarding the election of leaders in the local community as well as in Washington DC. Many candidates will promote their Christian values. Yet, it is not enough to simply presume that since a candidate professes to be Christian means that that individual authentically manifests Christian virtues. Proverbs 6 calls on followers of the Bible to look beyond religious proclamations and doctrines to truly discern how people who profess to believe, actually put Biblical principles into practice.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Rev. Rogers: The authentic Christian values