Few two-letter words in the English language can conjure up, in the proper context, more emotion, whether dread or delight, or reveal the inanity of a circumstance or situation, than the word “if.”
A subordinating conjunction, it usually sets up a potential condition – that something can or might happen – but only “if” something else happens.
It was the English poet Rudyard Kipling who penned the famous poem, “If” – advice from a father to a son.
Not surprisingly, the word “if” is in the Bible a lot – 1,637 times, in fact. That’s because while God is sovereign and in complete control, we’re not puppets on strings. Our actions matter. We can make a difference. If we step forward in faith, the Lord will always be by our side. If He so chooses, He can use us as His hands and feet on earth.
Here are just a few of those “if” verses in Scripture:
“If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6).
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Many of the powerful “if” verses contain wonderful promises – and sober warnings.
The word “if” can also bluntly and boldly challenge the status quo, especially foolish policies and false narratives that are repeated so often that they begin to somehow masquerade as truth.
For example:
If the principle of free choice is such a fundamental conviction of radical abortion supporters, why don’t they also advocate for school choice?
If a preborn child is a “fetus” and not a “baby,” why do even liberal mothers talk about their baby and go to baby showers?
If every death was rightly grieved during the COVID-19 pandemic, why is there no interest and empathy on the Left for the thousands of babies dying every day in the United States by abortion?
If gender is merely a social construct and a personal decision, why do the same people who believe that same wicked lie herald and hail women’s achievements?
If women are to be protected, why do those who hold to such a conviction not object to men overpowering and spiking volleyballs in the face of female athletes?
If police aren’t worth funding, why do the same people who support such nonsensical policies hire off duty police or private security in order to protect themselves?
If it’s a “hate crime” when sexually confused people are harassed, why isn’t it also a hate crime when pregnancy resource centers are attacked?
If tolerance is such a high virtue, why don’t ideological radicals tolerate those who hold to a biblical worldview?
If a wall at the southern border is inherently racist and ineffective, why is there one around the White House?
It was the Founding Father Thomas Paine who warned about politicians beginning their careers with hypocrisy, ruling with arrogance, and finishing with contempt. It’s that trifecta of flaws, punctuated by spiritual blindness, that’s driving the illogic of radical activists.
As Christians, we should be convicted, challenged, and comforted by another “If” verse in the Bible – Paul’s words to believers in Rome:
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8).
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