People at one time cared about what others thought of them. What others think is your reputation: others opinions and beliefs about you. Those with good reputations are reputable. In secular terms, those of good repute are honest, reliable, trustworthy, faithful, sober, and otherwise good citizens. On the other hand, those of ill repute are liars, unreliable, of questionably integrity, faithless; maybe even drunks, and bad citizens. Citizenship is more than civility. It is caring and concerned about the welfare of others. Which would you truly rather be?
Not caring about your reputation is that it does not matter if you are a good or bad citizen or even a fake or true Christian! Prominent people have dueled with others to protect their reputations: Andrew Jackson dueled and killed a man to protect his wife's and his own reputation. Reputations are valuable. How effective would teachers be if they had a reputation of incompetence? How could a preacher preach with meaning if they appeared to be ignorant of scripture? On that issue, I am astounded. People who are called to teach and preach the gospel often don't know the much about the gospel!
The Book of John chapter one identifies Jesus as being there in the beginning. Some preachers never see Jesus in scripture. They don't seem to understand the mystery of Christ which was "kept secret since the world began" (Rom 16:25). A reputation of spiritual ignorance is not conducive to reliable instruction. I am astounded that some who are called fail to have even a rudimentary knowledge of Holy Scripture!
Christians are to be like Christ: "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). Not caring what others think is not caring about your own "walk" which is to be like Christ's. Of course, that "walk" is mimicking Jesus Christ in manner, integrity, love, and righteousness. Christians should care about that. If you are a Christian, but do not care what others think, what if you look more like the Devil than Jesus? That is a poor reflection on Christ! In fact, sinners say things as, "If that's what a Christian is, I don't want to be one!" Oftentimes Christians are a poor reflection of Christ and consequently diminish God's reputation.
Why do some not care what others think? Because they know that they are a poor representation of what they should be! Sub-consciously, or even consciously, they know they are of poor rapport, and people see them as bad news. Not caring is a ticket to doing what people want without regard to others or God (Deut 12:8). That is mankind's problem, and not caring is an attitude of rebellion. Adam didn't care what God said. He knew what he wanted. God saw Adam as rebellious which he was. For an instant Adam did not care what God thought of him. When he realized the severity of his sin, all of a sudden he cared.
As a token of caring, Adam covered his shame with fig leaves because of guilt; he cared what God thought. God saw that he cared, and had grace on him and Eve. He covered their sin with the blood of an innocent animal. Adam and Eve killed that animal by not caring what God thought. People kill God by not caring what God thinks about them.
What about people? If you are a Christian, you are a temple of God: "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Cor 3:17). Should you not care about defiling the temple? Should you not care that others see God's temple defiled? Well, you should care!
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. (Rom 14:3).As an image of God, you should care what others think about you. If you don't have fidelity to God's Law, then how could others be convicted of their sins? By not caring about your own reputation, shows that you don't care about others' souls. As a Christian, you present God to the world. If you don't present Him well, others will deny God. The solution is to care!
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