As the news broke out of the
Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage on Friday, I felt myself starting to
grieve. But not because of what you
might think. There has been a lot of
animosity on both sides, and I want to address the piece of it I’ve seen on the
part of some Christians. There has been
a lot of “stands” for Christ made and a lot of self-righteousness being
portrayed. Even in the social media
posts about how we will still love the sinner even though we hate the sin,
there is self-righteousness portrayed.
There is an air of “if I love Jesus – I have to make it known that I
think homosexual sin is wrong or I won’t be doing Jesus justice. As a Christian, I have to stand up for God's word, for what is right”. In general, there’s nothing
wrong with standing up for what's right.
In fact, it’s a very admirable quality.
Let me ask you this though, how is telling social media that you are
against homosexual marriage, standing for what is right? How is putting a blanket statement out there
like that going to help bring about the turning of hearts toward God and
restoration? Are you really mourning for
the state of their souls or are you doing it more for you? To prove something about you?
For those of you shouting - “We
need to do something about this! This
isn’t right! How could our country get
to this point?!” - I would ask you to
really consider that question. How did
we get to this point? Do you think that
progression of sin happens overnight? Do
you think that there is this class of “them” (people who are “large” sinners)
and “us” (people who having been doing right all along and maybe sin in some
“small” areas, but would not get so bad as to “go there”)? How do you think people in general have gotten to this
point in their depravity?
I would argue that our not thought
about, un-repented, not mourned over “smaller” sins are the very thing that has
brought us to this point. We are a
people who are so busy looking outward, pointing our finger outward, we have
lost the art of self-reflection. And
with that inability - over the generations – the apathy toward self-reflection
has sent us further and further into things that help us “feel good” or “numb”
what is really going on in our lives.
And eventually one thing leads to another. I get it.
It’s so much easier to feel like we are ok if we can identify someone
out there who is “worse” than us to think about and try to argue with over
right and wrong. It’s much easier to see
the sin in others than in ourselves. I
get it. I have done it and still do it
too. (Ask my husband… J) With the Holy Spirit's help, I am now striving to look inward.
“What about truth in love?” - you ask. “ Aren’t we supposed to still reveal
the truth to those who are lost and can’t see it for themselves?”
Yes, of course. But how do you suppose we go about portraying
that love when we are talking truth? Do
you think a stranger or even an acquaintance who sees you post about how their
sin is wrong is going to feel that it is in love that you are laying this truth
out? How can they know your heart is for
them if you have no relationship with them?
I would go even further to say that even if you have a relationship with
them, this is something you would want to be guided by the Holy Spirit for and
wait for a softened heart, one that is broken and questioning. Wait for a heart of your own that is truly grieved for your friend and is deeply moved to keep them from things that will hurt them, rather than one that only wants to point out the facts you think you know. God moves people to repentance – we
don’t. God moves people to pure mourning and love that results in humble pure motives for revealing truth.
Finally, I would like for you to consider how Jesus reacted to the sins of the self-righteous. The few times we see Jesus display anger are not toward the lost, but toward
the Christians. He overturned the tables
in the temple. (Christians making a
mockery of the sacrifice and temple) He
laid into the Pharisees in the book of Matthew talking about how they are
whitewashed tombs (caring more about “getting it right” and following the
letter of law than about the heart
behind it) Again – Religious leaders.
Even in the old testament, in the
book of Jeremiah, God talks about faithless Israel (who cared little about what
God thought about her immorality) as more righteous than unfaithful Judah(who
still clung on to religion on the side – but still did the same things as
Israel). The one who worshiped God in
pretense but did not look at her sins and turn from them was worse to God than
those who had no faith.
Jeremiah 3:9-11New International
Version (NIV)
9 Because
Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and
committed adultery with stone and wood. 10 In
spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with
all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.
11 The Lord said
to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah”
So are we to act vehemently about
these issues or mourn for how we’ve gotten here and repent? Are we to be enraged at where we are as a
nation or realize the part we’ve played being complacent in ourselves and grieve
for the things that are now commonplace that replace the hole in our hearts for
Jesus? I for one am grieving and not
just for the depravity that has overtaken our world but the un-reflected on
self-righteousness and anger that is coming from those of us who are brothers
and sisters in Christ. This has been heavy on my heart for a long time. Not just because of this ruling and the response to it. I've seen it happen again and again in so many other areas. This is the first time I've had words to put to it. My heart hurts for you all, my brothers and sisters in Christ. My heart hurts for those who would be repelled from Christ on account of any of us. And my heart hurts for what we have each gone through in our lives that has brought us individually to where we are now. Those undisclosed hurts, aches, longings to be loved, that are hidden so deeply in each of us. Those things that have shaped us. I see it in each person's eyes. And I am moved by how immeasurably valuable and loved and longed for we each are by our Father God.
This is a call to
mourning. This is a call to humility.
No comments:
Post a Comment