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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
Politics and religion can be both redeeming and degrading. Well-meaning, decent people – in the heat of the moment – doing and saying ridiculous, spiteful, self-serving things; others excusing absolutely atrocious behavior – ranging from harassment, character assassination, sabotaging others’ efforts at voicing opposing views, and violent acts up to and including murder.
One particularly shocking and embarrassing activity, by members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas; was the protests at the funerals of military personnel from the late wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, believing these deaths to be the result of God’s displeasure with the U.S. because of its growing acceptance of gay and lesbian lifestyles. Their first claim-to-fame actually coming at the funeral of a young guy college student – Matt Shepherd – who was brutally beaten to death a number of years ago.
Their signs proclaiming, ‘God hates Fags’, and ‘Thank God for Dead Soldiers’ inspired disgust and outrage not only because of the additional emotional anguish inflicted on the victims’ families but because their portrayal of God and his message was so patently untrue. God does not hate homosexuals – or any other sinner, of which we are all one! (Romans 3:23) He loves sinners, even as he has no tolerance of sin; consciously, repeatedly, intentionally engaged in. (Hebrews 10:26,27) So must we. The problem is in transferring revulsion of sin to the person committing these offensive actions. God so loved the world that he made provision for sinners to be forgiven and saved from their sin. (John 3:16,17) In fact, the specific purpose of his coming was to seek out the lost, saving us all from the penalty of our wrong-doing. (Luke 19:10)
1 Corinthians 6:9,10 lists a number of damning offenses, including sexual immorality of the homosexual and heterosexual variety. Also listed are thieves, greedy people, slanderers and swindlers. Romans 1:29-31 includes envy, murder and gossip as damnable activities as well. Sins of the flesh, mind and heart, with complacency toward sin being developed over time with repeated exposure. For instance, lust – uncontrolled – leads to adultery, incest, and rape. (See Matthew 5:27,28) While coveting, a desire for things not our own; can lead to burglary, assault and even murder. (See Exodus 20:17 & Luke 12:15) The reason being that what we become comfortable imagining ourselves doing, becomes more likely to be done in reality. In fact, Jesus specifically mentions finger-pointing and name-calling as worthy of hell as well. Really? Absolutely, because when we see our primary responsibility as pointing out the faults of others in anger and discount their worth with derisive names and epithets, we lose focus of our true calling in Christ. Which is to love the sinner even as we hate the sin, pointing out the danger of living in rebellion against God with respectful consideration and loving concern. (Matthew 5:21-24) Is that hard to do? It sure is! But nobody said being a Christian would be easy.
That does not mean however, we minimize the effects of sin or discount the punishment of it, preaching the love of God to the exclusion of all else; as some misinterpret Matthew 7:1 to mean. For God can be offended by our actions, judging and disciplining us if we force him to. (Hebrews 12:4-11) The truth of the matter being, Jesus loves us just the way we are – but too much to leave us that way.
As humans, we tend to rank, categorize and compartmentalize lawlessness and sin. In some ways we must. But God doesn’t. To him, sin is sin; both what is done that should not have been and what should be done that isn’t. (James 4:17) A few genuinely aspire to righteousness, but most of us refrain from overt sin out of a fear of getting caught. God sees us as we really are, and we are all guilty. That’s why James says that anyone keeping the whole law except in one point is guilty of breaking it all. (James 2:10) Because it all starts with a concept; the concept of obedience. If we can pick and choose the degree to which we obey or disobey, we lose respect for the entirety of the law – even the law of love recounted in Romans 13:8-10 – which is meant to be taken as a whole for our benefit as well as the benefit of those about us. If and when we “grade” levels of disobedience, we tend to then become accepting of some sin as opposed to others; understanding, excusing and even enabling some sinners while condemning others.
We are told explicitly by Jesus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Not an injunction against discernment between right and wrong, as we must all decide on a daily basis who and what we will or will not associate with based on “judgments” of right and wrong – good, better or best. It is however, a warning against being critically judgmental of others even as we fail to recognize and deal with our own shortcomings. (Matthew 7:1-5) We must be able to tell the difference between right and wrong and offer help in identifying it as such. But it must be done in a respectful, loving, helpful way. (1 Peter 3:15,16) One that offers confident, positive alternatives, not merely condemnation. (See Galatians 6:1) Offering comfort in the promise that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Nowhere in scripture does God say, ‘I hate homosexuals!’ or liars, thieves, adulterers, gossips, etc. Although Psalm 5:5 does say, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.”, and Romans 12:9 instructs us to, “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.” But when we consider the totality of scripture, we begin to understand that even as God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and that he cannot tolerate wrong (Habakkuk 1:13), he continues to care for and love the individuals entrapped by sin and its effects on their lives. (See Matthew 9:36 & 20:28)
John records Jesus saying, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” There is, however, a qualifier to this declaration, Jesus further saying, “Whoever believes in (me) is not condemned, but whoever doesn’t believe stands condemned already…” John 3:16-18 But the focus of any genuine gospel message must be the same as Christ’s, who “While we were still sinners,… died for us.” Romans 5:8 It is not our job to harass and condemn but to lead others to the same saving grace that rescued us, realizing that scripture depicts wisdom – representing God – as saying, “I hate pride and arrogance, (as much as) evil behavior and perverse speech.” Prob. 8:13 Why? Because arrogance breeds disregard for others and allows us to easily condemn without caring. And that is not the way of the cross!
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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