Truth and Compassion

I could not question the young preacher's sincerity about his desire to reach out to a group of needy people. He had met a group of Christian people who were homosexuals. As they told him about the persecution that they felt in many churches, his heart was touched. So, he went to his study and, after some time, decided to affirm the 'gay' lifestyle as acceptable, even to the extent of celebrating ceremonies of commitment for homosexual couples. He kept repeating this line, "God loves them, and I must love them, too." He's right on that point, the importance of loving people that God loves. But, he has misunderstood grace and made a mistake in discarding clear Scriptural teaching by affirming the 'rightness' of homosexual practice.

Knowing how to accept and love people and remain truthful about the sins in their lives is a tough line to draw properly whether it's a hot button social issue we're discussing or something as pedestrian as how we handle our money! There is always a tension between truth and compassion. 50 years ago the big issue among Believers was divorce. In most evangelical churches in the 1950's and 60's, if you were a divorced person, you could attend church, but forget about participating in ministry. A divorced person couldn't teach Sunday School, serve on the church board, or distribute Communion. But, over time, we re-examined the issue and realized that while God declares He hates divorce, He permits it because we live in an imperfect world where our best intentions and our actual experiences are sometimes miles apart! Most churches have come 'round to accepting people who have experienced the sorrow of divorce while still holding onto the importance of protecting the marriage covenant as the Bible teaches, but it took a long time to work it out the tension.

Truth and compassion are not enemies! The most loving thing we can do is tell the truth - to ourselves and to others. Where the Bible is clear, we cannot rewrite the standards of righteousness to fit our need to be compassionate. But, we cannot allow our fears to cause us to use the Bible like a Gospel gun, shooting down those who fail to meet the standard. Our presentation of Truth must always be redemptive, full of hope, gentle, and respectful. That is where I believe many Bible Believers run off the road! They fail to understand the brokenness that sin causes and beat up the sinner for their sin, instead of weeping with the sinner, hoping and praying for an opportunity to love them to wholeness.

Jesus told a story that is familiar, yet compelling. A man asked the Lord, "Who is my neighbor?" In other words, "Who does God expect me to care for and love?" "Jesus answered by telling a story.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
“A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’
“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” " (Luke 10:30-37, The Message)

That's a story with profound implications for spiritual care of others! When we see somebody that Satan has beaten up, who has fallen into the grip of sin - big or small - our natural response is to stay away. We don't want to be contaminated, to be 'infected' with their sin, so we are tempted just go to the other side of the road, feigning blindness. If that is our response, we sin, too! We fail the person in need and we fail in our God-given mission. We perpetuate the 'us vs. them' mentality that Jesus condemned.

He chose a Samaritan as the hero for his story because Samaritans were despised as spiritually inferior, and they knew it! If we realize that the only difference between us and someone at the side of the road of life, bleeding from the Devil's attacks, is the grace of God, that we not inherently superior because we are not in that particular place, we will not approach the half-dead sinner with anything except compassion. We will find ourselves incapable of even thinking, "He made his bed, so let him lie in it! Stupid person!" Instead, we will realize - "But for the grace of God, it would be me lying there, broken and bleeding." And with a joyful heart we will put the broken person in our car and make sure they feel loved, cared for, and accepted.
When they know we care about them, really really care, we will have ample opportunities to talk about their spiritual needs and the cure for sin that is found in Jesus Christ. But their salvation ultimately is God's business, not ours. We are not Saviors! We are just people who were once broken, that God found and healed, and commissioned to go and find others who are laying beside the road.

But I also note that the Samaritan didn't lay down with the beaten man, saying, "Hey, fellow, what's it feel like to lay here on the road? Is it a great thing to be bleeding like that? I think I'll whack myself on the head so I can feel your pain and bleed with you." That's just nuts! He saw the man's real need was not somebody to bleed with him, but someone to pick him up and get help!

God help us to know how to reach out with the right combination of Truth and Compassion. May He keep us from becoming complacent in His love and failing to deal with our own sins, and also keep us from living neurotic and perfectionist lives, because we fail to receive amazing grace offered to us in Christ.
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Jesus, thank you for loving me.
Help me to love others.
I need Your wisdom to balance truth with compassion.
Help! Amen