Truth and Grace

"You Christians are so judgmental!" The accusation was thrown down like a challenge. "Why can't you just accept people for who they are and let them alone?" The question was shaped in anger, not really a question at all, but an indictment. It is a common one according to David Kinnaman, author of UnChristian. His research confirms that most people outside of the church, especially those who are young, view the church's stand against things like abortion and same sex marriage as rigid and condemning.

So I ponder these questions:
Am I making a mistake in holding to what the Scripture teaches about sin?
Should I round the edges off of what I believe the Bible has to say about some things that collide with the values of the culture in which I live?

Kinnaman writes, "As we work to change the negative perceptions of outsiders, we need to avoid an equally dangerous extreme. Some Christians respond to outsider's negativity by promoting a less offensive faith. The more unpopular parts of Christian teaching are omitted or deemphasized. They hijack the image of Jesus by portraying Him as an open-minded, big-hearted, and never-offended-anyone moral teacher. That is an entirely wrong idea about Jesus. He taught remarkably tough truths about human beings and about sin.... Softening the message of the Gospel is an utterly wrong response to the objections that people raise." - UnChristian, Baker, 2007

We do no favor to those who are trapped by greed, sensuality, promiscuity, or selfishness by offering them comfort in their sinful state! Jesus says that the Truth sets us free. Just as He told the Truth and ran headlong into hatred as a result, we risk being ostracized by family and friends if we speak truthfully about choices made that run counter to the wisdom and ways of God.

There are two things that Christians do that are offensive, however, and which need to change. One is too readily pointing the finger at the sins of others without authentically dealing with our own sins! The Pharisees were quick to point out the sins that they saw in their time. And they were right about those sins. However, they used their indignation to avoid dealing with their own sins, which were less spectacular perhaps, but just as offensive to a holy God. Jesus challenged them to deal with their own hearts. "Don't just clean the outside of the cup," He said, "wash the inside, too." If we hide our own failures behind righteous rhetoric we will find ourselves also condemned by the Lord!

Another way we offend those who are outside the faith is when we are quick to indict people in their sin without offering hope for forgiveness and/or transformation. In the 1980's when the issue of abortion was at full boil in the Christian church, I saw too much hatred and fear allowed into the discussion. Anti-abortion Believers went for the sensational hurling the phrase, "baby killer" at young women who felt trapped by their pregnancy and saw only one solution. I was and I am convinced that abortion is a terrible evil, the taking of the life of an innocent and defenseless person, an act that is abhorrent in the eyes of God. However, I refused to join the attacks on women. Instead, I joined forces with several like-minded Believers to create a center where women could find answers, help, and practical care that would encourage them to obey God and choose life for their unborn child. We forbade our staff from using manipulative tactics based in condemnation or fear. Instead, we made an offer of life, based squarely on the truth.

I love this passage which reveals the heart and mission of Jesus. Take a look. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:14-17, NIV) Did you notice a phrase that repeats twice? It is this one: "Grace and Truth." Moses brought the Law, which told the Truth. With the Law came the knowledge of sin and guilt that separated people from God. Jesus did not set aside the holy requirements of the Law, but He brought Grace that gives forgiveness and creates the possibility of transformation from the inside out. Only by His grace are we restored to our Father, from Whom we receive the Spirit who empowers us to be holy.

Believer, as we represent the Lord to others, if we hold to the Scripture as our standard, we will inevitably run head-long into the permissiveness of our culture. When we do, we must not drop the standard! Instead, we must proclaim grace that is greater than all our sin.

Ponder this today, Believer, and ask the Spirit to help you to understand how to tell the truth gracefully!

"God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" (Romans 5:20-6:2, NLT)