The recent controversy surrounding whether homosexuality is
or isn't a sin has revealed deeper issues. This article is about those deeper
issues. These prominent myths have taken root, arisen in American Christianity like
an uncontrollable weed through the years, and have a greater potential for
destruction as the underlying source of many of the hot button issues of our
time.
So here are nine prominent myths and a quick rebuttal. I am sure that this is not an exhaustive list. And chances are that nobody struggles with every myth.
So here are nine prominent myths and a quick rebuttal. I am sure that this is not an exhaustive list. And chances are that nobody struggles with every myth.
Myth #1. Holiness doesn't matter.
The Apostle Peter wrote, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV)
Holiness. At its core, it's just being set apart for
something. In the case of Christian holiness, it's being set apart for the
things of God. It means that we don't indulge in every desire that those around
us may indulge in. It also means that we do things that those around us may not
do. In a way, holiness can be described as different. Those who strive to be
set apart for God are to be different than those around them.
Myth #2. Following Jesus means not pointing out sin. It is
unloving to acknowledge sin.
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”( John 7:24 ESV)
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load." (Galatians 6:1-5 ESV)
Jesus taught us to judge rightly. That is a natural step in
the process of bearing each others' burdens and helping restore each other. Sometimes
transformation cannot happen unless we actually judge that a person is actually
struggling with something or doing something that causes separation from God.
But I want to clarify something that Christians often mess
up. We are called to judge one another, not to judge the world. Paul told the
Christians in Corinth to not judge the world but to cast the evil person out of
their midst (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). We often get it wrong and judge the world
while not keeping our own fellowship pure. I guess it's easier to judge those
we don't have to maintain a relationship with, but that should not be a trait
that characterizes who we are.
Pointing out sins is loving at times. The problem that we
face is that we really don't want to consider things sin that are sin. There is
still sin in this world. And sin always destroys. No conversation should be
framed into love versus accepting sin. Accepting sin is not loving. We don't
accept sin; we accept sinners. Like you and me. While we were sinners, Jesus
died for us.
Myth #3. Pointing out one's sin is plenty enough love.
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)
The love among us as brothers and sisters in Jesus should
overflow from our midst into the world around us. Our co-workers, friends,
neighbors, family, and everyone that we encounter should actually see us do
loving things. Love is not just a feeling that is expressed in words. That's
why pointing out others sins isn't all that loving.
So it is not just enough to point out people's sin. I admit
that it is loving to help someone overcome their sin. This is best done through
relationships where we can help build others up. If we claim to be strong, then
we need to adopt the Jesus model and use that strength to serve others. If we
aren't serving, then we are either extremely selfish or actually not as strong
as we think we are.
We should so overwhelm the world with love that they can't honestly
accuse us of hate, but love is done through meeting their needs. The message of
Jesus is best exhibited when we love; words are necessary but can be very empty
without action in love.
Myth #4. A person is defined as who they are by their
behavior.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18a ESV).
Our behavior often doesn't represent who we truly are; it
often just represents our fallen state. People are made in the image of God,
yet we sin and mar that image. This is why we must continue to allow God to
transform us. None of us are perfect, despite the Christian teachings to strive
to be. In one sense our inner character is revealed by our actions, but even in
this sense, our inner character is stained by this world. Like a caterpillar
weaving a cocoon, we are all greater than we presently are; we're just on our
way to getting there. So when we see others, we must begin to view them in the
same light. They aren't their failures, disappointments, and limitations. They
are also made in the image of God.
Myth #5. The church should leave people alone.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)
Proselytizing. That's a dirty word these days. Our society
wants us to just keep our faith personal, yet we cannot do that while remaining
faithful to Jesus' teaching to go, make disciples, baptize and teach them.
The church should actually leave the world alone in a
certain way. We are not to judge those who are not Christians. With that caveat
said, we are still supposed to go into the world and share the gospel with
them. It is a balance to do that in both action and truth (1 John 3:18). But
leaving the world alone is not an option.
We can't expect the world to behave like Christians. We have
a tough enough time behaving that way as followers of Jesus. However, our
interaction with the world shouldn't be to pronounce judgment on them. We are
to love them with helping hands and gentle words. We want them to join us in
our mission. Before you start telling me that Jesus was harsh, I would like you
to read through the Gospels again and notice who He was harsh with. It was the
religious people like you and me that received the harshness of Jesus. The
world received His love in tangible, gentle ways. We can't leave the world
alone, but maybe we should adjust the way we interact with the world.
Myth #6. True power comes from passing laws.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:13-14 ESV)
The changes we want to see in this world won't happen as a
result of the State. The State, especially in a Western democracy, is just a
reflection of the people who inhabit the State. If we want to see our State
change and improve, this will happen through the influence of the Kingdom of
God growing in the hearts and minds of the people who live here, not through forcing
our will on others backed by the force of the law through enacting legislation.
Although it may be difficult at times, a good people can
exist without a good State. But a good State cannot exist without good people.
We sometimes misplace our priorities and work on changing the State rather than
the people. We want to force others to be the way we strive to be rather than
just allowing our witness to stand for itself in the public arena. We do this
at times because we are deceived into thinking that true power comes from the
State.
Our government is not, despite the rhetoric of Ronald
Reagan, the "shining city on a hill." We are not "the hope of
the earth" (Mitt Romney in the presidential debate, October 22, 2012). Nor
are we "the one indispensable nation" (Barack Obama in that same
presidential debate). Our nation is not the salt of the earth or the light of
the world. Those are prideful misappropriations of phrases that are reserved
for the kingdom of God. The local church is the city on a hill, the salt of the
earth, and the light of the world. The local church is the answer for the
problems of the world, and yet we neglect the bride of Christ time and time
again for all the whimsical allures of the world.
I hope that we can give up fighting the cultural battles of
our day on a political level because they have already been lost, let's focus
on changing our lives to be more like God wants them to be and shower our
community and the world with the love of God. We can't make a nation Christian
through legislation. Instead we must work through our local churches to win the
hearts of people to Jesus. Through that, our nation will have more Christians.
God is the source of true power.
Myth #7. If Jesus didn't say
it, it doesn't matter.
"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27 ESV)
Lately, there has been a movement away from the whole
testimony of the canon of Scripture toward only the red letters of Jesus. This
is an attack on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and on the inspiration of the entirety
of Scripture. It leads to us ignoring the teachings of the Old Testament along
with all of the issues addressed in the letters to the churches and church
leaders that addressed the dominant issues in the early church.
Jesus not addressing something could mean many things. It
could mean that it wasn't a prominent issue in His time. It could just be that
He did address it but known of the authors felt the need to write it down in
the books that have endured the test of time. Whatever the case, the silence of
the records we have don't tell us much on an issue. This is where we should
look to whole testimony of Scripture along with allowing the Holy Spirit to
guide us into truth.
Myth #8. You can't love someone if you don't accept who they
are.
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh." (Jude 1:20-23 ESV)
Saying that we have to only love people who we accept as
they are is a graceless approach to love. For what do we do with people that we
don't approve of their actions. Take this to a logical extreme. How do we treat
pedophiles then? Are we not to love them? Of course we are to still love them
despite absolutely hating their actions. What do we do with a person who
marches into a church and shoots the people. Again, the church, time and time
again, models a different approach and loves the person despite absolutely
hating the sinful action. Hate "even the garment stained by the
flesh."
This approach allows us to live in grace. Grace needed for
others and grace needed for ourselves. There are thoughts and actions in my
life that I absolutely despite, yet the grace of God covers me. He still loves
me despite hating sin. God knows far greater than we can understand the
destructive force of sin. Sin destroys. It takes what is meant for a good
purpose and morphs into a shadow of its intended glory.
So we should fight to stifle sin for it is worthy of our
hate. Yet we should always love everyone no matter how severe the sin they
struggle with or have committed is.
Myth #9. It's okay to demonize, not understand, and misrepresent
those who I don't agree with.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Romans 12:14 (ESV)
With all of this said, we must be generous in every
conversation. Instead of attacking others, we should just make our point while
leaving the people that disagree with us alone. Instead of learning about a
side from someone attacking that side, we should learn about it from someone
who generally believes it. Instead of calling people heretics to end a
conversation, we should let them share their views with us in love.
If we want a hearing for the message we want to share, we
must live in a way that people view worthy of giving a hearing to. This means
blessing our enemies and abstaining from saying bad things about them. This
means letting our actions of love go into the world before our words. This
means treating others, even those who may intend to harm us, as the image of
God they were created to be.
