Internal Conflict
I don’t necessarily make it my duty to vocalize my opinion on world issues. I don’t particularly know if that’s a good or a bad thing. It’s just that if I’m to appoint myself as a member of the “voice of reason initiative,” I’d like to not be two-faced and wavering in my convictions.
I grapple too often with how I feel, what I think and the infallibility of biblical principles to offer my opinion as pure gold. So, I shut up or have private conversations with friends. My apparent cowardice retreat is contrasted by the crescendo of the church’s voice in Jamaica, and I applaud this vitality. The growing activity of the Jamaican church in response to social issues is something I without a doubt commend and hope to be more actively engaged in.
However, the reasoning behind the fear that restrains me from sharing, is to some degree what I see manifesting itself in Christian responses: Inconsistency. Inconsistency with scripture and most visibly I’d say, inconsistency with the heart of God. Disclaimer: the following statements are just humble observations from a young adult trying to reconcile what I see with biblical truth.
What I’ve seen too often is the “Christian intelligentsia” getting caught up in unending repartees, showdowns of wit, long winded rhetoric, ripping to shreds logical arguments and severing the syllogisms of the world. And in my inconsistent state, my heart is rooting like “yeah, we showed them! 1 more point for team Jesus.” But in the wake of recent social issues like abortion and the fight for the repealing of the buggery law, the Lord saw it fit to show me my heart. As He graciously brought into juxtaposition my heart with His, it was clear that they weren’t in synch. I had missed the heart of God and misunderstood the spirit of His words.
Holiness and Love
The precepts and commands of the Lord are eternal and righteous and stem from His very nature of holiness and love. These two attributes many times seem to be points of tension for our minds as love is reduced to fluffy clouds and rainbows, while holiness is summed up in the wrath of God against all evil. Yet this “paradox” finds peaceful coexistence in the cross, providing for us the example of balance that we need. Jesus on the cross embodies the righteous requirements of God’s holiness being met. His holiness dictates that the wages of sin is death and Jesus in becoming sin, covered that for us, whilst extending His love to His enemies.
Balancing Act
So how does this balance find outworking in our day to day responses to societal issues? I believe it begins with a change in our perspective that holiness and love aren't mutually exclusive concepts. With that changed perspective our arguments and debates would be with the end goal of restoration.
The complete picture must be brought each time. If we stop at God's holiness, then persons feel judged without recourse. If we stop at his redemptive love, then people may feel that their sin is hardly a problem to an all forgiving and loving God. However, I believe the balance finds perfect demonstration in John 8.
The Pharisees and Sadducees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, he then says whoever is without sin should cast the first stone. “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (John Chapter 8 Verses 10-11). We see His restorative love and holiness as He extends love yet holds her to a changed behavior by saying "go thy way and sin no more." This I believe is a practical example from scripture that should inform our responses.
Messengers of Reconciliation
We have been given the noble job of being reconciliation messengers. “And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians Chapter 5 Verses 18 & 19.)
A friend of mine brought into perspective something for me, she shared that it was impossible for her to accept as God’s wrath, especially after Jesus, anything that does not also make room for reconciliation.
Small Request
So, I said all of that to ask, in our attempt to defend and represent God’s standards, have we missed His heart? We are so quick to chant that we “love the sinner but hate the sin” but how well have we been loving sinners? May I make one small request, having invited you into the expression of my heart, that when we are quick to be the voice of the Church, can we also ensure that we accurately display the message of reconciliation, which I believe is sentiment of God’s heart?
Jhonelle is a Jesus enthusiast and Christian youth leader. She’s a lover of all things related to discipleship and a freelance writer.