Look its a bird! No its a plane! No, it’s _________ - what? Superman! This line is a famous line in the famous Superman comic; a story of an alien from Krypton who was sent to the earth as a savior of sorts. Is this the sort of admiration Christians get from secular society; the anticipation of a superhero? No. Why is this; they are the messengers of the supernatural savior? There are several answers but the one for our purposes today is: There are too many Christians who, willingly or unintentionally, via their behavior, seem to forget that they are from this planet and along with everyone else they are also in need of saving; and it is God who is the one who entered into his creation (cf. Phil 2:6-8) to save it (cf. Matthew 1:21) - not them. (cf. John 3:16)
One big issue that the world (and even many Christians) have with many Christians, not Christianity as that is another matter, is what I have called the Cavalier Christian; the Christian who will run in relentlessly preach, citing scripture hear and there and swoop out! This is especially problematic in some Christian apologetic circles; many people, youth and adults alike seem to get it in their heads that they are out to save the day! They want to save their friends and classmates or colleagues from the fires of Hell and damnation. One possible cause of this phenomena could be the well intentioned youth or children’s pastor, or parent who fervently encourages their children or youth to always be ready to give an answer and stand up firmly for the faith, etc. (cf. 1 Peter 3:15), but fails to teach them how; and there are many Christians firing off half-cocked preaching their faith without establishing the first basics.
In two previous articles, here and here, I have gone through an analysis of 1 Peter 3:15. We have shown that what we are to be prepared for, is not just the knowledge of the facts of this natural world and their relationship with the Christian worldview, but also to show the work of Christ in your life as an individual. I also went through the foundation for representing Christ: prepare your heart with Christ before you prepare your mind with knowledge. However another fact of preparation is the method of delivery of your answer: meekness, kindness, gentleness, etc. In sum with love. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that someone can be very talented in many ways but without love all of their talents and skills will be useless. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Of course every Christian parent teaches their children about love and how we are to love thy neighbors and so forth. However this word love is a big issue today as it has come to mean different things to different people. In different contexts love is manifested in different ways, but its foundation, if it is truly love, will always be the same.
It is a common belief that in order to love our gay-neighbor we have to embrace them, as a homosexual and praise their homosexuality - in sum let them act out, who, what they believe their identity determines them as - gay. A&E’s ex-Duck Dynasty cast member Phil Robertson was fired[i] for asserting that homosexuality was sinful; and the notorious homosexual advocacy group GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) asserted that Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,...[ii] Phil said that homosexuality is sinful and that is a lie that flies in the face of the beliefs of true Christians! What do true Christians believe pray-tell? One common theme among all Christians is to love one another, and speaking against homosexuality flies in the face of that view? GLAAD argues that speaking against homosexuality is not an act of love, but hate; conversely advocating for it is loving. What does the Bible say about this assertion, besides homosexuality being sinful that is? (cf. Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:10, Matthew 19:4, Lev. 18:22, 20:13). How does the Bible describe ‘love’?
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Paul states that love is: patient, kind, meek, respectful, selfless, calm, forgiving, a promoter of truth, a hater of evil, protective, trusting, an offerer of hope and it perseveres. Scripture clearly speaks against homosexuality; according to Scripture homosexual practice is evil; to love your neighbor, gay or otherwise would be to ‘hate their evil’. For many Christians to promote homosexuality or at least to be aloof about it is to love evil. One burning question that one could ask is” “Why is God against homosexuality?” The answer is very detailed, but in a few words the answer is: Homosexual behavior is harmful to a person physically and spiritually; it is harmful to society as a whole and it is a violation of God’s original design.
So loving the evil of homosexuality, among a large myriad of other equally vile sins is not an act of love; conversely however speaking out against it, just as one speaks out against a whole host of other sins is an act of love - it says that you care for the person to beg them to stop the crazy train of self destruction. Moreover, it also shows that you love God as you are doing what you can to preserve his original design and you hate to see his moral laws violated. Another way supporting homosexual behavior within the church is evil and an act of hate if you will is it encourages people to jump into sin causing them to build up wrath upon them (cf. Romans 2:5).
How else is love manifested? Via patience, kindness, respectfulness and meekness. Love is calming and diligent and trusting. Love doesn’t obtain moral IOUs nor does it use someone’s frailty against them. Love is protective. Love is perpetual.
It is good for a Christian to be passionate about the Gospel message and representing Jesus to there neighbours; however one has to do this the right way and a Christian can do so correctly if they do so lovingly. This means they will with perseverance and patience stay calm and be kind with their friends, family, classmates and colleagues as they offer the hope of Christ. They are humble - as they are introducing the savior, as they are not the savior. They are respectful to the people who they are ministering to but they are intolerant of evil ways - in sum they don’t promote or permit evil. They are trusting in God’s good will. They will carefully instruct their friends in guidance (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
So how can a Christian properly represent Jesus in their life? They will not be the cavalier Christian; rather they will be the Christ-like and Christ-centered Christian. This year allow me to encourage you to represent Jesus lovingly, not just passionately and thoroughly. Let Jesus be the saviour of the world; you just represent him.
__________________
[i] A&E has invited Phil back on Duck Dynasty. The Hollywood Reporter records A&E stating:
We at A+E Networks expressed our disappointment with his statements in the article and reiterate that they are not views we hold.But Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man's views. It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family … a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness. These are three values that we at A+E Networks also feel strongly about. - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-e-welcomes-phil-robertson-667647 - accessed January 11, 2014
[ii] So although they stand behind their views on Homosexuality they equally stand behind other views that are held by the entire Robertson family such as unity, tolerance and forgiveness; ergo they'll stand behind the family on those values and ignore Phil's outspoken views on homosexuality.
No comments:
Post a Comment