It seems to be in vogue for Christians to attack other Christians publicly, decrying their stances on issues with which we may disagree. I am 100% about standing on Biblical truth. If we’re going to do that, we need to stand on all the truths of Scripture, not just the ones we choose. I recently was forwarded an email originally from a prominent person in Christendom. In the email, the individual called out many professing Christians for their stance (or lack thereof) regarding a particular sin.
The list included corporations, athletes, and entertainers. There’s something wrong with us if the best use of our time is attacking fellow believers in Christ. Each of us has sin in their lives. We also must recognize not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a true follower of Jesus. As many before me have pointed out, it is far better to be declaring Who we are for rather calling out those things we are against.
I am for Jesus. Every day I attempt to live my life in a manner that looks like Christ. I don’t always succeed, but it is always my goal. I find it interesting how common it is for Christian leaders to confuse their agendas with that of Jesus. When He was on earth, Jesus wasn’t concerned with the political or social issues of the day. He was concerned about the countless souls going to Hell. He came bringing forgiveness, not condemnation (John 3:16-17). Jesus hung out with cheaters and adulterers. He chose his audience from the diseased and the outcast. He was even friendly with agents of the foreign government who occupied his homeland. All these people had sin in their lives. Jesus didn’t focus on fixing their lifestyles. He was more concerned with the person before Him.
Think of all those Jesus healed. He almost never mentioned the sin in their lives. He reached out and healed them, loving them without condemnation. This may have been the biggest miracle of all as most of those he healed had never known such acceptance and unconditional love. I have to believe the sin He encountered offended Him. After all, we are talking about the sinless, holy, and perfect Son of God. But Jesus didn’t waste time sniping at those who chose to follow Him. He didn’t tell them to get their house in order before coming along for the journey. In fact, the only ones Jesus consistently called out publicly were the religious leaders who spent their time condemning others.
We need to be careful before throwing stones at anyone, as we all have sins of our own. It seems especially egregious when we engage in friendly fire, publicly tearing down our brothers and sisters. This only results in weakening our own witness and rarely does much harm to the target of our diatribe. We need instead to show love and grace to all. Church discipline should happen at the local level, not in the form of mass emails and public crucifixions of character. One reason the message of Jesus is rejected by so many is we’ve tainted it with our own infighting. We need to let go of personal agendas, pet peeves, and the spirit of condemnation. Jesus prayed we all might be unified in serving Him (John 17:20-23). Paul discouraged any speech not useful for building up our brothers and sisters (Ephesians 4:29-32). If we’re going to stand on the Bible, then let’s all be unified around the person of Jesus and only engage in the practice of building up our family in Christ.