Recently there was an uproar that swept across the United States over Chic-fil-A, a Southern fast-food restaurant chain. I don’t know; it may still be going on. I don’t have all the facts on the issue, but I’m not sure anyone else does either. I’m not going to try to comment on that particular issue. Rather I will share a lesson I learned through my own personal experience in commenting and/or taking sides in the issue as it was raised on Facebook.
What I saw on Facebook was that Chic-fil-A was a company that was being attacked, because an owner voiced his belief on the issue of marriage being between one man and one woman. Honestly, as a born and raised United States citizen of a certain age, I take our freedoms and rights to free speech very seriously. I admit I was bothered that any group or person would mount an all-out boycott of the chain to punish them for using their inalienable rights to free speech. So, I supported them on that day by sharing the post on my Facebook page. I don’t live near there, so I could not shop there. I’ve actually never eaten at a Chic-fil-A. I just found myself weary for a moment that a group that is, in my opinion, very vocal and abundant in using their rights to free speech would try to silence another.
I love this country and I love the freedoms we possess. I love that in a democracy, I have the right to make up my own mind about an issue and vote my conscience rather than have someone dictate to me what my conscience ought to be. I believe in the right to debate the issues on the facts without getting personal and without doing harm. I stand for free speech and for the constitution as it was intended by its writers. I supported Chic-fil-A because I believe in free speech. I did not take time to dig into the issue any further than that and I did not think about it beyond the issue that I saw. There was my greatest mistake.
As I said, I shared it on my Facebook page. A little later a friend commented on their own page about how their Facebook friends get so annoying every four years with their emotional drama on this issue. My heart sank as I realized that I had friends on Facebook who were on the other side of this issue. I am a Christian and a pastor. I am supposed to do no harm! Yet, there I was doing harm to a human being that I love and cherish. They said they were stronger than that and I did not hurt them. We ended up having a very good dialogue about it in private. (The Lord is good even when I blunder.) Yet there was still a lesson for me to learn.
I was reminded that this is why Paul told us that Christians are not to get caught up in political affairs. Second Timothy 2:4 in the NIV says, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs–he wants to please his commanding officer.” I think as Christians, we must be so careful when sharing our beliefs. If we share in such a way as to turn others away from Christ, then we have failed in our calling. When we become politicized Christians I think we may no longer be missional Christians.
Jesus said to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mat 28:19-20) We seem to mix this up when we become political Christians. When we are being political, like I was with the Chic-fil-A support, we are teaching those to observe what Jesus commanded us before we are making them disciples. The outcome of doing things this way only serves to alienate people from the love of God as well as stop any desire to hear the gospel from us.
There is nowhere in Scripture that we are told to stop sinning and clean up our act before we can be saved. People are supposed to be a mess when they come to Jesus. We are supposed to be sinners who need a Savior. John 3:16 tells us that Jesus died for whosoever! So rather than trying to make the unsaved behave as saved; why don’t we let them know that they are welcome to come to Jesus as they are, because they fall under the category of whosoever?
Sadly, too often I think we forget where we have come from. We were not perfect before we came to Christ and we are not yet perfected in Him yet. Sin is sin; we put the categories to it. Yes, I hear you. I hear the same argument in my own head. Sexual sins are different because they are sins against one’s own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18) However, I always follow that up with the fact that adultery and fornication are equal sins against the body and Christians are not up in arms about those two issues. Paul tells us in Romans that “. . . there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom 3:22-23) He was saying that there is no difference in the sin committed because all have sinned and all need a Savior.
I hear you. I hear you. What about the fact that the Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination (morally disgusting)? (Leviticus 18:22) There are plenty of things the Lord lists as abominations, such as in Luke 16:14-15, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, ‘you are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’” If Christians are willing to justify themselves to the point they are willing to judge others’ sins, then they too become an abomination before the Lord. I don’t hear anyone politicizing that.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) Paul teaches us yet another lesson: we are Christ’s ambassadors to this world. That means we ought to meet the world with His same heart, mind, compassion, and goals. Our job is to reconcile the lost to God. It is not our job to legislate people to act like Christians then have them end up in hell because we never bothered to minister reconciliation to them. This is a shameful thing.
One final thought on this subject is in regard to legislating our morals. I will begin by saying that I do think we ought to vote in such a way as to honor Christ. However, my caution and concern are that if we so legislate our morals so that we cannot tell the Christians from the non-Christians, how will we know when and with whom to share the gospel? Jesus saw the crowds who had no shepherd and He had compassion on them. (Matthew 9:36) So should we.
What lesson have I learned? I have learned that I cannot rightly share the gospel with a lost soul when I am publicly politicizing my Christian views as law for all to follow. What I have learned is that the sinner comes to Jesus, because he or she knows they need a Savior. All they can do is accept His redeeming work on the Cross and say thank you for it. Then, Jesus will change them however He sees fit. Not only will Jesus change them, but He will also cause them to want to change. It is not my job to clean anyone else up. It is my job to show mercy and point them to Christ, who can change them into His image.
Christians forcing the lost or the found to change in order to meet their standards are only forcing man to submit once again to a law Jesus already fulfilled. We are now under grace. (Romans 6:14) Each one is to work out his own salvation by submitting their life to Christ, seeking Him through His Word, and being obedient to Him. (Philippians 2:12) Nowhere in there does it say that we are to police another’s walk before Him. We are to measure ourselves up to the Word of God and let it transform us into His image.
I want to see all people set free from the sins that have a grip on them, but I cannot make that happen for them. I can confront them in love with Scripture in hand. They should already be Christians if I do this, but their walk is between them and Jesus. I can be loving, accepting, encouraging, and even exhorting. I can confront in love when Jesus leads me to; but I must not confront, because the change in them would make me more comfortable. If they are not Christians, the message they need is that of reconciliation. Tell them what Jesus has done for them and love them as He loves them.
Jesus left heaven and lived on this earth in the form of a mortal man. He walked in our shoes and experienced all that we experience, yet He was without sin. His earthly perfection made Him the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. He willingly went to the Cross and bore all of our sins – the sins of every person for all time. Our sins died with Him on the Cross and our new lives were resurrected with Him when He rose from the grave. His blood had made us clean and acceptable to God.
All you need to do is know that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Don’t worry about what He might ask you to change in your life. He will not ask until you are ready if He wants to ask at all. He is patient and kind. He is for you and not against you. You need to believe that Jesus is that Savior then receive the forgiveness He died to give you. Tell Him thank you and invite Him to come into your heart and be Lord of your life. Finally, commit the rest of your life to Him for He purchased you with His own blood. Take these steps and have a life you never knew was possible. I. I pray you will know God’s unfailing love for you.