For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 NIVUK
There have been some terrifically frightening headlines over the past few years attributed to the so-called ‘Christian right’. I am not particularly liberal, left-wing or right-wing, but in my conscience I have a real problem when the name of Christ is being attached to violent protests against any other human being, regardless of who they are or what they are doing, because that’s just not who He was.
I might lose a few followers here, but I have to be honest and direct.
Any anti-immigrant protest or protest against a particular ethnic or religious group, is, by its very nature, un-Christian.
Any protest against those of a particular gender or sexuality, particularly those that call for violence against such people, is, by its very nature, un-Christian.
Any posts on social media that negatively characterises those of an opposing political persuasion, or even those who have an affinity for an opposing sports team are, by their very nature, un-Christian.
Any posts on social media, or even verbal arguments, that negatively characterises those whose theologies are not our own are, by their very nature, un-Christian.
Those who participate in such things should repent of their sin.
Why?
Because, by the very nature of the Gospel, they are wrong.
Because in following Christ, the way we think about other people, and especially those who follow Jesus, must change.
If it doesn’t, then I would have to question if we were really following Christ at all.
You see, the heart of the Gospel is these verses, taught by none other than Jesus Christ Himself:
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’
Matthew 22:34-40 NIVUK
Loving God we understand. And we have just looked at a lengthy post that covers loving ourselves. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend that you do. It will provide a good background for this post.
So now we must understand the need to love others, and to prove it not just with flowers or greetings cards, but with how we think and act.
But why?
Firstly because of what Christ has done.
A number of years ago, we bought our house. We were happy with the amount of money we paid. It was a good price. But a few weeks after we moved in, another house on our street, with a similar layout to ours, sold for a third more.
We were ecstatic.
The value of something is determined by how much we, or someone else, is willing to pay for it.
It’s true of houses. It’s true of a great many things.
It’s also true of people.
But not in the sense of slavery or even salary. No, I mean the price paid to save them.
And that price – for every human being there has been and will ever be – was high:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 NIVUK
The price He paid for you, He also paid for everyone else.
So if Christ did indeed die for them, you have no right to devalue them (1 Corinthians 8:9-12). He paid a high price for you. He paid the same price for them. Both of you are worth it.
But as well as what Christ has done, our opinions of others should also be shaped by what Christ is doing. In Philippians we see these famous verses:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13 NIVUK
These wonderful verses talk about God working in partnership with us to fulfil His good purpose, which is to make us Christ-like (Ephesians 4:11-16). This is a purpose that can, and often does, cost us everything (Philippians 3:8-11).
But let me ask you this: if that is God’s purpose for you, do you not think it’s also His purpose for other people?
Are you perfect? I sincerely doubt it.
Am I perfect? No.
Are other people perfect? No.
We’re all, like Paul, striving to be better, in the knowledge that often we aren't (Philippians 3:12-14).
Would we like other people to make allowances for the fact that we are not perfect? Of course!
But are we willing to do the same for others?
Are we willing to show them the same grace and understanding; to give them the same leeway?
The whole law is summed up in this sentence, according to Jesus:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12 NIVUK
And the Bible has another reason for this: if God is at work in our lives, then who is to say He is not at work in other people?
Late in the book of Acts, we read these verses:
‘On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Acts 26:12-14 NIVUK
A goad is a sharp stick, used to keep oxen ploughing in a straight line. So what this verse implies is that God was working in Paul’s life to bring him to faith, even while Paul was intent on murdering Christians!
If God can do this with Paul the arch-persecutor of the church and the self-declared worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16), what can He do in the people around us? What could He already be doing that we don’t know anything about?
Surely our desire is not to cause them to stumble on the pathway to salvation (Matthew 18:6), but to lead them to deliverance.
And so I implore you: treat every person as if God was already at work in their life. Don’t get in the way of His work!
As well as what Christ has done and is doing, I want to end by talking about what Christ might do, in that He might bring them into the Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12 teaches a number of very simple truths about the Body of Christ, His church:
· We don’t have any choice on who is part of it (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
· We are required to accept those who are different from us, and indeed to choose to benefit from these differences (1 Corinthians 12:15-20)
· Every part of it is worthy of equal respect (1 Corinthians 12:21-25)
· Because we are part of the same Body, we should treat each other with compassion and understanding (1 Corinthians 12:26)
· We should each seek to bring our distinctive gifts and experiences into the church to serve each other for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 12:27-30, see also 14:12)
· We should be bound together in love (1 Corinthians 12:31, 13)
How different would church be if we took this seriously!
Before you react angrily to a social media post, or get involved in an unnecessary heated argument with a spiky retort, ask yourself this question: what if God brought my adversary into the church? What if I was part of the same Body of Christ as them? How would I respond?
In recent years, the entirely unfortunate habit of self-harm has come to the fore. People who self-harm are truly suffering. Things are not normal with them. They clearly need help. We all agree with that.
It seems to me that Christians who react poorly to other believers are actually committing a form of self-harm.
They are like skydivers cutting themselves loose from their parachute while plummeting to the earth, or like tightrope walkers destroying their safety net.
It just makes no sense.
We are all part of the same Body. When we need help, when our shortcomings are plain, when we need encouragement, then the other parts of the Body can help us. It makes no sense – none at all – to cut ourselves off from it.
And to make an enemy of someone who could be a part of the Body someday? Even less so.
My father was famously thrown out of a Lodge meeting, much to his own father’s annoyance.
The talk that day had been on loving their neighbour, but somehow the speaker inserted that they should hate Catholics. That is utterly absurd. So my father spoke up. Rather vociferously. In his inimitable style. My father was a hero to me for doing what he did.
As Christians we are called to love our neighbours as ourselves. No ifs. No buts. No exceptions. If we fail to obey this call, we break the whole law and we are a walking billboard of failed religion.
Our opinion of our fellow human beings has to change. We cannot see them as sub-human any more.
If God sees them as worthy of His love, who are we to disagree?
When we are equally as unworthy as them
Prayer
Lord Jesus, if I harbour hate or misgivings or suspicions in my heart about any group of people, forgive me, I pray. Help me to see that You have called me to love without exceptions. Show me what that will mean for me. Amen.
Questions
1. Is there a group of people you struggle to love? Why? How can you put that right?
2. What has Christ done? What is He doing? What might He do?
3. How do these three things make a difference to how we think about and treat other people?
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