Hey Pastor, You Killed my Friend…
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INTRO
A kind of fragile despair has crept into the modern mind so that it can no longer be safely challenged. To question the thoughts, or the lifestyle, of another person or group, has become the moral equivalent of executing violence against them. Or so we are told. To say that this or that thing is morally wrong, and needs to be repented from, is to become culpable for their suicide. This was the ugly goblet of shame recently dumped on my unsuspecting head.
In a private message on Facebook, I was asked the following questions by a random user:
"Do you think my friend deserved all the abuse and pain that she took? Are you happy that she's dead? Do you hate my friend? Pastor, did you want transgender people to kill themselves? Is that what you wanted?"
These questions were shocking to me. Not only does my very existence (and Biblical beliefs) threaten the life of another human being, but the only acceptable recourse offered is for me to no longer call transgenderism a sin. As a Christian, I cannot comply here. According to this logic, either I will disobey God by turning a blind eye toward sin or become a serial killer with bloodstains on my hands. This is the highly polarized perspective I was invited into.
But, as I was thinking about this exchange, I realized that this is precisely what persecution will look like in the modern world. When a Christian shares truth from Scripture, even in the most gentle and loving ways, we will not be beaten, beheaded, or thrown in prison. At least not yet. More likely, we will be accused of murdering people with ideas. We will be endlessly boycotted and ever hated by people who do not have the love of Christ and, as a result, have an endless supply of fury to spew in our direction for a thousand lifetimes.
The message continues:
"You've made an enemy. Until you stop your vendetta, die, or move away, I guess I'm just going to have to fight you forever."
As Christians, how are we to think about messages such as this?
REMEMBER, WHO WE ARE
Before we move on to strategy, We need to remember who we are in Christ. We are people who have been ransomed out of the kingdom of darkness and brought into God's marvelous Kingdom of dazzling Light (Col. 1:13). Before Jesus rescued us, we were enslaved by our aberrant passions (Ti 3:3) and consumed by all malice and disgusting rebellions (Ro. 1:29-32; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Co. 6:9-10). There was nothing at all different between the most flagrant sinners on earth and us, which is, in fact, where God stepped in (1 Cor. 6:11). From that wicked and lowly estate, the Lord Jesus Christ set His electing affections upon us and purchased us out of the thralls of sin to become His slaves of righteousness (Ro. 6:17-18). Now, as people who belong to Him, we declare our allegiance and adorations, our loyalty and love, by no longer gratifying our former lusts (Gal 5:16; Eph. 2:1-8), but by killing the flesh (Ro. 8:13), so that we can be obedient to Him (John 14:15; Eph 2:10). That loving and loyal obedience requires that we will go, do, and say whatever He commands (Luke 6:46), which involves nothing less than discipling the pagan nations to know what Jesus thinks concerning all things (Mt. 28:18-20). Essentially, being a Christian means joining Jesus' campaign to conform the world (the world we once belonged to) into His beautifying redemptive vision. That work requires sharing the Gospel (Mk 16:15).
REMEMBER, WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO SHARE
Now, to share something, we must first know what that thing is. We can only speak intelligently about a thing if we fully comprehend what that thing is. For that reason, a brief sketch of the Gospel is in order, followed by some common lies that the world will accuse us of when we are vigilant in sharing God's truth.
The Gospel is God's loving offer of reconciliation and compassion to seedy rebels (Ro. 5:8). It is an offer executed by Christ alone (Jn 14:6), applied by His Spirit alone (1 Pt. 3:18) for the salvation of those He predestined alone (Eph. 1:5; Ro. 8:28-30). It is a message meant to be communicated by the very ones it saves (Ac. 1:9). It is a message we are called to become increasingly familiar with and effective at sharing (Phm 9). And it is a message that has certain essential elements that must be included if it is to be considered a "Gospel message." Those elements are as follows.
The Gospel begins with the bad news that we deserve death for our rebellion against God (Gen 3:19; Ro.1:32) and that we cannot repair the relationship by our own fickle virtue (Eph 2:8-9). The Gospel tells us that our sin is the poison that is killing us slowly (Ja. 1:15), and it is the toxic venom that will ensure our everlasting death in agony forever (Rev. 21:8). Because we are utterly helpless to rescue ourselves salvation must come from God alone (Jnh 2:9), which is why God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save His people from their sin (Jn. 3:16).
That rescue plan required Christ perfectly obeying the law that you and I had perfectly transgressed (Heb. 4:15). It would involve God crediting us with the righteous status of Jesus Christ (Phil 3:9) while pouring our sin and our rebellions onto Him (2 Co. 5:21). Christ would trade places with us, giving us His life and freedom, taking our misery and shame down into the grave (Gal 3:13-14) and bringing us new life in His resurrection (Ro. 6:6). For Christ Jesus on the third day, rose from the dead, being exalted above all things (Phil 2:9), securing redemption for all His lowly people (1 Co. 1:16-17), and making Christ the author and perfecter of our salvation (Heb 12:2). Then, after ascending into heaven, to reign at the right hand of God (Ro. 8:34), He is now pouring out His Spirit onto all whom He chooses (Jn. 6:63; Ac. 2:33), so that they will have faith in Christ alone (Ro. 15:13), and so that the Spirit will help them declare His Gospel alone (Jn 16:13; Ac. 4:12; Ro. 10:14).
The plain and simple point of the Gospel is that it is the message that saved us, so we can join the legions declaring it so that more may be ransomed from death to life. And we know from Scripture that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be saved (Rev. 6:9) as well as people who are rescued out of every kind of moral filth, degeneracy, or deviancy (1 Co. 11:9-11), and since Christians are not omniscient (knowing the specific people with whom God has chosen) we must declare this Gospel unreservedly by faith to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23).
We understand that this message is hated by the world (1 Jn. 3:11-13), who would rather cling to their darkness than step into the light of Christ (Jn 3:19). We know that the world will call us foolish for declaring such a Gospel (1 Co. 1:21-23) but let us also remember that this is God's appointed means for saving His people (1 Co. 1:24-25), and let us echo Paul in saying:
For if I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel. - 1 Corinthians 9:16
These are essential truths we must conform to if we are called "Christians." While it is clear that we live in a time of great confusion, the Bible has never been confusing. We have a message that we are commanded by the living God to share. We have a message the world does not want to hear. Who will we obey? Will we follow the world that hates our God and us? Or will we heed the God who eternally loves us and has saved us with the same message He beckons us to now declare? The answer is surprisingly simple, while not always being so easy to obey.
With that, I want us to conclude by examining three fallacies we will encounter when sharing the Gospel, as well as God's heart for us when we share it.
THE GOSPEL IS NOT VIOLENCE
The world would have us believe that differing opinions are like machetes in the hands of a raging lunatic; only death and destruction can follow. This is an odd perspective, especially from a culture that has made "the science," a discipline once known for challenging assumptions with actual facts, its de facto religion. Yet, if you are not currently swimming in lockstep with every whim and fancy that our deranged elites put forward into all the murky waters of the ethical septic tank that they have plunged us in, then you will be perceived as the crazy one.
C.S. Lewis predicted such a climate would occur when he said:
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind."
This is, in fact, how we appear. But it goes beyond this to moral culpability. For example, if you disagree with someone, especially when clinging to the Gospel, you are not only chided as a doolally dolted dunderhead, but your thoughts seem as menacing as one of Morgoth’s evil dragons. And, God forbid some poor soul does the unthinkable in their despair and takes their own life, then you will be viewed as the perpetrator who is holding the smoking gun.
With that said, it is beyond a tragedy that so many find suicide a viable alternative to life. That is heart-wrenching and something that all believers may genuinely weep over and pray that the Lord will bring aid. But, accusing a believer of murder for sharing what the Bible says is obviously a dangerous and appalling standard for our society to hold.
As Christians, we understand that the Gospel is not violence, at least not in the way that the world accuses it. For, while the Gospel does attack the parts of us which are deader than dead, it also brings never-ending life that replaces our death and can never be taken away. The Gospel damaging our sinful flesh brings life in the same way the surgeon's scalpel cuts away the cancer to preserve the patient. Therefore, to withhold the Gospel, which is the only cure for the malady of man, would be the only actual violence we could ever perpetrate against humanity.
While the vast majority of people today would recoil at my logic, observe the honest musings of renowned atheist Penn Jillette, who has said something about this issue:
"I've always said that I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there's a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward… How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that… I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that."
As Christians, we know the truth. The truth has set us free. And the only loving thing for us to do is to share that truth with those who are perishing.
UNBELIEVERS DON'T HAVE THE SPIRIT
There are many occasions where we fall into a very peculiar trap, expecting unbelievers to behave like Christians. Yet, when they reveal a debauched mind or bloviate as one thoroughly ingratiated in carnality, they (at least) communicate with authenticity. They are speaking as they genuinely are, and we must not expect them to adopt a veneer of Christendom to appease our fragile palate.
With this in mind, we must not become aggrieved or aggravated when they accuse us of every kind of villainy. For out of the heart, the mouth doth truly speak. And it is that lost and broken heart of man that ought to inflame our hearts to empathy. We were once lost. Had it not been for the grace of God, we would still be lost.
For this reason, we may weep for the ones who hate us without becoming hate-filled in our grief. We may console the ones who condemn us. We can pray for those who persecute us. Is this not the very example Jesus gave us while hanging on the cross (Luke 23:34)? And who knows, it could be that they will see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven when they are converted (Mt. 5:16).
3) LOVE IS DEFINED BY GOD
In closing, we must remember that the world cannot understand true love because love belongs to God. The Bible even goes as far as to say that God is love (1 Jn 4:8), which means that He is not only the One who invented the concept, but it is also central to His identity. At the very least, this demonstrates that God alone has the right to define what love is and whether or not an action is considered loving. Not to be overly frank here, but the world has nothing meaningful to contribute to the discussion, unless they borrowed concepts from the very God they are in rebellion against.
With that said, we must share the Gospel. We must do it with love, grace, tenderness, humility, empathy, and care for those who are perishing. We must share it with wisdom, with conviction, and we must also share it with charity. As the apostle Peter encourages us:
"But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame." - 1 Peter 3:15-16
