Look Beyond

I sat in a bible study group once and listened to what was a pretty bland and limited exchange until someone mentioned, in passing, the topic of gender identity.

Suddenly, it was as though a massive volt of energy surged through the room; and suddenly, everyone had something to say, and couldn’t wait to say it. All were in agreement as they spoke heatedly about how sexual identity issues and homosexuality are wrong. Each seemed to be caught up emotionally by what seems to be such a provocative issue for Christians. Yet without realising it, just by expressing their moral outrage, each had been hooked by the devil into judging and condemning others.

Mentions of gender issues and sexuality seem to act like a red rag to a bull for most Christians. It rattles their chains sufficiently that before you know it, they are getting worked up about how wrong it is. And yes, homosexuality and any sexual perversion is wrong according to the Bible, but so is any kind of sin. The mistake we make is in considering sexuality issues as somehow more reprehensible than any other sin.

How can we expect anyone struggling with their gender identity or sexuality to listen to us for even a single minute if all we’re going to do is tell them how wrong it is? Deep inside, they already know it’s wrong. It’s why they struggle so much and fight so hard for acceptance. They desperately want society to tell them that their temptation or desire to do what’s wrong is actually ok. And all our moral outrage does is strengthen their resolve. The minute we give their cause all that negative attention, we end up legitimising that cause for them. It is our self-righteous determination to help them see how wrong they are that simply fuels their resolve. Our vociferous objections are what lend credence to their crusade for equality and justice, because our focus is on the wrong thing.

We need to train ourselves to look beyond what is in front of us; to look deeper into an issue than just what is presented, and to quit moralising.

Disagreeing with someone is fine, but our need to vocalise our moral outrage is what causes offence because no one likes to be condemned. To quote Arthur Meintjes, “righteousness is not a standard of morality, it is a position in the presence of God.” It isn’t the sins we commit that can keep us from eternal life, it’s the failure to accept and receive the redemption Jesus purchased for us with his own life. There are no levels of sin, as though one sin is worse than another. When Jesus died, he paid for all sin – yours, mine, and theirs. He has already forgiven them. Have we?

When we made the decision to receive Jesus, we also received the benefit of his forgiveness for our sins. The righteousness of Christ was imputed to us by the grace of God, through no doing of our own. Any righteousness we have before God is therefore not our own, so we are in no position to judge the righteousness of anyone else. And it isn’t a pleasant thought to consider that every time we act self-righteously, we are committing a sin that makes us no better (or worse) than someone engaged in the sexual sins we find so objectionable. And unpleasant as that is, that doesn’t make it any less true.

If we think or believe that being saved makes us somehow better than someone else, we are being self-righteous. The fact is that we are not entitled to judge others by their actions, right or wrong. A person’s value or worth should not be determined by what they do. What point is there in getting upset about how wrong something is, as though our feelings about it will make any difference to the situation or have the capacity to change it?

In truth, the devil relies on our self righteousness. He is the one that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), and every time we get self-righteous about sexuality issues, we become the tools he uses to do his dirty work.

We need to look beyond the rightness or wrongness of any issue and begin to understand the why of it. We need to demonstrate compassion and respect for others by looking beyond the issue and seeing the person. Jesus does, and thank God that he does. Because really, what right do we think we have to condemn anyone for their choices, as though we ourselves have never made a bad choice?

Folks, we are meant to be God’s ministers of reconciliation, but how can anyone get to know the gentle message of God’s love if all they hear are our shouts of condemnation? Love is a choice, so let’s exercise that choice to look beyond what people do, and instead love the person behind the actions – because God does.

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