Judge & Jury

So, you're a Christian and there are issues facing our nation that you have very strong opinions on. You have a firm belief in what it is right and wrong and you have Biblical references to rely on. Great! You're standing up for what you believe in. However, I have to ask when God appointed you as judge and jury over those people who conduct their lives contrary to what you feel is appropriate?

I can just hear the collective gasp and the denials coming after people have read the first paragraph of this blog entry. The denials that anyone is acting as judge or jury or the justifications for acting as such are deafening even as I write this and before anyone has read it! Let me explain myself.

Let me state first, I am not offering up my stand on this issue so please do not try to take what I am saying and use it to judge me! On the issue of homosexuality, there are millions of Christian voices condemning the gay and lesbian community, their lifestyle and choices. In amongst that condemnation, the church has decided to pursue legal reforms which prevent those in the homosexual community from being able to participate in or benefit from the freedoms that heterosexuals enjoy, and they use the Bible as their justification for doing so. However, as previously stated, these people are judging those in a community for their behavior and actions and sentencing them to a life without participation in certain areas of freedoms and rights in this country.

The biggest excuse I hear from people over this issue is the old adage, "love the sinner, hate the sin." Fine! I get that, but the actions of the church today is not one of loving the people they have judged as being sinners. While their hatred of what they deem to be sin is quite evident, the hatred they are showing toward those they've labeled sinner is also showing through. Because they have decided these people are sinners, they have decided these people should be punished by refusing to allow them to do certain things or live certain ways.

And, the argument that this is a Christian nation falls on deaf ears when they speak to me because we do not live in a theocracy, which is what they want by proclaiming this a "Christian nation". They want a nation where each and every person in the country is forced to live by the Christian rules they believe in, however, we do not live in a theocracy, we live in a democratic republic. And by doing so we do not have the right to declare laws that prevent anyone from living their lives in any manner in which they see fit; whether that lines up with our interpretation of the Bible or not.

The thing is, if we devoted ourselves to living the Christian life Jesus and the apostles described for us in the New Testament Bible, we wouldn't have time to be worried about trying to force people to live the way we think they should, and I wouldn't be writing this blog post. We are each to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling; there's nothing said about working out other people's salvation in any shape, form or fashion! And, we are told, repeatedly, that we are not to judge anyone! Jesus even stated that we cannot remove the speck from our brother's eye because we have a plank in our own! And, we are reminded repeatedly that Jesus is the judge! Even God said that He would not judge us, but rather He had given that responsibility to His Son!!

I am reminded of the scriptures that tell us that though many are called, few are chosen; that the way is narrow because few will be actually walking that path; that many on the day of judgment will say to Him, "Lord, Lord" but His reply will be, "depart from Me, I never knew you!"

How could it be that those who have believed and lived what they consider a Christian life will be told to depart, that Christ never knew them? Because though they've attended church and read the Bible, they haven't put the Truth into practice in their lives: partially because they've stood in judgment of others and worked diligently to deprive those whom they consider to be lost of compassion, grace and mercy. Though they've been given those things, they refuse to give them to those around them. The scripture says, "to them who have been given, much is required." We have been given grace, mercy and forgiveness and we will be required to show that we have given grace, mercy and forgiveness to those around us. Sadly, many will realize on that day as they stand before Jesus that they are lacking in the giving back what they've been given department.