Love, Courage, and Wisdom
by Jeremy McKeen
I was recently asked by Moody Radio South Florida (89.3FM) if I would share my thoughts on how Christians should respond to the recent Supreme Court decision regarding homosexuality and marriage. Below is a summary of what I shared in the interview this morning.
Challenge The Christian response to this subject is very challenging, not because the truth is unclear, but rather because you need to take into consideration who you’re speaking to about the truth. Are you speaking to the convinced or to the confused? Are you speaking to people who are convinced that the traditional biblical view of marriage is right, or to those who are convinced that the traditional view of marriage is not the only way to define marriage? Are you speaking to someone who struggles with homosexual proclivities and is sexually confused, or to someone who is unsure about which position to take on the issue? There’s not a one-size fits all answer on how a Christian should respond. This is a challenge. And yet, regardless of whom a Christian is engaging with about this subject, his or her response must embody three essential Christian virtues: love, courage, and wisdom.
LoveAny discussion on this issue must be done in the spirit of love. A great example of this is Jesus speaking with the woman at the well in John 4. Here’s a woman whose life is one of great sexual brokenness, and what does Jesus do? Give her a lecture? No, he gives her his love. He speaks to her (something culturally forbidden), and reveals his true identity to her. He knows that sexual sin will not satisfy her, and so he offers to her the only thing that will. In the same spirit of Jesus, we don’t have to like the Supreme Court’s decision, but every Christian is duty bound to love people who are celebrating it and living a homosexual lifestyle. We must not neglect this essential attitude of love and kindness. It’s essential. In fact, Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 13 that having the right theology is not enough; we must have the right posture to go along with it. It doesn’t matter how intelligent and witty our response is; if it’s not done in love, we’re getting it wrong.
And Christians are called to love people not as if we're their superiors, but as their equals. The woman at the well is a picture of the entire church. We’re all equally in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Christians need to work hard at not reinforcing the false caricature that already exists of self-righteousness and hatred toward people practicing homosexuality. And this love needs to be in action, not just in attitude. So for example, if you’re driving into work and wondering how to interact with your co-workers who you know will disagree with you on this subject, surprise them. Bring the donuts to work that morning or treat them for lunch. Go the extra mile. Love your neighbor as yourself. Rico Tice once said, “We want to be living in a way that raises questions, and then speaking in a way that answers them.” And if we really love someone, then out of that love we will speak the truth. Remember, Jesus loved the Samaritan woman, but he also spoke the truth and addressed her sin. Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery and said, “Neither do I condemn you.” But he also said, “Go and sin no more.” This is where it takes courage.
CourageI love the story of Daniel when the law is passed and sent down from the “Supreme Court” of his day that it was illegal to pray to the true God; Daniel doesn’t change a thing. To be honest, I think I would have at least shut the windows, but not Daniel. The man had courage. He kept doing exactly what he was doing just as before. No compromise. This is the type of courage that is needed. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor.16:13-14). Notice the combination of both love and courage in that verse. As Jonathan Parnell put it, our message must be, “You’re loved, and you’re wrong.” After all, this is the message of the cross. “You’re loved, and you’re wrong.” Christians need the courage to not cave under the cultural pressure and the peer pressure to revise what the bible clearly teaches on this subject, and Christian Pastors need to have the courage to teach the traditional biblical view of marriage and to give a compelling vision for God’s beautiful design for sexuality. In this day of compromise what is needed is not more hip and trendy ministers trying to make the bible more palatable but men who are willing to be called "fools for Christ's sake." Christians are commanded to stand for the truth, to contend for the faith, even if and when people will misunderstand that as bigotry or hatred. The real Jesus that marches through the gospels wasn't afraid of saying the hard things and we mustn't be either.
WisdomFinally, Christians need to exercise great wisdom and tact in their responses. We must, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders” (Col.4:5). Supreme Court decisions are not overturned because of some hateful theological rant on Facebook or badgering people around the lunch table. By all means, exercise free speech, but let’s be wise about it. Jesus taught us to be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves” (Matt.10:16).
Wisdom will not just mean knowing how and when to speak up, but what to say when even fellow Christians are challenging you on the biblical teaching on homosexuality. Christians must do their homework and be prepared to respond. The best passage that spells it all out is Romans 1. Paul explains that when an individual or a nation turns from God, three exchanges take place: First, they exchange worshipping the Creator for worshipping created things (idolatry). Second, they exchange the truth about God for a lie (falsehood). Third, they exchange natural sexual relations for sexual perversion (homosexuality). Turning away from your Designer ultimately leads to turning away from your design. And the final step in this sequence is an all out approval of blatant sins – “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Rom.1:32). Clearly, this is where we are now as a nation. Its not just practiced; it's approved.
At the end of the day, Christians need to ask themselves, “Do I love my religious liberty more than people’s souls? Do I love America more than the church? Am I living in the fear of the unknown future or in the peace of the known God? Do I love to be right more than I love my neighbor? Let me close by paraphrasing something I read from Russell Moore - "These are dark days when in comes to marriage in our culture, but remember that it was on the darkest day, when the Son of God hung upon the cross, that God accomplished the greatest triumph in the world. That day wasn’t the end of the story, and neither is today." May we respond to this issue and this day with great love, courage, and wisdom.