By now you’ve heard the cases of the wedding service
companies who are being told by the government who they can, and really must provide services for. You can read more about it if you want; but basically, these are companies that are taking a
stand on what has been the hot topic for discussion in today’s world for the
past decade or so – gay marriage. They’ve basically said, “We believe
homosexuality is wrong, and we won’t support it.” The government (and seemingly
society) has said, “Too bad. You have to.”
I’m on the companies' side of this issue. But there’s a much bigger
issue at play here. And it isn’t about gay marriage at all.
In today’s culture, there’s an undercurrent that is eroding
our core. It’s all about ‘acceptance.’ I’m
told that I must accept everyone, no matter what they believe, or how they act.
I’m told that if I stand up for what I believe, then I am the one that’s wrong.
The problem with that? It’s wrong.
THERE IS A
STANDARD WE TOO OFTEN IGNORE
Now, that begs the question, “What is right and what is
wrong?” How can any person define those? The answer? No person can. Sure, we
know what feels rights or what feels wrong. But without a standard on
which to measure right and wrong, it’s all relative. If that’s what we go on,
then what’s right for you is right for you and what’s right for me is right for
me. Again…that’s wrong.
In order to measure right and wrong, there has to be a standard.
That standard cannot change. It can’t be one thing today and another thing
tomorrow. It must remain constant, unchanging…eternal. That standard is the Word
of God.
Now, if you read that and you think, “But the Bible also
says …” Please don’t. Don’t rip passages of Scripture out of context and use them
as weapons in your arsenal to tell me I’m wrong. That’s one of the things I’m
most fed up with from the world. Study what you’re getting ready to quote
first. Read the context. Then we can talk. But the fact is, God’s word sets a
standard for us that is unchanging.
THERE’S NOTHING
WRONG WITH STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
The problem in today’s world? What’s truly right is seen as
wrong. I’m told by the world that my right is wrong. I’m told that I can’t
stand up and say something like, “Gay marriage is wrong,” or, “Abortion is
wrong.” I’m told that if I do stand up for what I believe, I somehow now hate
everyone who is different to me.
I’m told that if I say those things, I’m all of a sudden
judging. And I’m even shown passages from my own Bible. “Thou shalt not judge.” But pointing out wrong is not judging.
Judging is condemning someone for what they do. Pointing out something that is
wrong is an act of love.
WHAT IS LOVE?
But again, our world has a whack view of love. We confuse
love with acceptance, and we confuse acceptance with approval. So we’re told
that if we truly love someone, we must approve of every action, belief, and
stance they have. Unless that person is 37, is a man, is white, owns a gun, and
is a Christian.
I’m tired of being told I should feel bad for who I am and for what I believe and that I
should approve of everyone else’s behavior. You know what? I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel bad for pointing
out wrong, because it means I’m trying to show people what’s right.
Now, I know that the Christian community has done itself no
favors in this area. I know that are idiot Christians who do nothing but rant
and rave and point fingers of judgment at the world around them. And trust me,
nothing makes me angrier than those people who shout words of hate towards
people they don’t see eye-to-eye with. That’s not what love really is. Love is
having guts enough to show someone the right way.
But that doesn’t change the fact that there is a right and
there is a wrong; and it’s my responsibility as a follower of Jesus to love
people enough to point them to the truth. Does that mean I’m right all the
time? Of course not! But then, no one is.
But that doesn’t make me wrong. It makes me desperate to help
people understand a relationship with God – who is really the only one who is
right.
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