I know a preacher who has a kid that grew up in the church, served his country at war, served his community as a firefighter then a cop. He was married and then recently it came out that he decided to climb on the transgender band wagon and transition to being a woman. The family of course went through the roof, severing all ties, disowning their own flesh and blood and writing him off lost to sin.
My only question is what would Jesus do?
When Jesus walked the earth, I never read anything about him hating people. He didn’t like things people did but he didn’t actually have hate for anyone. If you sought his help, sought forgiveness, Through Christ you are forgiven right?
Jesus said many things about love and loving each other. The four gospels are full of that as is the rest of the bible all the way up to the Judgement. Our bibles tell us very clearly to love. The think we are to hate is Sin, Satan and the world.
Sin is something through Jesus that has no power over us. The Devil is something we are to hate because of what and who he is and the world isn’t ours to love, it belongs to Satan also.
We have been given the power to save souls in Christs name. If we stop loving each other then how can we be open to helping and saving someone?
I am sure the family is frustrated with the lost son. It would be no different than a church member backsliding away from Jesus. But when someone backslides you don’t see the Christian church disowning and shunning them do you? Sure the The Amish do, but they are as lost as everyone else.
I never saw the church easily letting one of its members fall. Well not the good churches I went to in my young Christian days.
God Will Judge All Nations
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is where I rest my feet.
So do you think you can build a house for me?
Do I need a place to rest?
2 I am the one who made all things.
They are all here because I made them,” says the Lord.
“These are the people I care for:
the poor, humble people who obey my commands.
3 Some people kill bulls as a sacrifice,
but they also beat people.
They kill sheep as a sacrifice,
but they also break the necks of dogs.
They offer up grain offerings,
but they also offer the blood of pigs.[a]
They burn incense,
but they also love their worthless idols.
They choose their own ways,
and they love their terrible idols.
4 So I decided to use their own tricks.
I will punish them using what they are most afraid of.
I will do this because I called to them,
but they did not answer.
I spoke to them,
but they did not listen.
They did what I said is evil.
They chose to do what I did not like.”
5 You who obey the Lord’s commands,
listen to what he says:
“Your brothers hated you.
They turned against you because you followed me.
Your brothers said, ‘When the Lord shows his glory,
then we will rejoice with you.’
But they will be punished.”
God will judge the world, all that are in it, all that we have done and done to one and another. If we have our names written in the Lambs book of life we shall be saved from the punishment of sin, eternal damnation in hell. But if our name IS in deed in the lambs book of life, we shall spend eternity with Jesus. We don’t get into the lambs book of life with hate in our hearts. We don’t get there by disownment of people. We don’t get there by kicking a brother off our sinking ship to keep it a float no matter how injured he may be.
We get there by admitting we are sinners, turning from sin and evil ways, putting our trust in Christ and following him. In following we learn truth, love, peace, acceptance and mercy as we will leave his side to branch out with our own ministry. Our ministry is simply to love each other as we love ourselves. Obey the commandments, follow in Jesus footsteps and in following he continues to change our minds and hearts.
If we come across the lost, how can we share the light of Jesus if we are absorbed in hate, resentment, anger, fear and everything of the devil? We can’t. We have to be in the light to save the lost in the darkness.
Maybe the story of this family is something you have battled. Maybe you know someone who has struggled with it. I know I have. I also know people have completely given up on me, this wasn’t helpful at the time where I was really lost either. I can’t say I would have bean healed over night if they had stayed with me, but I’m sure with their support I would have got out of the sin quicker.
God will judge us for our works, God will judge us for our hearts, God will Judge us for our faith in his son Jesus. Be the warrior, be the leader, be the child of God and hate the sin, not the sinner!