A Call For Christian Charity
As Christians, we’re called to look different from the world. We’re supposed to live in a way that’s different—maybe even attractive. That’s what see with the early church in Acts 2. They were selling their extra stuff, distributing to any who had need, and they were taking care of each other. That has to look attractive to an outsider.
I’d like to posit the question, "Do we look attractive today?" My short answer to that question is, "No." Anyone with eyes can see the United States is a very divided nation right now. A quick glance at Christian Facebook or Twitter reveals the same thing about Christians. We honestly don’t look very different from the world.
We may be divided on different issues, but we seem to be divided nonetheless. The truly shameful thing is that in our division, we don’t even see much charity happening between brothers and sisters. Instead, people seem hateful. Any disagreement is taken as a direct offense to a person. Our division with one another seems very much like the division happening between a lost world.
I’m issuing a call for Christians of all tribes to examine their hearts and ask themselves, "Am I following after Christ?" Do our disagreements exhibit love and charity toward one another or are we acting hateful? Are we being prideful in our engagements (especially online) and are we unable to embody the humility that should be characteristic of the Christian life? I think we are desperate to see more charity in our interactions.
Maybe we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Instead of responding out of anger or emotion, we should ask for more clarity. We should work to befriend others we disagree with so we can see them as humans made in the image of God rather than a person who holds a position we don’t like.
We need to look to people already doing this well as our examples. Guys like Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and Mark Dever show us wonderful examples of Christian friendship even though they disagree on something as fundamental as baptism. We need friends who disagree with us on how issues of injustice should be worked out in the Christian life. Traditionalists need Calvinist friends. Calvinists need friends who are Traditionalists. Amillenialists need friends who are Premillenialists and vice versa. We need to be people who are largely unified on issues that aren’t first tier. We need to be people who disagree well and charitably.
Certainly there are things we should disagree over. Those first tier gospel issues cannot be compromised and must be agreed upon. If someone doesn’t hold to the virgin birth of Christ, we should disagree. We cannot add to or take away from the gospel. (For how we think about first, second, and third tier issues, see this article). For issues falling below first tier, we may not be in the same church, but we shouldn’t be at each other’s throats. We should look different from the world Disagreeing doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends with those of differing opinions.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 (ESV), ""You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet." Has all of this disagreement and disassociation between believers caused us to lose our saltiness? Have we lost our taste before a lost world?
He goes on to say in verses 14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Has social media put our light out? The world sees us arguing and fighting and we look just as dark as they are.
It’s time for us to start believing the best about one another until proven otherwise. Certainly families have disagreements and fights, but at the end of the day they still love one another because they are family. We have been adopted into the family of God! We aren’t perfect yet, but his family should be an attractive place to belong because it’s full of people who have experienced forgiveness and restoration that they don’t deserve. In an age of outrage, we would all do well to remember Jesus’s words in John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
