Tag: social justice

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God Is Just—So We Can Forgive

krisshetter

“Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.” – Proverbs 29:26

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19

Back in 2009, 14-year old Amber Dubois disappeared walking to school one morning in a town to the north of me.  There were few clues as to her whereabouts.  She was even considered by some in law enforcement to have been a runaway.  But in less than a year, another teenager, Chelsea King, a 17-year old from an even closer town, disappeared while on a training run.  Many of us joined search parties that seemed to last for days.  Chelsea’s brutal killer was finally captured when, while evading police, he sat down for a meal at a local Mexican restaurant.  The waitress recognized him from news reports as a person of interest.  

Thankfully for Amber’s mother, Chelsea’s murderer confessed to both killings and revealed Amber’s location.  A story that all too often happens across the world today.  Young women brutalized and left for dead by evil people.

I share this story because when the killer was brought before the courts both sets of parents shared something which shocked many.  Something that without knowing a just God would be difficult to accept.

“I got the answers about her last moments that I wanted … I forgave him because I had another daughter to raise, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to live,” said Amber’s mother, Carrie Cave.  But it wasn’t only her who forgave the man, Chelsea’s parents did as well.

Limits To Forgiveness?

About a year later while I was in a church home group, we discussed the Christian idea of forgiveness.  These terrible murders became the topic.  One member stated emphatically, “I think they’re lying (the parents).  There is absolutely no way they can or I could forgive that man.  Ever.”  Yet Jesus, while bleeding and beaten, in agonizing pain on the cross looked down at His tormentors and murders and pleaded with God.

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” — Luke 23:34

So how is it that as believers we can forgive the slights, the maliciousness, the cruel or even the evil done to us or those we love?  How can we forgive when we have been wronged by a friend, a spouse or family member?  We forgive because we should know in our hearts that God is just.  He has forgiven us all our slights and taunts and disrespect we have done to Him because a sacrifice was made in our place.  We aren’t forgiven without a penalty being wrought.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” – Galatians 6:7

When we forgive, we say two things to God: 1) thank you for forgiving me my sins and 2) I trust that justice will be done.  That what a man sows, he will reap.  Throughout the Old Testament we see God’s justice in the sacrifices and penance of the Jews.  We do wrong, and someone must pay.  Our bull escapes and injures someone so He created the penance needed for restoration. 

He never asks us to seek vengeance.  He reminds us that vengeance is God’s and His alone.  Even the death penalty for committing murder was to first be proven by three witnesses beyond reproach.  And the subsequent death for the offender was not to be seen as our justice, but God’s.  A purposeful death of one of His own requires the ultimate payment.  And forgiveness towards that person on our part never meant excusing evil or removing legal consequences.

All Will Be Judged

One day everyone will stand before God and our lives taken into account.  It’s not “kharma” or some tit for tat.  If we accept the blood shed for us by Jesus as our covering for sins, our names are written into the Book of Life.  If we don’t there’s only one other path – hell.  We can argue as to what that might look like for different people, but I can guarantee that it’s not any place we want to be.

Friends, the world’s sense of justice and forgiveness, especially that which we’ve seen emerge in the last 15 years or so, doesn’t really look much like God’s justice.  That’s because we are all first children of the evil one, led astray to do works against God’s plan.  Black, white, brown, male, female, rich or poor – all of us were dead in our trespasses against Him.  All of us were lined up for wrath.

I once slogged my way through Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, “The Cost of Discipleship.”  For much of it you find yourself in a deep study of Jesus’ words on the Sermon on the Mount.  With each chapter I would become a bit despondent.  Because to truly follow Jesus’ words would be impossible.  Just like following the 10 Commandments convicted the Israelites.  Bonhoeffer says in his book:

“When we come before God with hearts full of contempt and unreconciled with our neighbors, we are individually and as a congregation worshipping an idol.”

You see without a full and complete submission to our Lord Jesus Christ our lives are filled with unjust, evil thoughts and works.  New “social justice” says only the rich or the white man, the straight person or the Christian, commits atrocities and therefore must be punished.  But God says we all deserve death.  His standard of righteousness and justice is higher than any of ours.  Completely unattainable on our own.  His mercy towards us in our failures isn’t pretending sin didn’t happen; justice is dealt with by God at the cross or at His judgement seat.

So, when as Christians we say, as the one home group member stated so proudly, we can never forgive someone, how should God then view us if He is a God of justice?  When we say the Lord’s prayer do we really believe it?  That God will mete out justice to those who not only haven’t sought forgiveness from our Righteous God but also refuse to pass on the forgiveness we have been gifted?  

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”  — Matthew 6:9-15

A Full Life or A Life Full of Bitterness?

The murder of someone I cherish is something I hope to never experience.  Because I know if I do, I’ll be faced with this difficult question.  Will I accept that God’s justice is all I need to forgive?  As Amber’s mom so rightly pointed out, we need to forgive or else we cannot fully live.  And Bonhoeffer says we then worship something other than God. 

The unbeliever blinks at us in confusion, thinking we aren’t in pain over what someone has done to us because we forgive.  We, however, know God has already forgiven us much and the justice we so crave, if needed one day, will find it at the foot of God’s throne.

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” – Revelation 21:4

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” – Psalms 89:14

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Enjoying Being Set Apart

krisshetter

Part One

If you had accidentally walked in on the meeting, the unfolding scene you’d have seen featured a young woman, early 20s, sitting face-to-face with an older man, probably in late 40s.  The thick tension had a life of its own.  The woman, looking disconcerted and slightly mystified, rambled on about goals and objectives trying to keep the conversation moving forward.  While the man, with the tapping of his pen, grew ever angrier.  Tap, tap transitioned to tap-tap-tap as the man’s face tensed.  Abruptly, the young woman ended the meeting with an excuse that her time was needed elsewhere.  The man bolted from the room with a loud explosion of frustrated air, “Harrumph!”

That young woman was me some 30 years ago.  The task before me at my new job was to create a new marketing and public relations department in a mid-sized company.  At just 22 and fresh out of college, I felt overwhelmed and underprepared for the obstacles laid before me.  Not one area manager had ever created, much less implemented, a sales and marketing plan.  And here I was teaching and guiding people at least twice my age.  I was the “fresh faced,” “wet-behind-the ears” college girl.  To some I was the pushy “know it all.”  While to others I was a welcomed opportunity to make a positive impact on their business.  And then there was Tom*.  

As a long-time manager for our retail printing and copy services, Tom had enjoyed a quiet existence doing things his way without anyone bothering him.  Until I came along.  After each interaction with Tom, I found myself questioning and revising my communication tactics.  Nothing was working.  He was angry from the beginning to the end of each meeting.  

I finally went to my boss seeking help.  After laying out the situation to my female boss, she laughed and simply said, “That’s Tom.  He hates women.  So don’t worry, it’s not your ideas or what you want to accomplish.  It’s just you.”  In a strange way that brought me relief.  I couldn’t change the fact that I was a woman (and I still can’t btw) so I was able to keep moving forward with my bosses’ mandates with or without his enthusiasm.

Over the years I have experienced this same dislike or disrespect towards women.  Not often, thankfully.  And fortunately, I’m not one to let anyone stand in my way of doing a job.  But the injustice has laid in my memory for years and years.

"I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter…And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 4:1 & 4

I never discovered the impetus behind Tom’s hatred of women.  But I have heard many people of late justify their dislike of another sex, race, economic class, etc. out of envy or jealousy.  The real or imagined slight of “they have what I don’t have and I want and it isn’t fair” has long been the sinful root of other sins. 

I’ve heard it said by pastors and Bible teachers that the 10 Commandments can be drilled down to two commands: 1) Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, body and soul and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. If, as Christians, we were to work tirelessly each day at these two summaries, oh how much more joy and peace and love we would have in our lives!  Instead, as King Solomon discovered 1,000s of years ago in his meaning of life research, we see people being oppressed in all manner of ways, foolish people striving for money and stuff, and others hoarding their earthly treasures.

"There was a man all alone;  he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!"  Ecclesiastes 4:8

The world looks arounds and screams, “Where is the justice?!  Why do YOU have what I want and need?”  They march and protest about the 1% and demand equity.  They march and protest about certain races needing to “check themselves.”  And in some churches, where we are to be set apart, what do we hear being taught?

The evangelicals who are saying the most and talking the loudest these days about what’s referred to as “social justice” seem to have a very different perspective (than the solution being in the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Their rhetoric certainly points a different direction, demanding repentance and reparations from one ethnic group for the sins of its ancestors against another. It’s the language of law, not gospel—and worse, it mirrors the jargon of worldly politics, not the message of Christ. It is a startling irony that believers from different ethnic groups, now one in Christ, have chosen to divide over ethnicity. They have a true spiritual unity in Christ, which they disdain in favor of fleshly factions. 

John MacArthur, Pastor, Author and host of Grace to You

Social justice is not God’s justice.  Social justice is defined using the word “equity.”  And equity means to take away, even by force or law, from others.  I have seen some pastors tell their mostly white parishioners they need to not just be “not racist” but actively repent to others (not God). Why? For being white and therefore at some point in their white history an injustice was done to another race.  They tell them to be quiet and not have any opinion on community issues because it’s “time for the other side to have their say.”  If you are rich, you must feel guilty, even if you worked your way up from nothing.  If you are a man, your patriarchy is evil.  Divide, divide, divide.  That, my friends, is not God’s plan for His people.  

So according to this view of “social justice,” a person’s skin color might automatically require a public expression of repentance—not merely for the evils of his ancestors’ culture, but also for specific crimes he cannot possibly have been guilty of.   There’s nothing remotely “just” about that idea, nor does any part of it relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The answer to every evil in every heart is not repentance for what someone else may have done, but repentance for your own sins, including hatred, anger, bitterness, or any other sinful attitude or behavior.   

John MacArthur

The people described in Solomon’s fourth chapter of Ecclesiastes, titled in most Bibles, Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness, are not the reason why a person today is oppressed any more than a person 200 years ago or 30 years ago is the reason.  People who are hated today – no matter their skin color, creed, financial status, or even sexuality – are treated badly because of today’s sins by people actually committing them.  And no church or Christian should teach that the way to resolution is more of the same. 

" If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions  and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Envy of the rich, hatred of the poor, disdain for a person’s skin color or social status, distrust and hatred of the sexes are all tools of the devil.  All methods to divide and conquer.  It’s been that way since before Solomon’s time — even by people who know the Word of God but don’t live it.  If we take the route of retribution hatred grows and life becomes wrought with despair. Each sinful tool serves only to make life seem meaningless and hopeless.  

But God as a different plan for us. One that will set you apart. Join me this Wednesday for Part Two of Enjoying Being Set Apart! Click here for part two.

*Tom is not his real name.

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Living In The Light

krisshetter 
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 
2 Corinthians 4:6

I’ve been thinking a lot about separateness lately.  As the world seems to move farther and farther away from the message of Christ, I find myself feeling separated from so much of the goings on.  Politics, social and moral issues that the world promotes appear to be so upside down.  At times I’ve asked, “Where is God in all of this?”

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“What on earth is He up to?” is, I suppose, the better question.  Since the beginning of time God’s work has been about separateness.  He separated the dark from the light.  The land from the sea.  The heavens from the earth.  He even set apart man from beast.  And when He commanded that there would be light it also meant He would set apart good from evil.  From that day on He started working in our hearts to bring us into the light.  The light that Jesus gave direct access to through His sacrifice.

I’ve been visiting a new church with my husband.  The pastor is Adriel Sanchez.  Some of you may recognize him as one of the duo from Core Christianity – a podcast and radio show heard around the world.  His church has begun a new series on Genesis.  And he spoke on the creation of light and dark.  

God created beauty, order and light and He didn’t need ingredients.  He made them out of nothing, darkness.

Pastor Adriel Sanchez

He went on to put the Jewish (and eventually Christian) creation story in to context.  The Jews were most likely wandering in the desert when this story was possibly given to Moses from God.  Their lives were dark and chaotic.  And while other religions of the time, just like today, have their own creation story, those religions created gods out of what was created – the Sun God, Moon God, God of Nature, etc.  You’ll notice in Genesis that the sun and moon aren’t called those names.  Possibly to avoid man from elevating them to a worshipping status.  God created all the things that these other religions made into little gods.

We weren’t created to serve the sun, the moon, or nature.  They were created FOR man by God.

Pastor Adriel Sanchez

When you think about what God did for us humans it’s pretty amazing.  Think about a gift you received that was the best gift ever.  Do you remember how you thanked the person who gave it to you?  Now imagine this gift that God gave us.  The light, the land, the skies, the animals.  How could we ever thank Him enough?  All He has ever asked of us is to set ourselves apart from the darkness. 

Our hearts are like the wilderness – dark and chaotic.  And God says to our hearts, “Let there be light!

Pastor Adriel Sanchez

So let’s go back to C.S. Lewis’ imagery of rebuilding the house.  God is working on rebuilding the world.  God works on large scale projects while also working on our tiny little bathroom remodel.  It’s the same work schedule He has maintained throughout history. There’s a lot of knocking down walls going on.  And with that comes a lot of pushback from people who don’t want the light to enter in the room.  They enjoy living in the darkness in order to put themselves and their desires at their center.   

I’ve heard people talk disparaging about the Bible – its violence especially.  Many uneducated about the Bible take issue with destroying whole towns and killing off all the residents.  But put in context it was a major remodel taking place.  Those cities were rife with termites and rot.  Child sacrifices and unbridled sexual exploits all in the name of satisfying some fertility god were rampant.  They were just plain evil.  

And while God was using other people and the Jews to destroy those darkened places He made it a point to work in each and every Israelite’s heart.  He cared about behavior but He cared more for bringing light to their hearts and minds.  They were to act like people set apart from the darkness. He cared enough about us, as individuals, to first send His Son and then leave us with the light of His Holy Spirit to dwell in each of us.

It’s hard to live set apart from the world.  It may cause our faith, at times, to wane.  But I’m finding when I change my question from “Where is God?” to “What on earth is He up to?” it helps me to see His work in me and the world.  For when I see my Savior I surely want to be remodeled, a house full of light.

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Be A Heart Changer & Soul Saver

krisshetter

Life Lesson #9: Christians are in the job of changing hearts and saving souls.

Perhaps this is the reason he was 
separated from you for a while, 
so that you might have him back 
forever, no longer as a slave but 
more than a slave, a beloved 
brother—especially to me but how 
much more to you, both in the 
flesh and in the Lord. 
Philemon 1:15-16

When I was in college, I was approached by two missionaries on campus.  I believed in God, to an extent, but didn’t know anything about Him or Jesus.   I asked the typical questions – “Why does God allow bad things to happen to people” and “Why did He give us free will instead of just making us all good people?” I’m sorry to say they couldn’t give me even a best guess.  I wonder if you were tasked with talking to a friend about Jesus would you be ready with passable answers to these questions?

I heard a talk by Joyce Meyer the other day where she took up the question of why evil things continuously happen in the world.  She’s seen some pretty bad situations in all of her world-wide missionary work.  She prayed this question one day.  The answer she got back was, “I’m waiting on my people to obey me and take care of each other.”

The righteous know the rights of 
the poor; the wicked have no such 
understanding. 
Proverb 29:7

I’m currently doing a study that takes me through the entire Bible.  It’s fascinating to see in Leviticus how sin offerings are adjusted for the poor.  Even thousands of years ago God was making sure the downtrodden were taken care of.  But notice you won’t find in the Bible that the Israelites or Christians are told to take up arms to eliminate poverty.  Verse after verse we are tasked to do one thing with the poor – to help them.

In Joppa there was a disciple named 
Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); 
she was always doing good and 
helping the poor. 
Acts 9:36

As social justice issues go, the poor are always on the lips of “social justice warriors.”  Their desire appears to be to eliminate poverty and all social injustice via legislation, protests or even through violence.  But as Christians we are shown a different approach.  Take the issue of slavery, as discussed in the letter from Paul to Philemon.  The subject is the slave Onesimus.  Notice in the introductory verse that Paul does not chastise or demand of Philemon the release of his slave.  Paul, instead, appeals to faith principles.  He reminds Philemon that as a faithful follower of Jesus our hearts and therefore, our minds are changed.

“To me, a follower of Jesus means a friend of man.  A Christian is a philanthropist by profession, and generous by force of grace; wide as the reign of sorrow is the stretch of his love, and where he cannot help he pities still.”  

Charles Spurgeon

By teaching slave owners about the power and love and salvation found in following Jesus, the disciples were slowly changing the hearts and then minds of people who, not only owned slaves, but behaved in any number of sinful ways.  The new Christian is tasked with living in a new loving and giving nature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 
the new creation has come: The old 
has gone, the new is here! 
2 Corinthians 5:17

Had the disciples come into new cities preaching about abolishing slavery (let’s remember too that slavery in that time was mostly more like indentured servitude) they certainly would’ve been met with resistance.  Slaves were costly commodities – just as they were in the early years of the United States.  To preach that people had to give up much of their wealth in order to follow Jesus would not have been as successful as first telling of the Good News.

Last year, I watched as protests and violence broke out in cities across the United States by self-professed social justice warriors.  To be honest, at times I wasn’t even sure what some of it was about.  In Portland, Oregon, the young people rioting just seemed to hate everyone.  It was a perfect time for the church to rise up and do what we should do best – show love and help change hearts.  I hoped and prayed that in communities hit by violence that God’s people would come together and form prayer chains around the cities – enveloping it in God’s love.  Instead, I watched as pastors led more protests and took to microphones and megaphones yelling about injustice, pointing fingers at different races.

“It is easier to make laws than to make Christians, but the business of the church is to produce Christians and everything else is a by-product of that new creation.”

Vance Havner

The people of Jesus’ time expected a Messiah to come and bring justice.  They wanted punishment of those who had wronged them.  They wanted to see governments and whole groups of people destroyed.  But Jesus was not that kind of social justice warrior.  From town-to-town He cared about one thing – changing people’s hearts.  He did out-of-the-box things like sit with sinners, touch the leper, heal on the Sabbath, talk with the outcasts.  He brought the bread of life and the refreshing water of the Holy Spirit.  

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks 
this water will be thirsty again, but 
whoever drinks the water I give them 
will never thirst. Indeed, the water 
I give them will become in them a 
spring of water welling up to eternal 
life.” 
John 4:13-14

How amazing would it have been if, when our churches closed down in March 2020, they instead remained open.  Not just open but open 24 hours a day with a sign out on the street that said, “Need someone to talk to? We’re always open and ready to listen.”  I know this idea is radical.  And you’re probably thinking of all the reasons why your church can’t do this. But the work of Jesus and His apostles was radical.  So is the work of every Christian you probably admire.

“Behave at them.”

Ken Blanchard

As Christians we are not tasked to be worldly “social justice warriors.”  We are commissioned to be God’s soldiers.  When we are tempted to join a protest march and carry a sign we should first think how we can directly help those for whom we are marching. God’s plan for the world will only be accomplished through our active showing of love, grace, charity, and forgiveness of others — while espousing His truth. The spreading of the message of Jesus brings the changes we so long for – maybe just not as fast as we like.   He designed us this way.  

I do get outraged by many things going on in the world.  And then I remember to pray to God for peace in my heart so that I can listen for my marching orders.  When I feel overwhelmed by the problems we face, I remember that God works out-of-the-box in radical ways.  It’s up to me and it’s up to you to be in the heart changing business when God puts opportunities right in front of us.  We will always find ourselves on the right side of “He who is most important” when we obey God.

The Apostle Paul worked on one rich, slave owner at a time.  And over time, our Christian faith has led to a world-wide abolishment of sanctioned slavery.  What small step can you do today to help change one heart?