Futility

I've noted a marked continuance of this "resist at all costs" mentality that is surging through our nation.  Working for a large university I see it regularly but it is not limited to the moldable minds of today's students.  I marvel to observe this phenomena throughout all backgrounds and belief systems.  It permeates every aspect of our society as of late from political appointees to policy changes to election results reaching down even to the simple expression of viewpoints or the wearing of a tee shirt or a hat causing many to look less and less like the Christ they proclaim and more like the world in which they are called to "be separate" from (2 Corinthians 6:17).  This is happening from all sides, not just “left” or “right”; from all viewpoints to greater and lesser degrees.  People fail to look at other people to see a human being, but rather see only the embodiment of all ideals that are diametrically opposed to all that they value and cherish; in some instances the embodiment of ignorance and evil in business attire.  I do not exclude myself from this.  How often have I failed to see the man or the woman and only seen the darkness?  And in this – the darkness has won.

How?  Because we’ve joined arm in arm with those who have no spiritual inclination or Godly intent to promote like agendas that we value rather than seeking Godly movement and humility to change the course and hearts of our nation.  We are a land filled with activists, ready to share our opinions and espouse our viewpoints, but we fail to activate towards those who are in need of true compassion with the same fervor, we cease to share life-saving truth to dying souls.  Rarely do we espouse the great hope that exists for us who know the One who holds all things beyond just this nation’s future, but of all things for all eternity with the same fervor that we espouse our opinions on those we view to be lacking rights or a voice.

In the above call to the Corinthians for separation, the Apostle Paul was not stamping a notice of “unclean” on the world and stating that we are to have nothing to do with those who do not profess or recognize Jesus.  The verses above reference two separate Old Testament scriptures that would have been well known to Paul, a scholar of the scriptures.  The first is found in Isaiah 52 in which God is speaking to the nation of Israel.  He is exhorting them to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, take off the chains of ignorance and oppression that were upon them, to remove the things that had pulled them away from Him and placed them under the subjugation of others, to return to right relationship with him and to touch nothing that made them unclean and that he would protect them!

Depart, depart, go out from there!  Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

Isaiah 52:11-12

The second references Ezekiel 20 in which God is reminding a rebellious nation that despite the depths of their depravity, he is a Holy God and only a Holy people will approach him.  Due to the nature of their wickedness he would separate them from the nature and influences of the sin around them both from other nations and themselves so that they might purify them themselves.  When they do so, he will “accept you as fragrant incense” (v 41)

This was spoken to a nation that, like ours, had compromised its identity as “ONE NATION UNDER GOD”.  It was spoken to a nation that had become less identifiable as the nation with God’s hand on it and more identified as a nation that valued what other nations valued.  It was spoken to a people, who were content to look less like God and more like their godless or pantheistic neighbors. 

How, then, does this apply to us?

On tax reform?  On education?  On immigration?  On freedom of speech?  On the right to bear arms? On reproductive rights?

Certainly these issues are all weighty topics worthy of serious and informed discussion.  The marvel that I have come to appreciate more so in the last few years than in any time previous in my life is that no matter how weighty the topic or its implications, I am blessed to live in a nation of God given laws that both permits and requires dialogue without fear of the barrel of a gun, debate without coercion.  And yet at no time of my life have I seen such contempt and outright dehumanizing hatred of others simply because of the way they think. 

Regardless of the Biblical imperative to love all, this mind of mine still wants to rationalize hatred based on the atrocities being committed by genocidal brutality.  I can relate to a disregard for those who would themselves seek to inflict harm upon the innocent or the incapable.  But to hate someone because they think differently; because they think solution “B” is better than solution “D” or possibly have solution“B+C+D” which I don’t understand because it is not my own?...

The problem with this paradigm is that it is rooted entirely independent of the sovereignty of an all-powerful, all-knowing God.  Man has faith in his ability to make change and when confronted with obstacles, man must conquer those obstacles.  When this cannot be done outright, man must do whatever is necessary to discredit them to make those obstacles ineffective, often at the cost of integrity or truth.  All of this is done in man’s strength alone.

Passionate debate ensues.  Social Media erupts.  People you thought you knew suddenly reveal a side to their personality you either were unaware of or completely disagree with.  On the news violence erupts. All sides are guilty.

 

“Maybe that person isn’t as Christian as I thought they were…”

 

“No true child of God would embrace the scripture and still think like that…”

 

“You can’t think like that and claim to love others…”

 

"Their lack of grace makes them as rigid as the Pharisees..."

 

“I bet that person also agrees with…”

 

And we, those who are called out of darkness, align with those who proudly still walk in it to engage in this maelstrom of culture war that is ultimately inconsequential.  Why?  Because the physical cannot direct the spiritual.  Our efforts, our ideologies, our rallies, our marches, all of them do not elevate, detract, or lend in and of themselves to the war that is being waged in the heavens over this plane.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood contending only with physical opponents, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural places.

Ephesians 6:12

Yes, this scripture is old hat.  Yes we’ve heard it recited countless times in church.  Then why do we fail to live out this very hinge-pin facet of existence.  This would be no less critical or true as the statement “inhaling and exhaling regularly will promote a long life”.  Yet I have often performed the mental “eye-roll” when reminded of the above – as if I was being sold a cheap answer for a complex problem.

Further, we are oblivious to the regularly whispered, often ignored

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land".

2 Chronicles 7:14

Our debates, our public posts, our positioning – can very much of it at all be characterized by the word “humble”?

Finally, when looking to scripture for socially disruptive figures during a socially disruptive time in history, one need look no further than Jesus himself.  He had the religious societies, the political power players, and even the economic class all on their heads trying to pin him to the wall, trying to find something/anything that would allow them to discredit him – just one misplaced word or phrase, just one interpreted misdeed.  To their frustration they couldn’t.  And what was worse, he was attracting followers.  Not by the dozens or the  hundreds, or the thousands, but by the tens of thousands.  This man was on everyone’s radar.  This man could upend it all.  And what was his admonition in a time of oppressive political occupiers, unfair taxation, spiritual and religious calcification?  When everything in the known world needed overturned and he had to power to do so, the might and the right, what was his response?

And he opened his mouth and taught them saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Matthew 5:2-11

Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word as a sword cutting both ways, a surgical instrument discerning truth and intent, and surgery hurts.  Our outcry needs to be less at each other and more towards our Father if we are ever going to see the change we seek or if we ever desire to have our priorities align with His.  Then, and only then, will we see the only true justice that outshines social justice and promotes civil discourse. 

 

Until then...