Love People Where They Are
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made
myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became
like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the
law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am
not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not
having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things
to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this
for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
– 1 Corinthians
9:19-23
Paul was determined to do whatever it took to win
people to Christ. No. That didn’t mean sin was okay. It simply meant Paul wasn’t
going to get caught up in what didn’t matter and, thus, turn away people who
otherwise might give their lives to Jesus.
The hard truth is that we’re not going to reach too
many lost souls by never going beyond the walls of our churches. We aren’t
going to reach those who are most desperate by staying in our manicured
neighborhoods and surrounding ourselves with people just like us.
Nor will we draw people to Christ by getting hung up
on rules and customs that really have nothing to do with faith. People can spot
someone self-serving. We instinctively know when someone is going along with
the crowd rather than providing a voice for what Jesus would want.
Our pastor recently reminded us that some people think
they are exclusively right. They determine who is truly baptized by whether
that person was dunked or sprinkled. They have their own traditions about how
things must be done. They tell others, including other churches, that if you’re
not like me, then you are not like Jesus.
“If you insist that your own way is the right way,
then you have set yourself up as an idol,” our pastor said. Oh, wow. How
painfully true is that?
Paul started with people where they were. He did this
so that he might save some. Jesus did the same thing. He didn’t lecture the
woman at the well. He didn’t condemn the adulteress. He simply offered them a
better way. Who did Jesus get angry with? The Pharisees and all their laws designed
to keep the lost in their “place”.
Jesus and Paul had no trouble getting past the sins of
others. We do. We are so busy looking on and judging that we can’t see the
person created in God’s image. The problem isn’t the sinner. It’s our
judgements. We become the blind. We become the Pharisee.
We turn to the Scriptures to justify our actions. We
draw a line designed to keep people out. We seek to protect ourselves and to
sanctify the image we have of ourselves.
For us, it’s not so much about Jesus as it is about
being “right”. We want to feel good about ourselves and we’ll insulate
ourselves to the point where we “know” who we are. Except we don’t know who
Jesus is. We’ve missed the point of the gospel.
We are all sinners, the most pious of us being the
worst. Get over yourself. It’s about Jesus. Love people where they are and
trust God to do the rest.
