I, like many other culture commentators, have observed a huge and dangerous phenomenon blazing through the body of Christ over a long period of time. It’s devouring whole entire churches, ministries, missionary communities, marriages, and singles groups. The world watches us indulging in this and, rightfully, wants no part of the gospel we preach because of the hypocrisy revealed by this attitude.
This phenomenon and attitude? A lack of love and respect, usually stemming from pride.
We sometimes think that, because we go to church and have a lot of Bible knowledge, it is okay for us to sin against others, Romans 2:4–5, James 2:14.
After all, we’re saved by the grace and goodness of God and He loves us. He is a God of love, right? I haven’t been destined to wrath, so it doesn’t matter if I sin against someone else. His grace will clear me of any wrongdoing and guilt. It’s like I’m not sinning when I’m sinning.
If someone I like and trust tells me it’s okay to do or say something sinful, whether alone or to another person, it’s okay.
If I think they deserve it, it’s okay.
If I have good rationalizations to do whatever I want to do, it’s okay. And if someone authoritative, whether in the media, at my job, or through my own neighborhood says it’s okay to do or say this sinful or mean thing against someone, it’s okay. (Forget 2 Timothy 3:1–5). It doesn’t matter whether the Word of God and the Spirit of God say I shouldn’t do it. I can sin with impunity because I have backing around here.
Though they would never say it this blatantly, that is the attitude of many in the church today.
It happens when women in church singles groups become territorial about the few men in their circles whom they like, but haven’t been able to get these guys to ask them out, and a new girl shows up in their meeting who threatens them.
It happens when husbands and wives yell and fight and use weapons like gossip, the silent treatment, or abuse trying to dominate, Galatians 6:3.
It happens when either residential or commercial landlords despise their tenants for no valid reason and begin afflicting them with threats of eviction, revoking privileges, and slandering them with imaginary damages that they demand payment for.
It happens when an overbearing, carnal leader coerces and oppresses their ministry participants or employees through micro–managing, unreasonable demands, creating constant chaos, demoralizing, and favoritism, Jeremiah 23:11, Matthew 7:21–23, and Titus 1:16.
It happens when those in societal and political structures of authority and say they are Christians abuse their authority and resources, Matthew 12:2. They do this to cover up their sinful and criminal activity, 1 Peter 2:16, justify their existence, intensify a culture of fear, 1 Timothy 1:5, maintain power Romans 10:3, or create job security. It does happen.
I respect the badge, and my dad was a firefighter in the military, but there are those working in their ranks who do not respect their own badges. An unfortunate and sad example is contained in this collaborative report between the National Volunteer Fire Council and the United States Fire Administration. According to this report, about 100 firefighters get convicted for arson every year; Report on the Firefighter Arson Problem_2011. Another example is in an article by the Huffington Post that reviewed research on the numbers of police officers who were arrested for committing crimes; Huffington Post on how often cops are arrested.
Hearts hardened and blinded by pride tear apart families, blow up friendships, break up marriages, break down ministries, demoralize work sites, and split up churches. And the devil roars with laughter at each incident of pride, hardness of heart, and the resulting sin.
Why are we who claim to be Christians participating in the devil’s work?
We forget that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13:8. That immutability (unchanging character) means He hates sin just as much today as He ever did in the Old Testament, Luke 6:46. He hates every internal and not merely external, behavioral form of sin, Proverbs 16:2 & 21:2. Sin encompasses even the sense of entitlement that says it’s okay to sin against others. You can see Jesus railing against the entitled attitudes, motives, and priorities of the religious leaders of His day; just read Matthew 23.
Jesus explicitly commanded us to love one another, John 13:34–35. He commanded us to speak the truth, Ephesians 4:25, and to speak the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15. Jesus is pure love, 1 John 4:16, as well as the way, the truth, and the life, John 14:6.
This same eternal I Am, John 8:58, the One Who died for our sins and rose for our lives according to Romans 4:25, has commanded us to love and honor one another in truth and in love, Leviticus 19:18, Romans 13:8, 1 Peter 3:8–9, 1 John 3:18.
Why is this so hard? Why is it even a thing, a question or concern, to be brought up in the body of Christ?
Society and a culture of cruelty say it’s okay to hurt and sin against and degrade God’s people. It’s the spirit of Nimrod, the spirit of oppression and persecution in this age gone wild.
Christ and a spirit of love and obedience does not condone any of that. Read His 
observations about His own people, when they were oppressing one another in Isaiah 30:12–13 & 58:9–10, Micah 2:1–3, Psalm 146:7–9. For a further study, if you dare, Google “scripture oppression” and read all those verses.
When we flaunt our rights and shove our pride in other’s faces, we hurt people that God made and love. Instead of protecting our own, we throw under the bus the most vulnerable in our midst, then drive swiftly away, just to cover and justify ourselves. When we sin against each other, we disdain Jesus’ blood and the grace of God in our lives, Hebrews 10:26–31. All this goes completely against the spirit of freedom which is in Christ, 2 Corinthians 3:17.
The world’s privilege is not the Lord’s permission. We have to care more about Jesus has to say to us than what the world says to us. Let’s stop hiding behind respectable masks of religiosity and peer pressure and cultural norms to sin against one another. Let’s start obeying God and loving one another instead.
The world’s privilege is not the Lord’s permission. We have to care more about Jesus has to say to us than what the world says to us. Click To TweetLet’s start living up to the name “Christian”—Christ follower—and loving and honoring one another more than our selfish sins. Then maybe the world would take the church more seriously instead of dismiss us as irrelevant.
If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20 NET
