Grace + Mercy

When Christians, those who follow Jesus Christ, stand up for their beliefs it should not be surprising when the world does not respond well. There will be boycotts, exclusion, discrimination, etc. The bible even speaks of this.

The thing is, when the world stands up for their beliefs or even challenges Christian beliefs and values, how do Christians respond? We know how the world responds. Do we act as the world acts, as if we are of the world? Do we arrange boycotts? Do we discriminate, hate, or judge others? Do we exclude others or belittle them?

How are we setting ourselves apart?

I have a different worldview from those who do not know Jesus Christ or those who have chosen not to know him. I cannot expect others to submit and align themselves with my worldview if they don’t know Jesus, because Jesus is the foundation of my worldview.

In order for others to understand why I believe in what I believe and why my values are what they are, they must understand the foundation of it all: Jesus. And, how will they know the foundation if I don’t tell them?

As a Christian, I want to act as Jesus acted while walking on this earth. I want to love sinners. That includes everyone, every single human on this earth. I want to serve those around me, the ones who are hurting, who feel lost, who feel hated and excluded.

We say that we must hate the sin, not the sinner. But do we throw out the sinner along with the sin when we try to put that saying into practice? We’ve all been there. It is not something easy to live out, but we have to try. I know I want to try.

If you read the bible, Jesus most often rebuked believers, not other sinners. He didn’t dissociate himself from prostitutes, slaves, thieves or other “lowly” individuals, but he embraced them and loved them. He demonstrated grace and mercy, which is entirely different from condoning or condemning.

That is what I want my life to look like: pouring out grace, mercy, and love to all people.