Comments on: Will you still call me “friend?” (a geek crosses to the other side…) http://thruthespectacles.com/ttsblog/archives/32 Now we see but a poor image... Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:50:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Caspian's Friend http://thruthespectacles.com/ttsblog/archives/32/comment-page-1#comment-28 Caspian's Friend Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:56:15 +0000 http://thruthespectacles.com/ttsblog/archives/32#comment-28 "Whoa, CS, what got into you?" some of you must be saying. True, the article above was a bit cathartic (read: heavy handed). I think that the feelings expressed were born out of the convergence of several events that I witnessed recently: A) Seeing 'sinners' punished I once witnessed someone viciously punish another person for their sin. Yes, the punisher was hurt, even wounded by the event. But their reaction was cruel. To my knowledge, they have never forgiven the sinner--and have never sought out the sinner's forgiveness. IMHO, the punisher actually committed the greater sin.</p> <p>Did the punisher call the sinner "friend?" at a time when the sinner most needed one? Not hardly.</p> <p>B) Cultural intolerance<br /> Occasionally, I come across fellow Christians who are clearly more motivated to preserve a way of life than to get out there and fulfill our search and rescue mission. That zeal to preserve a way of life leads to intolerance. "Your music is sinful!" that sort of thing.</p> <p>C) Someone recently confessed a sin to me. I am grateful that they felt they could confide in me (whoa!!!! The idea that I might be approachable, might be sympathetic, even a little kind? That is a full blown miracle! If you knew me when I was in high school or college, you would know how judgmental and angry I was!)</p> <p>Do you see where all three topics tie together? LOVE. Love is the key to the three seemingly unrelated events that happened to me recently. Do we love each other enough to not punish each other but support each other, even when we have been wounded by the sin. Do we at least love each other to be able to support each other when we confess sin to each other?</p> <p>At the very least, can we love each other despite differences in our worship styles, or our building structures, or our voting patterns, etc.?</p> <p>"Love each other, even as I have loved you" Jesus.</p> <p>That is an incredibly difficult command to obey, but what happens if we don't? </p> “Whoa, CS, what got into you?” some of you must be saying. True, the article above was a bit cathartic (read: heavy handed). I think that the feelings expressed were born out of the convergence of several events that I witnessed recently:
A) Seeing ‘sinners’ punished
I once witnessed someone viciously punish another person for their sin. Yes, the punisher was hurt, even wounded by the event. But their reaction was cruel. To my knowledge, they have never forgiven the sinner–and have never sought out the sinner’s forgiveness. IMHO, the punisher actually committed the greater sin.

Did the punisher call the sinner “friend?” at a time when the sinner most needed one? Not hardly.

B) Cultural intolerance
Occasionally, I come across fellow Christians who are clearly more motivated to preserve a way of life than to get out there and fulfill our search and rescue mission. That zeal to preserve a way of life leads to intolerance. “Your music is sinful!” that sort of thing.

C) Someone recently confessed a sin to me. I am grateful that they felt they could confide in me (whoa!!!! The idea that I might be approachable, might be sympathetic, even a little kind? That is a full blown miracle! If you knew me when I was in high school or college, you would know how judgmental and angry I was!)

Do you see where all three topics tie together? LOVE. Love is the key to the three seemingly unrelated events that happened to me recently. Do we love each other enough to not punish each other but support each other, even when we have been wounded by the sin. Do we at least love each other to be able to support each other when we confess sin to each other?

At the very least, can we love each other despite differences in our worship styles, or our building structures, or our voting patterns, etc.?

“Love each other, even as I have loved you” Jesus.

That is an incredibly difficult command to obey, but what happens if we don’t?

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