Sometimes the same thing needs to be said, over and over. I try, hard as it is, to not repeat myself across the various media I use. If I tweet something I likely won’t talk about the same issue on my podcast. If I write a blog piece along a certain line, I likely won’t record an Ask RC on the same theme. And so I fail again.
I have a long history of being doctrinaire. I have over the decades built a reputation as something of an ideological pugilist. Those thousand hills holding our heavenly Father’s cattle could each hold an ideology I’m willing to die for. Not a one of them, however, is worthy to be compared with this one- Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of which I am chief.
Which is why I have to, once again, take a stand against those I am typically more inclined to stand with. As I noted in a piece earlier this week, I have never voted for a Democrat. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would ever do so. In like manner, on racial issues I’m more than willing to take on the judgment and condemnation of the woke for the stand I take- I believe the better day is that day when a man is judged by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin. Radical hard right conviction, that one, I know.
When, however, my friends on these secondary issues start spouting off about how those on the other side of these secondary issues are beyond the reach of God’s grace, well, let’s just say I don’t much care for it. “No Christian could ever…” “To embrace theistic evolution is the same as being an atheist…” “Believing in government handouts is Marxist and all Marxists are not Christians.” Seriously? When did the young, rude and Reformed suddenly embrace Wesleyan perfectionism? Do all believers receive a second work of grace when they invite Von Mises, or Thomas Sowell or Alex Jones into their hearts?
Voting Democrat, embracing theistic evolution, asking the state to rob Peter to pay Paul, or any intersection thereof is sinful, rebellion, foolishness, unbiblical, nonsensical, and just plain dumb. Yet all three together are not worthy to be compared with the folly that says, “Those who do or believe these things have not been covered by the blood of Christ.” To say such is sinful, rebellion, foolishness, unbiblical on steroids.
It is a good thing to be sound on the issues, to apply the Word of God to the controversies of our day, and to do so rightly. It is a good thing to, in our prophetic office, call sin sin. It is a good thing to contend for the faith. It is, however, a better thing to remember that the faith proclaims this- Jesus died for our sins, those in our past, those that yet hold on to us, and those we will commit in the future. He died for our behavioral sins, our ideological sins, our sins of concupiscence, and, thankfully, all the sins that flow out of our foolish pride. Friends, let us fight the battles before us with vigor. Let us not, however, surrender the war in doing so.