A Message to the Christian Right
My heart is heavy because there is great fear among you. There is fear that our leaders and our nation have turned away from the Godly path. There is fear that our values have been eroded. There is fear that good people are being led astray by good intentions. It is time, therefore, to heed the lesson of 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.
Paul recognized this great truth in his first letter to the Corinthian church. There was much contention in that church as they strove against each other. Paul's discussion of the various gifts of faith culminates in what has become the most famous chapter of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13. Paul handily prioritizes the gifts of faith as not even deserving of consideration if love is missing.
These Biblical passages create a powerful lesson for us today. When we fear that our values are being eroded, when we fear that sin is dominant in our culture, when we fear that our beliefs are trampled we are not living a life grounded in the love of Christ. Although we may frame our fear aroud our Christian values fear that has taken root in our hearts is a weed that chokes out love.
Often times this fear prompts us to action but action rooted in fear is not the mission of Christ's church. Our call is to act always from a heart of love. So the question for each of us is how we act in a way that addresses our concerns but remains grounded in love.
The answer is in 2 Chronicles 7:14: if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their sinful ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
This is a basic If-Then - If A happens then B will result. So first we have to look at the Ifs.
humble themselves - Humbleness is a virtue. The Bible tells us that Moses was the humblest person on the face of the earth. Humbleness or humility is a virtue that is misunderstood. It is not about weakness. Rather humility is about knowing who you are and more importantly who you are not. Humility is a recognition of our place in God's order. It is not the place we think we deserve. It is not the place we hide when we are afraid. Rather it is a place that looks upon the fullness of God and recognizes that we are not God nor do we have God's knowledge or wisdom. When we truly recognize our lack of God's wisdom then we become open to receiving that very same wisdom.
So the starting point is humility but with that comes a requirement that we pray. Notice that it doesn't tell us to be humble and work to get a referendum on the ballot. It doesn't tell us to be humble and denounce those who sin. No, we are to be humble and pray.
Along with a call to humility and prayer we are called to seek God's face. We are not called to seek God's will. We are called to seek God's face. To seek the face of God is to seek fellowship with God. It is to seek a heart to heart relationship with God. It's not about figuring out what God wants us to do. It's about opening up to truly see God and in return to be seen.
As we humbly pray and seek the face of God we are called to turn from our wicked ways. Unfortunately we often misconstrue this requirement. We go out seeking sin and denouncing it but that is not the requirement. The requirement is that we turn from our own sinful ways. Sin is not simply something wrong. Sin is anything that separates us from God. It is anything that gets in between us and God. Anything.
When we let our fear displace the love in our hearts we are no longer seeking God. This turning away from God creates separation. Separation from God is the result of sin. Therefore when we allow fear to interfere with our relationship with God we are in a condition of sin. If we are to truly meet the requirements of 2 Chronicles 7:14 we must recognize our own separation from God that results from our fear.
So what happens when we humbly pray, seeking the face of God and turning from our sin? Then God hears our prayers, forgives us and heals our land.
Notice that God doesn't tell us to wipe out sin before he can heal our land. He doesn't tell us to make sure the right laws are passed. He doesn't tell us that other people have to repent. It's very clear. Our task is to do those things that create a right relationship with God - humility, prayer, seeking and repentance. Then God will be God and the grace of God will multiply and healing will result.
One more thing to note - the admonition in 2 John is not to quit fearing so that you can love. Rather it is a simple statement of fact: Perfect love casts out fear. Love and fear cannot exist together. As your love increases your fear will diminish.
So those of us who call ourselves Christians must always ask ourselves this most important question: Are my actions the result of love or the result of fear?