Engaging the Lost

How do we, as the church, interact with the unrepentant sinful world around us? More to the point, how do we react when those closest to us – our family and friends – are living a life of sin? Even more to the point, how do you engage as a pastor?

Alistair Begg, a renowned evangelical Christian pastor-teacher from the north coast of Ohio (via Scotland, oh what a brogue he has!) is in the headlines these days because of how he answered a question on his podcast. An evangelical Christian grandmother wondered if she would be sinning by attending her grandchild’s wedding, as the grandchild would be marrying in an unbiblical union (same sex).

Begg counseled that as long as the grandmother was clear in her position that she was not endorsing the marriage, but that she was attending because of her love for her grandchild, and the grandchild understood this (and accepted it), then he believed it was okay to attend.

I’m not one hundred percent clear that I would give the same advice, call it 92%, hence this article.  I have very clearly defined beliefs on what marriage is, and how we as a church deal with marriage and divorce. And I think I personally would have a very hard time attending a wedding such as this for a grandchild that I love so deeply (I have four of them!). It would be very painful. But I didn’t see anything biblically wrong with his answer.  Certainly nothing to break fellowship over.  Apparently not…

This modern “cancel culture” we live in has now infiltrated the church.

The American Family Radio network has canceled Begg’s long running teaching program, and John MacArthur has removed him from speaking at the next Shepherd’s Conference. Wow, that was swift!

When the unsaved world sees the church community eating its own, there is real immeasurable damage done to the advancement of the Kingdom of God into the unsaved world.

Begg said that he responded the way he did because he did not want the grandmother to lose the relationship with the grandchild, which would more than likely happen if she didn’t attend. And if the relationship was lost, then any ability she had to pour Christ’s forgiving love and grace into the grandchild’s life could also be lost. (And that is the correct answer – when there is a crossroad ahead of you on how to react to sin, with “legalism” or “grace” we should always choose grace.  A person’s soul is at stake.)

I can understand the concern from the opposition though. We live in a world where sexual sin is being paraded in front of us on a daily basis, so much so that you can’t get away from it. And there are large swathes of Christendom who are condoning (and in some cases condoning becomes promoting) what the Bible calls sin. We are truly living in a world that has been turned upside down, where wrong is called right, where light is being characterized as darkness and darkness light. In light of this, there is a real tendency for those of us who oppose this radical cultural change in direction to not want to have the appearance of approving sin.

With these things in mind, let’s return to our original question - how do we (in a general sense) interact with the sinful world around us?

To begin with, the biblical truths that I hold dear, that have been imprinted on my heart by the Holy Spirit, through the inspired word of God – those same truths have no bearing to the lost (In fact, Jesus says they are hidden from them! Matthew 13). In other words, the Bible says we cannot hold an unsaved sinner to the same standards as a believer. We have the duty to point them towards truth as best we can – because that is true love (and rely on the Holy Spirit to enlighten their hearts to that truth), and to live an example in front of them. But we have no authority to tell someone else who is not born again and held to the standards of the word of God, how to live their lives.  What we can do is love them (we are commanded to).  We are not allowed to hate them.  We are not allowed to cancel them.

If Alistair Begg had been told by this grandmother that her grandchild professed to be a saved, believing Christian, but was yet entering into a same sex marriage, and she wondered if she would be sinning by attending, I’m confident Begg’s answer would be different. We are to begin judgement in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17) and hold each other to the standard of Scripture. We are not told to do the same thing for an unbeliever. How can we? They don’t know the truth.

Secondly, I feel compelled to remind us all that Jesus ate with sinners. He spent time with those who needed Him the most.

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)

And He spent time with sinners out of love. If we approach every situation in life through the prism of love, I think we will be amazed at what the Lord will do through us.

But we must remember – true ‘agape’ love doesn’t resemble our postmodern Western word love. Biblical love doesn’t condone sin. Biblical love doesn’t look the other way when we are confronted with sin. Biblical love is an action word – it goes. We are told that Jesus was invited to many places inhabited by sinners, and He went. But He didn’t go and sin with them! He went, bringing His piercing love, forgiveness, and grace. And so should we.

If we can enter into an arena of life (a wedding, a party, a work environment) and be confident (with a clear conscience from the Holy Spirit) that our involvement is not sinning, will not be leading others to sin, and is not endorsing sin, then I believe we are free to engage those lost souls whom God sent His Son to die for.  Especially a grandchild! God did not walk away from us when we were in our lost sinful state (praise the Lord!), so how can we?

And if we don’t go, who will?

This is a tough one – a situation that we should all take time to prayerfully consider our response.  But we should not be “cancelling” a fellow believer who may feel differently about how to engage.  We are called to be salt and light, yet too often we are no different than the unsaved world around us.  And the Kingdom of God suffers.