Person-2-Person - November, 2022

I already had a Person-2-Person in progress for this month, but instead I need to address a recent incident. About a month ago, my wife, Charlotte, and I attended a fundraising dinner for a Christian organization. Afterward, a man at our table told me he wished recent hurricane Ian had wiped out Key West, Florida’s gay community. From what I could tell, he is not intentionally “evil.” He probably thought his wishes were in line with God’s will. But he didn’t wish Key West’s gay community had been converted or seen the “error” of their ways and suddenly become straight. He didn’t wish the storm had served as a demonstration of God’s power and brought them to salvation. He wanted them destroyed.

Even if you believe gays or others are opposed to the will of God, “sinners,” etc., I believe wishing for their destruction is simply not what Jesus would command. Here’s why: One day, Jesus sent messengers to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival (Luke 9:52) but the people of the village wouldn’t accept him because he was going to Jerusalem (vs. 53). When they heard about it, James and John asked him, “‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’” (vs. 54b Evangelical Heritage Version). But instead of the “attaboy” they expected, Jesus rebuked them (vs. 55). Depending on the translation, the passage might also have Jesus saying something like, “‘You don’t know what kind of spirit is influencing you. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s souls, but to save them.’” (55b-56a EHV).

“Rebuke” is a word you don’t encounter very often. It’s largely a Bible word. In this case, it comes from the Greek word “epetim?sen,” which can mean, among other things, “to mete out due measure.” In other words, he gave them the response they deserved. He did it because they were wrong. We have from as close as possible to Jesus’ own lips that we’re not supposed to wish for the destruction of those who reject our God or Christ’s teachings. So, if James and John were wrong, the same attitude is wrong today. Because of that, I believe the man from the fundraising dinner is wrong. But while I might want God to rebuke him for it—or to rebuke him myself—if I start to decide he “deserves” to be destroyed because of it, then I’m wrong. It’s also a slippery slope. If I decide one person or group should be destroyed it won’t be long until I’m going to include another and another until there won’t be anyone not on my list, and I’ve substituted my judgment for God’s.

Occasionally—and in some cases more often than occasionally—God rebukes us, corrects us, nudges us. Sometimes God hits us upside the head (Rev. 3:19). But God doesn’t destroy us because we’re wrong; God does, however, allow us to destroy ourselves (Gal. 6:7-8). I don’t need to wish or pray for the destruction of those who are “wrong.” God will take care of it. Instead, I should hope and pray for their conversion.

Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21 EHV). He doesn’t say “wish for the wrath of God,” or “pray for the wrath of God.” Instead, they—and we—are to “overcome” with good. Psalm 37 says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve. / He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds.” (vs. 10 EHV). God’s way of dealing with humanity is frequently different from ours, and God’s way of dealing with what we consider “evil” might not be what we would want. And if that’s the case, we need to ask ourselves, “Why?” Why don’t we want what God wants?

The answer is either ignorance—we don’t know the will of God, or we don’t understand it (Isa. 55:8)—or sin. Whenever we want what God doesn’t want, sin is always a strong possibility. I’m probably sinning right now by judging a man I don’t know. But I’ve prayed and studied Scripture and I truly believe I’m in line with God’s will. Elsewhere in his letter to the Romans, Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, / or who has been his adviser?” (Rom. 11:34 EHV, Isa. 40:13). We can’t ever know the mind of God completely (1 Cor. 13:2), but we can pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to do our best (Rom. 12:2). And with the Spirit’s help, by our actions and attitudes, we can show others what our God is like.

“I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, . . . This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1b, 3-4 EHV.)