I think it great sin to fire public shots at members of Christ’s family and pray for increased faithfulness among us to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again” (1 Peter 1:22b-23a).
With that said, I want to ‘think out loud’ about the situation with Kim Davis. She is a follower of Christ, who apparently experienced the gospel of grace in her own marital history and is seeking to live out that grace by taking a stand in her job for the biblical teaching on marriage. Sadly, Kim remains in prison for contempt of court (now released today since this posting, PTL), following her decision not to issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples in Grayson, Kentucky. ( As a Christ follower, she has refused to obey the ‘law of the land’ and issue (or allow her staff to issue) marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Is Kim Davis doing the right thing, in doing what she thinks is right and asserting her constitutional right to protest in a way she believes is right in the eyes of God?
That’s the point, isn’t it? What “rights” are we talking about? Biblically-minded people who object to June’s Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges ruling may find comfort in the stand she is taking and the resistance she is giving, but still not be convinced they would/should do the same thing. Again, just thinking out loud here . . .
- Without question, Kim Davis is within her rights as a citizen. She has the right to peacefully resist what she believes is wrong. She has the right to object to a Supreme Court law that she believes (and I agree) contradicts God’s law.
- She is also right not to violate her conscience (Romans 14:23). As my friend Al Mohler writes: “The Bible is clear—a Christian cannot act in violation of conscience without committing sin. Kim Davis has been clear, even as her own marital background has been discussed, that her conversion and Christian beliefs do not allow her to sanction what the Bible declares to be sin.”
- She is probably not within her rights as an employee. Government employees cannot make their own rules any more than church employees can. We would defend a church’s right to dismiss an employee for any form of persistent immorality or lawlessness. Can Kim Davis, in refusing to obey the U.S. law under which her employer is organized, be terminated? If she loses her job for her stand, she has my admiration, even though I would not counsel someone to do what she has done.
- It might have been better, maybe, if she simply resigned in writing, stating her convictions and rationale for refusing to do her job. What if she had gathered her employees in a meeting, shared her faith in Christ and her convictions about the Bible, then quit?
- As she asserts her citizen rights, is she portraying Jesus accurately? Do the two people seeking a same-sex marriage license have a clearer picture of the gospel of God’s grace to us in Christ, because of Kim’s chosen course of action?
- Does God want His children asserting their citizen rights? Is opposing the moral decline of our nation by marching, picketing, calling your elected official’s office, and protesting by all means available wrong if done in a way that reflects the behavior ethic of Christ?
- As a Christ follower, I must ask sincerely, would Jesus block the door to an abortion clinic? Would Jesus hold signs calling for repentance and shout exhortations as the gay pride parade passes by? (While that may be your right as a citizen, as a Christian you must also be convinced it pleases and exemplifies the Lord.)
- Did the feeding of the 5,000 include an inquiry into the moral standing of each hungry listener before the bread and fish were offered? Would Jesus refuse to make a picnic table in the carpenter shop for two gay men who wanted to enjoy a meal on their patio? Would He give them the table with the exhortation to ‘sin no more’?
- 2 Corinthians 10:3—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.” Even as the movie War Room is #1 in the country, are we exemplifying that kind of prayerful fervency for God to move upon this land and the encroaching darkness?
- 2 Corinthians 10:2,5—Yes, we are to fight ‘lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God.’ Yes, we are to destroy arguments, etc. But are those exhortations about fighting the culture or about fighting to make sure we are doing ministry like the Apostle Paul’s, which was being waged with the true spiritual weapons and not ‘according to the flesh’?
Without question, we are living in very complex times. I appreciate, pray for, and do not judge Kim Davis for her choices. I pray for us all to be free from divisive snap judgements of one another as we wrestle with how to contend for the faith without compromise, while expressing to those around us the central tenet of our faith, which is love. Love for God first, as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. Love for our brothers and sisters, who are in the family of God through faith in Jesus. Love for lost people, who are blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4) by the god of this world and are only able to see the gospel as foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Take a moment and read Matthew 5:3-14. Poor in spirit, meek and merciful, peacemakers who will be persecuted, salt and light that must have an impact on the world around us. Wow, so very complex, requiring a moment by moment dependance upon the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
Let’s remember to love our enemies, turn the other cheek and go the second mile (Matthew 5:38-44). Most of all, let’s pray for each other as we struggle to obey our Lord and live the gospel in the way we love one another—especially those who choose to handle a very tough situation a bit differently than you or I would. It took me way too long to see that if you are wrong in the way you are right, you are wrong even if you are right.
Let’s give each other a ton of grace, as we seek to be right about our rights in a way that rightly reflects Jesus Christ.
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