Yesterday, commentator and comedian Steven Crowder published a rather brilliant article on why marriage is a good thing that is worth aspiring toward. Due to his blunt and direct style, many took immediate offense. Their offense was compounded by this tweet.
Now, on the one hand, I can see why people would be uncomfortable with Crowder's style. I can also see the argument that such bluntness does not help our cause. It does not personally make me uncomfortable, as this article on messengers attests to. I have no problem with these criticisms, however. What I found truly maddening were the people whining about Crowder "judging them."
People, this next paragraph may be the hardest you may ever read. Everyone judges you. Your friends judge you. Your family judges you. Your dog judges you. God judges you. Only one of those in that list is guaranteed to be right.
Unfortunately for you whiners out there, Crowder was completely in the right. How do I know? Because he was judging you not by his own personal standard, but by God's. He wasn't saying you (female or male, despite that tweet focusing on the former) is a concubine because he thinks it. He said it because God thinks it. The Lord did not make moral law just to mess with our heads. He made it because He knows what is good for us, what will make us healthy and happy.
"But Jesus would never say it like that!" you might say. "He would be kind and gentle and not try to drive people away!" To which I ask (just like a certain Clinton), "What difference does it make?" As I have pointed out, not everyone is swayed by gentle messaging. In the end, how the message is delivered does not matter as much as whether or not the message is correct. Even if Jesus himself wouldn't be as blunt as Crowder (and I have no idea nor do you, unless you walked with Him 2000 years ago), you can bet that He would still be telling you to repent and shape up.
It is pretty obvious that many were riled up by Crowder precisely because what he said resonated in their hearts. Though they might be loathe to admit it, they were convicted by the truth in his words, causing them to lash out. Now, if you don't want to shape up according to God's standard, that's your choice. Expecting no one to say anything about it is ridiculous. Complaining when they do is pathetic.
We are commanded to make righteous (not frivolous) judgments based on God's moral law. How else do you expect sinners to repent if they are not confronted by their sin? Some people claim to convert to faith in Christ without changing a single thing in their lives, no matter sinful they are. One cannot be saved without repentance and one cannot repent without knowing they are sinning.
Before you ask, no, I am not perfect nor do I claim to make these arguments from an angle of being so. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes and we all have our flaws. I can assure you, I am convicted on a daily basis for my shortcomings and I try my hardest to correct them. However, that does not make it wrong for me or anyone else to take God's morality and show another their own shortcomings according to said law. Indeed, you should be glad someone is saying that what you are doing is wrong.
I get it. It hurts to be confronted by truths that say we are doing or have done wrong in God's eyes. Struggling against the truth, however, will not make our lives better or happier. Indeed, the more we dig into our sinful ways, the farther we will fall when it all crashes down upon us.
One final thought: Before you condemn the next person to judge you by God's standards, consider why they are doing it. Is it because they are self-righteous? Is it because they think they are better than you? Or is it for a greater purpose? Perhaps they are worried about you. They don't have to have met you. Jesus most certainly did not personally meet everyone on the planet, but He died for all of them regardless. He died for you too. We are commanded to love others as Jesus loved the church.
Sometimes, love is a tough pill to swallow.
Now, on the one hand, I can see why people would be uncomfortable with Crowder's style. I can also see the argument that such bluntness does not help our cause. It does not personally make me uncomfortable, as this article on messengers attests to. I have no problem with these criticisms, however. What I found truly maddening were the people whining about Crowder "judging them."
People, this next paragraph may be the hardest you may ever read. Everyone judges you. Your friends judge you. Your family judges you. Your dog judges you. God judges you. Only one of those in that list is guaranteed to be right.
Unfortunately for you whiners out there, Crowder was completely in the right. How do I know? Because he was judging you not by his own personal standard, but by God's. He wasn't saying you (female or male, despite that tweet focusing on the former) is a concubine because he thinks it. He said it because God thinks it. The Lord did not make moral law just to mess with our heads. He made it because He knows what is good for us, what will make us healthy and happy.
"But Jesus would never say it like that!" you might say. "He would be kind and gentle and not try to drive people away!" To which I ask (just like a certain Clinton), "What difference does it make?" As I have pointed out, not everyone is swayed by gentle messaging. In the end, how the message is delivered does not matter as much as whether or not the message is correct. Even if Jesus himself wouldn't be as blunt as Crowder (and I have no idea nor do you, unless you walked with Him 2000 years ago), you can bet that He would still be telling you to repent and shape up.
 |
| Yes, He is judging you. He has also given you a way out of sin and into God's love. |
| No, this does not mean you can keep sinning. |
We are commanded to make righteous (not frivolous) judgments based on God's moral law. How else do you expect sinners to repent if they are not confronted by their sin? Some people claim to convert to faith in Christ without changing a single thing in their lives, no matter sinful they are. One cannot be saved without repentance and one cannot repent without knowing they are sinning.
Before you ask, no, I am not perfect nor do I claim to make these arguments from an angle of being so. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes and we all have our flaws. I can assure you, I am convicted on a daily basis for my shortcomings and I try my hardest to correct them. However, that does not make it wrong for me or anyone else to take God's morality and show another their own shortcomings according to said law. Indeed, you should be glad someone is saying that what you are doing is wrong.
I get it. It hurts to be confronted by truths that say we are doing or have done wrong in God's eyes. Struggling against the truth, however, will not make our lives better or happier. Indeed, the more we dig into our sinful ways, the farther we will fall when it all crashes down upon us.
One final thought: Before you condemn the next person to judge you by God's standards, consider why they are doing it. Is it because they are self-righteous? Is it because they think they are better than you? Or is it for a greater purpose? Perhaps they are worried about you. They don't have to have met you. Jesus most certainly did not personally meet everyone on the planet, but He died for all of them regardless. He died for you too. We are commanded to love others as Jesus loved the church.
Sometimes, love is a tough pill to swallow.
Thank you. I was thinking of writing a similar blog.
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