by Jasmine Barnes
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye,” -Matthew 7:3 (ESV).
I know no one is perfect. Not every Christian is guilty of what I’m about to say. This focuses on a majority of Christians, not the entire community.
Hypochristians: a term my dad came up with when describing people in the church. A hypochristian is a hypocrite much like the pharisees. They knew the Word well, they quoted it constantly, and they believed they’re better than the people around them. Unfortunately, Whitworth, like the rest of America, is full of such people.
Matthew 7:3 is a verse that is important, but often overlooked. As Christians, people are quick to point out other people’s sins and ignore their own. They have this mentality that they’re perfect. The only person who was ever perfect was Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
The reason that I am talking about this is because of the recently-passed bill in Washington legalizing gay marriage. I have seen people post on Facebook about how people who are gay are horrible sinners and how all gays are going to hell. Some even said they hate people who are gay. I had even seen an image of a woman holding a sign saying “God hates gays.”
First of all, since when does God hate? I have read the New Testament and some of the Old Testament and I have never once seen the words “God hates.” If it does say that somewhere, call me out on it; I don’t mind. I just know Jesus comes with two commandments: Love the Father in heaven and love others. The Bible doesn’t say to love other Christians; it says to love others. That includes people who are gay, adulterers, prostitutes and any other person Christians group into the “sinner” category. Instead Christians alienate those people and cause them to have a negative outlook on the religion.
Second, Christians have decided that some sins are worse than others. Homosexuality, pre-marital sex and abortion are the three worst sins of this decade. Some churches won’t allow these so-called “sinners” to join; however, they allow people who have married numerous times, others who got divorced and people who constantly eat large meals at fast food restaurants. Did the church forget that gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins? In 2010, according to an article on NBC, a young girl was denied entrance into an Episcopal school because she was being raised by two lesbians. Instead of doing what Jesus asked Christians to do, which is spread the word of salvation, they cut this little girl off from information that could save her life. They did more than deny her a spot in the school; they denied her the chance to hear the Word of God.
Jesus didn’t ask us to judge people for him. That’s what God is there for. He is the one and only judge of mankind. Jesus wants Christians to tell people about him so they can be saved. Christians aren’t here to convict, condemn or criticize but are here to spread the word of God. Christians aren’t here to tell some- one that they are a sinner. Christians are not here to tell someone they are going to hell. Christians are definitely not here to tell someone their lifestyle is horrible. No one is perfect. A gay person can be fol- lowing every other law except that one. In theory, that person can be a better Christian than those who judge him or her.
Go back to the quote at the beginning. Examine yourself before you judge others. Are you completely without sin? Are you living your faith to the best of your ability? Figure out what kind of Christian you are before you decide that someone else is doing it wrong.
Barnes is a freshman majoring in English and secondary education. Comments can be sent to jbarnes15@my.whitworth.edu.