Clarity, Compassion & Courage

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." (3 John 2)

As I have been reflecting about the question of identity and what it means to be human, I see the need for clarity, compassion, and courage.

Our world is like the time of the Judges when “everyone did what was right in his or her own eyes.” Everyone is defining who they are based on what they do and especially how they feel. We live in confusion about who we are. We need clarity in the midst of confusion. And the clarity comes from knowing the truth. As one theologian writes, “your identity is found not in believing or living ‘your truth,’ but in believing and living in ‘the One who is true.’” May we come to know Christ of the truth and the truth of Christ.

Clarity is not enough, though. We need compassion. If we are people who know the truth of Christ and Christ of truth, we must be people who are compassionate like Christ who is full of compassion. Instead of trying to win arguments, we need to listen to the groanings of people. We need to see people first not as sinners, but as sufferers who are in pain. For instance, when we hear about people struggling with gender dysphoria (an experience of distress where one's psychological and emotional gender identity doesn't match one's biological gender), our first response should be compassion, not judgment or correction. Tim Keller writes, “To experience gender dysphoria is extremely painful. To have your feelings sharply out of accord with your body is life-dominating grief. As Christians, we—of all people—should be able to show understanding and compassion—knowing the devastating effect of the fall.” May we be people of compassion, even as we pursue clarity.

Now I realize that clarity and compassion are not enough to be people of light in this world. We need courage. We need the courage to speak the truth in love. Such courage is not something that we muster up. Godly courage is rooted in God's love and love for people. And godly courage is given by God who empowers us with his love and truth: “God gave us a spirit not of cowardice, but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). It’s the courage to speak about Jesus. It’s the courage to speak that Jesus who had no sin was made sin for us. That Jesus experienced the ultimate experience of being in the wrong flesh. As Sam Allberry explains, “there was no greater dysphoria ever experienced. And Jesus went through that for us!” May we be people of courage, because we know God's love and we love people who are made in the image of God and whose ultimate need is provided by God through Jesus Christ.

So may we be a church community marked with clarity, compassion, and courage.

This Sunday, I will be continuing my teaching on our body as an important aspect of being created in the image of God. Last week I focused on the creation account of our body from Genesis 2. This week I will talk about the brokenness of our body and the restoration of our body from other parts of Scripture.

Again, if you have been joining only online for the past little while, please know that your bodily presence in our Sunday gathering actually matters! So if you are able to go out and about, please come out and join us for in-person service!

“I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink [or computer]. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.” (3 John 13)