The world is an angry place. Venom runs deep. It is ugly, even nauseating to see it running so deeply through our world. Why? Where did this mess come from?
Anger and hatred can be classed into a half dozen very broad categories: Crime, Politics, Revenge, Anti-Authority, Economics, and Narcissism. These are in no particular order but simply group comments and actions together based on similar actions. In a sense, the classification is not relevant. Hate is hate and is bad. Likewise, there are at least a half dozen outcomes from hate: Pain & Suffering, Chaos & Confusion, Stress & Anxiety, Depression, Division & Isolation, and Sin.
There are no good outcomes from hate.
Does anyone profit from all this trouble? Who gains the most from it all? If you are a Christian, a person of faith, you know the answer. Satan!
We are not ignorant of Satan’s efforts or his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). We know how he operates. We have seen his lies in the past, and we take note of his horrible tortures of Job and the many prophets slain for speaking against him (Hebrews 11:32-38). We remember that Satan was the driving force behind the mob shouting “crucify him, crucify him” (Matthew 27:22, 23; Mark 15:13, 14; Luke 23:21). The anger and hatred we see today must be laid at the feet of the evil one. He alone profits from the troubles.
Therefore, we oppose the hatred by opposing the evil behind it. Darkness is often a metaphor for evil. It describes the horrible reality that is commonly our world. By driving out darkness, we establish light. While that sounds easy, it is not. The world loves darkness despite the fact that the light of Jesus has entered (John 3:19). Jesus described the hours of his arrest and crucifixion as being in the power of darkness (Luke 22:53). He calls upon his people to oppose and rebuke darkness (Ephesians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 6:14)
Christians must be careful not to contribute to the darkness through our opposition to it. How can we oppose, even rebuke evil, without being evil ourselves?
Love is the Centerpiece of Our Response
Scripture says we are to speak truth in love, and apart from love, we are only noise (1 Corinthians 13:1; 16:14; Ephesians 4:15). Our Lord was motivated by love (John 3:16; Romans 5:8, 10) so we must be so motivated too.
At the beginning of his work, Jesus declared that people in darkness were seeing the light that would deliver them (Matthew 4:15, 16). The battle persists between light and dark and will so long as the world stands (John 1:5).
Motivations Matter
Ask yourself, “why am I opposing this statement, behavior or event?” If we cannot link our motivations to an overriding concern for the individual involved, we should probably pause and rethink our approach.
At his first coming, Jesus did not come to judge, although he had every right to do so. His motivation was to “seek and to save the lost” (John 12:47; Luke 19:10).
Think of Yourself Too
By examining self, we will purge out the darkness of our own hearts. The well-known parable of the log in our own eye is very instructive (Matthew 7:1-5). It reminds us that we have weaknesses and failing that must be addressed before assailing another. Paul warns that we should “take heed lest he falls” (1 Corinthians 10:12; c.f. Galatians 6:1) while Solomon reminds that “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Our goal is not to save others at the expense of our own souls, but to save ourselves and others too.
We can combat the horrible environment in which we live. There is little I can do on the world’s stage compared to what I can do in my own corner of the globe. The danger is doing nothing. We can change the world one soul at a time.
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