NATIONAL UNITY 1

I have been alarmed of late over the bitterness and seriousness of our national disunity in America. A few elections back I thought I was being funny by asking people who they were going to vote against for president. I stopped asking that because no one thought it was a joke.  Of course this is not restricted to America. Much of the world suffers from similar or worse political divisiveness. This is a dangerous fact about our world.

I have longed for a president who wanted to use the bully pulpit to bring us nearer to national unity. But for those of us who are serious about the Bible and faith in Jesus, I need to admit to a different perspective. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus warned us that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. If we follow Jesus, many things about us will offend others.

Many today will find our morals offensive. I want to say it lovingly and wisely, but I will have to stand against the murder of over a million innocents a year by the practice of abortion. I am going to have to tell people that I love that homosexual behavior is sinful and homosexual marriage unnatural.

Some will find our thinking offensive no matter how gently and respectfully we express it. 

Ideas have conclusions. And our thinking will go counter to worldly thinking. That is why we see some of the thinking of our founding fathers being rejected by society and ignored by bodies like the Supreme Court.

Some will even be offended by the gospel. It will offend some people that their own righteousness will never save them. Others will be offended that a wicked person can be forgiven.

What are we to do? We should pray for unity in our country. I believe we would be foolish and disobedient if we did not. But there are issues in America where we will have to stand with our Lord even against unity in our country.

I have more to say on this subject. There are things we can do to work for unity. But lest I take away from what I have written here, I need to wait until next week to deal with them. In the meantime, I encourage you to think about what Jesus said.