It Starts with a Judgment Call

“When we attempt to discern people’s value based on external features, we not only try to usurp God’s role as judge, but we fail miserably in the process.” – Bloomberg, Kamell

Marginalization is kind of a buzz word. In a ‘woke’ culture, all the cool kids are using it to describe what has happened to individuals and various people groups. And while the calls for justice should ring in the church, ours cannot be an equivalency approach.Justice in the culture will in almost every circumstance turn into who has power to decide equity. The church cannot function that way. If it does, it will be trading away one of its most redemptive and helpful purifying properties: Gospel equity. Gospel equity is the understanding that every human being matters in God’s eyes. This reality is proven at the cross. “God so loved the world…” is not exclusive language, rather it is the ultimately inclusive language of Divine value giving. If we seek justice or equality without grounding it in the equity given in the redemptive work of Christ, we will certainly not eliminate marginalization but simply change who is in the margin. In Jesus alone do we find a way to say to each human being, “You matter” without stealing significance from another human being. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the sole work by which humanity can be freed from the burden of taking on the role of value judge. Building from a foundation other than this will lead us down a path that can only end in failure. The church has tried it. The Crusades are one grotesque example, though there are plenty others. How do we come to the end of marginalization? By letting the mercy extended in the Gospel transform how we see ourselves and others. When we see ourselves through mercy’s lens, we will be reminded of our constant need for it. I need mercy today, right now. It is mercy alone that keeps me from judgment. When we see others through mercy’s lens, we stop judging a person’s externals (class, culture, race, gender, political party, education level, etc.) and we start seeing their intrinsic value. They begin mattering to us because, we realize how much they matter to God. Here’s the key: put down the gavel and pick up the towel. Serving people, in love, who are pushed to the edges by the world creates a soul change toward them. No longer are they ‘less than’. Now they are shown their worth as I dignify them by extending God’s love to them. As I think about this one other facet of this passage comes out. The glorious Lord Jesus is the one in whose image I am to be being made. He was a servant, a source of mercy for those who came into contact with Him. Far too often, I would rather emulate God as Judge. The problem is, of course, that in this scenario, God’s justice is made in my image, as is He. It is just the opposite that God desires. I am to be made like Him. Mercy triumphs over judgment.