Worth Weeping For

Dealing with sin is always hard, whether its owning up to our sin or confronting someone else’s. I know it is possible for Christians to be giddy in pointing out the sins of others. We all run the risk of getting pride and vindictiveness wrapped around the axle of truth.

But I also know the struggle a good many Christians have in calling sin “sin.” They feel terrible because someone’s feelings might get hurt. They hang their heads low to know that sincere people disagree with them. They get wobbly in knees at the thought of offending the culture, their family, or their friends. Very few of us enjoy confrontation, especially with those who also call upon the name of Christ. We dislike the whole business of discipline, rebuke, and drawing boundaries. We hate to see the tears of those who believe with all their might that a certain doctrine, practice, or sexual behavior is commended by Scripture when we know that Scripture does not.

And yet, something should eat us up inside even more. Something should disturb us more than the feelings of those with whom we disagree. Something should move us to tears more than the tears of those who feel pained by our convictions and correction.

Psalm 119:53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.

Psalm 119:136 My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

Psalm 119:139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.

Psalm 119:158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.

With all the sensitive emotions and wounded spirits in the church today, who will weep for the forsaking of God’s law? With all the attention given to the feelings of others, even those who disobey the word of God, who will consider how God feels about our actions? Is it not worse to grieve the Holy Spirit than to grieve those who call sin “holy”?

The language of the Psalmist may sound harsh to us, but that’s a testimony to how much little we treasure the commands of God. If we truly want our hearts to break for things that break the heart of God, we will weep to see the word so badly handled and so boldly broken in our day. God have mercy on us all.