Can you truly love someone who holds different political beliefs than you? Can you engage in healthy conversation with a brother in Christ, even if he is on the “wrong side of history”? We live in a world of disagreement and hate. Our generation thrives off of controversy. We constantly condemn and call each other out on social media instead of engaging in honest discussions.
1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well-known passages of Scripture, yet the church so often fails to practice its teachings. In the current social climate, it has become normal to engage in hate-filled social media rants, condemning fellow brothers and sisters in Christ publicly and in a manner lacking in biblical counsel. 1 Corinthians 13 teaches love, while our society condones hate-filled speech. Paul tells us to put childish ways behind us, but our brothers and sisters are partaking in fruitless Instagram fights.
Now more than ever, the world needs the Church. The world needs a unified body of believers to step up and proclaim the good news of the Gospel. Social justice is not the final step in procuring a sinless world. An Instagram post is not going to enable any sort of viable change. Our struggle is not against anything physical or even tangible, but against the spiritual forces of sin plaguing us and tearing us apart (Eph. 6:12).
Divisions are growing in the place of unity, and hate is growing in the place of love. So, what can you do? What can I do? What can the Covenant College community do to be a biblical example of love and unity in a broken world filled with broken people, broken morals, and broken systems?
First and foremost, we should focus on our personal lives. Before we can engage in any sort of conversation with the world, we must pray for humility. Our goal is not to win an argument or demonstrate our knowledge:. “As for knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Cor. 13:9). The end goal of any conversation we enter into should be to further the Kingdom of God. Matthew 28 commands Christians to preach the word of God to every corner of the earth.
Before you enter into a relationship-straining, heavy-handed debate about race, the environment, or COVID-19 with one of your friends, just remember that you don’t know everything! No one has all of the facts. Paul specifically says that we only see dimly now as through a mirror (1 Cor. 13:12). Approach your brothers and sisters with humility, see others as better than yourself, and make sure that your words are edifying and constructive, not divisive or belittling. It is okay to have conversations where you offer wisdom on subjects that you know well, but do so in a loving and understanding manner with humility at the forefront of your mind.
Second, we should prioritize our values. Hopefully this second step will come easily if we take on spirits of humility. Love should be prevalent in every conversation we partake in. With true love comes an abundance of unity and an incredible furthering of the Gospel. Imagine if patience and kindness were the aim of every Instagram post (1 Cor. 13:4). Imagine if every Covenant student put away their childish attitudes of arrogance and irritability (1 Cor. 13:5,11). Imagine how muchbig of a difference 1,000 unified Christian scholars could make on this campus and in the broader Chattanooga area. Let’s spread love and peace. Let’s pursue unity.
In Ephesians, Paul tells us to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph. 5:18-21). In Colossians he says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:1-2). With our minds set on Christ, and with the intention of edifying others, how different would campus look?
Love spreads like wildfire. Unity is contagious. So why not pursue it? Why are we pursuing arguments for the sake of arguing? Why are we condemning each other over social media? Let’s first become humble and acknowledge our own finitude. Then, let’s seek to love each other. Once these traits are the foundations for our lives, we will be able to engage in hard conversations,. bBut until then, we aren’t ready. Don’t let politics be the factor that unifies you to others. Don’t let your denomination be what unifies you to others. Those things are important, but they’re far less important than what Paul says should bring us together. Our unity in Christ is what will ultimately bring about fruitful conversations and truly further the kingdom of God; and it begins with love.