-OBJECTION: The last time I was in a church, one of the leaders sexually abused me. I’ll never have anything to do with the church again.
-RESPONSE: Well, first, I’m very sorry to hear that. I hate that you experienced an unimaginable level of pain and trauma at the hands of anyone, let alone someone who claimed to represent Christ and who should have been in a position to serve you, not harm you. There is no excuse for this deplorable behavior. Whoever did such a thing committed a grievous sin (and crime) that warrants being displaced from ministry and potentially brought up on charges.
Second, instances like these damage the church’s witness and grossly damages the victim. These actions and similar ones are not acceptable before God and not acceptable within society. They are flat out wrong. Christ calls each believer to sexual purity and overall holiness (sex is only within the confines of marriage with a consensual nature implied).
Yet, while Christ is perfect, His servants, unfortunately, are not. Moreover, many blaspheme Him in claiming to be His when they’re actually of Satan. Critical to the understanding of the mix of sincere Christians and pretenders (hypocrites) is the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds). In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus describes a parable in which wheat and similar-looking tares grow together. The wheat represents the true believers born of the true seed, the word of God. The tares are a type of false wheat sown by the devil and are indiscernible until harvest time. Therefore, in this parable, Jesus says to let the wheat and the tares grow together. The parallel meaning is clear: genuine Christians and similar-looking, false, hypocritical people will continue to grow together. Both types of people are within the church assembly. This is not to say that genuine Christians don’t sin, but it is to suggest that every act from those within the church building does not reflect the actions of genuine Christians.
Finally, your hurt is real. I never want to minimize it. However, I believe the hope, forgiveness, and restoration you seek is found in the person of Christ. I pray that you would come to find the truth of Christ despite the heinous actions of men who claimed to represent Him, for we can be certain that sexual sins—especially against a minor—do not reflect the tenets of Scripture nor Christ’s character. Check out NeedGod.com
#MMApologist #SolusChristus #Salute