Does the World Judge Christians Unfairly?

By Dr. Brandon Steenbock, Family Minister

Colossians 3:12 - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Doesn’t it seem unfair that Christians are accused of being unkind, unloving, uncaring, and cruel? Most Christians I know try very hard to be kind, loving, caring, and thoughtful. And yet, no matter how hard they try, they are often judged by the secular world, by social media influencers and media pundits and next-door neighbors. Judged as morally deficient just for claiming the name of Christ.

But maybe it is fair after all. I know just as many Christians who can be unkind, unloving, uncaring, and cruel. I’m one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always that way. But once in a while my sin gets the better of me. 

Which is totally inappropriate for someone who should be holy as God is holy. That’s the claim of Christianity, that in Christ, I am made righteous. Perfect. Declared to be without sin. And like it or not, in the eyes of everyone around me, that raises the bar. People aren’t going to judge you or me by their moral standards. They’re going to judge me by the moral standard of God’s holiness. That’s just how it is. 

Maybe that’s why Paul writes the way he does, piling on these terms for how we are to behave. Notice how they are all outward-focused? Compassion - feeling someone else’s hurts. Kindness - acting for the benefit of someone else. Humility, gentleness, patience – these are things that only impact other people. You could sum it all up in a short sentence: Love other people well.

And it’s fair that when we don’t, we get judged for it. Not just by people, but by God. God has the right, and honestly should, call us out as sinners and failures for all the times we have not been loving people. That would be justice, and it would be fair.

But God is different. He is gloriously, graciously unfair. In the best way possible. “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…” Even though God could call us sinners and failures, he calls us children. Chosen. Holy and loved. Not because we behaved well, but in absolute absence of our behavior. That’s not fair, but it is so good. 

And that gives us a reason to love others. To be like God, and not worry about fairness but about love. To be unfair in the best possible way to a world that judges us, even when we try our best. And that’s okay. That’s what God does for us. That’s what God’s chosen people do for others.