We tend to categorize people by their level of sin and decide if we should associate with them or not. On the contrary, God is not intimidated by sin. He desires to reach every lost sheep.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23
From the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, God’s intent was to bring humanity back to Him and to break the curse and the bondage of sin. This issue was so important to the Lord that He was willing to send Jesus to die for the sin of humanity, so we may be redeemed from our wayward life back to a relationship with the Lord. Every one of us was one of those sinners.
Jesus paid a high price for it, and He made salvation available to whosoever believes in Him. He also gave the Great Commission to His disciples and told them to go and make disciples of the nations. How are we going to make disciples of the nations if we are looking down upon sinners or are worried about associating with them!?
The Bible is full of stories of redemption of sinners. Below is one of them:
Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate. Joshua 2:2-7
The above story ended well and the spies were protected by Rahab. In turn, Joshua and his people protected Rahab and her family after defeating Jericho. But what if we didn’t know the end of the story!? Would we have questioned the actions of those two spies!?
What if you were one of the spies!? Would you have been comfortable staying in a brothel? Would you have wanted your name and reputation be associated with a prostitute? How do you know she can be trusted to tell you the truth or not give away your name for some cash!?
The above story shows that no one is too far to be reached by the Lord and that He can use anyone He wants to for His purpose and plan.
The spies may have been desperate. What if they were not desperate? In the moments of comfort, it is easier to look down upon others or think that it is not necessary to associate with unbelieving sinners. The spies were in a moment of need, and they did what they could to get the help they needed. In the process, they were blessed and Rahab’s family was blessed.
What is your attitude towards unbelievers? How do you see them? Do you have unbelieving people that you are in relationship?
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay