A scandal broke out in the NBA on March 29, 2016. Nick Young, a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers, was caught on tape confessing to have cheated on his fiancée, a famous singer, Iggy Azalea.
Teammates were irate, and the next morning, after the tape was released, the whole team ate breakfast together while a Los Angeles Laker player had to eat alone. But that player was not Nick Young.
NBA fans were irate, as well, and they spent the whole next game booing a particular player on the Los Angeles Lakers, but that player was not Nick Young.
Rather, they went ballistic about Nick Young’s teammate, D’Angelo Russell.
Why, you ask? Because Russell supposedly recorded Nick Young confessing to the fornication and then posted it online for the world to see. And the whole world condemned D’Angelo Russell for the action. No one criticized Nick Young in any way. He was only praised. He became a fan favorite and the world stood by his side while demonizing an early April Fool’s prank by his 19-year-old teammate.
Exactly one year later another scandal broke out. This time in the political realm.
On March 29th, 2017, Twitter went crazy over a story published in the Washington Post a day earlier that included this sentence:
“In 2002, Mike Pence told the Hill that he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side, either.”
Of course, the world had another twisted response. Instead of praising Mike Pence for wanting to be above reproach, and to honor and respect his relationship with his wife, he was condemned. And that’s putting it lightly. They twisted his comment by making him seem like a misogynist, like a sexual deviant who can’t handle spending time with women, a rapist, and even a homosexual.
Two very different scandals one year apart and yet the world responds the same way–with a completely warped view of what is right and what is wrong. Yet the Bible tells us that we shouldn’t be shocked by what we see. We should expect it.
These two stories serve as a great reminder of how incredibly difficult it is to be a Christian. It’s pretty easy for a guy in ministry like myself, but it is incredibly difficult for those who study or work in the world. My heart goes out to all the faithful Christians who live day by day exposed to the twisted thinking of the world and who have so much pressure to compromise. As we think about these stories, it is important to be reminded about a few things. Here are three things in particular that stories like these bring out.
The world will never get it
I know it’s shocking to see responses like these. It is shocking to see the world condemn the tattletale and not even bat an eye at the one cheating, or twisting the words of a man who is simply wanting to remain faithful to his wife and be above reproach. All the while, most non-Christian wives would have a serious problem with a husband who has no problem spending time alone with someone of the opposite sex, and while the fiancée of the exposed basketball player was thankful for the tape that came out. This tells us that the world’s hatred of God is not a rational one. It is a hatred that is based on emotion and a love for sin.
Over the past few days, I’ve seen some very good and incredibly helpful statements on the part of Christians exposing the folly of the liberal mindset regarding the Mike Pence situation. Such as, exposing the liberal hypocrisy in calling out Mike Pence while praising and defending men like Bill Clinton. While these statements are so helpful for the Christian, they will never convince a non-Christian.
In times like these, we must remember that the hatred the world has for God is not logical. It is based on impulse and instinct. Romans 1:18 tells us that they suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that they are blinded by the god of this world. Finally, 2 Timothy 2:26 tells us that in order for them to come to their senses and see the incredibly twisted logic they have, God must grant them repentance. Only then will they be able to escape the snare of the devil.
No argument will ever be persuasive enough to cause them to come to their senses, and no apologists can come up with the perfect statement to help unbelievers see their folly. It is up to God and God alone to open their eyes to the truth.
The world is as bad as the Bible says
One of the most common objections I get when I do evangelism is that people see the God of the Bible as being too tough on sin. Most people admit they are imperfect, but their view of their imperfection is usually accompanied by a minimization of the imperfection. “I’m not that bad,” they say, and by doing so they question God’s judgment. So many in the church ask this question as well. Their sweet grandma or neighbor, who seems to be so kind and loving, doesn’t really deserve hell, “right pastor?”
Moments like these reveal the heart of man, and are opportunities for us to look closely at the potential for evil that is within every heart. Of course, because of common grace people will be subdued in how much sin they will be willing to participate in, but when the Bible says that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and incurable (Jer. 17:9), it means it. When Jesus called his disciples salt, he literally meant that they had a way of keeping the world from destroying itself as fast as it could. Just by being in the world, the world would be less likely to want to sin.
One time when I was refereeing soccer, I walked up to my two fellow refs and one of them was cussing up a storm. He absolutely hated a particular team, players, parents, and coach. Once he was done, we started making our introductions and we started asking about what we did for a living. I said, “I’m studying the Bible in seminary; I want to be a pastor.” It seemed as if he saw a ghost. He was instantly apologetic and cleaned up his act immediately. All it took was the word Bible and pastor to produce such a change. I didn’t even care that he was cursing nor did I say anything, but he was instantly convicted.
Often, people put on their best face in public, especially when they are around believers. But we must view them the way the Bible tells us to. Romans 3 tells us that there is no one good, that there is no one righteous, and that there is no one that seeks after Him. As difficult as that is to believe, day in and day out, because of our desire to minimize sin, twisted responses like we’ve seen recently should serve as a powerful reminder that the world is as bad as the Bible says it is, and that it is in desperate need of us to be faithful evangelists.
We must continue being salt and light
I think that the average churchgoer, who must continue to work in the public sphere, might be tempted to see the ridicule Mike Pence has received and to be less vocal or even to change his personal rules. In order to be more politically correct and more with the times, many people might be tempted to put themselves in bad situations. Let’s remember that no matter what the world says about us and our lifestyles, it doesn’t matter: we must continue to stand strong against the culture.
First of all, it is for their own good. Whether they see it or not, our godliness and our hate for sin is being used by God for their benefit. A world without believers will decay much faster than a world with Christians. And, despite their best efforts to silence and corrupt believers, it is for their own good that we must continue to flee youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22).
Second of all, it is for our good. Salt that becomes tasteless is worthless to the Lord and must be thrown out. It is so easy to be corrupted by the world, and it will use every tactic it can to do so. We must stand strong and follow the Word no matter what the world may say, insult us with, or even kill us (Matt 5:10-12).
So many Christians all over the world are incredible examples of this to us. Their desire to please their Savior and to be above reproach is something we should celebrate and look up to. It’s easy to criticize and condemn but let’s remember how difficult it is to be a Christian in this day and age. Despite what happens, let’s continue to fear God above anyone else and work hard to please Him with our lives.