How Do We Reconcile Human Rights with Biblical Truth?

I was teaching Sunday school class and we were dissing on some Pharisees (they’re easy targets). The scripture came from Luke 7:36-39 (NASB20)

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!”

We had a few discussion topics to go with, but I ended up posing the question, “What kinds of behaviors do we see in Christians today that are similar to the behavior of Simon the Pharisee?”

The student’s example was Christians who berate people of other beliefs and tell them they’re going to burn in Hell. I had to be honest with the young student that telling a non-believer they’re not making it into Heaven is biblically accurate, but I also believe the heart we have when we share this truth matters.

Human Rights Can Reinforce Biblical Truths but Human Rights Can’t Negate Biblical Truths

Before I get too deep into this, I need to be clear that I believe that human rights exist to protect all people, but especially people who are marginalized and easy to harm. I do not have to agree with someone’s way of life to believe that they deserve love, kindness, decency, and me not behaving like…well…a Pharisee. The verse that guides how I treat those I disagree with comes from Romans 12:18 (NASB20)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.

This verse comes amidst a cluster of scripture where Paul is reiterating some of Christ’s teachings in slightly different words to share them with a slightly different audience. I keep this verse in mind when I encounter beliefs and lifestyles that I feel go against the Bible. I firmly believe that it is possible to address Biblical truths while maintaining a heart of peace.

Freedom of Religion vs. John 14:6

John 14:6 (NASB20) reads:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

This passage comes along when Jesus is comforting his disciples and assuring them that if he’s going off to prepare a place for them, he will come back to get them. Jesus is talking about preparing a place for them in His Father’s house, a direct metaphor for the Kingdom of Heaven. Thomas asks a simple question: If we don’t know where you’re going, how will we know the way?

This verse is a bedrock truth of Christianity. We can’t compromise on this teaching for the sake of the feelings of others. Being a Christian means we believe that the only way to God is through Christ. There’s not room for another religion to also be correct. This is a truth straight from the mouth of The Truth. So, Biblically, if you have a friend who is a member of a different religion, someone who is “spiritual but not religious,” or an atheist, they’re not getting a high-five from Jesus in Heaven unless they change their ways. It’s not mean, unkind, ugly, or bigoted to stand firm on this belief. But, in our effect to be at peace with all people, we cannot allow our conviction to give way to bigotry.

Here’s the part you may not cheer for: your pastor that you love, he can’t get you into Heaven either. That’s not his role. His role is to guide you to Jesus. I love my pastor dearly and I think he has a heart that yearns for wisdom and understanding. If I were a betting man, I’d bet everything I had on the notion that my pastor prays for God’s wisdom in even the smallest things he says and does. I admire him. He’s not Jesus. He’s been instrumental in helping reconnect my life to my savior, but my pastor has as much ability to get me into heaven as Muhamad, Confucius, Nietzsche, Douglas Adams, or JRR Tolkien. He can stand right there next to me at the pearly gates and say, “Now, Jesus, I’ve known Othy for a long time. I can vouch for him. He’s a good person and he always helped me out at the church any time I asked” but if Jesus doesn’t recognize me when He sees me, I’m not getting in. I can’t get in by seeking entry through my pastor. I only get in by having a relationship with Christ.

Do people have a right to worship what, who, and how they want? Absolutely, without question. Do they have the right to do that without me on a megaphone telling them they’re going to go to hell for it? That’s a freedom of speech issue, but you’re going to sound like a jerk if you do it that way and just as it’s impossible to serve to masters: it’s also impossible to share a message of love while speaking with the tone of hate. We have to correct out of love, not bigotry.

How Do I Correct It From a Place of Love?

This answer comes from John as well. John 13:34-35 (NASB20) reads:

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples; if you have love for one another.

That we show love was such a big deal to Jesus that He made it a whole new commandment. That’s a big deal. Full stop. Pause. Take it in.

Now, you might be thinking, “Knowing I’m supposed to love doesn’t tell me how to,” and you’d be right. Read 1 Corinthians 13, the whole chapter. Then, read it again. Then, re-evaluate your approach.

I had a friend I worked once a upon a time named Omar. Omar was Muslim. Omar knew I was Christian. It never offended Omar for me to wish him a Merry Christmas. We had a talk about it once where he pointed out, “You know I’m Muslim, right?” I explained that Christmas was a time of year that, for me, meant I was supposed to spread as much kindness and joy as I could and unless he asked me to, I wasn’t going to exclude him from that. His being Muslim didn’t stop me from behaving like a Christian. When Ramadan rolled around, he would walk in my office and say silly things like, “I can’t eat until sundown, let me get a big sniff of your food.”

While I never felt like God was opening the door for me to have a conversation with Omar about how his religion was wrong, God constantly opened the door for me to treat him kindly and with love. I made it clear what I believed and if he ever wanted to talk about the differences between what each of us believed, I was open to that conversation in a very non-judgmental way. When Omar left the company we were working with at the time, he told me that I was the only Christian he’d met that made him consider going to church. He then brushed it off with a joke about how his parents would disown him, but I like to think the seed was planted.

What I need you to remember is that most sinners already feel bad about their sin. They don’t really need you to make them feel worse. They never need you to use hate speech. Ever. If you genuinely love and want to follow God, don’t use slurs. They convey 0% of God’s love for someone and do a very effective job of hardening a person’s heart. If you are comfortable being the reason someone’s heart is hardened against Christ, you aren’t living for God. End of story.

In closing, remember this:

All it takes for the devil to ruin your witness is for your words to convince others that God doesn’t love them