Choosing sides: not the best pursuit for those who are loved by God

By Dean Collins

Pick a side. You may have been in a high school or college class somewhere along the way where that was part of your assignment. Pick a side of a particular argument and write a paper or speech and defend your pick. It’s not a bad assignment, and it certainly forced you to think about the reasons why that particular position is the best one for the given situation.

But this isn’t a class assignment today. Every day there is an increasing cultural demand that we must pick a side in every social and cultural discussion. We are not allowed to stay on middle ground. In fact, the current culture does not even welcome anyone to find a middle space to discuss and reason together. We must pick a side. And if you pick the wrong side you will feel the wrath of the other side quickly and maybe every day until you change sides. And then you will have the same wrath from your former side.

God is on your side

But here is good news. God is on your side. Not your side of the argument. I suspect he doesn’t particularly care about the arguments. It’s hard to find a place in Scripture where God endorses arguing and divisiveness. His Word, however, is filled with calls toward unity. The apostle Paul wrote many times about the body of Christ and that as his followers we are to have the mind of Christ. Our Lord and Savior before his death prayed specifically for our unity with him and with each other.

Does God care about truth? Of course. He is not only the source of all that is true, he is the embodiment of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” And Jesus ended that thought with this statement: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” I suspect that means that no one comes to the Father by any of our magnificent arguments about our position or our interpretation of God’s position on various political and social topics. He has the truth, is the truth, and by his Spirit draws us toward the truth of Jesus.

The psalmist declared that if the Lord had not been on our side when people rose up against us, then we would have been swallowed up alive when their anger was kindled against us. He said God’s people would have been swept away by raging waters.

God’s people made it through David’s era. The remnant of God’s chosen ones made it through exile, made it back to Jerusalem, through hundreds of years of silence in Scripture, and to the moment that Jesus arrived preaching the good news of a new kingdom.

The other side

Let’s forget about the other side for a minute. Maybe we should quit thinking about the other side of arguments altogether. I suspect that like me you can make the same declaration that David made: had the Lord not been on your side and by your side you would not be here reading this today! How many times has difficulty and opposition come your way, and yet you are still breathing, living, and hopefully serving the King of kings and Lord of lords?

And while we may need to rest from so much arguing, I think you would agree that we cannot rest and God has never rested from caring for the people on the other side of any and every argument. Jesus came and died for the salvation of all people, including the ones we argue with so often. As recipients of the grace and love of Jesus, we must look with eyes of compassion, grace, and love at the crowds around us and across the span of all who may see things differently. When Jesus saw the crowds, he saw them as sheep without a shepherd, not as his enemies.

If we can learn to trust that our best position is rooted in the love of Christ and find ways to express that love to the ones we sometimes criticize and battle against, maybe one by one we would see the grace of God break through. God’s redemptive plan will not fail.

My side and yours

I am so grateful that God is on my side and your side even if we don’t always see eye to eye on every topic. May the love of God transform our hearts and minds and lead us to look with compassion and love toward others today. God is on the side of all the others. They just might not yet realize it. They won’t find out through a fight with us. But they very well might as we offer an ear to listen and a hand to give a cup of water in the name of Jesus.

Your time with God’s Word
Psalm‬ ‭124:1-8; ‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Malcolm Lightbody at unsplash.com

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