How should Christians respond to cancel culture?

But now a word as to what follows. It is the very pith and essence of that which concerns our relation towards others here below; the great active principle from which all right conduct flows. This is the question of the true character and limits of love. "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy" (ver. 43). This was the expression that the Jews drew from the general tenor of the law. There had been the sanction of God for the extermination of their enemies; and from that they drew the principle, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." Here was a thing that the law never could teach — it is grace. In a thousand practical instances, the question is not whether the thing is right. We often hear Christians asking, Is such a thing wrong? But this is not the sole question for the Christian. Suppose wrong is done him; what is to be his feeling then? If there is enmity to him in another, what is he to cherish in his own heart? "Love your enemies … do good to them that hate you … that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven;" thus they show in practical ways that they belong to such a parentage, "For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust … Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (vers. 44-48).

Many are spiritually deaf and do not hear such things. They have intentionally closed their ears to the things of Christ. But the Lord then spoke to those who would hear. He told them, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Love is not merely having a kind feeling, but being genuinely concerned for the true, proper welfare of another If that person returns hatred, it is all the more reason to be concerned for him, for he needs special help. Doing good in return for evil is both rightly representing God and providing an example that should touch the hearts and consciences of others. This, and returning blessing for cursing, requires the lowly dignity of true faith, as do those things that follow, such as praying for one who acts despitefully (v.28). Our natural resentment is greatly modified by the power of the Holy Spirit when we allow Him to work in us ungrieved and unquenched (Eph.4:30; 1Thes.5:19).

Romans 12:14. "Bless them which persecute you: bless and curse not." The apostle now introduces the Christian into an entirely new line of practical Christianity. His whole life and ways are to be characterised by blessing, not cursing. This precept carries us far beyond the power of nature. And it is only in proportion to the Christian's conformity to the good and perfect will of God, that he is enabled to manifest this practical grace towards his enemies. He has been exhorted to the exercise of love and benevolence among his brethren in Christ; but now he must go a step further, and bless, but never curse, even his enemies who are persecuting him. To possess this spirit, and to practise this precept, is to be a heaven-born child of God. "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:44-45.

But on the other hand there may be persecution: this should be no surprise to us, but in fact an occasion of rejoicing — “for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). Then why ought we to curse those who are guilty of the offense? It is not God's time of cursing, but of blessing in mercy to sinners who will receive His Son. Let us bless them — speak in compassion toward them — desirous of their eternal blessing. This is to be so whether the persecution comes from unbelievers or from believers. What blessed fruit of the grace of Christ in the heart is this blessing for persecution!

Then go forth to love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven (characteristically so): for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. So blessed and good is He!

True, he strongly objected to the blockade which led to the war; but he advocated a direct appeal to arms, which is as far from the spirit of Christ as a commercial interdict. And the two things for which the Reformer urged the government of Zurich to take up arms were the slanders and the persecutions of the papists. But what does the blessed Lord say? "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." And again, "Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not." And knowing the state of irritation which slander and persecution would naturally produce, the gracious Lord condescends to approach the oppressed in terms of the greatest endearment. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Surely both the blockade and the appeal to arms meet their utter condemnation in these divine precepts of our Lord and Master. (Matt. 5:11-12; Rom. 12:14, 19, 20)

When there was such a shame in the days of David he says 'Tell it not in the streets of Gath, let not the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.' Oh, beloved, we have had television programmes, the saints being stripped publicly to our shame. What is it to us? Beloved, are we indifferent to what has taken place among us, in our generation? David ministered to the will of God in his generation, what have we done in our generation? What will we say to the Lord in regard of our generation, what has taken place in our generation and how we have reacted to it? It says "Moses stood in the gate." I believe that Hebrews 13 is based on this Scripture "Wherefore also Jesus, that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered without the gate, therefore let us go forth to Him." Not just to go in reproach but to go forth unto Him, that's the point. We cannot bear reproach on our own but if we are going 'unto Jesus outside the camp' then the possibility is that we can bear the reproach, the reproach of Christ. Peter said "If ye are reproached in the Name of Christ, blessed are ye, for the Spirit of glory and and the Spirit of God rests upon you." In the world we are put to shame, maybe amongst our brethren we are put to shame, but the Spirit of God and the Spirit of glory rests upon those who are reproached for the Name of Christ.

We have not overcome evil because we have not overcome it with good. We have taken readily the judge's chair and have got back judgment, but the Master's lowly work we have little done. But how little do we understand that mere righteous dealing - absolutely righteous as it may be - will not work the restoration of souls; that judgment - however temperate and however true - will not touch and soften and subdue hearts to receive instruction, that by the very facts of the case are shown not to be in their true place with God.

If we do listen (hopefully because we do want to help) we should not repeat it to a third party, even if we suspect it may be true. Nicodemus said to his fellow council members when they were saying bad things about the Lord Jesus: ‘Does our law judge a man before it have first heard from himself, and know what he does?’ (John 7:51). Sad to say, in this day of grace we often deny fellow believers the protection the law gave people in Israel, but who of us has not done this? Do we stop to think that we may even be sharing matters that have already been resolved in the presence of God?

The first — verses 1-9 — prohibits those perversions of righteous judgment which are so common amongst men. They were not to be practised in Israel, and there is much instruction here for ourselves. It is to be noted that the first thing to be prohibited is "a false report." Against the word, "raise," the word "receive" is put in the margin as an alternative translation, and other versions rather confirm this. What great harm has been wrought amongst Christians by false reports! That it is wrong to raise them we all admit. Do we all realize the wrong of receiving them? When a matter of argument or dispute arises among Christians and an evil or disparaging report is brought as to one's opponent in the matter, how tempting it is to receive it at once as certain to be true, when it is after all a false report. Any evil report should be scrutinized with care and verified before it is accepted. We do well to note the care Paul took as to reports of evil at Corinth — see, 1 Corinthians 1:11 and 11:18.