Impressions of Innocence and the Destruction of Christian Charity

We have all seen the commercials.  You know the ones...Sally Struthers (I think that was her name) or some other celebrity, walking the streets of a third world country, exposing and informing the masses, through television and mail, of the devastating effects of poverty, disease and oppression.  The commercials and mailers break our hearts for these people groups - especially for the children...for the orphans.  And rightly so.  We, the church, are called to help by giving ourselves and our resources.

Most of these organizations are promoting really good causes.  I do think, however, that most of them withhold vital information that deadens our charity and defuses our gospel.  Most of these organizations, leave out the most important expressions of the lives of the oppressed, that separate what we do as Christians from what some celebrity philanthropist does.

Sure, if they included the element, these big givers would soon fall to the way side.  Money would cease to flow.  And publicity would not be of the beneficial kind.

So what is it that is left out?  I'll tell you.  Sin.  Sin is left out.  What we are not told about the small orphan child is what he does after the picture is taken.  Consequently, when most see the word "orphan" we think of some small innocent child, whose picture we post on our refrigerator, who would love nothing more than to cuddle with us and who really deserves our help.  What we don't see is the same kid as he pick-pockets the tourist, as he punches the smaller kid to get his toy, and who has no moral compass whatsoever.

THIS is the tragedy!  Being parentless and without godly parental direction is the epitome of awful.  Have you ever seen or experienced a child who has not been parented?  Most of us like to whisper about the "bad kids" and talk about how we'd parent them differently.  They are the kids we never want to babysit!  Then, all the sudden, Angelina Jolle comes on the television, walking among orphans in Africa, and we comment, "I want to adopt one of them..."

Because we have been given half of the story, we have nothing more than impressions of innocence which have stolen every distinctively Christian motivation from our charitable movements in this life.  We must be careful.  We must understand that behind two very similar acts, there is a world of intrinsic difference.  As Christians we adopt for very different reasons.  We seek justice for different reasons.  And because of that we look very different to a watching world.

Yes, there is an innocence about the orphan's situation.  Justice must be sought on their behalf.  But it must come through the gospel.  We do not adopt because the orphan is cute.  We adopt because of Christ.  We understand that we are not adopting a small, teddy-bear type, innocent, good, kindhearted individual from a far off land.  No.  This child must be rescued, and it will be dirty, painful, disheartening, frustrating, and dangerous.  Within hours he will more than likely surpass the "bad-kid" on the list of kids you don't want your kid around.  He is the kid that celebrities pay nannies to parent.  We must be different!  Why?  Because He adopted us.

After all, before He saved us, we were not some small smiley picture on God's heavenly refrigerator.   Before He saved us, we would have been adopted by no one.  We were the ugly, cold-hearted, bully.  We were His hell-deserving enemy.  We hated Him, slandered Him, suppressed Him, cursed Him, rejected Him, and were more deserving of His wrath than His affection.   But He adopted us.  What kind of God are we dealing with!

He is no mere philanthropist, but the God-Man.  When the sickness of sin in our lives manifested itself against Him, He died for us.  He bore our sins.  He forgave us.  Money was of no value to change us.  Blood proved the only cure.  His blood.  His life for ours.

This is our Gospel.  This is our reason for social justice.  This is our reason for bearing with one another. This is our reason to adopt the less than perfect child.  This, Christian, is the reason we do not abort deformed babies.  This is the reason we are alive.  This is our Christ.