by Steve Higginbotham
Recently, a little boy openly wept as he asked the Pope if his deceased, unbelieving father was in heaven? Quite frankly, I felt empathy for the Pope as he had to answer this highly emotional question from a heart-broken little boy. I don’t think anyone would relish such a question.
However, while I empathize with the difficult position in which this question placed the Pope, his answer did a disservice to the truth. The answer the Pope gave was that even though this little boy’s father was an unbeliever, he had done good works in his life, had a good heart, and therefore, God would not abandon him.
This recent encounter is yet another example of how willing some people are to discard the truth in favor of “compassion.” The Pope lied to this little boy. He told him that though his father was an unbeliever he would be saved. However Jesus, of whom the Pope claims to be his vicar, said, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Several years ago, I heard a brother in Christ say concerning the congregation where he preached, that they faced a dilemma. They had to decide whether they were going to be “sticklers for the truth” with regard to marriage, divorce, and remarriage or whether they were going to be compassionate. He said they chose the route of compassion. Again, truth was discarded in favor of “compassion.”
May I suggest that we need not choose between truth and compassion, and that we can stand for both truth and compassion at the same time. Consider the life of Jesus! When the rich, young, ruler walked away from Jesus, disappointed by his demands, Jesus didn’t change the truth, yet the text says that Jesus loved him (Mark 10:21). Although Jesus loved this man, he didn’t change or compromise the truth.
Shame on us if we don’t clothe ourselves with compassion (Colossians 3:12). Shame on us if we don’t speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And shame on us if we discard the truth in an effort to be compassionate (Proverbs 27:6).