In God We TrustSample

Jesus Doesn’t Cancel Us 

When you combine social media and a 24-hour news cycle that lives in your pocket, it’s a recipe for conflict, misunderstandings, and division. Add the stress of politics and a pandemic, and it’s not surprising why there’s so many nasty comment wars and friendships disappearing over disagreements. In fact, this whole phenomenon has created what is now frequently referred to as “cancel culture.”

When we don’t like what someone has to say about something or when someone has made a mistake, we often “cancel” them. Sometimes it looks like boycotting their business, unfollowing them on social media, or talking about how much we dislike that person and trying to get others to dislike them, too. 

Cancel culture is born out of a desire to protect people. To make sure that people are using their influence responsibly, ethically, and kindly. But it can become problematic when we’re writing people off instead of helping them learn from their mistakes. 

The truth is, canceling someone isn’t very Christlike. Can you imagine if someone stopped being friends with you every time you messed up? None of us would have friends very long. Now, there are some situations where someone might need to lose their influence while they reflect on what went wrong and repent of their choices. And if that happens to us, we do need to ask God to reveal and remove anything in us that doesn’t please Him.

But overall? Jesus didn’t cancel people. He made it clear when someone made a wrong choice, and He didn’t condone bad behavior. But He always sought to understand where people were coming from, and He always led with love. 

Yes, Jesus flipped tables. But Jesus is known for sitting down at tables with people others rejected and people He disagreed with. He ate with sinners. He ate with Pharisees. And He even had His last meal with Judas—the guy who He knew would betray Him shortly after. 

Pastor Craig Groeschel says it this way, “Jesus canceled my sins, but He didn’t cancel me.” 

Jesus handled sin with grace and truth. He always brought 100 percent grace and 100 percent truth. When a woman was caught in the act of adultery, she was humiliated by the religious leaders. This was original cancel culture. They wanted her stoned for her bad behavior, but Jesus stepped in. He didn’t cancel her. He rescued her. He loved her. He forgave her. And then He told her to go and sin no more. 

Jesus led with love. Then left her with a choice about what to do about the truth He offered. 

It’s tempting to take a stand on issues. But it’s far better to take a seat with people. It’s tempting to cancel. It’s better to care. It’s tempting to shout at someone. It’s better to share with someone. And when you’re tempted to cancel, remember this: 

He [Jesus] canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14 NLT 

Pray: Jesus, thank You for canceling my sins but never canceling me. Thank You for Your forgiveness, mercy, and love. Thank You for giving me both grace and truth. Help me do the same to everyone online and in real life. Show me how to lead with love and speak truth in love, just like You. Amen.