Self-professing Christians find themselves standing today on the opposite sides of our nation’s cultural war, and those on both sides claim to be standing on the side of Jesus. But standing on opposite sides, both cannot be right, can they? Yet, here we are, in a country that has not been more divided since the Civil War.

So, a good question that I believe all Christians must ask of themselves is this: “When we take a stand that divides us from others, that may alienate us from some of our friends, even from members of our family, how do we know if we are truly on the side of Jesus?”

This is an important question for us to ask, because throughout history, there have been Christians who, although they claimed to be on the side of Jesus, were actually standing on the opposite side of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus, Christians fought in the Crusades against Muslims. In the name of Jesus, Christians supported the genocide of Native Americans and the slavery of Africans, which literally led to a Civil War. In the name of Jesus, Christians supported the Jewish Holocaust, the subjugation of women and Jim Crow laws. With the wisdom of hindsight, Christians since have apologized for standing on the wrong side.

However, the good news is that there have always been Christians who have stood firm on the right side of history, even if it meant separating them from friends and family. I have always been proud to know that one of the founders of our denomination, Barton Stone, was willing to leave behind friends and family, moving from Kentucky to Illinois to free the slaves that he inherited.

So, if being on the wrong side, the opposite side of Jesus, is a real possibility, how do we know if we are on the right side? How do we know that we are standing with Jesus?

Could it be that it really is not that complicated? Is it possible that this failure to be on the wrong side is so much a part of human history, that Jesus addressed it in a very simple, direct, and uncomplicated way.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, [in other words this is how you will know that you are standing on the right side with me] if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 NRSV).

Thus, when we are taking a stand for Jesus, and we become aware that we are upsetting, or alienating our family or friends, I believe it is imperative to ask: “Am I standing on the side love?” “Am I on the outs with my family and friends, because I am loving others like Jesus loved others, selflessly and sacrificially?  Am I in this fight, because I love my neighbors as myself—all of my neighbors?”

Or am I standing firm and alienating my friends and family because of something else? Is it pride? Is it power and privilege? If it is not about grace, is it about being superior to another, more holy, more righteous? If it is not about love, is it about fear? Is it about greed? A good question to always ask is: “Does my stand actually hurt my neighbors?”

In Acts, chapter 11, we read that when Barnabas arrived in Antioch to visit one of the first churches, the first thing that he witnessed was “grace.” In verse 22 we read:

…and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion… and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.

When Barnabus saw Christians, he saw the grace of God.

What do people see when they see us?

Let us pray they always see grace. May they always see love. Even for those standing on the opposite side.