When Good Intentions Make Us an Accomplice
The day I got caught….
The showdown happened on our elementary school playground. I stood with a pack of girls in a skirmish against a pack of boys, throwing dirt clods at each other. I got hit by a clod, so I picked up a rock, hurled it, and hit David Potter in the head. Yes, I was a good shot! While he visited the school nurse, I was sent to the principal’s office — and I was scared silly. This 4th grade scenario still plays out vividly in my mind.
At the time, it was not a pleasant encounter, but I’m glad I got caught. I’m glad I got punished because I now believe that consequence was an act of mercy. If I had somehow gotten away with throwing rocks at my classmates, I might’ve believed I could get away with anything. I might’ve learned to be even more sneaky each time. I might have even fallen into the delusion that I was above the law.
A present-day story
A friend shared with me how her preacher-husband was asked to do a wedding but turned down the opportunity because the “Christian” couple’s relationship had a product of flagrant adultery. The preacher told them, “We will attend your wedding to show our love for you, but I will not officiate because I am not in agreement with your ungodly union.” Ouch!
Showing mercy and bearing with one another through our stupid moments or when we falter is important. But can we ever take mercy too far?
Too far comes when what I label “mercy” put me at risk of becoming an accomplice.
Accomplice: a person who helps another commit a crime.
Guilty by association
Can you imagine my grade school principal saying, “I’m supposed to punish you for throwing rocks, but I like you too much. And I’m impressed with how accurate your throwing is. The Potter family will eventually get over what happened. What’s one or two stitches anyway?”
Would the principal be recognized as an accomplice? I hope so!
If you’re like me, you may have had the painful opportunity of watching a best friend resist God’s kindness and mercy to the point of justifying their rebellion. When that happens to someone you love, is it easy to take a stand for righteousness, or is it easier to cave in to save face?
God will do what He has always done:
“So I lifted my grace from off of their lives and I surrendered them to the stubbornness of their hearts. For they were living according to their own selfish fantasies.”
Psalm 81:11-12
The Apostle Paul warns,
“If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice...”
1 Timothy 5:22 The Message
Me? A hindrance? I cringe at the thought of my “mercy” toward a habitually wayward brother actually hindering God’s ultimate goal of salvation for him. When my approval of his sin endorses (enables) his ungodly pursuits — and I label that “kindness and mercy” — that’s like letting a child get away with throwing rocks at people.
What about the groomsmen and bridesmaids in the earlier story who formally came into agreement with the adulterous couple? Were they endorsing sin? You don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice…
‘Tis the season of Heaven’s justice coming to Earth, friends. Let’s guard our hearts and re-evaluate what we’re involved in and what we’re labeling mercy.
Sowing Seeds of Bravery to Say “No”
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Another definition of God’s mercy:
“Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.”
1 Corinthians 5:5 (NLT)
