The Elephant in the Room
Or
The Plank in Our Own Eye
By Barbara Peters © 2013
And why do you look at the speck
in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me
remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your
own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s
eye. Matthew 7:3-5 NKJV
Speck –
A very small thing. Webster, 1828
Plank –
A broad piece of sawed timber . . . pieces from an inch and a half to three or
four inches thick, are called planks. Webster,
1828
What is the plank in the eye of the
Christian church? What is the speck that
we are obsessing over while ignoring the plank?
After decades of God dealing with the plank in my eye, I propose that
this plank in my own life is the same as the one the Christian church is
ignoring while it erodes the very fabric of Christianity in America.
Polls on relationship practices
over the past several years reveal that same-sex attractions are practiced by
2-5% of the population. While these
figures vary depending on the source; the overall estimates are that less than
10% of the population practices, or has ever engaged in some form of a same-sex
relationship. This is small, like a
speck.
On the other hand, opposite-sex
attractions are presumed by the author to be greater than 50%, perhaps even higher
than 85%. This is large, like a plank.
I propose that the plank in the eye
of the Christian church today is the ungodly lifestyle surrounding opposite-sex
attractions. The presence of this
lifestyle in every day Christian life has infected the hearts and minds of
Christians—whether cultural Christians or Followers of Christ.
Going even further, we as the Body
of Christ have not even perceived that there is a plank in our own eye called “ungodly
opposite-sex attractions.” The majority
of such relationships have been mainstreamed into Christian culture and
sprinkled with acceptance from top to bottom.
The majority of Christians have practiced this form of relationship in
order to get to what we see as a Godly relationship called marriage.
If I dare say to most Christians—whether
pastors or everyday parishioners—that the most popular pre-marriage
relationship lifestyle called dating has no Biblical grounds, I would be viewed
as crazy.
It is far easier for Christians to
analyze the components of same-sex attractions more objectively and see all the
facets which are ungodly. For instance,
lusting after someone of the same sex is definitely spoken against in Scripture
(Romans 1:26-27; Jude 1:7). Practicing a
same-sex love life is definitely spoken against in Scripture. Marriage to someone of the same sex is
definitely inconsistent with Scripture (Genesis 2:24).
But let us now analyze the beam in
our own eye from the same perspectives.
Far greater numbers of Christians lust after someone of the opposite sex
(Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:28). This too
is spoken against in Scripture and the remedy given in 2nd Timothy*. Far greater numbers of Christians practice
opposite-sex love lives of varying degrees which is spoken against in Scripture
frequently (1Corinthians 6:15-20; 1Corinthians 7:1-3 and 32-34). Many Christians marry persons of the opposite
sex for their own self-centered reasons without any consideration for God’s
purposes for their life or the life of their marriage partner (Exodus 25:8, 22;
1Corinthians 3:9, 16-17; 2Corinthians 6:16; Titus 2:13-14)
We have failed to seek God’s
perspective on every single angle of this plank. The Christian church has instead adopted and become
infected with the world’s customs and traditions on opposite-sex relationships,
and they are draining the supernatural life from us.
This is evident in all the
statistics about the demise of the church:
The closing of church doors; the fall of pastors from the pulpit due to
opposite-sex attractions to persons other than their spouse; the increasing
numbers of Christians who are divorced, and multiply married. The chaos in the Christian church abounds,
and yet we do not perceive our own plank but obsess instead over the speck in
our brother’s eye.
Please do not misunderstand what I
am saying. The practice of a same-sex
lifestyle at any degree is a life lived in disagreement with God. But, I am also saying that there is a greater
issue that the Christian church has neglected to deal with first, because it is
in its own eye – the practice of opposite-sex attractions and its accompanying
lifestyles. From most angles, this lifestyle is also in disagreement with
God.
We have chosen loyalty to ourselves
(my beliefs, my practices) over surrender to God and His word—even when the two
are in opposition. Many Christians,
including myself, practiced the opposite-sex lifestyle of dating. Instead of acknowledging that we were
practicing a lifestyle not in agreement with Scripture, we have sprinkled Holy
water over it and condone the ungodly aspects of this relationship to justify
ourselves. Because we won’t allow God to
judge our hearts and minds in this area, we surely would not even broach the
subject in the Body of Christ for fear of coming face to face with God’s
healing and revealing truth on the motivations of our own hearts.
Please let me encourage you to
broach the conversation with God regarding your own heart’s desires. When I agreed with God that “I was wrong,” He
began doing an amazing work in my life. Please
know that God desires to start with each of us in order to free each one of us,
thereby freeing the Body of Christ.
Will we watch ourselves dwindle and
die? Will we continue to watch the
effects of unrepentant sin on our lives, and the lives of those around us? Will we allow God to cleanse our hearts and
minds first so we can clearly see how to remove the speck from our brother’s
eye?
I propose that it will not be the speck that
kills the Christian church but instead the plank for which we refuse to
perceive and seek God’s truth.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God’s people are
called to do four things—humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from
our wicked ways—before God will heal the land.
Will we surrender to the full remedy or pick and choose our own
remedy? Will we not agree with God about
our wicked ways?
If I am instructed by a master
baker on the 4 steps for making a cake, but only choose to apply 2 or 3 of the
steps, I will not be able to make the cake desired. If I as a Follower of Christ am instructed by
Jehovah Rapha (God our Healer) what I should do so He will our land and I only
apply 2 or 3 of those steps, there will not be the healing desired.
Even if you do not agree with me
about the identity of the plank in the eye of the Body of Christ in America, I
beg of you to at the very least seek God’s wisdom on what that plank is and
surrender to Him first dealing with that in your life so that you can clearly
see how to deal with the speck in your brother’s eye.
If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14 KJV
Barbara Lynette
Peters © 2013
*Do not sharply
rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the young men as
brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all
purity. 1Timothy 5:1-2 NAS
