Unrighteous Righteousness

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” “(Matthew 7:21-23) These are sober words. Jesus is warning that on Judgment Day there will be people who have been ‘doing ministry’ in his name who have actually been promoting doctrines and practices contrary to his will. On Sunday, I called this phenomenon unrighteous righteousness. 

Currently, it finds expression among those purported to be part of the church who support monogendered sex and marriage. Alan Chambers, the former director of Exodus International, a now defunct umbrella organization for ministries that offered support for those dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction, explains his decision to shutter Exodus International this way, “Where I once lived in fear of all things gay and mistook my religious homophobia as a passion for God’s truth . . . I repented. I changed my mind. I chose to believe the truth about God—that he is indeed a God of love and grace. I chose to be free. I chose to love without reserve, starting with myself, and then others. I chose to embrace rather than to push away . . .” (washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/26) So, where once Alan was motivated by the scriptural warnings regarding homosexuality to help those who felt burdened by those desires, he subsequently decided the warnings could be ignored, and this in the name of God. An act of unrighteous righteousness.

The apostle Paul offers another example. Though not acting in the name of Christ, his persecution of believers prior to his conversion was due to religious zeal. He ardently sought to defend, in his words, the “traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14) In the name of God, he denounced Jesus and persecuted his church. It was only after a Damascus Road confrontation with the risen Christ that he realized the truth and ceased being a “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” This is why he can say that “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Once he confessed Christ, he repented of his unrighteous righteousness and spoke out against “whatever . . . is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1:11). 

What is striking, given Alan Chambers’ assertions, is that among the behaviors that Paul lists as running contrary to the gospel is that of “men who practice homosexuality.” (1 Timothy1:10) I humbly and sincerely acknowledge that only God knows the hearts of people (Luke 16:15), but I can’t help thinking of contemporary promoters of unrighteous righteousness as those who will be subject to the dread decision of Jesus, “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Paul acted out of ignorance. Alan confesses Christ.