Sincere Love Will Expose Evil

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9 NIV 

In a story titled “Transgender athlete complains about lack of sportsmanship from fellow runners after winning girls state title” published by Fox Sports yesterday, it was reported that Veronica Garcia, a transgender high school athlete in Washington who won the state championship in the girls 400-meter race last month, complained about the lack of "sportsmanship" shown after winning the race and receiving a medal for it. Garcia, of East Valley High School, ran the race in 55.75 seconds, which was one second better than the second-place finisher's time of 56.75, according to the Pacific Northwest Track and Field Officials' track scoreboard. However, Garcia told The Spokesman-Review the lack of a congratulations from other runners at the meet "somewhat hurt." "I guess maybe I expected sportsmanship because I was cheering the rest of them on when they were called. So I guess I expected to get that reciprocated," Garcia told the paper. "But I didn’t get that.”… The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) allows transgender athletes to compete against the sex they identify as.

And you know, when it comes to showing sportsmanship or, as defined, behavior and attitudes that show respect for the rules of a game and for the other players, we would do well to remember that as Christians we are not to applaud those who break the rules of the game, regardless of how any “association” tries to change those rules. In fact, we are commanded to “hate what is evil” and “cling to what is good.” Which means we are to hate what God hates and love what God loves. Because of that then, we cannot tolerate what society says is true—that a boy is a girl and can compete in girls sports just because he dresses like a girl and “identifies” as female—-at the expense of what God says is true. Furthermore, we aren’t to condone this behavior in any way, shape or form but are to show the type of “sincere” love that points out evil in an attempt to save a person from their sin and its consequences. Worldly love, on the other hand, does just the opposite and will lead people straight to hell. 

So, in a world where good is being called evil and evil is being called good increasingly more each day, let us be unafraid to speak the truth my friend. To do anything else would be to condone the behavior and allow it to continue… something that has devastating consequences for everyone involved. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that neutrality is never an option for a believer. Good is good and evil is evil with no exception. Knowing this, help us to be bold in our actions and sincere in our love for others so that we would speak truth when we are called to no matter the consequences. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!