The modern, fallen world is doing great harm to the souls of Christians. Nowhere can this be seen so clearly than in its foisting of a warped, soul-killing view of “compassion” upon us. In his incisive book Church of Cowards, author Matt Walsh explains this false definition of compassion and the grave harm it is doing.
So what is this warped view of “compassion”? Walsh explains:
“So when Christians are urged to be “compassionate,” we know what is really meant: Shut up and go with the flow. Mind your business. Don’t make people feel bad about their choices…The faux compassion we are called to these days is just indifference by another name.”
Indeed, the modern definition is diametrically opposed to real compassion:
“This is not compassionate; it is, in fact, the exact opposite of compassionate. True compassion is a strong and vibrant and heroic thing. Compassion comes from the Latin for “co-suffering.” To be compassionate toward others is to take on their suffering, to share their pain in the hopes of guiding them towards a good end.”
The ultimate example of true compassion, states Walsh, was given by Jesus:
“Christ showed us the more perfect form of compassion when he came and suffered and died for the sins of man. Christ’s passion was compassion, co-suffering. He took on our pains and felt it for us.”
But there was a key aspect of Christ’s compassion that differs from the modern definition of the word. Walsh writes:
“But to suffer for our sins, He first had to see them and recognize them for the dirty, deadly things they are. To be compassionate to us amidst our sin He had to be unaccepting and intolerant of our sin. That is what compassion means. It is suffering. It is sacrifice. Compassion is not always polite. It is rarely easygoing. It is never enabling, never passive. Its aim, ultimately, is Heaven.”
Why do so many Christians, then, fall for this warped, unbiblical version of “compassion?” In one word: self-interest. Walsh declares:
“The “compassionate” person of this [modern] sort really cares primarily about his own comfort. Helping others overcome sin and temptation would make him uncomfortable because it would force him to confront the darkness in his own soul, so he says nothing and does nothing, and he tells himself that his selfishness is love and his cowardice is courage. His compassion is compassion entirely devoid of compassion.”
And this avoidance of true compassion is doing grave harm. Walsh writes:
“When he [espousing fake compassion] says we ought to “accept” all “lifestyles,” however sinful, and that we ought never speak of Hell or call anything a sin, he is doing actual harm to his brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s not just that he’s failing to help them, but that he’s actively hurting them.”
Two groups of people in particular are suffering the most as a result of fake compassion. First, the “habitual and unrepentant sinner” is being harmed:
“It may be true that this person will feel relieved to be encouraged in his wickedness and told that it’s really very good and natural for him to do whatever it is he wants to do. He may be grateful for such assurance. For now. But the wickedness he partakes in is still destroying him all the same. He is brought closer to eternal damnation all the same. And for us to facilitate this easy and casual descent into the fires of Hell is not compassionate…[I]t is better that the sinner feel the weight of his sin and save his soul.”
The second group of people harmed by fake compassion are those who want to truly escape sin. Walsh writes:
“This is perhaps the most neglected group in all of Western Christendom—those who are filthy sinners but who actually want to be holy and need some help and encouragement in that direction. It seems the church has nothing at all to say to these folks, except that they’re wasting their energy and should just relax and go with the flow.”
Indeed, refusing to help these people escape from their sins is the most damning thing we can do:
“The absolute worst thing you can do, then, is feed into or encourage my weakest and most selfish inclinations. The least compassionate response on your part is to agree with the devil on my shoulder. Now, in the moment I may love you for it—Hooray! You told me what I want to hear. You made my life easier!—but if I listen to you, if I really take your words to heart and convince myself that my sins are not sins, that my wickedness is not so wicked, then one day, I imagine, I’ll be cursing your name forever in the pit of Hell. And perhaps, if you carry on with this “compassion” of yours, eventually I’ll be able to do so in person.”
So what should a truly compassionate person say to someone struggling with sin? Walsh declares:
“Yes, you’re right to struggle. You’re right to fight. You’re right to resist Satan at any cost. You are not wasting your energies. And when you fail, you’re right to crawl back to God on your hands and knees begging for mercy. You’re right to do these things. Keep doing them. It is worth it in the end…. The fate of your soul hangs in the balance. You can’t give up. Keep fighting. Let me help you. Let me fight with you. Let me suffer with you. Let me walk ahead of you and show you the way. Let me demonstrate the obedient Christian life for you. Let me be a light in the storm.“
In his book Church of Cowards, Matt Walsh describes the warped definition of “compassion” the world is foisting upon us and the tremendous harm it is causing. Christians must win this war over the meaning of “compassion” as souls literally hang in the balance. Rather than ignoring–or even approving or encouraging–sinful behavior, true Christian compassion confronts sin and helps a person overcome it. Walsh concludes:
“Our job as compassionate Christians is to echo His words and say to each other what He would say if He were standing physically in our midst. This is the truly compassionate message. Maybe it’s not the easy version or the fashionable one or the one that makes for pithy slogans and Facebook memes, but this is how we ought to be encouraging, exhorting, and edifying each other. That is, if we actually love each other. If we actually want each other to go to Heaven.”