Imagine if Jesus participated in today’s “cancel culture”? One sin and your canceled. Colossians 2:14 says, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Do you cancel and write people off?

For those who aren’t aware, cancel culture refers to the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren’t socially accepted today. This practice of “canceling” or mass shaming often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Let’s call cancel culture what it really is: It is our way to exert some control over a world that is increasingly becoming more dangerous and less tolerant. In a cancel culture, we appoint ourselves the arbiters of right and wrong and the judge and jury, because thanks to social media, we get to dole out punishment.

In a world of cancel culture, as followers of Jesus we need to make certain we don’t “write people off”. Scripture says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Also in 2^nd Peter 3:9 it says, He is not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. Now we must understand this is not universalism which teaches everyone will be saved. His desire is for all to come to repentance. However, to have eternal life you must repent of your sins and choose to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.

In times of war, medics had a triage system in place when treating wounded soldiers. Triage means the process of determining medical priority to increase the number of survivors. One of the four classifications was “expectant”. Soldiers whose injuries are so severe that attempting to save them would divert precious resources from other casualties with a greater chance of survival. Expectant patients were those with no significant chance of surviving without extreme medical care which wasn’t available in the field. The need for proper triage on the battlefield was urgent and fast paced and an expectant patient would in many cases have the letter “E” written on his forehead. This may seem cruel, but the medics had to make quick judgements and decide so they could put their efforts toward those who if treated had the greatest chance of survival.

In times of war the triage system had to be used. But let’s be careful how we classify those whose lives have had its’ ups and downs and failures. Those who have had difficult pasts, who are hurting and spiritually lost. We are medics and can provide words of encouragement and healing, but we are in no position to write anyone off. Jesus is the great physician and the One who heals and saves. Let’s not be part of a cancel culture that puts an E on anyone’s forehead.

Our role as followers of Jesus is to live out our faith and share the Gospel with as many as possible. We are not the judge, and we don’t get to decide who to share with and who to ignore.  We don’t have the right to practice “cancel culture” or write off anyone as beyond hope.

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