As I noted in my last post, a certain rhetorical use of the word “broken” is often employed these days to disarm people who are critical of a given individual.
“I know he done wrong, Leroy, but it’s not his fault. He’s just victim of circumstances. Let it go — ain’t we all just as broken?”
The problem is greater than the rhetorical slight-of-hand, however. What this line of reasoning misses is that, in scripture, it is not just the broken spirit that is to be lifted up, but the broken AND contrite.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17
“Contrite” synonyms: remorseful, repentent, penitent.
And what, indeed, denotes repentance? A turning away from sin.
Unless the party in question evidences this turning, “broken” doesn’t cut it.
Yes, we’re all hurting people, and hurting people hurt people. This vicious cycle is unavoidable so long as we remain yet simultaneously saint and sinner. But it is in seeking to turn away — even while acknowledging that our best is not good enough — that we see the true fruit of the Gospel.
Which is not, “just give them a pass since we’re all a product of our environment — who are you to judge if their environment was worse than yours?”
But rather, a changed heart that belongs to a new environment.
In the Kingdom of Heaven.
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