When you come upon the scene of an accident, you will usually find two groups of helpers there: the police and the ambulance. They have totally different jobs. The police are there to investigate and uphold the law, to find out who is at fault and to hold them accountable. The ambulance is there to find out who is hurt, where they are hurting, how serious their injuries are and to transport the injured to the hospital if necessary.

When you come upon a person who is not saved, are you the policeman or the paramedic? By that I mean, are you there to investigate their sin and condemn them, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they are headed for hell? Or are you there to find out what is hurting them and to help them to feel better in whatever way you can? Think about that for a minute.

Many of us, including me at times, meet hurting people and instead of offering them the love of Jesus, we tend to hit them upside the head with the Bible that we profess to believe in. We want them to change, right now, and if it takes berating to get them to the point of confession and repentance, then that is what we use. We are being a policeman for their hurting souls, and that is not what the sinner needs in order to change. I don’t think that condemning a person with our judgment about their wrongdoing is going to change anyone’s heart. We aren’t put on the earth to investigate the evil in it; we are here to help people change so that good wins and not evil.

I had a Bible study group last night and this was one of our discussions as we read and pondered the first chapter of Romans. Is that how Jesus approached sinners? He confronted their sins and demanded that they change? No. With the exception of the Pharisees whom He did confront and call out for sin, Jesus went to every sinner with compassion and love. He understood their weaknesses and wanted to help them know forgiveness, grace and the strength to overcome that only comes from God. Jesus was like a paramedic, if you will, assessing the need and offering whatever is needed to make the person whole again. He takes people from their place of pain to the hospital of forgiveness and acceptance where they can be made whole again.

I want to be the paramedic, not the policeman. God didn’t give me a badge to carry around and let everyone know I’m an authority that they need to listen to. After all, I don’t have all of the answers anyway since I am a sinner saved by grace, just like the person I am trying to share with. Rather, He gives me the cross and reminds me and the person I am speaking to that it’s all about sacrifice and God’s great love. Yes, people are committing some atrocious sins, but that doesn’t mean that it’s up to me to tell them how awful they are. What is up to me is to show them and tell them about God’s love for them, even while they are sinning. God doesn’t categorize sins as “great sin, lesser sin.” ALL have sinned and all sins are the same to God because they separate mankind whom He loves from the Creator that made them and wants a relationship with them.

The gospel rides along with us wherever we go and brings the good news to all who will hear and believe it. So, let’s ride in the ambulance, not the police car. Let’s remember that the gospel has power all by itself when we apply it correctly, with a heart of love and not one of condemnation and judgment.