Close But No Cigar

Recently, renowned author J.K. Rowling came out against the practice of assisted suicide. Rowling, known for authoring the Harry Potter books, was being public about her position because Britain is debating a new law to make euthanasia legal. According to World News, she used to support it but then changed her position because of her husband. “Rowling no longer supports assisted suicide and is speaking out against her country’s effort to legalize it. She credited her physician husband, Dr. Neil Murray, with opening her eyes to the possibilities of coercion against vulnerable people. Rowling’s announcement came as the U.K.’s House of Lords debated a landmark assisted suicide bill that passed the House of Commons in June.” This is not the only political stand she has taken publicly. She has also been very vocal against transgender ideology over the years. She believes that supporting such beliefs would and is infringing on women’s rights.

On the surface, this is a very good thing that Rowling is supporting. Being vocal against two sinful actions should be commendable. She is being vocal against something God Himself would be against. Yet, regardless of her moral platitudes, she still misses the mark. While I can agree with her that euthanasia and transgenderism are wrong and should not be embraced by society, I would still keep my distance from her. When looking at right and wrong, we often water it down to a simple action. Lying is bad, and killing someone is a sin. Having an affair is wrong. Assisted suicide is sinful. Transgenderism should not be practiced, and so on. But the Bible teaches that something is right or wrong, not simply because of the action itself. It goes beyond that. There is also the morality of the reason behind the action. This is why the bible teaches that our best actions (i.e., obedience to God’s word) are still filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). If I choose not to lie, on the surface that may seem like a good thing, but it can still be a sin. If I decide not to lie because God is the author of truth and I wish to glorify Him in my actions, then that is good. If I choose not to lie just so I won't lose my job, then that is a selfish motive and still sinful. Because while my actions may be good, my motives are bad. This is why Jesus taught that we are to do good works so that when people see our moral action, God is glorified (Matthew 5:16).

Now, back to J.K., we see that her motives are not as genuine as they ought to be. Her reasons for not supporting transgenderism are because of how it affects women's rights. As far as euthanasia goes, she is worried about people being coerced into doing it. So it seems as if someone can decide to kill themselves without anyone forcing them, she’d be all for it. These “good” actions of hers fall very short of God’s glory. In fact, while she does support conservative efforts, she is not even a Christian. While she attends the Episcopal Church of Scotland, in a recent post on social media, she stated, “I’ve struggled with religious faith since my mid-teens,” Rowling admitted. “I appear to have a God-shaped vacuum inside me, but I never seem quite able to make up my mind what to do about it. I suppose that’s the meaning of faith, believing without seeing proof. That’s why I’ll probably go to my grave with that particular personal matter unresolved.” This is a perfect illustration of what God means by our best actions falling short.

My friends, may we never reduce sin to something that it is not. While our actions are important, this only tells part of the story. Actions stem from the heart. This is why God looks beyond our actions to our hearts. Be careful not to align with those who only do what is right on the surface. Do not just focus on changing your actions. All that we do should be for His glory and not for any other reason, no matter how noble it may seem. This is why His Spirit continues to renew our inner man day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).