November 29, 2009
Translated by Lydia Ma

AIDS has become a global issue and a topic of at length discussion within churches and seminaries in recent years. Genuine and unanimous concern for AIDS patients is prevalent among churches nowadays, regardless of denominational background.

According to UN statistics, there were 33 million HIV-positive people in the world in 2007, and about 2.1 million people died from AIDS during the same year. Of those who died from AIDS, about 68% lived in the Sahara region of Africa, the region in the world most affected by the AIDS epidemic. In Southeast Asia, countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India are at the top of the list of Asian countries with the most AIDS patients.

In Taiwan, over 18,000 people are reported to have AIDS as of 2009, a low number per capita in contrast to other countries, which perhaps may explain the low level of concern for AIDS patients among Taiwanese people.

Some people say AIDS is a curse from God on people who choose to live promiscuous lives. From a Christian and moral standpoint, we're opposed to marital infidelity, sexual promiscuity, or homosexuality. However, we cannot equate sexual promiscuity with AIDS either.

We must understand that people contract AIDS through various means. Though some people may have been infected with this disease because of their own carelessness, many others are innocent victims. Examples of the latter include infants born with AIDS, husbands or wives infected because of their partner's infidelity, medical professionals infected in the line of duty, patients infected through blood transfusions meant to save their lives, etc.

As Christians, how should we approach AIDS then? The answer is that we must love AIDS patients because God loved us first while we were still sinners. Because we know some of God's attributes and Jesus' teaching of the Good Samaritan, we must choose to love and not remain silent. One of the characteristics of a mature Christian is displaying a little bit more kindness and mercy. Though Christians are encouraged to pursue a life of integrity and godliness because such a life is what pleases God (see Romans 12:1-2), we mustn't lose sight of showing mercy toward others at the same time.

Jesus modeled this balance during His ministry on Earth when He pointed out the sins of this world and urged people to repent, while at the same time never failing to show kindness and compassion though He was the righteous Judge of the universe. Jesus had mercy on many people during His ministry because He knew they were lost and helpless, much like sheep without a shepherd.

Though Jesus recognized and pointed out sin when He saw it, He never did it in a judgmental, angry manner. When a crowd of people brought before Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery, He asked them instead, "Who among you is without sin?" Even while hanging on the cross, Jesus prayed for those who had put Him there, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."

So, let us remember that God is a kind and forgiving God. Most importantly, let us remember not to take God's place in the seat of judgment. When we pursue righteousness and holiness, we will naturally be repulsed by sin. But the right to judge belongs to God alone; let us not take God's place. The cross beckons us instead to cherish each other's lives because Christ died for our sins so that we could live. It is our hope that Christ's love in us will inspire us to care about those who have AIDS today.

Taiwan Church News