Pull it together Israel Folau, for the love of God
Instead of condemning all sinners — including gay people, adulterers and atheists — to hell, Israel Folau could take a leaf out of Jesus Christ’s book, writes Eliza Barr. For he is not above God.
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If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
This is the first line of 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible, where the Apostle Paul says if you speak but cannot show love, you are just loud, unintelligible noise. Just a big old clanging nuisance.
Israel Folau has clearly missed the memo.
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On Wednesday, the international rugby player and professed Christian threw down an Instagram warning that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters” must repent — or “hell awaits”.
This is as misguided as Folau’s decision not to pass the ball to Bernard Foley in the dying moments of the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship match against Argentina last September, which handed Los Pumas their first win on Australian soil in 35 years. Pull it together Israel for the love of God.
“I’m here to warn you in love, repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ now before it’s too late,” Folau writes on Instagram.
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“Those that are living in sin will end up in hell unless you repent.”
But what would Jesus do?
Not this.
Jesus was immensely kind to people in all sorts of predicaments and Israel Folau could really take a leaf out of his book — literally.
In the book of John, a gaggle of religious types suggested stoning a female adulterer in the temple for her sins. Which is exactly why you couldn’t have had Married At First Sight in approximately 28AD.
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” Jesus said.
Then, the sinners leave the temple empty — and Jesus lets the woman go without condemnation.
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The scandalous grace of the God of the Bible — a God who knows each and every human heart, every thought in their mind, every hair on their head — is that He loves people even when they are not perfect. Even when they suffer. Even when they sin.
Even when they are drunk, gay, cheats, liars, sexually active, stealing or unbelieving.
What we really need is kindness.
We need to be compassionate. We need to be people who carry each other through our struggles. We need to offer grace and forgiveness when we cannot live up to impossible expectations about who we should be and what we should be doing and where we should be doing it and how and, is anyone else tired just thinking about it?
Pontificating about the perils of hell does not give anyone the tools they need to live a better life.
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Squeezing into a confected cookie-cutter image of a good person is not your free pass out of Satan’s bosom.
Of course, Israel Folau is absolutely entitled to his views. But if he truly wants to compel people with his words, he might try the honey of grace instead of the vinegar of fear when he raises his voice.
In his increasingly alienating missives, Folau is asking people to live up to an entirely impossible standard not even God expects of people.
Come on, who among us hasn’t had their homework eaten by the dog? I don’t even have a dog but I’m telling you that’s what happened. If you tell me you haven’t lied — well, you just did. Congratulations, you’re one of us now.
The God of the bible — the God of Israel Folau — does not need anyone to be perfect. He just wants to love people, whoever they are, wherever they have been, whatever they have done.
Of course, at the end of the day, you can take it or leave it.
But I believe everyone could benefit from a little unconditional love.
I know I could. And so could Israel Folau.
Originally published as Pull it together Israel Folau, for the love of God
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