God and Toxic People

The word toxic has become commonplace over the last few years. It is used to describe both people and environments. When we talk about toxic people, we refer to those who habitually offend us, trigger us, or commit microaggressions against us. When we speak of toxic environments, it usually refers to work, study, or social settings in which offending, triggering, and "microaggressing" are tolerated or even encouraged.

While there is a range of views about what makes a person or environment toxic, there is one thing that is almost universally agreed upon, and that is how to deal with toxicity in our lives. And the prevailing approach endorsed and adopted by most in our society is simply to cut it out. "Cut out the toxic people from your life," goes the popular mantra, and the second is like it: "Get out of that toxic environment."

This mindset of ruthlessly cutting toxic people and settings out of our lives has led to a propensity to break relationships and commitments at the drop of a hat. We give next to no thought about ceasing all communication with a so-called toxic person cold turkey. Just as we effortlessly defriend people on social media with no hesitation, we cut people out of our lives in the real world just as easily.

“While there is a range of views about what makes a person or environment toxic, there is one thing that is almost universally agreed upon, and that is how to deal with toxicity in our lives.”

The same is true of our work and social settings. If we find that a particular group or environment is less than pleasing to us, we are quick to label it toxic and give ourselves a seemingly good reason to leave that group and abandon our commitments to them. This mindset has massive implications for community life, especially the community life of a church.

Is it any wonder, then, that commitment is so low and feelings of being disconnected are so high among Millennials and Gen Z? It is almost becoming a stereotype to see young people switching churches every year, leaving small groups after a few weeks of attendance, or not showing up to gatherings or service opportunities they said they would go to.

God's Approach Toward Toxic People

God takes a very different approach toward toxic people. Instead of cutting them off or running away from them, God moves toward them. He embraces them. God doesn't run away from toxic environments. He runs into them and immerses Himself in them.

To God, all human beings are toxic. In the lexicon of Scripture, toxic people would be called sinners. Sin is a stench and an offense to the Lord. It is what stirs up His wrath (Rom. 1:18) and causes Him to want to turn His eyes away from us (Hab. 1:13). Imagine the most vile, disgusting, and offensive image you can think of and multiply that by a billion. That is how God sees sin, and we are all covered in the filth of sin from head to toe (Rom. 3:23).

“While we on earth, in our self-righteousness, cut toxic people out of our lives with impunity, God sent His Son to die for toxic people like you and me.”

If anyone has reason to cut toxic people out, it would be God. God would be perfectly justified in sending all of us to hell, away from His presence forever, and He would have done no wrong (Rom. 2:2; 6:23). But rather than taking this route and settling for the universal condemnation of the human race, God intervened in the most amazing way and provided a path to salvation for us (Isa. 43:16-19; John 14:6). God invites toxic, sinful people into relationship and fellowship with Him (Rom. 8:30; Gal. 2:20).

Romans 5:8 puts it like this: "But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." [CSB] God not only approaches and embraces toxic people, He also gives Himself fully to them. While we on earth, in our self-righteousness, cut toxic people out of our lives with impunity, God sent His Son to die for toxic people like you and me.

As for toxic environments, stepping into the darkness of sin and becoming one with sinners is as toxic an environment as could be conceived. And yet that is exactly what Christ did. The incarnation of Christ is His immersion into the cesspool of human toxicity. He did this not to condemn us, but to save and to redeem us (John 3:17). His immersion into toxic culture was so complete that He was even called "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matt. 11:9).

Conclusion

If running toward and embracing toxic people and environments is the approach God takes, then we, as followers of Christ, ought to take that approach as well. Jesus works through the Body of Christ today as His proxy, as His hands and feet on the earth. Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever, and so we can be sure that He is still moving toward and giving Himself to toxic people as He did during His earthly ministry.

Christians are, if anything, counter-cultural people, and we've always been. If the current culture tells us to cancel toxic people, that should be an indication to us that maybe we shouldn't. And if church history teaches us anything, it's that going against culture is precisely how we stand out and shine as stars in the universe among a crooked and twisted generation (Phil. 2:15).

So let's defy the trend. Let's embrace the toxic people and environments in our lives, giving ourselves over to them in love, just as Christ has done for us. And let's be grateful that God chose not to cut out the toxic people in His life, because if He had, none of us would be here today.