Post by Cindy on Sept 8, 2015 9:58:35 GMT -5
For many years I've been upset by the way we deal with others in apologetics forums all over the internet. When I insisted that it stop at Fresh Hope, many accused me of ruining Fresh Hope and most of the people stopped coming here when it was made plain that it would not continue to be allowed. Sadly, I too participated in doing the very same things when debating others who didn't believe. The difference was that the Word of God convicted me, and as the owner and admin I felt it was my duty to make sure that Fresh Hope honored God in all things, including apologetics. Even after all these years, I still feel the same way. Constantly God's Word convicts me that He did not intend for His children to beat unbelievers up with His Word. His Word is a sharp, two edged sword, and while we may not actually see the harm it does to them when we use it wrongly, He does. Our Lord's main teaching was always about love - loving Him, loving other believers, loving unbelievers, and even loving our enemies and His. We are to bring people into the Light of His Truth, through love, not through beating them up and calling them names. Yes, we are to show them the error of their ways. That must be done too, but it must be done in love and with love.
That's what Matthew 7:1–6 is all about. He tells us to judge ourselves before we start judging others. And He reminds us that our main goal in everything in life, including apologetics, is to bring Honor and Glory to God. It's not to "win" an argument or prove that He or His Word is right. We don't have to prove anything. The Lord and His Word do that all by themselves, and don't need our help. People argue and debate with us, not because what we have told them isn't true, but because they don't want to believe it. Deep down, they already know it's true because it speaks to their very spirit. The problem is that they don't want to listen to it, they don't want to hear it, because then they would have to change and change is very frightening.
If you study Matthew 5:21–26 it will show you what I'm talking about when I speak of calling others names. I know the standard argument is that Jesus Himself called people names and we show the verses where He called the pharisees, vipers, hypocrites, and blind guides. (such as in Matthew 23) There's often a big difference in what Jesus did and what we do though, that we seem to be as blind to as the pharisees were. For one thing, Jesus was not calling a single individual those names. He was calling the general pharisee leaders in His day those things. He also knew that there were some who were sincere and seeking the truth, so knew that His statement was "in general" and not meant to be taken as for every or any specific individual. Jesus never said, "you are a blind guide" or "you are a hypocrite". Instead, He said, "Woe to those who are blind guides", or hypocrites or whichever description He was using. Therefore the people listening could search their own hearts and decide for themselves if the shoe fit or not. He then described what a blind guide or hypocrite did so they'd know for sure. He didn't leave it to their imagination. Next He told them what the Lord wanted so they would also know the ways of God. This looks nothing like what's generally done by people in apologetics today. It looks more like what Jesus condemned in Matthew 5:21-26.
If we're going to think of those who oppose the Truth as our enemies, we need to remember a few things. First we need to remember that we ourselves were the enemies of God when He saved us. We did not clean ourselves up first. We couldn't. He saved us and did that for us. If we could not clean up our own acts and change our own hearts before God saved us, then how can we expect those who don't know Him to do so? It's impossible! All they can do is what we also did - act from their sin nature. Do we then respond from our own sin nature, or do we respond from the Love the Lord poured into our hearts when He saved us? If we read Matthew 5:38–48 it shows us how the Lord wants us to treat those we consider our enemies. He wants us to treat them with the Love He showed us. No, that doesn't mean putting up with blasphemy and false teaching. But it does mean that we are to do and say everything with love and in love, honoring God with our every word. If we can't do that, then we should not be speaking to them at all. We also need to remember, that we cannot change their hearts. Only God can do that. All we can do is share His Word with them and show them what His love looks like so that they will want what He has given us. Too often instead we beat them over the head with His Word and leave them laying in their blood while we yell at them and call them names instead. I know...I've done it too. It's very, very easy to fall into that, as of course it would be since it's from our sin nature which is natural to us.
We each need to ask the Lord to show us His Will and how He wants us to handle ourselves when talking to others who disagree. The other thing I've noticed over the years is that we don't seem to have very much discernment about who we should speak to and who we shouldn't, or when it's time to stop. Yet the Lord tells us ““Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6) We're told to warn a divisive person two times only and then to have nothing more to do with them. (Titus 3:10) So why do we see people debating with the very same people years later, when quite obviously absolutely nothing has been gained by it? Jesus Himself refused to answer those who resisted the Word of God. (Matt. 21:23–27; Luke 23:9) ) Paul refused to debate or argue with those who resisted as well and we see this in Acts 13:44-49 as well as other places. Jesus tells us to "shake the dust off our feet" when people continue to reject the Truth and we're even given examples of it. (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51; Acts 18:5–6.) Finally, we're also given more general instructions on how to deal with others, such as correcting and rebuking them with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2) and not to rebuke them harshly, but to exhort them as if they were your father or brother, mother or sister. (1 Timothy 5:1–2)
I've learned that often unbelievers, and those caught up in false teaching, come to apologetics for nothing more then to argue and cause strife. They aren't looking for the truth at all, and aren't in the least bit interested in finding it. When we have discerned that the person we are talking to has that type of an attitude, then it's time to do exactly what the Lord says and not cast the pearls of God's Word to pigs, to shake the dust from our feet and leave them to themselves. For no amount of speaking to them will change anything. God's people need to be discerning and not waste the precious time we have left on people who are not seeking the Truth. Let's recall what the Lord said to us through Paul: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17)
That's what Matthew 7:1–6 is all about. He tells us to judge ourselves before we start judging others. And He reminds us that our main goal in everything in life, including apologetics, is to bring Honor and Glory to God. It's not to "win" an argument or prove that He or His Word is right. We don't have to prove anything. The Lord and His Word do that all by themselves, and don't need our help. People argue and debate with us, not because what we have told them isn't true, but because they don't want to believe it. Deep down, they already know it's true because it speaks to their very spirit. The problem is that they don't want to listen to it, they don't want to hear it, because then they would have to change and change is very frightening.
If you study Matthew 5:21–26 it will show you what I'm talking about when I speak of calling others names. I know the standard argument is that Jesus Himself called people names and we show the verses where He called the pharisees, vipers, hypocrites, and blind guides. (such as in Matthew 23) There's often a big difference in what Jesus did and what we do though, that we seem to be as blind to as the pharisees were. For one thing, Jesus was not calling a single individual those names. He was calling the general pharisee leaders in His day those things. He also knew that there were some who were sincere and seeking the truth, so knew that His statement was "in general" and not meant to be taken as for every or any specific individual. Jesus never said, "you are a blind guide" or "you are a hypocrite". Instead, He said, "Woe to those who are blind guides", or hypocrites or whichever description He was using. Therefore the people listening could search their own hearts and decide for themselves if the shoe fit or not. He then described what a blind guide or hypocrite did so they'd know for sure. He didn't leave it to their imagination. Next He told them what the Lord wanted so they would also know the ways of God. This looks nothing like what's generally done by people in apologetics today. It looks more like what Jesus condemned in Matthew 5:21-26.
If we're going to think of those who oppose the Truth as our enemies, we need to remember a few things. First we need to remember that we ourselves were the enemies of God when He saved us. We did not clean ourselves up first. We couldn't. He saved us and did that for us. If we could not clean up our own acts and change our own hearts before God saved us, then how can we expect those who don't know Him to do so? It's impossible! All they can do is what we also did - act from their sin nature. Do we then respond from our own sin nature, or do we respond from the Love the Lord poured into our hearts when He saved us? If we read Matthew 5:38–48 it shows us how the Lord wants us to treat those we consider our enemies. He wants us to treat them with the Love He showed us. No, that doesn't mean putting up with blasphemy and false teaching. But it does mean that we are to do and say everything with love and in love, honoring God with our every word. If we can't do that, then we should not be speaking to them at all. We also need to remember, that we cannot change their hearts. Only God can do that. All we can do is share His Word with them and show them what His love looks like so that they will want what He has given us. Too often instead we beat them over the head with His Word and leave them laying in their blood while we yell at them and call them names instead. I know...I've done it too. It's very, very easy to fall into that, as of course it would be since it's from our sin nature which is natural to us.
We each need to ask the Lord to show us His Will and how He wants us to handle ourselves when talking to others who disagree. The other thing I've noticed over the years is that we don't seem to have very much discernment about who we should speak to and who we shouldn't, or when it's time to stop. Yet the Lord tells us ““Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6) We're told to warn a divisive person two times only and then to have nothing more to do with them. (Titus 3:10) So why do we see people debating with the very same people years later, when quite obviously absolutely nothing has been gained by it? Jesus Himself refused to answer those who resisted the Word of God. (Matt. 21:23–27; Luke 23:9) ) Paul refused to debate or argue with those who resisted as well and we see this in Acts 13:44-49 as well as other places. Jesus tells us to "shake the dust off our feet" when people continue to reject the Truth and we're even given examples of it. (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51; Acts 18:5–6.) Finally, we're also given more general instructions on how to deal with others, such as correcting and rebuking them with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2) and not to rebuke them harshly, but to exhort them as if they were your father or brother, mother or sister. (1 Timothy 5:1–2)
I've learned that often unbelievers, and those caught up in false teaching, come to apologetics for nothing more then to argue and cause strife. They aren't looking for the truth at all, and aren't in the least bit interested in finding it. When we have discerned that the person we are talking to has that type of an attitude, then it's time to do exactly what the Lord says and not cast the pearls of God's Word to pigs, to shake the dust from our feet and leave them to themselves. For no amount of speaking to them will change anything. God's people need to be discerning and not waste the precious time we have left on people who are not seeking the Truth. Let's recall what the Lord said to us through Paul: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17)
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