FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT (Part 3: Our Words)

The worst thing a Christian can be is offensive, or is it? How often were the Israelites offended by what the prophets of God proclaimed to them? How often were the Pharisees and Sadducees offended by what Jesus stated? How often were the Gentiles and Jews offended by what the apostles preached? If these individuals of great faith and victory in God had refused to say anything that would offend people, they would not have been obedient to God and fallen into the world of sinfulness around them. The words of God were put into the mouths of the faithful (Jer. 1:9), but they had to the choice to let them out (1 Cor. 14:32). The words these servants of God used made all the difference to those who heard them. For them, the worst thing they could do was not to be offensive, but rather, to refuse to speak the truth that was given to them by God.

In the modern times, society conditions Christians to think that it is better to be silent and disobedient than to be offensive and obedient. How many times do modern Christians catch themselves telling people attending a church where false doctrine is taught that they are “fine”, or they are “okay”? Not too long ago a member of the church confessed that he had mentioned to his friend, who was being feed lies from his church, “I have my belief and you have your belief and that is fine.” In retrospect, this Christian knows that what his friend believed was not “fine,” but he was just afraid to say anything. Looking back, this brother regrets not speaking up for what he knows is right, but at the time he felt such pressure to be tolerant of what everyone believed, which is what the world wants (John 15:21-23).

There is one truth (John 14:6), there is one doctrine (Eph. 4:4-6), there is one church (Acts 2:48), and the Christian must never knowingly imply differently. While these facts are not popular, they are biblical, and if Christians are to be faithful, then they must speak according to the truth that they know. God tells the one given His truth, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1). Christians must never use their words to lead people that are living in sin to believe that they are “fine” or justified in their denominational world. Christians must speak the truth even if that truth is hard to hear because if they don’t God will look at them as one with blood on their hands. God explains to the watchman of Israel, “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18). God has no use for a watchman that will not sound the alarm when danger arrives! While it may be politically incorrect, the Christian must avoid conversing in a way that implies that God accepts everyone’s truth (Prov. 14:12), that it doesn’t matter where one goes to church services as long as one goes somewhere (Matt. 7:21-23), that everyone can get to heaven in their own way (John 14:6), or that feelings justify one’s belief (Prov. 12:15). The world deceives themselves through many misleading ideas that Christians should stand against and never imply otherwise.

Knowing that God commands Christians to use their words to bring glory and praise to Him, the faithful must have the knowledge to be able to do so (1 Peter 4:11; 2 Peter 3:18). If Christians are to be approved of God in His service then there is something they must do to prepare themselves to be set for the defense of the gospel as Paul states, “But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel” (Phil. 1:17). What is this all-important aspect of growth in the Lord that makes the Christian prepared to use his/her words? “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Not only will studying prepare Christians, but it will allow them to shun and identify babbling from false teachings. Notice the next passage in 2 Timothy 2:16-17a: “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker…” With the knowledge and growth in the Lord comes the responsibility to use the knowledge through words, the opportunity God gives one to speak! Biblical studiers must “test” the information that they hear against the words of the Bible (1 John 4:1). God encourages His children to “search the scripture whether those things are so…” (Acts 17:11). When Christians hear teachings claiming to be of God, they should search the scriptures, obtain the knowledge, and know vain babbling when they hear it; hopefully, it will not come from a Christian playing along with the world!

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