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Submitted by Carol Smith –
I was buying a ticket for a movie that was faith based, the employee shared with me that she was a born-again Christian. She told me she was in college. She also shared she had 2 children from 2 different men, none of whom she was married to. I never asked her about her personal life, she volunteered the information.
I shared 1Corinthians 6:9 which states that those who practice sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God. I believe the Holy Spirit revealed that the man she was involved with was not a believer. I did ask her this, she said, “He believes in God and appeared defensive. I quoted James 2:19, the devil believes in God. I told her that studies show that children usually follow the path of their fathers. Also that a Christian believes that they will influence their unbeliever towards God but it works in the opposite direction. Again she seemed annoyed.
The next day, I share this with my Bible study group who are made up of millennials. I was told, I had no right to speak to her sin, that’s judging! Christians don’t judge! And if we are to speak to an individual, the only context is if we have a personal relationship with them. I was not being nice and Christians are always nice!
As usual whenever there is controversy, I pray to know God’s heart on the situation and research scripture.
Proverbs is full of scripture concerning both the giving and receiving of correction: 1:22-23, 1:28-33, 5;12-14, 10:8+17, 12:1+15 to name a few.
Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15 we are to confront sin in another believer. The words “against you” do not appear in the earliest manuscripts but were added later. John the Baptist is the 1st example we have of confrontation in the New Testament. He confronts those in power and a position of authority, Herod, it cost him his life! He wasn’t nice!
Jesus confronts the woman at the well. Clearly, they did not know each other! He broke a number of social mores to speak with her. He did not shy away from lovingly confronting her sinful lifestyle. This led to not only her repentance and salvation but also many in her city! Was Jesus “nice” to speak to her sin?
There are other scriptures that speak to this issue. Galatians 6:1, 1Tim. 5:20, Titus 3:10, Galatians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 5;13. Paul, tells the Corinthians to throw a sinning brother out of the church! This was not nice! But it led to his repentance!
As I was praying and contemplating all of this, a picture came into my mind. If you were driving and passing the home of a stranger, it was late at night and their home was on fire, they were asleep, unaware of the danger. Would you stop to warn them or pass by because you were fearful they would be upset because you woke them up! People at our jobs, our neighbors, the bank teller or cashier we see every week, their houses are on fire, are we warning them, or do we keep silent out of fear?
According to several surveys, 90% of Christians never share their faith!What is the motivation for correcting or warning another person? It is to restore them to a right relationship with God!
I was listening to a podcast by Voddie Bachman, he said the millennial generation has an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt always be nice!” It supersedes all other Commandments!
Does the scripture teach that Christians need to be nice? NO! It teaches we are to be kind! What is the difference? Nice people tell you what you want to hear or remain silent when they should warn, out of fear of offending. Kind people, speak the truth in love and tell you what you need to hear, out of love, regardless of the consequences!
Does the follower of Christ have, not only the right but also the responsibility to share difficult truths of the scriptures with others?
“My brothers and sisters, if any of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this, whoever turns a sinner from their error of their ways will save them from death and covers multitude of sins.” ~James 5:19-20.
Now, that is kindness!
4 Responses
TCN should stay away from articles like this. I’m a Jesus Follower. If you are, give priority to Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels. especially the Parables. Study the Parable of the Good Samaritan (that’s my favorite Parable). Study Bible History and the First Council of Nicea so you understand how the Books in the Bible were selected, and the role of the Emperor Constantine.
The article quotes Proverbs. Proverbs is in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament.
Below are some quotes from the Old Testament that Jesus clearly did NOT agree with. Should we teach what’s below? >
Deuteronomy 21:18-21
“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Exodus 21:17
“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
Exodus 21:15
“Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
Leviticus 20:9
For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
This is her opinion. You say you are a Jesus follower. There are 66 books in the Bible and every one of them is relevant. Every word in the Bible is from God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. As a Christian we are servants of God. So what Carol Smith did and said is absolutely correct. Read verse 16 very slowly so that the words can sink in. Todays modern christians say Jesus is all about love. He is about love but he also corrects and rebukes fellow Christians and unbelievers alike. Jesus was also controversial. He was constantly rebuking the Pharisee’s and Sadducee’s. That is why they had Him killed. John 8:3-11 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group. 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus’s last words to her were go now and LEAVE YOUR LIFE OF SIN. Was Jesus nice no He was Kind. He told her the truth “sin no more”.
As for your statement “Below are some quotes from the Old Testament that Jesus clearly did NOT agree with. Should we teach what’s below?” That is so ridiculous. Basically what you’re saying is Jesus disagrees with what His Father said. That’s blasphemy. I would suggest that you read the whole Bible from front cover to back cover in its entirety. Not just pick and choose certain parts which modern christians like to do in todays culture. That is what is wrong with society today. It hurts my feelings or it doesn’t make me feel good. John 15:20 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. We are to be the light in the darkness. Also all through the Old Testament it prophesies about the coming of the Messiah. Reading the Old Testament is very important.
In God we trust not government or man.
Have a blessed day.
You say > “ Every word in the Bible is from God.”
Re-read what I wrote.
Do you think God wrote >
“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.” Exodus 21:17 The King James version says > “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” A little different.
If your child curses you, will you put him or her to death? Do you think that should be a law? I doubt you will answer this question.
If it is the word of God, it should be a law. If you believe that, you should propose it as a law.
I have read the Protestant Bible. Which version do you follow? Protestant or Catholic? Do you know that the Catholic Bible has 7 more books?
Timothy was a companion to Paul and never met Jesus and never heard him speak.
Did you know that the oldest text of the entire Christian Bible, including the New Testament, is the Codex Sinaiticus dating from the 4th century (around 330 AD), about 300 years after Jesus? Look it up. It was discovered in 1844 at Saint Catherine’s Monastery. Written in Greek so it had to be translated.
Research Bible History. Have you ever read about the First Council of Nicea? God did not write the Bible. If God wrote the Bible he would have written it all at once and had Jesus deliver it to us.
“Prior to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, there was no clear consensus on which texts should be included in the Bible. Different communities had their own collections of sacred writings, and there was much debate and disagreement about which texts were truly inspired by God.” https://biblehistoryonline.com/blog/the-council-of-nicaea-and-the-formation-of-the-biblical-canon
Anyone can go through the Bible and cherry pick verses.
I think the actual words of Jesus in the Gospels are the most important and give them first priority. Timothy is not one of the Gospels.
Are you saying that Jesus said “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.”? Where does Jesus say that?
I don’t think Jesus ever said that or agreed with it. Read the Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke and study it’s meaning. You can start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Have a blessed day.
As Christian we are indeed not called to be “nice.” Jesus was not “nice.” “Nice” is an act, or way of being, that can be hollow, patronizing or by pretense. However, Jesus was patient, kind, forgiving, loving, gentle…those attributes cannot be copied — they are inspired by the Spirit within.
IF prompted inside by the Spirit I MIGHT have asked her how long she had been ‘born again’ and then maybe how old her youngest child was. Maybe. It might have been true that she was a new convert. Or, that might allow for the One who does the conviction and has a name, known as the Holy Spirit to step in. It is He who convicts of sin.
There is a time and place, and if we follow Jesus’ manner it was by using the law against those with a hard heart, and grace to those who were broken. But it was in context, most people had come to Jesus for something. We are not called to correct everyone, including those who think they are born again. Content as well as context.
I hope your tone was soft and gentle. We are to confront with fear and trembling, Phil 2:12-13, which is before God and his holiness, but also as we move and witness in His name. Otherwise, one can ‘beat the sheep’ which is a poor way to gain trust and input.