I understand that we don't want to get into arguments, and we need to present the truth "in love". So why did the people of Paul's time kill people like Stephen, Peter, Paul, John the Apostle, John the Baptist, etc, etc, etc? Jesus said if we stand for the truth and proclaim it, the world will hate us....why? And if the world doesn't hate us, does that mean we are not actually proclaiming the gospel?
I understand that the Lord's sheep will come to Him, does that let us off the hook from proclaiming the truth which the world hates to hear about? Paul named names of those who didn't preach the truth, are we somehow better than he is if we don't argue?
Just some things to wrestle in the spirit about.
Hi Susan:)
ReplyDeleteThe world WILL hate us...that is inevitable. Family (speaking from personal experience here) will shun or avoid us...roll their eyes and so forth.
And physical persecution is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, either.
We are ambassadors for Christ according to Paul. We are His spokespeople. Speaking the truth in love, being hated without cause.
You're right, though, Calvinism doesn't let us off the hook, either. It works together with our witness somehow.
I love the James White clips:)
Hi Ma,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like him too...
He brings up Galatians ch 2 of not putting up with false teachers of "another gospel" for the reason that "the truth of the gospel might remain with you"...
I think we can be saved and yet have the blessings that come from having all of the gospel, have some of that blessing removed, and Paul saw it as a danger.
I really do question the idea being promoted these days of "essentials and non-essentials" to the gospel. Telling the truth in love still entails telling the truth, eh? And often it doesn't win us friends.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI am on my iPhone so can not watch the videos at this time
We are commissioned to preach the gospel and that is Jesus dietng on the cross for our sins, pure and simple. Persecution will come and we do not need to argue but state the siimple truth and allow the Holy Spirit to take it from there. If people do not listen after we state the facts then we dust off our sandals and leave.
I will watch the videos when I get a chance.
Blessings,
<><
Hi Child of God :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you do get to listen to those clips (it is a part one and two).
I agree that arguing can be a bad thing, and it might work against the person you are trying to convince. In the end, if the Lord isn't in the conversation, no amount of talking is going to do any good.
But, and however, it can cause us to go into the opposite extreme which would be to avoid anything that we think might stir up a conflict. I don't think we should avoid telling the truth just because we think it might not be something that will be well received.
We need to go forward in victory, not retreat in fear and defeat. :-) Thanks for stopping by!
I think you're right, there seem to be two extremes; arguing and avoiding. I think neither are correct. Jesus didn't argue or avoid but stated the facts to glorify God (rather than being right), and He answered questions without beating around the bush, except... when He spoke in parables knowing that His listeners would not believe. There is something to be said about discernment and not throwing pearls before swine. And now I'll save those videos to watch later when I have more time. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteHi Petra,
ReplyDeleteSo true, it's easy to fall into one of the two extremes, sigh...
Thanks for stopping by :-D
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI certainly do agree that we should not compromise the gospel, but what would you consider to be "another gospel?"
As much as I don't care for creeds, I do think the Apostles creed is very good:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic (NOT ROMAN CATHOLIC at the time this meant something else)church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Here is what Paul says the gospel is by which we are saved.
Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. He died and was buried according to the scriptures. He rose again for our justification.
That seems to be the essentials.
Hi Ma,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Paul was saying that although what the Judaizers preached was the "true gospel" it was a perversion of the true, by adding to it:
Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
They altered it just enough so it still had all the elements of the true one, and some of the old requirements that were no longer a requirement because Jesus fulfilled the fleshy requirements.
This could swing to the other extreme with those who say "anything goes" is ok because we have grace. That is another perversion of the gospel, and one that the Corinthian church suffered from.
There are visible manifestations of a changed life, and those manifestations are not what saves us, they are evidences of a changed life, the changes that the truth is at work in us changing us from the inside. I view those who try to manufacture such manifestations through various fleshy means, whether one extreme or the other, as promoting a different or perverted gospel.
I forgot to mention about creeds...
ReplyDeleteI think there is value in a creed in that it can state clearly the elements that you think are the most essential to the gospel, and those things being the ones of which we need to be most mindful.
However, they can then become something that is too confining, causing that we ignore some things of which the Spirit may want us to be in remembrance.
It's so easy to go from one extreme to the other:
too strict
too loose
too argumentative
completely non-confrontational
too watchful (to the point of complete paranoia)
not at all watchful (ostrich with head in the sand)
too serious with no sense of humor whatsoever
too immature/prankster/mocker
too fat
too skinny
sigh....