You don’t, can’t, choose to hide or remain mute. If you are born again, saved, you are an Ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) with certain responsibilities. If all that you do/have done is to accept the gift of salvation and not grown, how do you define ‘Christian’?
“But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.” [1 Peter 3:15]
Don’t live in the rear view mirror (remember Lot’s wife) she was remembering the good, the familiar, the comfortable of yesterday, not just bad, they were fleeing. A pillar of salt with prewarning is not a good place to be if you decide to follow through against and go opposite. Even though we know the right path and the results of going the wrong way – we do it. Why? Lack of understanding?
Sometimes I think that Christians are terrible at providing definitions of words used – more of a ‘we all believe, define words the same way’. I don’t think so. But without knowing what you are saying – we could be saying the same thing… just using different words. Then again – we may be spot on in understanding and it really is diametrically different. So we know better than what the Lord has taught and is telling us through His Word?
One of the best examples in the defining and application of the phrase is the ‘turn to him your other cheek’. I don’t think it means what Christians are told it means. Look again at 1 Peter – the ‘gentleness and respect’ is often interpreted as allowing the other person to continue to be wrong (this presupposes that the understanding you have is based in scripture). Allowing error makes no sense, it also enables the other person’s misunderstanding. Do a deep dive on correction. Some scriptures that are relevant are: Proverbs 12:1, 15:32, 29:15 – Hebrews 12: 5,11 – Galatians 6:1 – James 5:19 – and these only represent a few scriptures that speak to correction (which tends to be the overriding emotion governing gentleness and respect)… the – ‘I don’t want to do or say the wrong thing so I’ll just keep quiet’ excuse. If a car was bearing down on the person wouldn’t you at least warn them?
For too long the church has not entered (influenced?) the lives of people because of a strange definition of being inclusive. Sin is sin and Error is error. Support this? And what is the health of the church today? Would you stay away from the church because there doesn’t seem to be a connect with public behavior and scripture? Or maybe there is and you don’t want to be associated with it?
I would argue that for too long the church has been silent. It has adopted the wishy washy mindset of loving the sinner and hating the sin. When the loving part enables and accepts the hated sin but does not correct the action – what message is the church providing? Are we following the standards indicated in scripture or are we adding to and removing the ‘uncomfortable’ parts.
“I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new Jerusalem), which are written in this book.” [Revelation 22: 18-19]
So when scripture says ‘do’ and ‘don’t do’, does the church follow the standard or default to chronic inaction because it doesn’t want to offend people who don’t follow the standard? What price is being paid for our chronic inaction? And this question is applied to believers, individually, and the church.
