Soft Spoken

(Sorry for posting late in the day, various things filling up my time!)

     Lately I've been wondering, do we make as much of an impact on this world as we could? More accurately, do represent something different enough to be noticed? There are plenty of factors to this puzzle, many possible variables to consider but today I'd like to discuss one you may not have thought of; how you talk about sin. I don't mean laughing at off-color jokes or even what words you use to describe certain things, I mean much of your hatred for sin is reflected in your words?

     It seems to me that we used to be better at this. In days long past men and women of God didn't mince words or speak softly when referring to sin. It was recognized and spoken openly that things like adultery and pornography were satanic and evil, a damnable plague on this world. More often these days we hear about how “immoral” they are or how “wrong” they are. Other religions in the world weren't “cultural holdings” or “regional beliefs” they were idolatry and webs of lies!

“If any man thinks that the gospel is only one of many religions, let him candidly compare the Scripture of God with other pretended revelations. Have you ever done so? I have made it a College exercise with our brethren. I have said—We will read a chapter of the Koran. This is the Muslim’s holy book. A man must have a strange mind who should mistake that rubbish for the utterances of inspiration. If he is at all familiar with the Old and New Testaments, when he hears an extract from the Koran, he feels that he has met with a foreign author: the God who gave us the Pentateuch could have had no hand in many portions of the Koran. One of the most modern pretenders to inspiration is the Book of Mormon. I could not blame you should you laugh outright while I read aloud a page from that farrago. Perhaps you know the Protevangelion, and other apocryphal New Testament books. It would be an insult to the judgment of the least in the kingdom of heaven to suppose that he could mistake the language of these forgeries for the language of the Holy Ghost.”

-Charles Spurgeon

     I understand that we don't want to push people away by insulting them. I understand that to blast someone in the face and attack them is no way to win their heart to Christ. I understand all that but we used to know the difference between attacking a person and attacking an idea. Ideas don't have rights. Personal preferences and even deeply held cultural convictions only have any merit so far as they are true! Remember we were not given clever arguments to convince the masses (2 Peter 1:16) nor were we given emotional music to sway the heart. What we have are weapons powerful enough to destroy cities!

“For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ...”

(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

     There should be no quarter given to the enemies lies and our heart for the lost should not tempt us to soften the blow. We do not hate the Muslim but we do hate Islam, we don't hate the Hindu but we do hate Hinduism, we do not hate the Pagan but we do hate Witchcraft and Paganism. Anger can be righteous and hatred can be just when the object of our ire is evil in truth. Whatever stands itself against the true God of the universe is a lie and a deception and has no right to exist or be respected. If we muddle on truth and falsehood than to what salvation are we drawing those around us? If we don't stand firm on the law of God then what right do we have to show others how they have transgressed it?

“The law serves a most necessary purpose.

They [unbelievers] will never accept grace

until they tremble before a just and holy Law.”

-Charles Spurgeon

     Sadly I feel that our softness on this point is a sign of our selfishness. I know that I have held my tongue at times because my mind has been filled with worry. What will they think of me? Will a stand here make working with this person awkward? We must stop worrying about whether others view us favorably and spend our time ensuring that they see God truthfully! Will you find any comfort in your reputation when those who thought so highly of you are burning for eternity? They will curse you either now as a troublemaker and prude or later as the one who knew the way to salvation and did not show them.

     Now remember, this is not a call against the people lost in sin and idolatry. These people are lost and misled and need God's help and we must bring them the truth as we have been commanded. This is not done by force or by coercion, not by strength of arms or battle, but by preaching the truth. We do no one any good by playing nice, a man who does not differentiate friend from foe will not last long in war. Let your speech be laced with love, these people are lost and in desperate need. We need not be seen accepting or open minded but let us be known as righteous and moral and firm. God will save all that are His own, let us not sully that work by blurring the lines.