Speaking the truth in love
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. –2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)
Last week we considered the need for an absolute standard of good and evil to inform morality for a society. But how do we engage a culture that has chosen a different path? Growing up, I could not have dreamed that medically disposing of a million healthy babies per year in this country would be not just normal, but deemed by many as an unquestioned right. Or that we’d have to explain why allowing men to masquerade as women in women’s sporting events would create an unfair advantage for the men that undermined the integrity of the game and potentially placed the women in harm’s way.
Yet here we are. The time we live in is amazing, but it’s also dark. It calls for discernment. The enemy has always been a liar, sowing chaos, discord, and death wherever he can. And he’s sold us some doozies. But the cure for darkness is light, and the antidote for a lie is the truth. We need to be ready with answers, and the answers are best delivered in humility, speaking the truth in love.
We’ll encounter three types of people on this journey. There are those who are on the path with us, with whom we enjoy fellowship. There is great blessing in sharing God’s word and growing together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then there are those whose hearts are hard, rebellious, in league with the enemy and under his spell. They mock God, His word, and His followers. Best to pray for them and leave them in the hands of God. Why cast your pearls before swine?
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. -1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
Between are those who suspect there must be something better. They haven’t found it yet, but they are open. With them, we look for common ground, becoming, as Paul said, all things to all people. Maybe they aren’t ready for a full-on Bible study yet. They’ve been going along with the ways of the world, but they’re honest enough to continue looking at evidence. Give them something to chew on.
One method is the “Then what?” approach. Play out a premise or proposal to its logical conclusion and see where society is likely to land as a result. Is that outcome “good” or “bad”? Either way, the follow-up question is “Who says?” By whose definition was the outcome concluded to be “good” or “bad” and by what authority does that person or group get to decide what is good and what is bad?
An honest heart will likely come to realize that such standards must be constant and originate outside of human wisdom and group-think. Otherwise they inevitably break down. That realization may prompt one to consider the authority of Scripture, which turns out to not only be right, but very practical. Respect the journey. We are not here to win arguments or elections, but to introduce souls to their Savior. The gospel travels best on the road of relationship.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. –2 Corinthians 5:19-20 (NIV)