Toughen Up and Be Nice
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25
“Be nice, if they like you, they’ll like God. It’s the doctrine of today.”
I heard the preacher say it on Sunday. I hear very similar words from some who think that Christians should not be fighting in culture wars. Often these are Facebook posts. Social media, sadly, is the place where a lot of theology is taught.
It was only today that I saw the arrogance of it. If they like us, they will like God?
The way I read what these posts say is that we need only to concern ourselves with the salvation of individuals. Once more individuals come to faith in Christ, then, the culture will naturally become more “Christianized.” (There is some truth to this.) They recommend telling unbelievers about God’s love and not His Law (as if His Law is not loving). We should ignore trends in our culture that are so negatively affecting us by invoking God’s wrath, so that, in case they disagree, we won’t send them running off.
Christ is our example in many scriptures that tell us this is wrong thinking. He was quick to correct the sin of those who publicly went against the Law of God. With the Pharisees, clearly unbelievers choosing to turn people away from Christ, He was pointed in His accusations against them. “You serpents, you brood of vipers,” and “…it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” He asked them how they could speak good when they were evil.
These people were leading others astray. When we look at our culture, there are many people who are publicly working against the gospel and leaving God’s Law as if it were meaningless. His Law – all of it – is loving because obeying it is what is best for everyone.
Attacking marriage and the family, killing babies, not being permitted the freedom of our religion, government taking over roles of family and the Church. All of these are things that Christians should be standing up for, using tactics just as loud and public as those opposing Christ.
When we meet, one on one or in a more intimate setting, with a lost soul (or souls), we need to be loving. We need to tell them the Truth. The Bible tells us to be gentle and kind and when we are, they can know that the conviction they hear is not from us, but from God. In this case, it is the loving thing to do to tell them that repentance is a requirement of God. If they don’t see their sin, they will not see their need for a Savior.
When we are met with public demands to take away what we hold dear in doctrine and Truth, then we need to speak up a little – or a lot. If we are nice, no one will hear us. It doesn’t mean we have to get cold and hard. It means we have to get serious about loving others and the truth of the Loving nature of God’s Law.
And we may have to get loud. It won’t sound nice but it will be loving.