Proverbs 9:7-9 "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."
We read over and over again how Jesus confounded those who opposed Him by simply asking questions. He did not argue with them, and when He called them out for their hypocrisy, He was straightforward, and did not involve Himself in silly debates. When He was falsely accused, He answered them with silence. It truly is amazing what happens when we learn the simple skill of asking a challenging question when we encounter someone who is arrogant and only looking for a fight. Sadly, I am not talking about just the unsaved. I am talking about other brothers and sisters in Christ who are constantly looking for arguments and debates over issues that, in the grand scheme of things, will not matter one iota when we finally stand before the Lord. We waste our words on both saved and unsaved who have no real desire to listen, but only speak in order to prove their point. We must learn to discern when someone is genuinely inquiring about the faith, or when they are simply someone who thrives on arguing; or feeding their ego by proving they know more than we do. It is this arguing and bickering that usually puts a bad light on Christianity; especially when someone from one denomination disagrees with how another denomination lives their Christianity. My experience has been, thus far, that we differ even within our own denominations. So, let us stop majoring in minors. Let the scoffers be scoffers, and the scorners be scorners. We must, with as much as depends on us, live at peace with others. Let us focus on sharing Jesus and the salvation found only in Him, correcting and teaching those who want to be taught and who want to grow in godly wisdom; and let us remember that a day is coming when those who refuse to believe, and who choose wickedness, and scoffing, will one day stand before the Judge of this world, Jesus. We must be wise enough to know when to ask a question, when to rebuke, and when to just be silent. We must not give Christianity a blackeye with useless arguments amongst ourselves; and learn to stop wasting our words on deaf ears.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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