Monday, January 18, 2010

Truth... Without Love

I squared off with a couple of Jehovah's witnesses last Thursday morning. A middle aged woman and a teenage girl came to our door asking if they could leave me two copies of AWAKE magazine, and follow up later.

I'm not sure why, but when this happens, I immediately move into a stiff and nervous debate mode. I confess, I completely lost sight of the fact that these two ladies are loved by God. Suddenly, I am the defender of the faith, the apologist. The love? Well, I don't know what happens to it, but it wasn't evident in those few moments when I bulldozed these two unsuspecting ladies. The fifteen year old girl was far more gentle than I was.

In the end, it probably didn't matter that I quoted four or five O.T. Messianic passages from memory, or that I pointed out how Charles Russell didn't know the Greek alphabet and yet spearheaded the New World Translation, or that one can't call oneself a Christian and depart from 2000 years of universally held Christology.

They soon walked away with the older woman saying, "well that's your opinion." I'm quite sure they did not feel cared for in any sense. I didn't even answer in kind when they told me to "have a nice day."

As I reflected on the scene later that day, I was sure that it would have been more fruitful for me to have gently stated my (orthodox) views about the deity of Christ. I could have humbly expressed that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a deep mystery, and then genuinely indicate my concern for them for standing outside the Tradition of the Church by embracing a heresy that was condemned by the Church about 17 centuries ago.

If we are going to try to be "wise as serpents" we must also try to be "gentle as doves."

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Robin said...

...been there, done that...

Thanks for the reminder to strive for doctrinal purity AND love.

Thankfully, the Spirit is not restricted to work in situations only when they are handled absolutely perfectly by the humans involved--the church wouldn't have gotten very far.

I will pray for the two women you spoke to, that the Spirit convict them of the truth they were presented with.

Thanks again for your very transparent posts--they are so helpful.

January 18, 2010 at 7:11 PM  
Anonymous EJK said...

I hear your angst brother. And I hear our sister's "...been there, done that...". That having been said, hear how Paul instructed his "son" Timothy.

"Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain."

He has no qualms about assessing people like the ones you were talking to, but then later goes on to say,

"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

And in the next letter to Timothy he says,

"Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene."

He then continues to instruct, notice the phrase, "with gentleness". I feel a little stab right about now. It's one of the reasons I love the Holy Spirit so much.

"And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."
Wow! I needed that. Thank you God! Help me not to forget!

January 18, 2010 at 9:15 PM  
Blogger Petros said...

Thanks Robin! You are very kind.

And thank you Ernie, for skillfully bringing the Scriptures to bear on this discussion.

"And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness."

Wow! That's right on-- and it is the way I must strive to approach these encounters in the future.

January 18, 2010 at 11:06 PM  
Blogger Bruce said...

Simultaneously exhibiting both the holiness of God and the love of God, in an observable way. We are so prone to be lopsided here, but the Bible calls us to both----simultaneously. O how we need the Holy Spirit empowering us moment by moment!

January 19, 2010 at 7:19 AM  
Blogger Bruce said...

P.S. --- Peter, like Robin I too want to thank you for your very transparent posts!

January 19, 2010 at 7:23 AM  
Blogger DShorey said...

This made me chuckle, but I do realize what you're saying. I can imagine sometimes it's hard not to press your point when you know you're right.

January 19, 2010 at 7:47 AM  

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