Sunday, July 08, 2007

Confronting sin

If someone is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path (Galatians 6:1).

When you are in conflict with another person, when do you give in and let them have their way? When do you compromise? When do you stick to your guns no matter what?

The question that you need to ask yourself is this—"why is it important that I win this fight?" It’s tough to ask this question; it’s even tougher to answer it truthfully. But I believe there are only two fundamentally different answers to this question.

When you ask yourself "why is it important that I win this fight", one type of answer involves the word "I". "If I don’t win this, I will be hurt, I will be taken advantage of, I will lose something precious to me, I will be left vulnerable." If your reason to win is focused on your own welfare, I would like to direct your attention to Jesus. The Lord said, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39). Jesus showed us His commitment to this principle at Calvary; when He was unjustly crucified, He did not retaliate—He simply prayed, Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34). If your desire to win a fight is based on your own needs, you ought to step back and reconsider your priorities.

When you ask yourself "why is it important that I win this fight", another type of answer has to do with the welfare of the other person. "If I can’t change his mind, he’ll hurt himself or someone else." If your reason to win is focused on the welfare of the other person, you are much more likely to be on the right path. Your primary concern should be the same as that held by Jesus—turning souls away from everlasting condemnation. Jesus was so concerned about this that He went to the cross to die, making it possible for us to be forgiven. We are called to bring that Good News to those who are struggling with evil thoughts, words and behaviors. Of course, no one likes being told that their priorities are wrong, that the words they speak are hurtful, that their choices are causing injury and leading to hell. So we can expect to have a fight on our hands, trying to persuade those we care about to abandon the sin that results in God’s fearsome judgment. But this is a battle worth fighting, because a person’s soul is at stake.

Generally speaking, we should consider backing off from conflict, unless that conflict comes from trying to steer people away from God’s anger and towards His mercy. But even then we are cautioned to be gentle and humble as we confront, never arrogant or self-righteous. Remember: ‘there, but for the grace of God, go I.’

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