The Contention of the Worldly Man

"You are contentious." Have you ever heard anyone call you that?

There will be times when we meet unsaved people who think we are contentious because we cannot agree with them on anything of importance.

There is a reason we cannot agree with the world and its not because we are looking for things with which to disagree.

When we meet someone who thinks like the world they will think we are disagreeing with them merely to seem superior because that is what they are doing. But here is the truth, it is those who label us contentious who cannot tolerate someone who does not think the WAY they think.

The born again believer processes everything through the wisdom of the Bible. They cannot think any other way except with the mind of Christ.

The worldly man thinks with the mind of the world, the world is his measure of right and wrong so he is unable to understand born again believer who disagree with him on everything important.

Since our world today passes all their thinking through the grid of "feelings" we cannot expect them to set aside feelings to discover truth.

Many of us have been called various names such as "contentious" or "mean spirited" or "foolish" because we expressed a differing viewpoint from those who are worldly.

The worldly man will accuse the born again believer of being contentious merely for not adhering to their agenda. They accuse the believer of being closed minded when it is they who are such. Refusing to consider the wisdom that comes from the Bible they punish those who will not become like them.

When a contentious man accuses us of being contrary there is an easy response, perhaps it goes like this;

"I thought we were exchanging ideas, you told me your idea, I told you my idea so that we both were allowed to be who we are and express what we believe. However, it seems that you are unhappy with me for not being you, so you judge me as well as call me names. Why do you get to have your say but I am not allowed mine. Why am I judged as silly and foolish for not thinking like you think?"

The biggest hypocrites in the world are those who will not listen to others respectfully. They allow themselves to be whatever they want but punish others for not being like them.

You will find that worldly people cannot think rationally or godly on any level. They can have a form of religion and even decency but when it comes to the important matters from the Word of God they cannot (are unable) to think with the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 "…15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ."

1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.…"

Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

Why can an unbeliever and a born again believer not walk together in friendship? The answer is simple, the unbeliever thinks only in the terms of the prevailing wind of the culture. The born again believer thinks only in term of God's Word, His wisdom and His Heart. This is offensive to the unbeliever, they prefer their cultural foolishness over God's wisdom.

There is also a hatred on the part of the unbeliever for the things of God.

Proverbs 23:8-9 "…8 You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words. 9 Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

All the explanations from the Bible will be spurned and mocked by those who do not love the truth in the Bible.

Proverbs 9:7
"He who corrects a mocker will bring shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man will be tainted."

Proverbs 14:7
"Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech."

Proverbs 26:4
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him."

Bottom Line: The unsaved person does not think the way we think, nor does he want to, his mind is perverted and twisted without a desire to think properly. Even worse the unsaved believe their wisdom comes from the humanistic culture in which they live. When we discover someone who is basing their beliefs on the wisdom of this world while rejecting the truths of the Bible it is time to move on to more productive relationships. As God said clearly in His Word, "two cannot walk together who are not agreed."