I understand the feeling that sometimes we cannot respect an evil person. But it is not a license for us to become like them by treating them disrespectfully and hatefully.
We are commanded in the Bible to treat others the way we would like to be treated, there is no exception to this principle.
Also we are commanded to bless those who curse us, in other words, we show them the respect they won't show us.
We cannot emotionally enjoy a person who is evil, but we can act Christlike in their presence, not allowing their bad behavior to cause us to do the same to them. Then we are no different from them.
It might help to know that disrespectful people love it when they have made us into their image by snarking back at them in response to their rudeness.
Luke 6:30-32 "…30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.…"
Romans 12:13-15 "13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.…"
Obeying God by remaining Christlike no matter what others are doing will often not influence the mean person to change, that doesn't matter, and its' God's business. We are called to obey even if it has no effect on someone else. Our goal is to grow in holiness ourselves, we have no mandate to work to change another person.
We must tell the truth and when it is not received we are to walk away leaving the other person in the hands of God.
The idea that we should learn "techniques" to manipulate someone into accepting what we say is not biblical and even dishonest. It presumes that people respond to stimuli just like animals. Animals will be loyal when we treat them well and become mean when they are mistreated, this is not true of human beings.
The idea that we can affect another person's heart through manipulation comes from psychology, spawned from Darwinism. Since humans are just another species of animal they must respond the way animals do.
The thinking of Darwin was foolish because even animals are not always loving and kind just because you say nice words to them. A lion will eat you if you approach him in the wild, he doesn't trust human beings, we are their food so they don't care how nice we are to them.
"Hurting people hurt people" is also not Biblical. Bad people hurt people. Many people are hurting and have been treated shamefully but they choose to do differently from the people who were mean to them. They treat people better than they were treated because they have a tender heart and care about others more than they cogitate about how they were treated.
Christ proved this point when He went to the cross. He was brutally murdered by wicked people but chose to die on the cross for the sins of others, even the ones who murdered Him. He could have stopped the events of the cross, He could have blown on His persecutors and made them disappear if He wanted, but He did not.
The takeaway from this article is; don't become like the evil person by exacting revenge or responding in kind to them. Just remove yourself and leave them to God.
There is nothing more wonderful than a clear conscience that comes from obeying God. When we have been reviled we do not revile in return, we walk away clean and full of confidence that God has this!!!
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