What Does SHAKE THE DUST OFF YOUR FEET Mean?

To answer this question, let’s go to Christ’s instructions to his twelve disciples when he sent them out to various towns to minister:

Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 10:11-16

This is the opposite situation to what John addressed in 2 John 1:10-11. John instructed believers to not welcome people into their homes who contradicted the essentials of Christianity, whereas in this passage Jesus instructed believers to disassociate from the people who refused to welcome them in their homes & towns. The same principle applies to both.

Before examining this text it’s important that we take into consideration the historical context of the Messiah’s instructions, otherwise immature individuals may be tempted to go off half-cocked condemning anyone who merely disagrees with them. Jesus was sending his disciples out to the villages of “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24), which consisted of people already technically in covenant with the LORD and therefore generally familiar with the Scriptures and the things of God. Christ’s “tough love” instructions were appropriate here since, after “400 silent years,” these Israelites should have been receptive to an incredible move of God, to say the least.*

* The “400 silent years” refers to the absence of Divine revelation between the Old and New Testament eras.

While this approach may be called for in similar situations today it’s obviously not appropriate in others. For instance, if you’re ministering to a culture that generally rejects the ideas of God and absolute truth (e.g. modern Western Civilization), you’ll have to be more patient, compassionate and gentle. As always, you have to be led of the Spirit, which means you must be tight with God. If you’re not tight with the LORD the only answer is to get tight.

With this understanding, let’s consider what the Lord said in the passage. In verse 14 he instructs his disciples to “shake the dust off” their feet when they leave a home or town that doesn’t welcome them. What’s the significance of this? When Hebrews returned to Israel from foreign lands they would shake the dust off their sandals & clothing to keep from defiling the Holy Land. Hence, shaking the dust off their feet delivered this warning: “If you reject the message of Christ you will face the same judgment as unbelieving foreigners.”

Jesus gave similar instructions to 72 other disciples when he sent them out:

“But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ ”

Luke 10:10-11

The Lord encouraged his disciples in these cases to make a judgment concerning the fruit of the people to whom they were ministering. Fruit comes from the heart, whether good fruit or bad fruit. The Messiah taught, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart” (Luke 6:45). The fact that some Israelites were going to reject the truth of the gospel revealed the condition of their hearts – they were stubborn, arrogant, resistant, selfish, and lacked hunger for God and truth. In such cases Christ didn’t instruct his disciples to be non-judgmental and lovey-dovey but rather to righteously judge the bad fruit and issue a proclamation of condemnation in no uncertain terms.

Related Topics:

Gentle Love and Tough Love

What Does Love “Always Protects” Mean?

The Four Types of LOVE in the Bible

Judging—When SHOULD You Judge and When SHOULDN’T You Judge?

Dealing with Personal Offenses vs. Criminal Acts

Heart – Is it “Desperately Wicked”? (It Depends)

The Basics of Christianity

What Does LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS Mean?

Observe the definition of agape love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Verse 7 says that agape love “always protects,” which explains why John instructed Christians to not welcome so-called believers into their homes who contradicted the essentials of Christianity:

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. ¹¹ Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

2 John 10-11

John’s purpose was to protect the disciples within his circuit of assemblies from being tainted and misled by false doctrine. Parents adhere to this principle when they object to their children hanging around kids of questionable character. They object because they love their children and instinctively realize that “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Love protects. It’s a wise principle by which to live.

Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Why is it so vital to protect your heart? Because whatever you allow rooted in your heart will determine what you will become; in other words, who you are. Proverbs 27:19 puts it like this: “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Also consider what Christ said:

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

You could also say: “For out of the overflow of the heart the person acts.” This is essentially what the Lord taught in Mark 7:20-23 where he pointed out that any carnal trait you can name stems from what we allow rooted in our hearts. Of course, all sin originates from one’s sinful nature, but you won’t habitually act on fleshly impulses until they get rooted in your heart. How do they get lodged in the heart? Through (1) your eyes, (2) your ears and (3) the atmosphere you allow, which includes the company you keep. How do they grow? By feeding a fleshly desire through thought, imagination and word. The more you feed it the more it grows; and when the desire grows big enough you’ll act on it (James 1:14-15). The more you act on it, the deeper it gets rooted; and the greater the bondage.

I occasionally hear preachers erroneously proclaim that the heart itself is “desperately wicked,” quoting Jeremiah 17:9, but this simply isn’t true and Jesus Christ himself disagreed with it, as shown above in Luke 6:45. Actually, the human heart is neutral and akin to soil in the Bible (Luke 8:15). Just as soil grows whatever a planter decides to sow in it, so the human heart will produce whatever a person chooses to plant in it, whether spiritual or fleshly. This explains Jesus’ declaration that a good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart and the evil man brings bad things out of the evil in his heart.

If this is so, how do we explain Jeremiah 17:9? Simple. This verse refers specifically to the stubborn hearts of the people of Judah of that time and place, not to every human heart throughout history. This is supported by Jeremiah 16:12, 17:1 and 18:12, which verify the context of 17:9 and, as they say, “Context is King” (see this article on hermeneutics for elaboration). Besides, verse 10 says that the LORD examines the heart, which would make no sense if the heart is inherently wicked. After all, why search the heart if it’s always “desperately wicked”? No, God searches the heart of every human soul to see what’s planted there because whatever we allow in our hearts becomes who we are. Hence, although the heart certainly has the capacity to be desperately wicked, it could just as well be exceedingly good or somewhere in between. It’s contingent upon what each person allows sown in his or her heart.

Are you getting this? YOU decide what’s planted in your heart and therefore what it regularly produces. Is your heart producing negative things like worry, fear, folly, sexual immorality and fits of rage? Rip it out! Start planting and watering seeds of peace, faith, wisdom, virtue and self-control. Be patient. Although weeds sprout up overnight, it takes time and effort to produce a good crop. But the fruit will come and you’ll be blessed. Just stay on track and, if you miss it, be honest about it and quick-to-repent (1 John 1:8-9).

Needless to say, if you love yourself – and I hope you do, since it’s impossible to love others if you don’t love yourself in a non-narcissistic way (Matthew 22:39) – be diligent to protect your heart! Put it at the top of your list of priorities.

The “Love Protects” Principle can be Abused and Misused

It’s important to point out, however, that this “love protects” principle can be abused and actually hinder believers from advancing spiritually. For instance, just because a certain denomination, camp or church labels something a “false doctrine” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s really an unbiblical teaching. It may simply be a Biblical doctrine of which the sect is presently ignorant. In that case it’s a truth they actually need. We should keep in mind that Christendom went through a millennial “dark age” and didn’t start coming out of it until the Protestant Reformation, which involved masses of Christians objecting to all the unscriptural baggage that had accumulated over the centuries.

Many of the great truths of the early Church were foolishly discarded and laid dormant during this dark age. But since the Reformation the Holy Spirit has been restoring these truths one after another over the past five centuries. With each wave of restoration the Holy Spirit would raise up a person or people to proclaim a long-dormant truth and usually a denomination would result. Some camps or churches have kept up with these restorations and others haven’t, which is understandable in light of the fact that every legitimate restorative wave is accompanied by flakes and counterfeits.

Regardless, it’s a mistake to have an arrogant “know-it-all” attitude that resists restorative moves of the Holy Spirit. This is a stubborn spirit that refuses to consider the possibility that one’s present understanding may be incomplete or even erroneous, including partly erroneous. This is all done under the guise of conservativism, of course – protecting the heart, protecting the faith, protecting believers, protecting the core doctrines of one’s sect – but that doesn’t make it right.

A good example would be the truths of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit, which were restored to the Church en masse in the early 20^th century. While this movement — known as the Charismatic Movement — has had its share of flakes, untold millions from numerous camps have accepted these truths in the many decades since and have been immeasurably blessed.

Yet, to this day, a large portion of the body of Christ refuses to embrace them, to their own limitation. This doesn’t mean, of course, that they’re inauthentic Christians. The bible teaches: “The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn that man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” (Romans 14:3-4). Those who reject the baptism and gifts of the Spirit should be embraced as fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord (and vice versa) but, the fact remains, they are limiting themselves by not eating everything the Word offers.

The bottom line is this: Be diligent to “guard your heart as the wellspring of life” but don’t be so stubbornly protective you resist legitimate truths that will keep you from spiritual stagnancy and dryness. Protect yourself but be wise and balanced; don’t be a stuffy “know it all” religionist. Flee rigid and stifling sectarianism like the plague (Luke 9:49-50; 1 Corinthians 1:11-13 & 3:3-9).

Related Topics:

Gentle Love and Tough Love

Your Thoughts RUN Your Life!

Heart – Is it “Desperately Wicked”? (It Depends)

SANCTIFICATION: Spirit, Mind & Body

The Four Types of LOVE in the Bible

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

The Basics of Christianity

Handling PERSONAL OFFENSES vs. Handling CRIMINAL ACTS

There’s a huge difference between dealing with personal offenses as opposed to dealing with severe criminal acts. The former is a matter of peace between people in the Church, as well as society (relatives, co-workers, neighbors, etc.), whereas the latter is a matter of protecting yourself & others in your community (or anywhere) from wicked thugs, as well as acquiring justice when a crime is committed.

In this article we’re going to FIRST address how the New Testament instructs us to handle personal offenses committed by (1) fellow believers and (2) unbelievers, which will include a look at (3) the principle of overcoming evil with good. SECOND, we’ll address how to handle serious criminal acts committed by whomever/wherever. Feel free to skip to the section that interests you.

The biblical data featured in this article is vital to the health of modern believers because, generally speaking, we’ve been fed an unbalanced diet on the topic and this facilitates the “doormat syndrome,” which is a weakly submissive response to abuse and crime. Here’s an example: A friend of mine dated a woman who, unbeknownst to him, fraudulently purchased items with his credit card that accumulated to a total of $20,000. They broke up during this period and her crime was eventually uncovered. Incredibly, my friend — who’s a working class individual — passively responded, “I’m not going to protest it; I’m just a doormat.” Yes, he literally said this! Instead of righteously holding this woman accountable to her criminal behavior he just let the issue go with the intent of slowly paying off her selfish materialism.

This is not what the Bible teaches! The LORD loves justice and hates crime (Isaiah 61:8). In fact, justice and righteousness are the very foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). Yes, God is love, but “love does not delight in evil” (1 Corinthians 13:6). This woman — supposedly a Christian — should’ve been held accountable for her crime and paid the consequences. Instead she’s off scot-free while my friend is still paying for her criminal indulgences.

This is absurd. The New Testament does not instruct believers to be passive doormats to abuse and crime like this. Rather, it provides brilliant tactics on how to overcome evil with good, including tough love when fitting, like confrontation and open rebuke; as well as utilizing the governing authorities & the corresponding legal system to acquire justice in criminal situations. Even in cases where the believer is called to “suffer according to God’s will” — like Spirit-led martyrdom — praying for one’s persecutors is anything but passive since it releases God & his kingdom into the situation.

Let’s start with…

New Testament Instructions on Handling Personal Offenses

Observe the Messiah’s instructions for dealing with an offending believer:

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Luke 17:3-4

Jesus was not talking about a serious crime here, like rape, assault, robbery or the murder of a loved one. If someone commits a crime like this you need to take it to the governing authorities, which are established by God to punish criminals and hold the power to execute when appropriate: “they are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:1-6). We are instructed to submit to these authorities, which means we report the crime and seek justice when a serious CRIME is committed. If someone broke into your house and raped/killed your loved one would you just automatically dismiss the offense – that is, forgive the thug – or would you first contact the police and do everything in your power to apprehend justice? Obviously the latter. We’ll look at dealing with criminal acts in more detail later.

So Christ was talking about personal offenses here, like snubbing, malicious gossip (backbiting), insults, lying, minor theft and so forth. When fellow believers offend in this manner they should first be confronted and, then, forgiven when they repent. ‘Forgive’ literally means to “cancel the debt” or “dismiss the charge.” When the offender is stubbornly unrepentant we are not to dismiss the offense. Jesus specified this condition in more detail here:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Matthew 18:15-17

When a fellow believer sins against us we’re not to gossip about it to others, but rather go to the offending person in private and share with them what they did to offend us. As far as is possible, we should do this with a humble, compassionate spirit, which sometimes isn’t possible because the offense in question is so offensive. If the offender refuses to repent then we are to get one or two spiritual believers and confront the person again. These additional people will naturally help make sure the charge is authentic. If the offender is still not repentant then we’re to tell it to the church in general so that the person is socially pressured to ’fess up and make a turnaround. If the offender continues to be stubborn and unrepentant then we’re to regard him/her as a pagan or tax-collector. A pagan is an unbeliever, which means you stop treating the person as if they were a brother or sister in the Lord because his/her actions have proven otherwise.

Please notice that Jesus Christ himself said that we are NOT to dismiss the offense—that is, forgive the person’s transgression—when s/he is stubbornly unrepentant, but rather excommunicate him/her from the fellowship. If the offender doesn’t go to your assembly, which is often the case today, then you excommunicate him/her from your personal fellowship; meaning you cut relational ties. The offense in question is only to be dismissed—forgiven—if the offender REPENTS. Only then should he or she be forgiven and welcomed back into the church or personal fellowship.

The apostle Paul taught the same thing when there was an unrepentant fornicator in the Corinth church; he instructed the believers in no uncertain terms to EXPEL HIM from the assembly (1 Corinthians 5:1-5,12-13). Thankfully, the guy later repented and so Paul encouraged the Corinthians to forgive him and warmly welcome him back into the fellowship (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

Please notice that Paul only instructed the Corinthians to forgive this man when he was willing to humbly repent. The reason for this is obvious: It holds offenders accountable to their negative behavior and encourages repentance, i.e. positive change.

This is further backed up by Paul when he instructed believers to “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13) and “forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). We are to forgive just as the LORD forgave us, which is followed up in the very next verse with an exhortation to be imitators of God as dearly loved children (Ephesians 5:1). If we’re to imitate the LORD by forgiving just as he forgives, the question is naturally raised: When specifically does God grant us his forgiveness after we’ve missed it? Answer: When we humbly confess (1 John 1:8-9 & Psalm 32:5). Since confessing sin would be a completely useless gesture if we intended on continuing in the transgression the phrase is synonymous with repentance. To ‘repent’ means to change one’s mind in response to truth (Isaiah 55:7). Without humble repentance, God forgives nothing (Acts 20:21), which explains why repentance is the first basic doctrine of Christianity (Hebrews 6:1-2) and why “repent” was the first word of John the Baptist & Jesus’ first sermons (Matthew 3:2 & 4:17).

So the most important personages of the New Testament plainly taught believers to NOT dismiss the offense — to not forgive — on occasions where the offending believer is stubbornly unrepentant. When this happens we should of course intercede for him/her in the hope that they’ll turn around and fellowship will be restored.

Unfortunately, most Christian ministers and sects ignore these crystal-clear scriptural instructions. They wrongly teach that believers are obligated to forgive everyone for everything all the time, no conditions whatsoever, but the New Testament teaches otherwise. This idea—that we are to constantly offer immediate and universal forgiveness, no conditions—is a grossly false doctrine. It’s dangerous to believers’ spiritual health and can even cause people to reject Christianity altogether because it is so absurd and totally misrepresents Christianity. It foolishly fails to hold people accountable to their offenses and therefore perpetuates the negative behavior in question.

The New Testament teaches no such thing.

‘What about Matthew 6:14-15 and Mark 11:25?’

These are great passages with great truths, but they have to be balanced out by the above verses since they provide necessary detail that these two passages lack. This is the hermeneutical rule “Scripture interprets Scripture,” which means that passages with more exposition naturally help interpret verses that lack detail. With this understanding,  Matthew 6:14-15 and Mark 11:25 emphasize that it’s imperative that we forgive on all occasions where we’re obligated to forgive; that is, when an offending believer humbly repents (e.g. Luke 17:3-4 & 2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

It might help to understand that this is the only way the LORD forgives us when we miss it: He forgives us when we humbly confess, meaning repent (1 John 1:8-9). And we are instructed to imitate God in this regard:

³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

¹ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

Ephesians 4:32-5:1

There were no chapter divisions in the original epistles: Hence, verse 1 immediately follows verse 32. In light of this, we’re to imitate God—that is, follow God’s example—in regards to forgiveness. And we know God doesn’t forgive apart from humble penitence (1 John 1:8-9), which explains why repentance is the first basic doctrine of Christianity (Hebrews 6:1-2) and why the first word of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ’s sermons was ‘Repent’ (Matthew 3:2 & 4:17).

When we fail to “rightly divide” the Scriptures by considering all relevant passages we inevitably fall into error; and error doesn’t set free. It can’t. It won’t. Only the truth sets free.

‘But Jesus Forgave his Murderers on the Cross’

Actually Christ didn’t forgive anyone when he was on the cross. Read the text closely:

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:33-34

As you can see, Christ prayed to the Father for HIM to forgive his murderers, which means Jesus was praying for his persecutors to come to repentance because THIS IS THE ONLY WAY GOD FORGIVES SIN (Acts 20:21). God doesn’t forgive the arrogant unrepentant; He only forgives the humbly repentant (1 John 1:8-9). It’s an axiom. For now, God is patiently extending mercy to the unsaved in the hope that they’ll eventually be moved to repentance & reconciliation. Those who refuse will be judged and discarded into the lake of fire where they’ll suffer the “second death,” which means they won’t be forgiven by the LORD (Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 10:28 & Hebrews 10:26-27,31).

So what Jesus was doing on the cross was precisely what he instructed believers to do when we are mistreated for his name: Pray for our persecutors. Stephen did the same thing when he was martyred (Acts 7:60). We’ll look at praying for offenders in a moment; let’s first address…

Casting Your Cares on the LORD (aka Venting)

Those who support the idea that Christians must immediately forgive everyone for everything all the time, no conditions whatsoever, claim that not forgiving an offender will automatically result in bitterness and hate. But they’re confusing forgiving with venting. To vent to God means to cast your cares/burdens/offenses on to the Lord in prayer, as observed in Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 62:8 and 142:1-3.

Casting your cares like this should be done across the board including situations where you are seriously offended and the offender is unrepentant. Discarding such burdens on the Lord will keep you free of bitterness and hatred. But venting to God is not forgiving. ‘Forgive’ literally means to “cancel the debt” or “dismiss the offense” and the Bible gives us precise instructions on when to do this and when not to do it. To forgive someone of a severe offense prematurely is folly. However, we are instructed to cast (vent) all our cares unto the LORD, which includes the hurt, violation and frustration we experience due to various offenses. When we do this, the LORD bears our burdens and we free ourselves from bitterness or hatred taking root.

Why cast our cares/burdens/offenses on to the LORD? Because we can’t handle them. Just as we must remove physical waste from our bodies so we must remove emotional waste. Venting is as vital to your spiritual-mental health as the large intestine is to your physical health – the waste must be removed.

There are several examples of casting cares on to God in the Bible. You can read details here.

Those who argue that not forgiving someone of an offense will naturally result in bitterness & hate also argue that unforgiveness itself is a sin. But how can it be if both Christ and Paul gave clear instructions to not forgive transgressors when they’re stubbornly unrepentant? Furthermore, if unforgiveness itself is a sin than God is guilty of sin since (1) he kicked Satan & his filthy angels out of heaven after they rebelled — in other words, he held their transgressions against them and treated them accordingly — and (2) millions of unrepentant souls will be discarded in the lake of fire on Judgment Day to suffer the “second death” (Revelation 20:11-15 & Hebrews 10:26-27,31).

Praying for Offenders

So when someone offends us we need to cast the care/burden/anger/frustration on to the LORD in prayer, but we also need to intercede for the individual in question. The Lord instructed:

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Luke 6:27-28

Whether someone is a literal enemy or a carnal believer who is mistreating you in some capacity, praying for the person is vital. Why pray for those who mistreat us? Because prayer is the catalyst that releases the Living God into people’s lives – it releases his will, which is done in heaven, to be done in the person’s life on earth; it also releases God’s kingdom to reign. Let me explain…

When you intercede for a person you “release” the LORD into his/her life and situation. You see, although God is Sovereign and reigns supreme, the devil and his demonic forces have authority on earth, at least as far as the kingdom of darkness goes. This is why Satan is called “the god of this age” or “the prince of this world” and that the “whole world” is under his control to some measure and, in fact, he “leads the whole world astray” (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 14:30, 1 John 5:19 & Revelation 12:9).*

* How did the devil acquire this authority? See this article.

Yet, notice that the Enemy only has power over those designated as “the world.” The good news is that believers have been called out of this world and, indeed, ‘church’ literally means “called out of,” which is ekklesia (ek-KLAY-see-ah) in the Greek. Since Christians are no longer of this world and are in covenant with the Living God and therefore of another kingdom, we have the right and authority to loose God’s will on this earth.

You see, the Bible properly describes this current era we live in as “the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). Why? Because Satan & his dark angels possess legal control over the kingdom of darkness that invisibly enshrouds the earth. This control extends to all unbelievers. The good news is that the LORD has ingeniously worked out a way for his good will to be manifested on earth – rather than his righteous wrath – via the prayers and service of his church, his called-out ones. In other words, God’s kingdom can reign on earth through the intercession and service of his saints. If you’re a believer, this means YOU.

Do you see why praying for those who mistreat you is so strategic? How do you get the darkness out of a room? By simply turning on the lights. It’s the same principle with praying for people and situations. By praying for them you’re releasing God & his will to be done, and when the light of the Most High enters the picture darkness flees. Maybe the people attacking you are unbelievers; by praying for them and loosing God into their lives they may be enlightened and humbly turn to the LORD. Be patient because this could take years. Or perhaps it’s a case of believers walking in the flesh; praying for them can bring awareness of carnality and provoke them to repentance and spiritual growth. Or maybe it’s wolves or goats masquerading as sheep; again, intercession can lead them to the Lord, repentance and salvation.

It’s true that, in all these cases, the individual may stubbornly choose to reject God’s grace, which will sooner or later result in judgment, but his grace will at least manifest for your deliverance. The LORD may even utilize you as a vessel of audacious righteousness, like when Paul openly rebuked a hostile sorcerer and pronounced temporary blindness to humble him and spur repentance (Acts 13:8-12). This is an example of tough love. Whatever the case, releasing God into the situation through intercession is the immediate answer while confronting offenders is secondary. You can be sure that the LORD will most certainly deliver you as long as you persevere in love and faith.

We observe this in the early Church in the account of Herod Agrippa, who unjustly arrested many Christians and even had James the son of Zebedee executed (Acts 12:1-5). The believers prayed for their persecutor, of course, just as the Christ instructed. God graciously gave Herod much time to wise up and repent, but he remained pompous and stubborn. When Herod accepted praise that’s only due the Almighty during a political speech “an angel of the Lord struck him down” (Acts 12:21-23). What happened? Herod’s pomp and unjust acts reached the limit of God’s tolerance since he refused to wise up and thus judgment fell. When God’s mercy ends, judgment begins. Thus the believers were delivered from their heinous persecutor.

For anyone who mistakenly thinks that God reserves all judgment until the end of the age, see this article.

Martyrdom, God’s Will, and Resisting Thugs

James’ execution by Herod was an example of martyrdom, as was Stephen’s stoning and Christ’s crucifixion. In all three cases it was God’s will for them to be martyred, which was strategic in the LORD’s plan for one reason or another. For instance, the Messiah’s death brought about salvation to anyone on Earth who repents & believes ever since (Acts 20:21) while Stephen’s martyrdom widely dispersed the Church at the time and therefore advanced God’s kingdom in the world (Acts 7:54-8:4).

However, you should only submit to martyrdom if you discern the Holy Spirit leading you in this direction. In other words, don’t be a submissive doormat to thugs who want to murder you. We are to follow the example of the Mighty Christ and he plainly resisted being murdered by wicked people on several occasions in the Scriptures. For instance, when he was arrested in Gethsemane he stated that he could have called down twelve legions of angels, but he didn’t since his arrest was according to God’s plan of salvation (Matthew 26:53). Yet even in this situation of seeming defeat Jesus revealed the incredible divine power that was at his disposal: When he acknowledged who he was – “I AM” – the detachment fell back to the ground (John 18:4-6).

Other examples include:

• Luke 4:28-30 where the incensed people of Nazareth attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff but he escaped by mysteriously walking “right through the crowd”
• John 7:30,44 where those who wanted to seize the Messiah couldn’t lay a hand on him “because his time had not yet come”
• John 8:59 where the offended religionists picked up stones to slay Yeshua but he miraculously hid himself and slipped by them
• And John 10:31,39 where a group tried to murder him in Solomon’s Colonnade and he “escaped their wrath.”

You see? Christ did not submit to the wicked will of every thug who happened down the pike. In fact, he only did so when he was apprehended to be crucified, which is an example of “suffering according to God’s will” (1 Peter 4:12-13,19).

The Messiah’s example corresponds to his instruction to his disciples in Matthew 10:23 to “flee” if they were persecuted in one place and go where they might be better received. If the Lord wanted believers to be doormats for abuse he would have told them to stay and suffer the mistreatment. If he wanted us to be rash brawlers he would have told them to stay and duke it out. Of course “fleeing” has a negative connotation so it would be better to describe it as escaping. The point is that Jesus doesn’t want us to be passive doormats in such situations.

Needless to say, unless the Spirit moves you to martyrdom, do everything in your power to escape the murderous wrath of people with criminal intent.

Summing Up Casting Your Cares and Praying for Your Enemies

Casting your cares on to God and praying for your transgressors plays a vital role in cases of offense and potential forgiveness. After all, you can’t very well forgive offending believers if they’re not first enlightened and moved to repentance. Besides, in cases of severe offenses, is it even possible to genuinely forgive – dismiss the charge and regard the offender as innocent – if you haven’t vented and interceded for the person?

Of course, casting cares and intercessory prayer are just as important in situations where we are not required to forgive. Say a close Christian brother severely sins against you but stubbornly refuses to repent when confronted. Although you are under no obligation to forgive him – since he refuses to humbly repent (Luke 17:3-4 & Matthew 18:15-17) – you are instructed to cast the care on the LORD and pray for him. If you don’t, the offense will weigh on you and may likely provoke hostility (hatred) and eventually bitterness. In such a case, someone who erroneously believes that Christians are obligated to automatically forgive everyone for everything all the time would contend that your problem is unforgiveness when, in fact, your problem is that you failed to pour out your soul to God – venting your negative emotions – and intercede for the offender. In this case unforgiveness is not the problem, but rather failing to cast your cares and pray. It’s important to distinguish this.

Let’s sum up venting, intercessory prayer and forgiveness:

• Casting your cares on the Lord – venting – is for your own well-being
• Intercessory prayer is for the benefit of the offender
• Forgiveness is for the health of the relationship and is contingent on the repentance of the offender

We live in a fallen world where people are unique and imperfect. As such, there’s bound to be offenses and misunderstandings in every relationship, how much more so in close relationships that are prone to life’s pressures, like family, work or ministry-related associations? How can these relationships survive the many inevitable failings and offenses? Through the power of prayer, venting to the LORD, confrontation, repentance and forgiveness. In other words, the prayer / vent / confrontation / repentance / forgiveness dynamic keeps relationships alive. It keeps marriages, friendships and every other type of relationship functioning and healthy. Without the operation of these powerful principles very few, if any, relationships would last.

Dealing with Personal Offenses from Unbelievers

While we’ve already flirted with this issue a bit, let’s address it more directly: Should we use these same instructions (above)  in dealing with personal offenses from unbelievers? These Scriptural directives on praying for offenders, venting, confrontation and potential repentance/forgiveness are applicable to any relationship, like marriage, friendships, co-workers and neighbors. They’re universal. They keep relationships alive and functioning; without them, associations inevitably fall apart and walls develop, separating the individuals.

Let’s say you work with an unbeliever who starts offending you in certain ways, like snubbing you, calling you names or badmouths you to co-workers and higher-ups. The first thing you’ll want to do is cast your cares on to the LORD and intercede for this person. This is “turning the cheek” wherein you graciously overlook the offense and you give the transgressor time to repent. If s/he stubbornly refuses you’ll have to eventually confront him/her as led of the Spirit. If s/he still refuses then you can get Human Resources involved (or the supervisor or whoever), which would be the secular equivalence of getting mature believers involved in cases where the transgressor is a believer.

If the offender remains stubborn then you are free to cut all relational ties while keeping him/her in prayer and continuing to cast your cares on to God. Your “relationship” with the co-worker becomes strictly business since they’ve rejected your grace. You can be sure that the LORD will address the situation, one way or another, and deliver you (assuming you’re actually walking with the Lord and the offenses are legitimate). With these kinds of situations the “turn away principle” is in order.

It helps to understand that unbelievers are in spiritual darkness and lack the moral foundation of the Word of God, the reborn spirit and the indwelling Holy Spirit, although they do have a spirit and grasp universal morality deep down inside, whether they care to admit it or not (Romans 2:14-16). In light of this, relationships with unbelievers require greater patience and mercy than those with the average Christian. Each case is dependent on (1) you, (2) your level of spiritual maturity and (3) the leading of the Holy Spirit, which explains Paul’s carefully worded instructions:

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18

Here Paul is encouraging believers to live lives of peace, which means being peaceable—avoiding strife and striving for peace with all people in every situation, which includes unbelievers. This is also encouraged in Hebrews 12:14. Yet Paul adds a condition: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you.” Why does he phrase it like this? Obviously because peace is not possible in some situations since it depends on the antagonist’s attitude and response. Every situation is unique and you have to be led of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes you may have to make a bold stand and radically correct or break all ties, which are examples of tough love. In cases of severe offenses—and I’m talking about criminal acts—you may even have to defend yourself and your loved ones or enlist the help of authorities, which we’ll address momentarily.

What does “as far as it depends on you” mean? Every believer is on a lifelong journey of spiritual development. The apostle Paul was spiritually mature and therefore far more able to walk in patient peaceableness in trying circumstances than a new believer fresh out of the world. In other words, your peace walk is dependent upon your level of spiritual growth. Whether you’re a half pint or a gallon, live up to that level, as far as it is possible.

The passage – Romans 12:18 – could be viewed as somewhat of a “safety valve.” When you face unjust offenses from an unbeliever and respond by implementing the principle of overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21) any reasonable person will be diffused and react positively to your graciousness & the Spirit’s moving. However, when an antagonist stubbornly refuses to respond in a positive manner – particularly after generous longsuffering on your part – you can be sure that s/he is a calloused fool of the lowest order. Such a person disqualifies himself or herself from any further merciful patience and you are released to completely cut ties or move toward righteous radicalness with God’s blessing. A good example of the former is when Paul cut ties with hardened Jews at the synagogue in Ephesus after three months of ministry (Acts 19:8-9); a good example of the latter would be his radical dealings with a hostile magician on Cyprus (Acts 13:8-12). Peter did something similar with another sorcerer (Acts 8:18-24).

Understanding the Principle of Overcoming Evil with Good

At this point we need to look more fully at the New Testament’s general rule in dealing with offenses:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21

This is the biblical principle of overcoming evil with good. If an unbeliever is offending you when you’ve done nothing to deserve, it’s very possible that they won’t be open to correction based upon what the Bible says; although you can certainly confront them based on universal principles of morality without quoting the Bible, as noted earlier. Those who reject correction are too far in the flesh; their understanding is darkened and their hearts too calloused (Ephesians 4:17-19). Dealing with them based on Scriptural morality – which is universal morality – will most likely be futile (although you can certainly try).

How about “fighting fire with fire”? In other words, they cuss you out and you cuss back; they slap, you slap; they yell, you yell, etc. Although such a reaction is tempting, since the flesh naturally wants to react this way, the Bible teaches that this is not the way we should deal with mistreatment, at least not initially. All it does is feed the strife and escalate the antagonism, not to mention tie up the hands of God, so to speak. If this is what you want then, by all means, go ahead and react in this manner.

The Bible advocates a better, more effective way, which is the principle of overcoming evil with good. Those lacking insight will naturally think this is a disempowering instruction and some will even scoff at it as absurd, yet nothing could be further from the truth. This principle doesn’t weaken you and make you out to be a wuss; on the contrary, it’s completely empowering; in fact, it’s utterly brilliant! Let me explain…

As a Christian, you are called to live out of your regenerated spirit by the Holy Spirit and not out of the flesh. This is known as putting on the new man (Ephesians 4:22-24). When you do this you’ll be spirit-ruled and therefore spiritual; hence, you’ll produce fruit of the spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, humility and self-control (Galatians 5:19-23). The more you sow to the spirit the more good fruit you’ll bear, and the higher quality.

If people attack you when you’ve done nothing wrong they’re actually trying to victimize you by pulling you down into their carnal hostility and, consequently, into the realm of the flesh. If they succeed and you start “fighting fire with fire” it will break your focus and involve you in unnecessary and draining conflicts. When this happens you’ve allowed yourself to be victimized and overcome. In other words, you’ve lost.

Yet you can refuse to be victimized by simply overcoming the evil with good. Bless and pray for those unbelievers who curse you and mistreat you. Learn to overlook such offenses, at least the first couple of times, which is being “slow to anger” (James 1:19). Please notice that the instruction is to be slow to anger, which is different than saying righteous anger is never appropriate to express (e.g. Acts 13:8-12, Acts 8:18-24, and Mark 11:15-18). Resist rash words and actions. By doing this you are refusing to be drawn into the realm of the flesh and are, in essence, regarding the offender as an irritating gnat that’s trying to fly into your ear. Why resort to quarreling, cussing or brawling when you don’t have to? Give the high road a generous chance—cast your cares on to the Lord and pray for the offender—and the Holy Spirit will direct you from there. This is “turning the cheek.”

“Bless Those Who Curse You”

In addition to praying for people who mistreat us, Jesus also instructed in Luke 6:27-28: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you.” Loving your enemies is part of the principle of overcoming evil with good. We’ll focus here on the notion of blessing people who curse us.

Let’s first define cursing. Cursing means to speak evil or speak negatively against a person or thing. Cursing is not cussing, although it can include cussing; cussing is foul language.

Cursing can be overt or subtle but its effects are the same: generally speaking, it saps life and discourages (I say “generally speaking” because there are examples of righteous cursing in the Bible, which we’ll look at momentarily). Here are some examples of cursing in the modern day: “You’re never going to amount to anything,” “You can’t do anything right,” “You’re gonna turn to $#!%,” “Drop dead,” “Go to hell,” “**** you,” “What an idiot,” “You’re a moron,” “Boy, you’re looking old,” “That’s a nice gut you have there,” “You can’t do it,” “He’ll never be successful at that,” “Hey girly man,” “You’re gay,” etc.

Yes, there are times when people are just kidding and you have to discern the heart’s intent, but it’s obvious that if someone regularly hurls curses at you, even though the curses may be subtle or given under the guise of jest, the foundation of the cursing is hostility or malice, which is rooted in fleshly traits like arrogance, envy, jealousy and rivalry.

The Bible instructs us to confront and correct fellow believers when they offend us, which would include them cursing you, but why go that route if you don’t have to? Consider simply blessing the offender.

Say a fellow believer is insulting your body, insulting your musical talent, insulting your choice of apparel or calling you names, is it really necessary to get all heavy by confronting and rebuking, particularly if it’s unlikely the person will receive correction from you (which is often the case when the individual is significantly older)? In such situations don’t fight fire with fire since that will only stir-up the hostility and lead to unnecessary strife. Instead, counteract the curse with a blessing. For instance, say someone rips on you for being out of shape, reply with something like, “You’re looking really good.”  Or say a guy criticizes your singing; tell him how good he is at his talent, e.g. “You’re an awesome guitar player (or drummer or singer, etc.).”

These types of people usually desire an audience and therefore prefer to deliver their insults while others are present. Since the root of their hostility is pride, which is a superiority complex, the purpose of their cursing is to bring you down and embarrass you in order to elevate their selves. Depending on the crowd, it’s likely that some people present understand what’s really going on. They see the arrogance and sense the jealousy and rivalry of the attacker. They realize how sad and pathetic he or she really is. Issuing a blessing in response to a curse in such cases speaks volumes. Another option is to smile and say nothing, which is in accordance with Proverbs 12:16: “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” This is “turning the cheek.” It takes more strength to do this than fly off the handle because any fool can blow up at the drop of a hat and speak rashly, but it takes true character to overlook an insult. Either way, such a response diffuses the curse and is a beaming testimony to your spirituality.

You may have to repeat this a few times before s/he ‘gets’ it. Down the road the abuser may regress and you’ll have to repeat as necessary until he or she gets it again. If s/he doesn’t change, it may then be necessary to confront and correct. When this occurs shoot for subtleness rather than overkill, such as “I see you’re still jealous of me after all these years.” This shows the abuser that you’re aware s/he is attacking you, that you know the root reason for the attack – s/he is threatened by you – and that you’re not going to get all bent out of shape by it; you’re just waving it off like an irritating fly.

My point is that blessing people who curse you is the initial route to go because it’s such an effective principle. Again, why get all worked up with confronting and rebuking if you don’t have to? Save the heavy artillery for the truly serious situations.

If this applies to dealing with believers who curse you – and it does – how much more so unbelievers?

Righteous Cursing (as Led of the Spirit)

Of course we need to be balanced with the Scriptures and so it’s important to realize that this tactic of blessing those who curse you is not an absolute rule. On certain occasions you might have to curse someone in righteous anger, led of the Spirit.

Let’s first consider Paul’s instruction:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:14

While this sounds like an absolute instruction, it’s not. It’s a general directive and therefore there are exceptions. For proof, Paul openly rebuked Elymas the sorcerer and cursed him with (temporary) blindness as led of the Spirit:

But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Acts 13:8-12

This is an example of Spirit-led cursing. Elymas (eh-LOOM-as) was trying to hinder the governor of Cyprus from receiving the message of Christ and so Paul, in righteous anger, cursed the sorcerer in order to put a stop to his satanic hindrances and, hopefully, humble his arrogant behind, spurring repentance and faith.

Peter did something similar with another sorcerer:

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Acts 8:18-24

Peter opened his severe rebuke with a curse: “May your money perish with you.”

First Corinthians 16:22 is another example of righteous cursing: “If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!”

Righteous cursing in the form of corrective name-calling is also glaring in the New Testament — and practiced by the Lord Christ — which you can read about here.

In all these cases the righteous cursing is a form of tough love, which is not emphasized enough in most Christian circles today. While blessing those who curse you is the general rule, righteous cursing is sometimes in order. You have to be led of the Spirit. This ignored truth helps keep believers balanced and healthy.

Up to this point in this article we’ve been talking about how to handle personal offenses from believers and unbelievers. Let’s now look at…

How to Handle Serious CRIMES

There’s a huge difference between experiencing a personal offense and suffering a severe CRIME. It’s the difference between (1) someone gossiping about you or insulting you and (2) someone committing robbery, assault, rape or murder. Scripture shows that people guilty of criminal offenses like the latter are subject to the governing authorities who are ordained by God to punish evildoers for the protection of citizens:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

Romans 13:1-6

The passage conveys four important points:

1. Human governments are established by God for societal order, which includes protecting the populace from thugs, foreign & domestic. Therefore, those who rebel against them are rebelling against what the Almighty has instituted, consequently bringing judgment on themselves, not from God directly but from the civil authorities he has established. Paul was not addressing Christian persecution but rather Christian obedience to the laws of the land. His point is that human government – “God’s servant” – is established for the good of the people, to restrain evil and protect life and property; if any believers break the law, “God’s servant” will punish them. Why? Because, as Isaiah 61:8 plainly points out, the LORD loves justice and hates crime. In fact, justice and righteousness are the very foundation of his throne (Psalm 89:14).
2. Human governments bear “the sword,” which is a figure of speech for the authority to execute wrongdoers for severe crimes, as well as the right to punish lawbreakers in general. Even in our increasingly ‘progressive’ societies today we execute the most heinous criminals.
3. Since civil authorities are ordained by God we should submit to them, which is clearly stated in verses 1 and 5. Submitting to the governing authorities does not mean blind obedience, but rather respecting and abiding by its laws. We must recognize this authority over us even if we don’t always agree with it. It also means we should financially support them, i.e. pay taxes, as shown in verse 6, which was something Jesus advocated as well (Matthew 22:15-22).The only exception to this rule is if government oversteps its bounds by intruding upon the realm of God and universal morality, e.g. Exodus 1:15-21, Daniel 3, Daniel 6 and Acts 4:18-20. How do we reconcile this with the fact that God established the existing authorities? Simple: Although God’s authority stands behind the governing authorities, right or wrong, it also stands over them; hence, Christians who belong to this higher authority are permitted to supersede the human authorities if there’s no other recourse.
4. Since God ordains government as his servants to promote good (verse 4) we should take advantage of this divine commission by exercising our rights to obtain justice. A good example of this is found in Acts 16:16-40 where Paul and Silas were unjustly flogged and thrown in prison after exorcizing a demon from a girl. They maintained a worshipful spirit despite their tribulations and were miraculously released whereupon they evangelized the jailer & his family. The next day the civil authorities wanted Paul and Silas to quietly leave Philippi but Paul insisted: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly. No! Let them come themselves and escort us out” (verse 37). Although Paul maintained a faithful, spiritual attitude while enduring the mistreatment he was understandably angry at the injustice. And, yes, a person can be angry and not sin, it’s called righteous anger (Ephesians 4:26, Mark 3:5 & John 2:13-17). Notice that Paul didn’t just automatically forgive the Philippian authorities for their humiliating abuses. He didn’t just sweep the matter under the rug, so to speak. No, he appealed to his and Silas’ rights as Roman citizens and insisted that the magistrates come and personally escort them from the prison. How did the magistrates respond? They were “alarmed” to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens with legal rights that protected them from such abuses; these believers could potentially protest to Rome and justly remove them from power, ruining their political careers. They had no choice but to humbly go to Paul & Silas and “appease” them; other translations say “apologize,” which corresponds to humble repentance (verse 39). The next time Paul was wrongly apprehended and threatened to be whipped he insisted upon his rights and evaded the flogging altogether (Acts 22:22-29). You see, Paul didn’t have a martyr complex like some Christians today. He refused to allow himself to be abused if it was within his power to evade it. You could say he refused to be a doormat. Another example can be found in Acts 25:11 where Paul appealed to Caesar.

Peter gave similar instructions in 1 Peter 2:13-14 while Titus 3:1 is another coinciding text.

What can we derive from these four points? Christians are clearly mandated by Scripture to submit to the civil authorities, which are ordained by God to punish wrongdoers. Since this is so, it naturally follows that we should do everything in our power to see to it that criminals are apprehended and penalized by “God’s servants,” the governing authorities. If criminals commit crimes and we’re prone to just automatically forgive them, that is, dismiss the charges, we’re obviously not submitting to these authorities because we’re not respecting their laws enough to seek justice and press charges. I’m of course talking about real crimes here, not trivial infractions.

‘Isn’t the Idea of Retributive Punishment Rejected throughout the New Testament?’

Certainly not in regards to the governing authorities who are established by God for the purpose of apprehending & punishing criminals and hold the power to execute when appropriate: “they are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” Believers are instructed to submit to these authorities, which means we report the crime and seek justice when a serious CRIME is committed. If someone broke into your house and raped/killed your loved one would you just automatically dismiss the offense — that is, forgive the crime — or would you swiftly contact the police and do everything in your power to apprehend justice?

You see, we are to obtain justice in cases of criminal offense by submitting to the legal system of the governing authorities who are God’s servants, agents of righteous wrath to punish the criminal. Of course we also rely upon God’s ultimate justice, both in this temporal age and the eternal age to come.

Again, there’s a huge difference between piddly offenses and severe crimes. In the Church individual believers are to handle the personal offenses, and Church authorities when necessary, as Paul did in Corinth. As far as personal offenses from unbelievers go, the individual believer can handle it with the help of the Holy Spirit and, in certain cases, others linked to the situation (supervisors, Human Resources, relatives, friends, etc.).  But governing authorities are to handle criminal offenses for the sake of societal justice. No legal justice system is perfect, of course, but without it we’d fall into a state of lawlessness and personal retribution characterized by rash lynchings, literal or figurative.

Should Christians be ‘Doormats’ to Criminal Attacks?

Absolutely not. The Torah permitted Hebrew citizens to kill criminals if necessary (Exodus 22:2-3); and Christ pointed out the obvious right of protecting oneself from thugs (Matthew 24:43 & Luke 12:39). Those who work for the state as police officers, executioners and soldiers have the authority to execute, which is what the “sword” represents in Romans 13:4 (believers who work for the state possess this authority as well). But such personnel are usually not around when wicked criminals attack their innocent prey, which means citizens have to protect themselves & their loves ones in such cases.

This explains Christ’s instructions to the disciples just prior to leaving for Gethsemane and his subsequent arrest: “and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:35-38). This instruction was in contrast to previous occasions where the disciples ministered without such an item in their travels. Possessing swords obviously pertained to protection, not aggression, as the threat of criminal persecution would increase after Christ’s crucifixion. This is backed up later in the same chapter when the disciples asked, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” (verse 49). The point is that Jesus clearly authorized his disciples to carry instruments of protection, which was wise when they were out traveling & ministering from town-to-town. Keep in mind that they had a money box full of donations that would attract thieves (John 12:6).  Why did they have swords after walking with Christ for over three years? Because the Lord authorized it.

Of course Christ told Peter in Gethsemane “Those who live by the sword will perish by the sword,” but his initial instruction was for Peter to “put the sword back in its place,” NOT throw it away (Matthew 26:52). There’s a difference between living by the sword and utilizing it when necessary. For instance, when the returning Jews restored the walls of Jerusalem they posted armed guards for protection from deadly enemies (Nehemiah 4:7-9). Simply put, in a wicked world arms are sometimes necessary, such as any life-threatening situation (see this article for details).

An Example from My Own Life

Many years ago I was solitary camping at a state park in Tennessee where I was held-up by three guys with guns while hiking in the woods. They verbally assaulted me and threatened to kill me, not to mention they kept asking where my wife or girlfriend was with clear intentions of rape, but I was thankfully alone. Since we were fairly close to the trailhead where my car was parked they stole everything of value in it. They even took my car, although it was later discovered abandoned a mile or so away. Even though I was grateful that they didn’t kill me or abuse me in some manner they committed a severe crime against me. Should I have just automatically forgiven these hoods? Of course not, that would be absurd. I went straight to the authorities and did everything in my power to see that they were apprehended and punished. I also sought the LORD in prayer, vented, and interceded for the criminals, but I certainly didn’t just dismiss the charges, that is, forgive them.

If I automatically forgave them I wouldn’t have sought justice via their apprehension and punishment. Why? Because I forgave them, which would mean that I dismissed the offense, and they would be free to prey on others.

As it turned out, unfortunately, they were never caught, at least not for this crime. Late that night the police pulled over three men in the area who fit the descriptions I gave but they weren’t the same men. I was a traveler who lived a couple of states away and that was the last I ever heard of it. Regardless, I did everything in my power at the time to see that these criminals were apprehended and punished by the God-ordained authorities. I did this because of my God-given sense of justice, my concern for other potential victims and my submission to “God’s servants.” To automatically forgive in such cases is clearly wrong and we are under no Scriptural mandate to do so. The only exception would be if the Holy Spirit directs the victim to immediately forgive and not press charges, usually because there’s evidence of repentance and the crime is not severe enough to pursue justice further. This is a matter between the victim and God. Yet this isn’t what Scripture generally encourages in cases of criminal offense and it wasn’t how the LORD directed me in this incident (I had just finished praying in the forest for about 90 minutes right before being assaulted and was therefore quite spiritually sensitive, so I know I didn’t miss it).

The bottom line is that I didn’t forgive these criminals and I was under no Biblical mandate to do so. Those who teach that Christians should automatically forgive in such circumstances don’t even know what forgiveness means, nor do they understand that Yahweh is a God of justice who establishes civil authorities to maintain peace and order by apprehending and punishing evildoers. These are “God’s servants” to whom believers are required to submit.

However, whereas I wasn’t obligated to forgive these hooligans I was obliged to overcome evil with good, as detailed above. If I failed to do this, the evil done to me would have harmed me one way or another. It could have caused me to become embittered; it could have caused me to become fearful of hiking in the woods or even stepping out of my house; it could have caused me to become paranoid of strangers for the rest of my life; it could have even caused me to become racist since I’m white and the three assailants were black. The incident occurred over 20 years ago but none of these things happened because, although I didn’t forgive these perpetrators, I did overcome evil with good by implementing the Scriptural techniques covered in this article. Specifically, I prayed for these men for several weeks after the incident and a number of times since. Who knows? Some of them may be saved and serving the LORD today, hopefully all three. If not, they’re likely either destitute, dead or rotting away in prison. In addition, I refused to allow the crime to burden me in any way. Such a severe offense will definitely weigh on you if you allow it. So I vented by casting it on the LORD. I cast my anger, frustration and sense of violation on him and God faithfully filled me with life, peace, joy and faith, and continues to do so. Even when the crime was taking place I refused to allow it to embitter me; I literally thanked the thugs for not killing me and extended goodwill to them. I overcame their evil with good.

But none of this canceled out my God-given drive for justice, my concern for other potential victims and my submission to the God-ordained governing authorities. When it comes to criminal acts we are called to (1) seek justice and (2) overcome evil with good.

If you find yourself in similar situation I encourage you to do the same: Don’t automatically forgive the criminals by pardoning the offense (which is what forgiveness is) unless of course the Holy Spirit specifically directs you to do so. Seek justice by doing everything in your power to see to it that the thugs are apprehended and penalized by the authorities, which are instituted by God to protect lives & property and penalize wrongdoers. In addition, be careful to not allow the crime to ruin you in any way. Always refuse the victim mentality, no matter what. Instead be intent on overcoming the evil with good, as I did. Pray for the criminals. Pray for justice. Cast your anxieties on the LORD and he will sustain you. You’ll be blessed.

‘But Christ Instructed Us to Love Our Enemies!’

Yes, Christ instructs us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and pray for those who abuse us. This releases God on the scene to hopefully move the adversary to repentance and salvation. The Greek word for ‘love’ in that passage is agape, which refers to practical love and not warm feelings or respect. If there’s any doubt, read the definition of agape in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. On the other hand, the other Greek word translated as “love,” philia (noun) /phileo (verb), refers to warm feelings/respect, like the love of friends and spiritual family. My point is that the Bible doesn’t instruct us to have warm fuzzies for wickedly abusive enemies, but rather to love them in a practical sense, which includes praying for them since they desperately need it. Yet this also includes reporting crimes to authorities so the criminal can get the discipline they require and society gets justice. This is a form of tough love whereas enabling someone to continue as a wicked thug is not love. The problem here is that modern people have a one-dimensional understanding of love. You can read more about the different kinds of love here.

As far as blessing our enemies and not cursing them goes, we saw earlier that this is a general instruction and not absolute (Romans 12:14). For instance, Paul openly rebuked Elymas the sorcerer and cursed him with (temporary) blindness as led of the Spirit (Acts 13:8-12). Peter did something similar with another sorcerer (Acts 8:18-24).

‘But Jesus Exemplified Graciousness’

Yes, he did, but let’s not be one-dimensional; he also exemplified several other things that characterize the Mighty Christ. Here’s one: The Messiah cleansed the temple of selfish, greedy riff-raff, which he did twice – once at the beginning of his ministry (John 2:13-17) and later near the end (Matthew 21:12-13). Although it wasn’t his normal every-day manner, Jesus threw over tables, scattered coins, cracked a whip, yelled and chased people & animals out, hardly the actions of a nice-guy doormat. And no one dared challenge him; he was a holy terror, pure and simple, provoking the religious leaders to fear him and plot to murder him (Mark 11:15-18). How do we explain these nigh shocking accounts? Doesn’t the Bible say God is love? Isn’t Christ one with the Father? Absolutely, but some situations call for the softer side of love and some the hard side. We have to be led of the Spirit realizing that sometimes doing the good thing may not be the nice thing.

You want more examples? Christ astonished and silenced his enemies (Luke 20:26) to the point that “no one dared ask him anymore questions” (Mark 12:34). He was incredibly bold, outspoken and had no qualms about offending arrogant people who were deserving of correction (Luke 11:37-53). He was forthright and honest when necessary – he got straight to the point without beating around the bush with overly diplomatic language.

All over the gospel accounts we see evidence of Christ being courageous, astonishing, amazing, authoritative and even frightening! Just look up these passages: Matthew 7:28-29, 14:26, Mark 1:27, 2:10-12, 4:37-43, 7:37, Luke 5:8-11, 7:14-16, 20:40 and the aforementioned John 2:13-17. People who insinuate that Jesus was some effeminate luvvy-wuvvy milksop obviously don’t know how to read!

“If Someone Takes Your Cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic”

This is something Christ instructed and it needs to be addressed because it seems to suggest permitting people to get away with criminal acts. Let’s read the full passage:

“If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”

 Luke 6:29-30

The issue of turning the cheek is addressed here; let’s focus on the rest of the passage.

Years ago there was a woman at work who would leave her purse lying around. Sometimes money could be seen at the opening, usually just dollar bills. I informed her that she shouldn’t leave bills hanging out for all to see and she shrugged, “If someone takes it they need it more than I do.” She wasn’t even a Christian, but this is the general thought Jesus was conveying here. I am reminded of the many times over the years my wife and I allowed people to borrow books, cds, dvds, apparel & tools and never getting them back; we usually concluded, “They must need it more than we do” and let it go. (And, no, I’m not saying you shouldn’t get your stuff back from borrowers, particularly expensive items). Here’s how Jesus put it in Matthew’s gospel:

“And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well… ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Matthew 5:40,42

Back in those days there wasn’t a Walmart or Goodwill nearby to purchase inexpensive clothing; decent apparel was worth more, which explains why Jesus’ executioners cast lots for his soiled garments (John 19:23-24). This helps make sense of Jesus’ statement: “if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic…” If people are in such dire need that they’ll resort to legal measures to acquire clothing, give them another item as well; that is, as long as it’s within your power to do so. After all, there’s a limit to how much you can give. Bill Rudge was ministering in Haiti years ago and he noticed some needy people while going back to the mission compound. He gave away his shoes, shirt, tank top and socks. All he had left were his shorts and that’s as far as he would go, otherwise he’d have to streak naked to the compound! He had more clothes back with his luggage, of course, which is why he was able and willing to give away everything but his shorts.

Yet, Christ’s teaching goes deeper than this. The Lord was advocating being in control of the situation: If a man takes your jacket he’s in control, but if you respond by willingly giving him something else you’re in control. You just usurped control of the situation. We could put it like this: Don’t be a passive victim and don’t be a rash brawler; but be assertive and led of the Spirit. Maintain an attitude of love, wisdom and self-control in all circumstances, just like the Mighty Messiah.

I think it’s also important to stress that Christ was referring more to people in genuine need rather than hardcore thieves, which is substantiated by verse 42: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” The motive for giving on such occasions is generosity and compassion. You sympathize with the needy person just as you would want others to sympathize with you if it were your plight. This is the golden rule or “royal law” noted in Matthew 7:12 and James 2:8. But there’s a huge difference between needy people wanting to borrow from you, or taking things and never giving them back, and hardcore criminals who routinely commit crimes, whether stealing, murder or otherwise. The latter should not be tolerated.

For instance, why did some of Jesus’ disciples have swords in their possession as shown in Luke 22:49-50? They had ministered with Jesus for over three years by this point, which indicates they carried swords because Jesus permitted it. Why did he permit it? Because they traveled with a money box that contained all their ministry earnings as they journeyed from town to town. The swords were obviously for protection from potential thieves, particularly in the many desolate regions they had to travel.

Furthermore, if Jesus meant we should be doormats to every thief and criminal that comes down the pike why did he radically chase the “robbers” from the temple twice during his three-and-a-half-year ministry, as depicted in John 2:13-17 and Mark 11:15-18? Why did he refuse to allow murderers to apprehend and kill him on multiple occasions, as illustrated in Luke 4:28-30, John 7:30,44, 8:59 and 10:31,39? As pointed out earlier, the only time he submitted his life to the hands of thieves and murderers was when he was arrested in Gethsemane because it was God’s will that he suffer and die for the salvation of humanity. It goes without saying that we have to be balanced with Christ’s teachings and example in the Bible, otherwise we’ll fall into error and embrace ideas he never actually taught.

Closing Word

As you can see, the New Testament is far from one-dimensional when it comes to dealing with offenses, whether personal or criminal. Believers are not called to be passive doormats to abuse. Rather we have spiritual weapons and wise strategies for overcoming evil with good, including tough love. This comprises prayer (intercession), casting cares on to the Lord (venting), confrontation (rebuke) and forgiveness when repentance is evident.

As far as criminal acts go, we are to go to the God-ordained governing authorities to apprehend justice in the hope that the perpetrator will be caught & punished for the sake of justice and the protection of others in our communities. Of course we each have a responsibility to protect ourselves from bitterness, hate and fear by venting to the Lord and interceding for the criminal(s) in question, not to mention being active in our Christian service, which keeps us productively occupied.

For an excellent biblical example of dealing with criminal offense and overcoming evil with good — including tough love — check out the amazing story of Joseph here. His example is significant since he was a type of Christ and believers are Christ-followers/learners.

The material from this article and much more is available in book form…

• You can purchase the print book here for only $5.76 (121 pages).
• Or get the Kindle eBook here for only 99¢

Both links allow you to LOOK INSIDE the book.

Related Topics:

Forgiveness—Should You Forgive EVERYONE for EVERYTHING ALL of the Time?

Absolute Pacifism (Unbiblical) vs. Limited Pacifism (Biblical)

Military Service — Is it Okay for Believers to Serve in the Armed Forces?

Why You should Always FORGIVE When the Offender Is Repentant

Jesus Christ — Milksop or Mighty Lord?

Cast Your Cares! (Venting)

Turning the Cheek — What it Means and Doesn’t Mean

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

Judging—When SHOULD You Judge and When SHOULDN’T You Judge?

Check out our video: Should Christians RESIST Criminal Acts?

What Does SALTED WITH FIRE Mean in Mark 9:49?

Let’s read the full passage, which starts with verse 42 and continues to the end of the chapter:

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Mark 9:42-50

Starting with verse 42, Christ addresses the topic of temptation and chronicles the four causes of temptation outside the root source, which is one’s sinful nature:

1. People who “cause” naive believers to sin, which applies to the social environment you allow.
2. The “hand,” which is symbolic of something you do.
3. The “foot,” which is figurative of a path you take.
4. The “eye,” which represents what you allow yourself to see; this includes your inner eye, your imagination.

This brings us to the last two verses of the chapter, which are more ambiguous than the preceding seven verses. You see, sometimes Christ was intentionally ambiguous, which compels people to seek out answers in their studies and relationship with the LORD. You can read more about this here.

Let’s again look at the verses in question:

⁴⁹ “Everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Do these two verses stand alone or are they linked to verses 42-48? Let’s assume the latter, which makes sense.

We know that salt was used as a preservative for food as well as a seasoning.

As for fire, it was used to destroy unwanted items — e.g. the weeds in Matthew 13:40 — or to purify metals. (Of course it was also used for warmth and cooking).

Assuming verse 49 is linked to verses 42-48, it would suggest that everyone will be seasoned by the fire of suffering, which, in this context, means the suffering of resisting temptation. In other words, facing and enduring serious temptations works in perfecting and preserving the believer. This of course involves suffering since you willfully sacrifice the pleasures of the flesh for the sake of Christ, which goes with the process of sanctification.

Verse 50 says “salt is good” because it preserves and seasons the believer — “preserves” the believer unto eternal life and “seasons” with godly character. The context is the sacrifice of resisting serious temptation; and salt was plainly linked to sacrifices in the Old Testament, as observed in Leviticus 2:13.

Let’s consider the remaining lines in verse 50…

“…if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?”

If the seasoning of the believer loses its saltiness, how do you season it again? This suggests Hebrews 6:4-8 since Christ plainly conveyed in verses 42-48 that believers who fail to cut off those things that cause them to live a lifestyle of sin (obviously with no concern of repentance) will reap the wages of sin — death — in the lake of fire (Gehenna), which is the second death (Revelation 20:11-15).

“Have salt among yourselves”

Salt also represents the Word of God (Matthew 5:13-16)—the written Word (John 17:17) and the Living Word (John 1:1 & John 14:6)—each of which produce godly character, enabling the believer to function as a preservative in society.

“and be at peace with each other”

The resulting godly character enables believers to live together in loving harmony (Psalm 133) rather than fleshly strife (1 Corinthians 3:3).

For details on the nature of Gehenna/the lake of fire — aka the “second death” (from verses 42-48) — see this article.

Related Topics:

Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled

Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain

Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages

Is Christianity a “Relationship with God”?

Why Was Jesus Sometimes Ambiguous?

Once Saved Always Saved?

Once Saved Always Saved? — Answering the Best Arguments

Does the Bible Say the EARTH Is FLAT or SPHERICAL?

The Earth is not flat as flat-earthers claim and the Bible does not support this theory. The curious flat earth position can be refuted on both natural and biblical grounds.

As far as physical evidence goes, other celestial bodies—like the moon, the sun and planets that can be observed with the naked eye or telescopes—reveal that they are spherical in shape. Since these bodies are spherical in nature it stands to reason that the Earth is also. This reasoning is supported by the Bible in light of the fact that the Scriptures teach that the Universe constantly “pours forth speech” and “displays knowledge” to “all the Earth” (Psalm 19:1-4). Paul backed this up by the Spirit in different words (Romans 1:19-20).

In light of this, it’s no wonder that the ball-shape of the Earth was grasped in ancient times. For instance, Greek philosophers documented it in the 5^th century BC. While this was theoretical, Hellenistic astronomy established the Earth’s sphericity as a natural fact in the 3^rd century BC, computing the Earth’s circumference. This position was steadily embraced through Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages and finally proven beyond doubt in 1519–1522 via the circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan & Juan Sebastián Elcano (Magellan was killed in the Philippines by natives during the long expedition).

Further evidence of the Earth’s sphericity can be observed in plane flights and their accurate flight plans. There’s no account of a plane flying off the edge of the earth nor did Magellan’s expedition sail off the edge.

Furthermore, simple GoPro cameras released from the ground up into space easily prove that the Earth is globe-shaped. You can readily view such videos on Youtube and other video sites. This is reinforced by the circular shadow of the Earth on the moon during lunar eclipses.

What the Scriptures Say About the Earth  

The Bible suggests the spherical nature of the earth suspended in empty space:

²¹ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

Isaiah 40:22

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;

    he suspends the earth over nothing.

Job 26:7

As you can see, the Earth is described in terms of being circular, hanging over nothing in the canopy of the physical heavens. This suggests what scientists & common people alike have discerned through the ages—the Earth is globe-shaped and suspended in empty space.

We readily understand “grasshoppers” in the first passage as figurative language because (1) we know people are human beings, not insects, and (2) it specifies that the inhabitants of the Earth are “like grasshoppers.”

However, the word “earth”  is not figurative, nor is the reference to the “heavens,” aka the physical Universe. “Earth” is a literal reference to our planet since verse 21 notes God’s creation of the Earth and verse 22 chronicles the LORD stretching out the heavens, that is, the Universe. It doesn’t say the Earth is like a circle, but rather describes the planet as “the circle of the earth.” Since the heavens “pour forth speech” and “reveal knowledge” “to all the earth” we understand that the earth is circular in the sense of being ball-like in light of the fact that we can observe the spherical nature of the Moon with the naked eye, as well as other bodies, particularly with the aid of quality telescopes.

Obviously neither passage is a detailed textbook on astronomy, but they support the basic idea that the Earth as an orb-like body suspended in the empty space of the Universe. The LORD knew we’d acquire important details through our astronomical observations and studies. Think about it like this: the Bible tells us a lot about the human mind, but it doesn’t give us details about the physical brain or brain surgery. We naturally obtain knowledge of the latter through specific studies. So it is with astronomical issues.

Speaking of space, some flat-earthers challenge: “Does space even exist?” Obviously. It’s what Job referred to above as “empty space” and “nothing.” Look up into sky on a clear night—THAT is space. It’s the physical heavens filled with celestial bodies that “pours forth speech” and “reveals knowledge” to all the Earth (Psalm 19:1-4). The above two passages don’t give a lot of detail, but God knew we’d gather exposition through studying the cosmos, exploring the Earth and making advancements in technology & travel, including space exploration, like Moon landings and unmanned robotic spacecrafts to Mars.

The Hebrew Word for “Earth” or “Land”

“Earth” in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word erets (EH-rets), which refers to either (1) planetary Earth or (2) a portion of dry land. In the above two passages—Isaiah 40:22 and Job 26:7—erets refers to planetary Earth whereas it refers to dry “land” as distinct from the “seas” in this verse:

God called the dry ground “land” [erets], and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:10

How can we tell if erets refers to global Earth or dry land? Simply by the context of the passage. “Context is king” is a hermeneutical rule for good reason.

Idiomatic Expressions in Scripture

Flat-earthers cite verses that refer to the ends of the Earth as evidence for their position, like these four:

If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known,  gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other),  do not yield to them or listen to them.

Deuteronomy 13:6-8

for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

Job 28:24

Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.

Psalm 48:10

Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!

Proverbs 30:4

Do verses like these suggest an end to the Earth and therefore edges to our planet, which support the flat Earth model? Scripture interprets Scripture and truth interprets truth. For instance, we saw above that Scripture describes the Earth as circular, suspended over empty space; and, furthermore, natural evidence shows that celestial bodies like the moon, Mars and Sun are spherical in shape hanging in empty space. As such, the references to the “ends of the earth” in Scripture must be figurative language for the far reaches of the planet. It’s idiomatic speech, like “He’s a loose cannon” or “that was a piece of cake.” It’s not rocket science.

This verse lends credence:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.

Revelation 7:1

Just as there are not literally “four winds” there are not literally “four corners of the earth.” This is simply figurative language for the furthest reaches of the Earth in all four basic directions—North, South, East and West. We use the same idiomatic expressions today when we say “people from all corners of the globe came to the event.”

I should add that, idiomatic or not, all four directions can be pinpointed on the globe: The North and South poles refer to the vertical ends of the Earth while opposite points of latitude/longitude would refer to East and West, depending on where you dwell on the planet. For instance, I live in Northeast Ohio, USA, so the Italian island of Sardinia would be “East” to me and the middle of the Northern Pacific Ocean would be “West” and the farthest point East/West would be the wastelands near Jiuquan in Western China, which is the express opposite side of the world to me.

I should also point out that some references to the ends of the Earth in Scripture refer to remote inhabitants and not land, as seen here:

May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalm 67:7

“The ends of the earth” here is clearly figurative and not literal since it refers to people living far away and not to literal edges of the planet. See Psalm 98:3 and Isaiah 45:22 for similar examples. Just as we don’t take “the ends of the earth” literally in this context, so we don’t take it literal in the above context.

Scriptural References to the “Pillars” of the Earth

Flat-earthers claim that the Earth literally rests on pillars due to passages like these:

When the earth and all its people quake,

    it is I who hold its pillars firm.

Psalm 75:3

He raises up the poor from the dust;

    he lifts the needy from the ash heap

to make them sit with princes

    and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,

    and on them he has set the world.

1 Samuel 2:8 (ESV)

Both of these passages are poetic literature, which explains why they’re formatted in verse. The word “pillars” refers to foundations, which is why the NIV uses “foundations” in the latter verse instead of “pillars.” Are there literal pillars holding up the Earth? No. This is simply poetic language comparing God’s Earth to a large building of that time period and the architecture thereof. It is literally true, however, that the LORD “holds” the foundations of the Earth and other celestial bodies suspended in empty space, as disclosed here:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:15-17

By comparing our planet to a large structure in biblical regions in ancient times, we understand that the Earth is God’s masterful construction. He owns it (Psalm 24:1), reigns supreme over it (Psalm 47:7 & Matthew 11:25) and holds its foundations (Psalm 75:3 & 1 Samuel 2:8), guaranteeing its permanence (Psalm 104:5 & Ecclesiastes 1:4). Even when the LORD makes a new heavens and new earth for the eternal age to come God won’t be creating a new Earth from scratch. He plainly says “Behold, I make all things new” not “I make new things” (Revelation 21:1-5). The new Earth will be the same basic planet, but awesomely renovated with the horrible mar of sin, pain and death removed forever.

Psalm 104:5 says that the Creator “set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.” All this means is that the Earth cannot be moved from the foundation God has set for it. What is the Earth’s specific foundation in the Universe, physically speaking? Obviously its perpetual orbit around the Sun. The Earth cannot be moved from this foundation, unless of course the Sovereign LORD chose to do so (Psalm 103:19 & 135:5-6).

So the Mighty Christ is the spiritual foundation of the Earth (as well as the entire Universe) while the planet’s orbit around the sun is the physical foundation.

Picturing a Flat Earth in the Universe

Google images of how a flat Earth would look in the Universe and it’s absurd, which you can peruse here. Some of the images are obviously intended to amuse, but the more “authentic” renditions don’t help much. Honestly, the idea of a flat earth is laughable and simply doesn’t gel with the knowledge God has supplied us through our nightly exposure to the starry panorama that constantly “pours forth speech” and “displays knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-4). Other nearby celestial bodies are plainly spherical in nature and so is the Earth.

Lastly, let’s consider this argument…

‘Christians believe that devil is the greatest deceiver, but for some reason he leaves cosmology alone. He doesn’t dare touch science and “space.” ‘

We’re talking about the shape of physical things in this article and, specifically, the shape of the Earth. Are scientists wrong about the shape of other physical things (keeping in mind that many of these scientists were and are believers)? For instance, are they wrong about the shape of the heart and effective heart surgery? Are they wrong about the shape of the brain and effective brain surgery? Are they wrong about geology and the various substances of the Earth? Are they wrong about geography? Are they wrong about the shape of the continents, islands, oceans and seas? Are they wrong about the spherical shape of the moon? (Again, many of these scientists were/are Christians).

If they’re right about these things, why would we question their reasonable conclusions on the shape of the Earth? Let’s say the Earth really is flat and scientists know this. Would they all team-up and agree in unison: “The Earth is actually flat, but let’s lie to the populace in every nation and tell them it’s spherical, just like the moon and other celestial orbs”? It’s a rhetorical question.

Now consider this insight: We know for a fact that scientists are right about the shape of colossal land masses, like Eurasia, and vast bodies of water, such as the Pacific Ocean. Their conclusions are supported by accurate navigation, whether by sea or air  (not to mention aerial observation and photography). In other words, if you successfully arrive at your destination in your global travels, it’s due to the precise work of these scientists. The shape of the Earth itself is simply the next level of appraisal and measurement. Are these scientists 100% correct about the shape of continents and oceans, but 0% correct about the shape of the Earth? This is what flat-earthers would have us believe.

Conclusion

As you can see, the Bible doesn’t support the idea of a flat Earth. Instead it suggests a circular Earth that’s suspended in empty space with a stable foundation. While the Scriptures don’t go into detail on these matters, the physical heavens God created do by constantly “revealing knowledge” to “all the earth,” which is genuine astronomy (not astrology).

This article is important because flat-earthers will sometimes phrase their arguments from the false premise that their position is undeniable truth completely supported by the Almighty in Holy Scripture. For instance, they’ll say things like “Does God tell the truth? Does the Holy Spirit lie?” which of course presumes that the LORD somewhere says in the Scriptures that the Earth is flat. But, as we have seen, the Scriptures don’t actually teach this. It’s a lie.

The Enemy loves this particular lie because it unnecessarily marginalizes Christians as silly religionists who can’t see the forest for the trees because of their blind embracement of myths easily disproven by God’s very own creation (the Earth & Universe). As such, believers who adamantly subscribe to the flat earth paradigm pretty much destroy their “witness” or, at least, severely damage it.

I should add that this isn’t an issue to fight over and separate. If a fellow believer insists that the Earth is flat, what’s that to you or me? They should be respected as human beings with the right to draw their own conclusions. Besides, it’s not like this is an essential issue of salvation. As they say: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things charity.”

At the same time, we shouldn’t allow this curious position to go unchallenged by the truths of Scripture, as well as the nature of the Universe obvious through the naked eye, research, exploration, technology and common sense.

For details on God’s purpose for the vast Universe in eternity see Eternal Life (“Heaven”) — What will it be Like?

Related Topics:

The Five Earths of the Bible (and the Eight Ages)

Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation

Why is this World so Messed Up?

Bible—Is it Full of Contradictions? Does it Promote Slavery, Tyranny and Discrimination?

Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms

Sectarianism — What is It? What’s Wrong with It?

Insights on Evangelism, aka WITNESSING

Evangelism concerns being a witness for the Lord, as conveyed by Christ here:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Most people think evangelism only involves sharing the message of Christ and encouraging a person to say the sinner’s prayer, but—as wonderful as those may be—witnessing involves much more. Observe Christ’s details on evangelism here:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

To “make disciples” means to make students of the Lord. The Greek verb for ‘make disciples’ is mathéteuó (math-ayt-YOU-oh), which literally means to make people learners of Christ, that is, true students/servants of the Lord. You can read more about this here. Making learners of Christ includes helping people to progressively learn about God through the sharing of scriptural truth, as well as being an example in lifestyle, not to mention regularly praying for them. When this is done, the genuine disciple will inevitably grow spiritually.

So true evangelism is more than just coercing people to say the “sinner’s prayer” (like thru using the “Romans road“). It’s more of a process that takes time as the potential convert successfully morphs into a learner of Christ. After all, what good is saying such a prayer if the person’s faith isn’t fed and no godly example is set for them? Is it any surprise that such “converts” often fall back into the ways of the world? We have to get away from this shallow idea that witnessing is all about believers accumulating notches. What good is that “notch” if the convert merely says these words—a prayer of salvation—but continues to live as an unbeliever? In such cases the words are hollow and the “notch” is meaningless.

Of course some witnessing situations will be a matter of “planting a seed,” like someone you happen to meet at the airport or on a plane. Yet—even in those situations—you can get personal info to keep in touch and intercede for him/her. However, if the person lives in your area you can invite them to a Bible study or an assembly or go out to coffee. If the individual shows no interest in feeding their newfound faith and growing in the Lord I would seriously question the legitimacy of their salvation prayer. If this is unfortunately the case you can still keep them in prayer and hope for a more serious conversion down the line; that is, an authentic one.

Tips on Evangelizing   

Focus on your personal relationship with the Lord, first and foremost, so that the Fountain of Life—God—pours life into you (Psalm 36:9 & John 10:10). And then share that life with those in whom you naturally come into contact, as you have opportunity (1 Peter 3:15). Be real, not contrived. Be led of the Spirit. Only share what needs to be shared on a particular occasion. In other words, two words that fit the need of the situation are better than a sermon if the individual in question isn’t ready for it. We have to remember that Christ’s Church is a body of believers where one plants a seed, another waters; and even others may see the growth and harvest (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).

Lastly, keep in mind the hallowed words: “Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” This corresponds to what Christ taught:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

Believers are both salt and light. Salt is something you taste and is a preservative, which shows that it’s figurative of the Word of God we share (John 6:63 & 6:68). Light, on the other hand, is something you see and corresponds to our actions & lifestyle — our example as “living epistles” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Jesus spends three verses talking about being light and only one verse about being salt. The point? Both are vital, no doubt, but living what you say  or being what you say is paramount for being a genuine witness.

Related Topics:

What Is the ROMANS ROAD to Salvation?

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

Why Was Jesus Sometimes Ambiguous?

Why did Jesus Answer Questions with Questions?

Disciple — What is it? (The answer might surprise you)

Prayer—Communing with God

Is Christianity a “Relationship with God”?

The Salvation Equation: Faith = Salvation (+ Fruit + Works)

The Basics of Christianity

Is Christianity a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

We’ve all heard it said that “Christianity is a relationship with God, not a religion.” Is this true? If so, what is the support for it in the Holy Scriptures, God’s blueprint for authentic Christianity?

From beginning to the end, the Bible unveils the story of the Creator’s relationship with humanity: From the creation of people (Genesis 1:26-27 & 2:7) and their habitat—the earth and the physical universe wherein it dwells (Genesis 1-2)—to their directive (1:28) and moral responsibility (2:16-17). From their fall and banishment (Genesis 3) to their redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19 & Ephesians 1:7), the millennial reign of Christ on earth and the eternal age of the new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:13 & Revelation 21-22) where the LORD will forever dwell together with redeemed humanity (21:1-5).

As far as personal relationship goes, Adam communed with God in the Garden of Eden, even after his fall (Genesis 3:8-13); Enoch “walked with God” and they were so close that the LORD simply “took him away,” presumably so they could be together in Heaven, but also as a type of the future Rapture (Genesis 5:22-24); Moses communed with God in the Tent of Meeting wherein the LORD dwelt on the mercy seat between the gold-sculptured cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 33:11); Asaph walked with the Creator so closely that they figuratively held hands (Psalm 73:23-25); and David, of course, was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22).

I’m sharing all this data to show that people have had a relationship with their Creator from the very beginning. In other words, fellowship with God is perfectly normal and is actually the first order of life. This explains Christ’s statement “seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). (Please notice that it says seek first and not seek only).

All of these people from the Old Testament had a relationship with the LORD despite the fact that they had an inferior covenant with God. Today a vastly superior covenant is available to all people through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:6-7). This is the awesome message of the gospel—we can reconcile with our Creator, be forgiven of sin and receive eternal life & immortality (2 Timothy 1:10).

The “Message of Reconciliation”

The above explains why the gospel is referred to as the “message of reconciliation” in Scripture (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). ‘Reconciliation’ means “to turn from enmity to friendship” and this is the core of the Christian message: We can have an actual relationship with God through spiritual regeneration via the imperishable seed of the living Word of God, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:23). I should add that ‘seed’ in the Greek is “sperm” (1 John 3:9) — believers are born-again of the imperishable sperm of Christ, the enduring living Word of God.

Christianity’s all about reconciling with God and literally knowing him. Christianity is a relationship with the awesome Creator of the universe and our works are merely an overflow of this relationship.

But religionists—legalists—reject this simple truth because having an actual relationship with the LORD is something that’s largely done in private and legalists are all about putting on airs of religiosity to impress others. Consequently, they divert to rule-ism and works-oriented religion. This is why the false ministers depicted in Matthew 7:15-23 immediately start boasting of their works when they come face-to-face with the Lord. As is typical with legalists, they thought their great works would secure them God’s favor and eternal salvation, but they were wrong.

Christ’s response to these legalists, “I never knew you,” is a key insight about legalists—they don’t have a relationship with the Lord and therefore don’t really know God despite claims to the contrary. Take the Pharisees, for example. They claimed that God was their father, which implied close kinship, but Jesus frankly told them they were children of the devil (John 8:41-44)! Another good example is the priests of Judah just prior to their forced exile; the LORD spoke of them like so:

“The priests did not ask,

     ‘Where is the LORD?’

  Those who deal with the law did not know me;

      the leaders rebelled against me.’ ”

Jeremiah 2:8

He goes on to point out that they had no awe of God (verse 19). People who really know the LORD develop an overwhelming awe. Legalists lack such awe because they don’t know their Creator, even though they put on airs of veneration to impress others.

I should stress that works have their place. After all, James made it clear that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14-24). But works are a result of having a relationship with God and not a means to the relationship. This is why Paul said it is by God’s favor we are saved, through faith, and not by works so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Unfortunately, legalists choose to concentrate on their works so that they can boast. It’s all about ego and arrogance. We see this in the aforementioned passage from Matthew (7:15-23).

Godliness vs. Religion

Scholar E.W. Bullinger points out the differences between godliness and religion in his lexicon (335). The Greek word for godliness in the Bible is eusebeia (yoo-SEB-ee-ah), which relates to a real & vital relationship with the Almighty, whereas the Greek word for religion is thréskeia (thrays-KIH-ah), which refers to the outward acts of religious works and ceremonies. The latter can be performed by the flesh without knowing God at all, which is why legalists make it their focus, but having a relationship with God requires the human spirit; and, more precisely, reborn human spirit.

Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24); ‘spirit’ in the latter case refers to the human spirit. The point being that true worship is not merely a matter of outward conformity to religious rules, ceremonies, works and places. Authentic worship springs from a regenerated spirit that’s connected with the LORD and involves communion between the individual and the indwelling Holy Spirit, who guides/helps us (John 16:13 & 14:26).

This, by the way, is why Christ & the epistles stressed the necessity of spiritual rebirth (John 3:3, 3:6 & Titus 3:5). This is relationship. ‘Godliness’ means to be like God and being like God naturally proceeds from relationship since we become like those we spend time with the most, which is the Law of Association. In other words, a relationship with God produces godliness. ‘Religion’ by contrast doesn’t refer to godliness, but to outward forms of devotion, which are wonderful as long as they proceed from one’s relationship with the LORD.

New Testament Passages on “Relationship With God”

With the understanding of the above, let’s observe a smattering of random New Testament verses that express relationship with God, along with some insightful commentary:

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

Genuine believers can know the Creator due to spiritual regeneration and the indwelling Holy Spirit whereas unbelievers—i.e. “pagans”— cannot. Please don’t take this the wrong way because unsaved people can certainly grasp God’s existence through the general revelation of creation (Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-20), conscience (Romans 2:14-15) and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). The problem is un-regenerated people don’t have the spiritual software to commune with their Creator as children of God, which is why they need to be born again spiritually of God’s seed (1 John 3:9 & 1 Peter 1:23). Until this happens, they’re a creation of God, but not actually a child of God.

When I was an unbeliever throughout my teens I was an agnostic and desperately seeking truth—ultimate reality—the way it really is. I sensed the Creator’s existence through creation and inner conscience and, no doubt, the work of the Holy Spirit, which eventually led me to salvation through Christ at the age of 20.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Ephesians 1:17

This passage speaks for itself, but notice how it establishes God as Father/Son/Holy Spirit.

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:8-11

Paul was a mature believer by this point—high level STAGE FOUR—and, as such, he considered everything a loss compared to knowing the Lord. Anything he had sacrificed in his life for the Lord he considered “garbage,” which means he didn’t consider those things that great a loss compared to gaining Christ and walking with God. When the Spirit moves you to let go of something, don’t desperately hold on to it. As you let it go and get closer to the Lord you will see that that thing you sacrificed was rubbish by comparison.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

Philippians 2:1 (NASB)

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:9

“Fellowship” refers to peaceful communion and presumes relationship. Regenerated believers have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

Hebrews 8:11

This passage quotes Jeremiah 31:34 and unveils the main purpose of the superior New Covenant—to reconcile with God and know the LORD.

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

John 17:1-3

In this prayer to the Father, the Messiah wasn’t defining eternal life, since eternal life literally means the life of the perpetual age-to-come; He was revealing the most important quality of eternal life, which is knowing the LORD!

Spiritually regenerated believers have eternal life—the life of the age-to-come—in their spirits since the Holy Spirit gives rebirth to the human spirit when a person accepts Christ (John 3:6 & 3:36). As such, we can tap into this abundant life daily (John 10:10), which is called:

• “living by the spirit” aka “walking in the spirit” (Galatians 5:16),
• “clothing yourself in Christ” (Romans 13:14),
• “participating in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and…
• “putting on the new self” (Colossians 3:10 & Ephesians 4:22-24).

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:3

Again, “fellowship” presumes peaceful communion and therefore relationship.

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:20

Everything comes down to knowing God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual fruit & works will naturally proceed from there.

Closing Encouragement

As you can see, true Christianity is all about reconciling with your Creator and walking in fellowship with the LORD on a daily basis. It’s as normal as breathing: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV).

For insights on how to cultivate a closer relationship with God see the article Prayer—Communing with God; also check out the video DRINK UP! (from the Fountain of Life).

Related Topics:

INTIMACY WITH GOD and Its Benefits

Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?

Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled

Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain

The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

How to Obtain Your Desires

The Basics of Christianity

Why Did Christ Decline to Give SIGNS ON DEMAND?

After Jesus cast out a demon from a mute person and the onlookers marveled, some demanded a greater sign:

Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Luke 11:16

Matthew’s parallel account reveals that these “others” were the Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 12:38). Apparently exorcising an evil spirit wasn’t good enough for them; they wanted a miraculous sign of cosmological scope, like the rearranging of the stars. They didn’t want the Sovereign LORD and truth; they wanted a subservient genie who would grant their whims on demand.

The Messiah responded:

“This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.”

Luke 11:29-30

In Matthew’s account Christ adds:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 12:40

The Lord always refused to give miracles on demand because signs were not the means by which he appealed to unbelievers. Healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, exorcizing demons and raising the dead were not really signs, but rather the results of Jesus’ God-anointed service to people (Luke 4:18-19 & Acts 10:38).

The only sign that will be given in this age is the core message of the gospel—that the Messiah died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification so that those who believe will not perish but have eternal life (Romans 4:25 & John 3:16).

Recall Jesus’ punch line in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus wherein Abraham—a character in the story—is speaking:

‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

Luke 16:31

“Moses and the Prophets” was a reference to the Old Testament Scriptures, which were the only Divine revelation available in textual form at the time. In other words, hardhearted carnal people who refuse to heed God’s Word—God’s revelation—will not be convinced by some incredible miracle. The Old Testament constantly testifies to this; here are some glaring examples:

• The Israelites escaped bondage to Egypt via the LORD’s spectacular deliverance at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22, 26-28).
• They wandered in the desert wilderness led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22).
• They were miraculously fed by manna and quail (Exodus 16:11-15).
• They received life-giving water from a rock (Exodus 17:3-6).

Despite these great signs they were crippled by unbelief and continued in their transgressions.

Christ’s punchline in the parable—‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’—speaks potently to the sufficiency of God’s revelation to overthrow unbelief. Keep in mind that God’s revelation in Scripture does not exist in a vacuum. It stands on the foundation of…

1. God’s revelation in creation (Psalm 19:1-4 & Romans 1:18-20);
2. God’s revelation through human conscience (Romans 2:14-15) and the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11).

This divine revelation to humankind is sufficient to spur people to repentance & faith, which explains why the Bible says people “are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-22). Any kind of miraculous evidence—like an amazing healing, great deliverance or awesome provision—is just icing on the cake.

But if a person is so hardhearted to reject God’s revelation in the above areas no incredible miracle is going to inspire repentance & faith, like the opening of the Red Sea or a pillar of fire. This is why Christ declined to give signs on demand. Not to mention, he’s the Sovereign LORD, not some subservient genie or magical cartoon character.

Related Topics:

What Does THEY SHALL TAKE UP SNAKES Mean?

Faith — What Is It? Why Is It Important? How Does It Grow?

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages

Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain

The BASICS of Christianity

What’s the Bible Say About MARY and MARY VENERATION?

Humble Mary was “highly favored” of the LORD (Luke 1:28) and her relative Elizabeth called her “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43). Moreover Mary’s inspired song says that future generations would call her blessed (Luke 1:48).

This shows that believers should have a high respect for Mary, which is what ‘venerate’ means. But the veneration of Mary by some Catholics borders on excessive, which is why they’re sometimes accused of Mary worship by Protestants, et al.

Here’s where the issue becomes complicated: Venerate and worship mean the same thing—to adore, respect, reverence, honor or celebrate. The main difference is that worship usually applies to a deity, but not always. For instance, if I say “I worship my wife,” I simply mean that I adore and honor her. If you hear it said “Our culture worships youth” it refers to adoration or devotion similar to religious homage.

Both the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘worship’ literally mean to prostrate oneself—bow down—to illustrate adoration or reverence. For verification, you can look up the Hebrew shachah (shaw-KHAW) here and the Greek proskuneó (pros-koo-NEH-oh) here.

All of this begs the question: Are Catholics & others who venerate Mary simply showing their great respect for her or are they worshiping her as a deity? If it’s the former, there’s no problem since Luke 1:48 says future generations will call Mary blessed. However, if their veneration smacks of worshiping a deity or idol worship, it’s obviously not good since it breaks the first two of the Ten Commandments: 1. “You shall have no other gods before me” and 2. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:3-5).

It all comes down to what’s going on in the person’s heart. In other words, only God and the individual venerating Mary know if the veneration is simply giving honor or if it’s worship in the sense of worshiping a deity or idol. Obviously any behavior that hints of idolatry or the idea that Mary is anything other than a blessed—but otherwise normal—human being should be forsaken.

Is Mary the “Mother of God”?

The answer is no. As Elizabeth pointed out in Luke 1:43, Mary is indeed the mother of the physical Lord Jesus Christ, but she’s not the mother of God, the Great I Am. This passage helps explain:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

While an infant child was born into this world through Mary by the Holy Spirit, the Son of God was given to us because the Son already existed since forever. This passage sheds light (keeping in mind that “the Word” refers to Christ):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-14

As you can see, the Mighty Christ is God and the earth & universe and all living things were made through him. So Mary did not give birth to the Word because the Word already existed from eternity and created all physical things in the universe; she was simply the blessed human vessel through whom the Word could manifest to the world as a physical human.

Jesus’ Attitude Toward Mary

What was Christ’s outlook toward Mary? Notice this exchange with a woman after Jesus exorcized a demon from a mute individual:

²⁷ As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

²⁸ He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:27-28

The Messiah didn’t deny the blessedness of Mary, but he clearly didn’t support the elevation of Mary as an object (idol) of veneration/worship. Mary’s esteemed position as the mother of Christ’s physical being didn’t grant her any greater honor than the blessedness of those who simply receive God’s Word and put it into practice.

This is augmented by a similar account that occurred earlier:

¹⁹ Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

²¹ He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

Luke 8:19-21

Yeshua loved & respected his blessed physical mother but, again, he put those who seek divine truth and live by it on the same level as Mary (as well as his physical brothers).

Let that sink in.

Closing Word

Mary should certainly be honored as the woman privileged with the job of birthing & nursing the child Jesus, not to mention parenting him through puberty and adolescence. She should be venerated—greatly respected—for this. But, as Christ Himself pointed out above, any person who seeks God’s Word and strives to put it into practice should be equally honored as Mary (which includes you & me, if that’s what we’re honestly doing).

The biblical references to Mary in the Gospels & Acts reveal a normal woman, albeit one blessed with an extraordinary God-appointed role:

• After Jesus’ birth, Mary & Joseph had common sexual relations, which birthed several children (Matthew 13:54-56 & Mark 6:3).
• Jesus softly reproved Mary when he was 12 years-old for failing to grasp his exceptional concern for the things of God (Luke 2:43-50).
• Eighteen years later Jesus performed Mary’s requested miracle at Cana, but also gently rebuked her (John 2:1-11).
• When the Messiah was crucified he committed Mary to John’s care (John 19:26-27) and, after he ascended, Mary & her sons were with the believers in Jerusalem awaiting the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

As you can see, there’s zero scriptural support for Catholic doctrines concocted hundreds of years later that added unwarranted dimensions to the appreciation of Mary:

• The Immaculate Conception, which suggests that Mary was sinless, born without original sin. This false belief didn’t become official Catholic dogma until 1854. (It is often confused with the biblical doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus, which is the Incarnation).
• Perpetual Virginity, which maintains that Mary was always a virgin—before, during and after the birth of Christ. The earliest this false doctrine can be traced is the 4^th century.
• The Assumption of Mary (aka Assumption) suggests that Mary was bodily taken up to Heaven at the end of her earthly life. This didn’t become Catholic dogma until 1950.
• Mediatrix, the idea that Mary functions as in an intercessory role in Heaven, i.e. a mediator in the salvific redemption via Christ and that the Lord bestows graces through her. The first mention of Mary as “the mediatrix of the whole world” can be traced to a 4^th century prayer by Ephrem the Syrian. The Marian title of “Mediatrix” has been used by several Catholic leaders since the 5^th century, reaching its height in the literatures of Louis de Montfort and Alphonsus Liguori in the 18^th century.

These beliefs are post-biblical and therefore extra-biblical, not to mention utterly fantastical, and, as such, must be rejected.

Related Topics:

What Does “Do Not Go Beyond What is Written” Mean in 1 Corinthians 4:6?

Roman Catholicism – Is it the “Original Church”? (No)

Does Matthew 16:18-19 Support the Idea of a Pope?

Who Wrote the New Testament Books? Who Authorized them as Scripture Canon?

Why DIDN’T Catholics Want People Having Access to Scripture?

Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms

Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation