By now you have probably all heard about the NSA leaks discussing the program called PRISM that the NSA has been using to gather information through a variety of social media, internet and phone sources. As of yesterday, Edward Snowden came forward to the Post and the Guardian as the man who had leaked the information, an unprecedented action in a major security breach. This post is not about him or even whether it is right or wrong to leak secure information on an international level. This is about how Christians need to adopt the codename that Ed Snowden gave himself: Verax, a Latin word meaning truth teller.
In one of my recent posts, I alluded to some thoughts on correction and said I would go more into detail on those later. Welcome to later. Actually, both posts this week will be on correction because I have found that Christians tend to gravitate toward one of the two extremes. Either Christians are so terrified of correcting someone they know to be wrong that they shy away and do nothing, or they are so bold that they rant and get in your face when telling you how wrong you are. Unfortunately, I have been to both extremes, and both are extremely wrong. Today, we will focus on the shy side.
The world has become pretty fond of the sayings, "don't judge me" and "only God can judge me." And I hate to break it to you, but if you're a Christian, that goes completely against the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul touches on the very subject when he encourages the church in Corinth to expel a man who is sleeping with his father's wife. He concludes it by saying, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" (1 Corinthians 5:12). Basically, if someone has no understanding of Christ and his teachings, we have no business to correct them of their ways. Why would they listen? I don't listen to the teachings of other religions. Instead, to those outside of the church, we should show love and understanding, not being afraid to associate with them. But those inside, we need to correct. Most non-Christians disapprove of Christianity because those who practice it don't do it well. We will never be perfect but we need to start correcting one another so that we can become more like Christ. We need to become truth tellers.
When I was in middle school, a big thing was to put a sign on someone's back. You know, the "Kick me" signs or something along those lines. Weren't you annoyed with your friends when they didn't tell you about the sign on your back? Or maybe your friends don't tell you your zipper is down. Shouldn't we also be upset when we have a fatal flaw in our character, but those who are supposed to be our brothers and sisters in Christ fail to correct it for fear of being a know-it-all, goody-two shoes or simply of offending us? So let us extend that same courtesy to others and also learn to accept it when it is given to us.
But how do we do this in a loving way? I would say the first step is to know the person. Don't walk up to someone you don't know and tell them about their faults of character. Without a relationship, people will rarely take advice. They do not know your heart and you do not know theirs. So start with friends.
Second, make sure your correction is Biblical. 2 Timothy states, "All Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (3:16). Correct others when they are not living in accordance with Christianity, not when you dislike their personality. Know the Bible and use the Bible. And certainly be prepared to explain to the person you are correcting what the Bible says about the particular issue if they ask.
Finally, use humble love. If you listened to step one, you already have a relationship with this person, so hopefully they know you are coming from a standpoint of love. They need to understand that you do not think you are better than them, but that you simply love them and want to help them to be the best they can be. Remember that nobody likes to be corrected and use grace, but be firm in your convictions. Through all the steps, pray. As humans, we can't correct someone well. Our pride and personal issues get in the way. But Jesus corrected people all the time by saying exactly what they needed to hear. Check out any of the gospels. Some of the people heard and changed their ways, others went away distraught. Pray and gain your wisdom from God, not yourself because "the words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18).
So let's get bold. Let's be truth tellers. Let's love people enough that we are heartbroken when their lives aren't lining up with their beliefs in Christ. And through the heartbreak, let's be bold enough to approach them. Sure, let's do it in the right way, but let's learn to take action. We all need a kick in the pants every now and then and that needs to come from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do not fear correction. It is a beautiful tool when used correctly and it is necessary in Christianity. And when you are corrected, take it in stride. Pray for God to show you where you can be corrected. We all fall short and need a little help along the way. Don't spurn it, accept it with grace and humility. Then we can truly follow Christ.
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