Has anyone ever said rude words about you or you?I think we’ve all had that experience. Becoming a victim of slander or malicious gossip can be hard to bear. However, God calls us to have a very specific reaction in such situations. circumstances.
Years ago I received a letter from a friend who is a pastor in California. With her, the pastor sent a copy of an article published in the Los Angeles Times. Although there is a picture of him holding his Bible in his church, the article was essentially a brutal attack on him.
- When I saw this picture and read this article.
- I felt great empathy for my friend.
- Because I had just had a similar experience.
- A person spoke publicly about cruel things about me and the word came to me.
- My feelings ranged from sadness and anger.
- Even though I knew I had to respond with joy (Matthew 5:11-12).
I think the best book ever written about the virtue of love in Christian life is Jonathan Edwards’ classic Charity and Its Fruits. In this book, Edwards wrote a chapter on how we should respond to false accusations. In this document, the author makes it very clear biblically that these attacks should not surprise us, on the contrary, we must expect them:
Men who are angry in their minds and allow resentment to grow when they are wounded act as if something strange has happened to them, even though they are really foolish to think like that, because there is nothing strange about it, it is simply the kind of something one should expect from such a world. Therefore, they do not act wisely in allowing their minds to be disturbed by the wounds they suffer.
Edwards’ point is that if the Christian is already aware that he will be slandered and keep his eyes fixed on God when such a thing happens, he will not be saddened.
Edwards reiterates the concept that other human beings can only harm my earthly pleasure, a person can damage my body, steal my money or even destroy my reputation, yet all these things have to do with the worries and pleasures of this world. we have an inheritance that is deposited in heaven, a treasure that no one can steal or corrupt (1 Peter 1:4). You are protected by the Lord Himself.
We may be tempted to think that Edwards was a spiritual giant who could easily handle attacks against him, when we are only “ordinary” believers. So how can we not be grieved when we are hurt by people we believe to be our friends?It is true that the reaction of sadness, anger or harm to personal attacks is part of human nature, such feelings are characteristic of our fallen humanity, these are not fruits of the Holy Spirit, does this mean that, however holy, Edwards did not call Christians to do something extraordinary. We are all called to endure our offenses with joy, patience, love, and meekness.
It is necessary that we all have this kind of reaction because the Christian life is an imitation of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), we are shaped in his image, so we must strive to live like Him. Our Lord was slandered and falsely accused, but he did not open his mouth to protest (Isaiah 53:7). Like a lamb, he accepted these scathing attacks and, at the very moment of his passion, prayed for the forgiveness of those who attacked him (Luke 23:34). We are called to react to our enemies in this way (1 Peter 4:13). Therefore, every false accusation, every slander, every cursed word about me is an opportunity I have for my sanctification.
Edwards helped me see that I was allowing my soul to be afflicted, and that it was a sin. Instead of seeing this attack on me as an opportunity to imitate Christ and grow in my sanctification, I resisted the Spirit of God, who had brought this painful event into my life so that I could build myself. Remember where my treasure is.
The key to responding to attacks and insults as Christ would is to foster love for God. Edwards writes:
As love for God prevails, it tends to put people above human offenses, in this context, the more they love God, the more they put all their happiness in Him. People turn to God and seek their happiness in the part of His favor, and not only in part of His providence. The more they love God, the less they put their hearts into the interests of this world, which is all our enemies can touch.
We must take Edwards’ teaching into account when confronting the inevitable attacks and insults that occur in our lives.
By R. C. Sproul. Extract from website www. ligonier. org. © 2013 Ligonier. Original Ministries: A Charitable Response.
This article is part of the January 2013 issue of Tabletalk magazine on “The Lost Virtues of Listening, Pondering, and Reflecting. “
Translation: Isabela Siqueira?© Faithful Ministry. All rights are reserved Website: www. MinisterioFiel. com. br Original: A Pious Reaction (R. C. Sproul)
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