In general, we are too soft when it comes to dealing with unbelievers.

In the name of being winsome, perhaps we, Christians, have become too soft to the point of being ineffective in dealing with the unbelievers around us. We have been taught, if you grew up in a church, to be kind and shine the light of Christ to the dying world, doing everything we can to bring the unbelieving to Christ.

Well, we should do everything we can to bring the dying world to Christ. But perhaps not the way we have been doing it. We assume that if we can just show the unbelievers that we are super nice, they will fall in line and become Christians themselves. But how many of us really led someone to Christ that way? “Oh, You are such a nice person that I became interested in becoming a Christian myself. Can you tell me how?” Has an unbeliever ever say those words to you?

Jesus wasn’t so “soft.” In Luke 4:24-27, in the midst of the expectant crowd who was ready to receive Him and make Him into a hero, He speaks words that He knew would be highly offensive to most of them – He advocates gentiles over the Jews!

Some of them were so enraged that they wanted to throw Him off the cliff!

Perhaps this is an example by Jesus we cannot follow. His purpose was to die for the world. Our purpose is to die TO the world. After all, we are instructed elsewhere to “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12) 

I believe the principle is that we ARE to live exemplary lives before unbelievers. But at the same time, we are to call out their sins and bring them to repentance even at the expense of offending them. The ultimate offense would be if we didn’t offend them a little now that they end up in hell forever.

PH