By Lisa Wilmore
My Dear Friends,
What happens when you share the truth with individuals? I believe that there are two things that will happen. They will become angry and say to you, “You cannot judge me”, or they will humble themselves and thank you for the truth.
In my experience of sharing with individuals what God’s Word declares, sometimes they get offended and begin asserting that you are judging them. They constantly seek out scriptures to justify their sins and disobediences to His Word.
Let me be clear, the Word of God affirms that “All have sin and come short of the glory of God”. “And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-24). Those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior have been declared not guilty – justified. However, this does not give Christians or anyone a ticket to disobey the commands of God.
When the truth goes forth, individuals try to justify their behavior and inaugurates an offended attitude toward the one who is telling them the truth. What type of response do you have when someone tells you the truth-an offended response or a response of humility?
As a point of reference, according to Matthew, chapter 15, the Pharisees, and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders; they don’t wash their hands before they eat?” Jesus shared with the crowd inclusive of the disciples, Scribes and Pharisees what really defiles a person. Jesus spoke truth to them, and the Pharisees were offended. The Pharisees were accustomed to traditions, but religious traditions did not equate to the laws established by God. “Traditions should help us understand God’s laws better, not become laws themselves” (LASB, 1369).
After Jesus taught them that it is not what you eat or take in, it is what you say or think that defiles the body (Matthew 15:1-20), the pharisees became offended. Matthew recorded, “Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” (Matthew 15:12).
Although the Pharisees were offended, Jesus told the disciples to let the Pharisees alone because they were blind to God’s truth. Even though they were astute in the traditions established by their elders (Matthew 15:2), these traditions were not God’s law. They were blind to the truth, and Jesus did not want the disciples to follow their teaching. They needed to listen to only His truth, so He told the disciples to leave them alone.
So, when church leaders and others speak the truth, what will be your response – an offended response or a response of humility? Do not get offended, but rather thank God for His truth.
Jesus Saves!
