"You Have No Enemies, You Say?"

More than one hundred years ago, English author and poet Charles MacKay (1814-1889), observed the way evil seems to come against good. He wrote his thoughts in the following poem entitled, "You Have No Enemies, You Say?":

"You have no enemies, you say?
Alas, my friend, the boast is poor;
He who has mingled in the fray
Of duty, that the brave endure,
Must have made foes! If you have none,
Small is the work that you have done.
You've hit no traitor on the hip,
You've dashed no cup from perjured lip,
You've never turned the wrong to right,
You've been a coward in the fight."

Our Lord and His apostles often confronted sin and false doctrine. They were well aware that there could be no penitence without personal inward pain. This is exactly why they lovingly taught God's truth and condemned error.

However, in today's society, it seems that no one wants to criticize anyone, no matter how sinful their lifestyle might be. Our society has become so "tolerant," that we've become permissive, so patient, that we've become indulgent, and so forbearing, that we've become indifferent.

The following biblical words recur again and again throughout the pages of the New Testament:

(1) Rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2; cf. 1 Timothy 5:20; Titus 1:13; Titus 2:15; Revelation 3:19).
(2) Exhort (1 Thessalonians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Timothy 2:1; 1       Timothy 6:2; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9; Titus 2:6,9,15.
(3) Correction (2 Timothy 3:16).
(4) Convict (Titus 1:9; Jude 1:15).

The actions brought about the by the above words are designed to motivate the sinner to repent and be obedient to God's will (Acts 17:30; Romans 1:3-5; Romans 16:25-26; Hebrews 5:8-9). It's never our aim to hurt anyone's feelings, however, God's truth is still God's truth, and it still must be taught in its entirety (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:2; Acts 20:17-27).

Many faithful Christians have died defending "the faith" (Ephesians 4:5; Jude 1:3; cf. Hebrews 11). The problem was not in their message, but in the prejudice of their hearers (cf. Acts 7:51-60). We might ask, "How shall we deal with religious prejudice?"

Answer: "Preach the Word" and allow its transforming power to "persuade men" (2 Timothy 4:1-4; Romans 1:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; cf. Acts 19:8; Acts 28:23).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets