Christian Debates: Fight the Good Fight of Faith
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This week as I was going through my emails for the website I came across someone who contacted me about one of the articles I’d written years ago. In this particular email the reader was explaining why they felt a certain way about the article. I felt very inclined to reply to their lengthy letter, but I never did. Instead, I went and prayed, and I asked God what I should do about it.
Lord, I want to answer this person, but I don’t know what exactly to say or how to say it.
God is the Almighty, He has all the wisdom I need, and He wants to guide me. I had no problems asking my Father for help. Later on, when I was still meditating on that letter, the Holy Spirit spoke to me so clearly and said not to answer that person. Why? Because they weren’t mature enough for the truth yet. At first, I didn’t quite understand. Shouldn’t the truth be preached to everyone, no matter if they’re a new Christian or one of many years?
That’s when I realized, maturity in the spirit has nothing to do with your age or how long you’ve been saved. There are plenty of babes in Christ who have been going to church longer than I’ve been alive and still have zero understanding of the Word of God.
What the Lord meant when He told me this person wasn’t mature enough for the truth is this:
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6 NIV
This scripture is not calling new Christians dogs or pigs, rather, it is saying do not waste your time giving precious things to someone who doesn’t value it as much as you do.
This individual who asked me questions about my faith was not ready for the truth to be revealed because he wasn’t looking for it. He or she was simply looking for an argument, some sort of way to justify the wrong they knew very well they were committing. When my eyes were opened, I was very happy. I try to be very responsive to you guys, I love replying to your comments because seeing activity on the website is precious to me. As long as comments are not crude, violent, or threatening, I have no problem approving them. But I will not approve of a comment that stands only to stir up strife.
I was not going to let this person draw me into an argument where the Word was only going to be used as a scapegoat for someone and the basis of a pointless argument. The Bible is full of scriptural evidence which supports our views as Children of God from cover to cover. It arms us for battle each day, but it also tells us to choose our battles wisely.
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” II Timothy 2:23 NIV
Even though this person was asking me questions about the Bible, God Himself told me not to reply to him because that conversation would have only led to a quarrel and the truth in the Word would have been lost. I probably would have ended up angry and upset from the argument and that person would be no closer to learning the godly answers to their questions.
I know many Christians who love arguing. They never back down and have fun telling people they are wrong, they are going to hell, or they don’t understand God the right way. My friends, this sort of thinking is what pushes people away from the Body of Christ. Even though it may be hard to ignore some of the stupid things people say about us and about our Father Jesus Christ, it is far more rewarding to ignore them. You need to be able to tell when someone is genuinely looking for the truth in the Word of God or when they are looking for a good fight.
When I was in high school and college, I would sometimes bump into people who would walk up to me after they found out I was Christian and ask me things like: If God is real then why does he kill babies? Or, if a woman loses her child before giving birth doesn’t that make God the ultimate abortionist?
The people who asked me these questions were only looking to make me upset, angry, or to start a fight with me. I refused to be backed into that corner and let the devil have his way. In all things, let the light of Christ guide you, my friends. You must be able to tell when someone is taunting you or else you will find yourself in these pointless conversations all the time. Now, don’t get me wrong, just because a question is absurd or sounds very strange doesn’t mean the person is only looking for a fight.
Just a few weeks ago, I was asked a question by a girl who had just recently given her life to Christ. Minutes after she was baptized, she looked at me and said, I heard Satan was a very handsome man. Does that mean people who are beautiful are more likely to sin?
That question could have easily been seen as a joke by some, but I knew from the look on her face and how much concern she had in her voice that she was genuinely searching for the truth. As I explained to her that physical looks do not predetermine your sin, she began nodding her head and thinking to herself of what that meant for her faith. She still had many questions, but I knew that she was digesting everything she’d been fed—which brings me to my last point.
As a Christian, it is VITALLY important to be able to tell when someone wants to start a fight with you. But you also need to be able to understand that just because a Christian or anyone else disagrees with you, doesn’t mean they are looking for a fight. The Holy Bible is the Word of God, there are no contradictions, there are no blurred lines, there are no ways around it. It is the whole truth from cover to cover, BUT there are parts of our faith where not everyone has to agree on.
For example: I had friends in college who believed that wearing makeup was a sin. As a Christian woman, I wear makeup quite often. Does that mean I’m going to hell for wearing makeup or that my friends are going to hell for believing makeup is a sin?
Neither!
My friends, these are silly little things that simply veil us from the bigger picture. Makeup is not a sin, wearing it or not wearing it will not bring you closer or push you away from God. God is bigger than Covergirl, He can use you with or without it on.
Stop getting caught up in pointless arguments, but more importantly, stop getting upset whenever someone disagrees with you. Sometimes disagreements strengthen us, sometimes we are the ones who are wrong! Either way, arm yourself with the Word of God but don’t go looking for battles. Listen to the Lord, He will guide you into the fray where He wants you to fight. Otherwise, you may find yourself backed into a corner against an enemy you cannot handle. Or, worse, you may slip and behave in an ungodly way in front of the enemy which will accomplish nothing.
Trust in the Lord, study your Word, and stay on the path of righteousness. God will work out the rest.