Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Goblin
Wow. That's the definition of petty. He says goodbye, wishing you the best and you do the internet equivalent of slamming the door in his face. Uncool and UnChristian on top of that. Wouldn't your kind and loving God want you to always present him the opportunity to come back so that you can always have the chance to indoctrinate him into your religion?
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On the contrary.
People are alienated when the enthusiastic for their faith violate the biblical admonition to share our beliefs in the proper manner:
1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
1 Peter 3:16 yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
(ESV Translation)
That said, there is nothing in the Christian faith about being silent about incorrect doctrine or beliefs. Indeed, Christians are admonished to be alert to false dogma:
Eze. 33:6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. (ESV Translation)
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
2 John 1:8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
In other words, stand firm in the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ so that our labor among you will not have been in vain, and so that we (the apostles and their followers) will receive a full reward.
2 John 1:9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
When John says, “goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ,” he is speaking of false teachers. To transgress is to go beyond the allowed bounds. That is what the cults do; they claim to have new light and teach doctrines that God has not revealed in His word. They do not stay within the bounds of the Christian revelation, or abide in the doctrine of Christ, probably meaning the teachings which Christ Himself brought. The apostle emphasizes in verse 9 that a cultist may claim to know God, but if he does not believe in the absolute deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus, he does not have God at all. God can only be known through His Son. “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting,
2 John 1:11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
This is the heart of the Epistle’s message. It gives us valued advice on how to deal with false teachers who come to our doors. John does not refer to casual visitors but to anti-Christian propagandists. Should we invite them in? Give them a cup of coffee? Help them financially? Buy their literature? The answer is that we should not receive them or greet them. These people are enemies of Christ. To show them hospitality is to take sides with those who are against our Savior. It is possible that sometime we might let such a person into our house without knowing that he denies the Lord. These verses would not apply in such a case. But when we do know a man to be a false teacher, it would be disloyal to Christ to befriend him. These verses do not apply to visitors generally. We often have unbelievers as guests in an effort to win them to Christ.
It is a solemn responsibility, and we do harm to our own soul if we do not fulfill the admonishments above faithfully.
Christ makes it very clear:
Luk 12:51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
(ESV tranlation)
To me, Christ's words disprove any theory that Jesus came to unite all humanity (godly and ungodly) into a single “universal brotherhood of man.” Rather, He divided them as they have never been divided before!
AMR
believe it!
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