"One Man's Opinion"
A weekly Christian commentary by Jim Roane
A weekly Christian commentary by Jim Roane
“One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody." Mother Teresa
Let’s face it. Some people are not playing with a full deck. The sad part is, they don’t even know it! Take for instance when 2 cultists dropped off some literature the other day that basically said that they had been specially chosen by God to set the world straight before that great and awful day when Jesus comes back and zaps those of us that don’t agree with their assessment of scripture.
What these poor folks don’t know is that historically for almost two-thousand years their miniscule little brand of Christianity didn’t even exist. And, even if it did exist in the primitive church, God really goofed up because He promised that the Gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church. Yet, if they are right that is precisely what happened during the interim.
I needn’t go into all of their heresies to make the point that their naivety was simply staggering. You talk about cherry picking scripture verses, they’re masters at it.
But isn’t this true of all false cults? Not to mention our denominational biases. An unexamined faith is a dangerous thing, particularly when someone is playing with half a deck.
The scriptures are, however, very clear about this. 1 Peter 3:15 says—
Now, here is where the rub comes in. The Bible says to “do this with gentleness and respect …” Gentleness, I understand, but respect? Respect what? Heresy? No, respect the person that stands before you as a child of God, however, wayward they may be, for they, too, have been made in His image. We must never forget that a prodigal is still a child of God. That goes for the Muslim next door, or the Hindu down the street.
One thing about Jesus, you never see Him running roughshod over anyone’s dignity, be they ever so small. Love acts like love, always. You can’t say, “I love God and not love your neighbor (1 John 4:20).” Love doesn’t work that way. Ever. So, no matter how much we disdain someone’s belief system, we have no right to treat them disrespectfully because there but for the grace of God goes you and me.
Yes, we have the truth, and it must be shared even with those zealots that are playing with half a deck.
Be blessed—better yet, bless someone else!
JimR /
What these poor folks don’t know is that historically for almost two-thousand years their miniscule little brand of Christianity didn’t even exist. And, even if it did exist in the primitive church, God really goofed up because He promised that the Gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church. Yet, if they are right that is precisely what happened during the interim.
I needn’t go into all of their heresies to make the point that their naivety was simply staggering. You talk about cherry picking scripture verses, they’re masters at it.
But isn’t this true of all false cults? Not to mention our denominational biases. An unexamined faith is a dangerous thing, particularly when someone is playing with half a deck.
The scriptures are, however, very clear about this. 1 Peter 3:15 says—
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…
Now, here is where the rub comes in. The Bible says to “do this with gentleness and respect …” Gentleness, I understand, but respect? Respect what? Heresy? No, respect the person that stands before you as a child of God, however, wayward they may be, for they, too, have been made in His image. We must never forget that a prodigal is still a child of God. That goes for the Muslim next door, or the Hindu down the street.
One thing about Jesus, you never see Him running roughshod over anyone’s dignity, be they ever so small. Love acts like love, always. You can’t say, “I love God and not love your neighbor (1 John 4:20).” Love doesn’t work that way. Ever. So, no matter how much we disdain someone’s belief system, we have no right to treat them disrespectfully because there but for the grace of God goes you and me.
Yes, we have the truth, and it must be shared even with those zealots that are playing with half a deck.
Be blessed—better yet, bless someone else!
JimR /
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