Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying,
I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in
opinion of the means. — I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not
making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth
I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public
provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and
of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the
more they did for themselves, and became richer.
To sum up this thought, if we want to get someone out of poverty, we need to make them uncomfortable with it. Think about it. If someone is in relative comfort, being taken care of by everyone else and not doing for themselves, then they will remain in poverty. If on the other hand, they have to rely more on themselves to get out of their situation, they may get the proper motivation to get out of their poverty.
People are Comfortable in Sin
The same thing could be said for sin. If we want someone to get out of sin, we need to first make them uncomfortable with it, but this is the exact opposite thing that is being taught in the religious world today. The “Come as You Are” movement is alive and well, but is it the right way? Is it Biblical to try to make someone uncomfortable with sin or is God uninterested in the details of a person’s life?
The problem is that people are very comfortable in their sin. When I look back on my short lifetime I have seen a shift in how people view sin. In my formative years, I remember that if someone was living with a significant other without being married to them, that couple would try to hide it. Now, people seem like they do not care who knows. They are no longer ashamed (cf. Jer. 6:15) and have had their conscience seared (cf. 1 Tim. 4:2-5). These people should feel bad about what they have done. They should feel uncomfortable, but how do we make people feel uncomfortable?
Helping Others Be Uncomfortable with Sin
How do we make people uncomfortable with their sin
according to the Bible? One way we do this is in the way we live.
By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things
not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his
house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is according to faith.
(Hebrews 11:7, ASV)
How did Noah condemn the
world? We know that he built an ark and was saved, but taking a step back from
that, Noah condemned the world by being obedient. When we are obedient to God
we will have times when people look at our actions and are uncomfortable
because they are condemned by them. When we are around people who need to be
uncomfortable with sin, we do not need to be ashamed or hide our righteousness.
We do not need to feel uncomfortable, they do.
Another way we can do this is by pointing it out. This is
where brethren tend to fall apart, but this is something that is commanded
within 1 Corinthians 5 and in Matthew 18:15-20. When someone is in sin we need
to go to them and try to get them out of it (cf. Jude 22-23). It is not the
most enjoyable thing to do, but when someone repents it is all worth it. James
wrote,
My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and
one convert him; let him know, that he who convereth a sinner from the error of
his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.
(James 5:19–20, ASV)
What
if We Hurt Their Feelings?
We need to have the mindset that we are going to try to
turn someone away from error no matter what. It might hurt their feelings, but
I would rather hurt their feeling and them live eternally than not hurt their
feelings and be lost. Some feel like it is unloving, but is that true? If I
doctor knew that you had a treatable form of cancer, but never told you being
afraid that you might start crying, would you think he was more loving? No. If
there is a treatment, you would want to know before it is too late. The same
goes for sin. It is treatable and if we neglect to tell others how to treat it
we are not being loving. We are quite the opposite as we have not allowed them
to access the Great Physician’s spiritual healing.
His Servant and yours,
Matt McBrayer
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