When someone sins against me…

 
What does a Christian do when another Christian is rude to them or does some action that is obviously selfish and thoughtless? When this happens to me, I have options. I can be angry and tell everyone what a jerk that person is. Or I can let their behavior make me bitter and my life becomes selfish too. Or I can retaliate toward that person by being rude to them. Or I could rebuke them in total frustration for being so mean. Or I could talk to God about it and ask Him to rebuke that person and make them apologize. However, I know that none of these options are biblical because they are all about ‘poor me’ and not at all like Jesus.

There are many biblical examples of what to do. When OT Abraham told a king his wife Sarah was his sister and the king took her, God revealed the truth to this king and said:

Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” (Genesis 20:7)

God’s man Abraham, was a prophet. His response to this sin was prayer that the one who sinned against him would not die because of his actions.

Another OT story shows how another prophet responded when the people sinned against God by asking for a king. He called them on their sin but also encouraged them:

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:23–24)

In the story of Job, his ‘friends’ insisted this man sinned when he had not. Finally God said to them: “Therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:8)

This tells me that if others should falsely accuse me or do any other sin against me, I should ask God not to deal with them according to their sin but be merciful, and at the same time speak rightly to God (and others) as well as keeping my own life right before Him.

The NT offers a specific example for those who are ill and includes any sins that the sick may be guilty of — showing that prayer is the response of other Christians:

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:14–16)

The following verses give the basic will of God in how I must react when another sins, against me or in other ways:

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19–20)
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. (1 John 5:16)

I’m challenged when God puts on me a burden of discernment concerning others and reveals things that are sinful. He wants me to take this burden before Him and intercede that He would give them life, restoring them to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. He also makes clear that I’m not to do anything but pay attention to Him until He conveys His mind to me about the one for whom I must intercede.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, I know that You want me to be identified with You and alert to Your view about others. My fleshy view will always be contrary to that. This means You need to see the “travail of Your soul in me” and I need to be so identified with You that I see Your view about people who are caught by sin. Enable me to intercede whole-heartedly so You are honored and others are restored and completely blessed.

Follow the Leader

 

The word selected for today has so many Hebrew and Greek roots and is used in so many ways that I decided to focus on only verses that strongly speak to my heart and the connotations that come to mind.

The verb LEADS can be negative as in the last part of 1 John 5:16. “ . . . There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.” It puts to mind how many people bail their loved ones out of trouble to the point that consequences are barely considered. Far too many folks are unable to ‘connect the dots’ between their actions and the results. Whether the trouble is shoplifting, eating too much junk food, or constant resistance to authority, being rescued from the consequences can become “a sin that leads to death” or at least great harm.

LEADS is also positive if it is God doing the leading. My OT verses are Psalm 23:2–3. (The Lord) “makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Yet not only for His name’s sake but for my well-being. The Bible repeatedly says that obedience to God’s leading is for our good. Otherwise there are unpleasant or even deadly consequences.

Psalm 68:6. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Proverbs 11:19. Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.

In the NT, Jesus declares Himself the good Shepherd who leads His sheep in contrast to the “thief who comes only to kill and destroy. Instead, Jesus came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:8-15)

2 Corinthians 7:10 also speaks of consequences. The Spirit of God convicts of sin — a rather unpleasant experience, but it has amazing results: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

When the Lord leads my life, the results are always good and the process is usually good too. I’m not overjoyed when I do something wrong and the Lord leads me to apologize to others. However, asking forgiveness that results in a restored relationship is worth the humility of saying, ‘I was wrong.’

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. ‘Following the leader’ has never been my style. I like to ‘march to a different drummer’ but have realized that Jesus Christ is just that — His leadership is so different from the way others lead. He has no ulterior motives than to bless me as I do His good will. I do not like the confess/repent part but Hebrews 12:11 encourages me: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

A more joyful example is when God leads me to help someone, usually in a way that costs me time, energy and/or money. I could moan and groan at my losses but He is teaching me that the rewards far out-weigh anything lost. He is showing me the consequences of following Him rather than doing my own thing or doing what He says but complaining about it. Letting Him lead may produce fatigue but it also produces deep joy!