To Confront or Not to Confront? That Is the Question
Never underestimate a well-informed conscience. The decision to lovingly confront or to lovingly overlook will ultimately come down to our conviction of what we understand and are persuaded to do out of a heart of worship. The desire to make the right choice is usually motivated by not wanting to make the wrong choice. In the end, the only choice is the one where we act in a manner that seeks to be faithful to God and His Word. That is always the righteous choice.
In everyday life, there are interactions with loved ones that are difficult. Issues of life that are impacted by personal sin and hardships create tension in relationships and could directly harm others. The question often asked is, “Should I confront this issue or overlook it?” That is a good question, and as we look to the Bible for God’s revelation on the issue, there seems to be visible tension on how to answer it.
There are commands in Scripture for believers to address sin in the lives of those they love (Eph. 4:29; Col. 3:16). This command makes the directive that as a connected body of believers, we have a responsibility to pursue holiness together (Heb. 3:12-13). We take responsibility for our own pursuit of holiness but also bear the burden of caring for others toward that same goal. On the other hand, there are directives in Scripture that promote overlooking sin as an act of mercy (1 Pet. 4:8; Prov. 19:11). This command also considers the process of change that requires interpersonal longsuffering and patience in walking with others through areas of sin and spiritual growth (1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Cor. 2:5-8). These commands do not condone sinful actions but offer another pathway to help in the spiritual development of our fellow Christ-followers; namely, that we would not confront the instance of transgression but rather overlook it, giving room for immaturities to be developed over time.
What are we to do? I asked the question under consideration to Chat GPT (an artificial intelligence chatbot), and this was the response: “As a language model, I cannot offer a definitive answer on how Christians should approach confronting or overlooking sin, as this can be a complex and nuanced topic that can vary based on individual circumstances and personal convictions.”
Even AI can identify that this issue is a place to apply wisdom to each circumstance and not a one size fits all approach. Many try to resolve the tension by over-correcting on either side of the issue: confronting every issue or overlooking every offense. There is a better way. The Bible gives a framework that helps us as the people of God to faithfully walk through every circumstance in a manner that is worthy of the calling that we have been called. The following are some principles for discerning when to confront or when to overlook sin or weakness.
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The Hidden Social Justice Issue
In a new book, Get Married, and in countless op-eds, white papers, and columns, Wilcox makes the case that traditional marriage and family are the lynchpin to a flourishing life, economically, socially, and spiritually. Consider one stunning fact: “The best community predictor of poor children remaining stuck in poverty as adults was the share of kids in their communities living in a single-parent family. Not income inequality. Not race. Not school quality.”
Let’s do a thought experiment. Let’s imagine you are a young Christian burdened by the state of the world. You want to make a difference.
Let’s get more specific.
You see documented in headline after headline, rising crime, addiction, and deaths of despair. You believe God has called you to be a small part of what He wants to do to redeem the communities most left behind.
What issue would you make your priority in this desire to engage in genuine social justice? One scholar suggests an issue that would probably not be the first, for you, to come to mind: marriage.
Brad Wilcox is a professor of sociology and director of The National Marriage Project at The University of Virginia and a fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. For the last decade and a half, Brad has been studying marriage and family in America and he’s come to one conclusion:
So many of the biggest problems across America are rooted in the collapse of marriage and family life in all too many communities and homes across the country.
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Heaven Bound: 2 Important Things to Remember to Develop an Eternal Mind-Set
Many of us are blessed to enjoy some of this world’s most beautiful places, and for some of us, seeing God’s power and divine nature through creation is commonplace. Yet, we ought to guard ourselves from believing for even a moment that the most beautiful things we have seen can touch the beauty and majesty of our God.
The other day a song came on the radio that has stuck with me in a not-so-great way. The premise of the song dealt with the singer wondering how heaven could be any better than being with this new woman he had met. Then, not long after I heard this, I heard someone refer to the places we experience in the outdoors as “heaven.”
These comparisons feel innocent enough. Most of us have probably experienced the emotional high of finding a new “love” or the breathtaking vistas that nature can provide. But there is a deeper problem. If we truly believe these earthly things are as satisfying as heaven, then we may be falling victim to a cheapening of how sweet and good heaven actually is.
I want to point out two things to which we cling as Christians concerning heaven.
Heaven is where God’s throne is.
First, Scripture speaks of “heaven” as the place where God’s throne is, and thus, where God is. We know that God is omnipresent, so what makes the presence of God in heaven so special? Romans 1 gives some insight:For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Rom. 1:18)
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Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg—The First Protestant Missionary to India
While not all Tamils share the same joy in the souls Ziegenbalg led to Christ, they are grateful for Ziegenbalg’s contribution to the development of their language and culture. In fact, even from a historical point of view, Ziegenbalg’s writings…are still one of the best sources for the study of South Indian history and traditions.
While William Carey’s role in the evangelization of India is undisputed, few remember a two-men team who preceded him by 88 years. In reality, the German Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau, who landed in the Indian region of Tranquebar in 1706, can be considered the first Protestant missionaries to India. Their endeavor is known as the Tranquebar Mission or the Danish-Halle Mission (since it was sponsored by the Danish king and the students and faculty of Halle University – especially theologian, A. H. Francke).
A Tamil Bible
Born in 1682 and 1676 respectively, Ziegenbalg and Plütschau were both Halle graduates– both known for their piety, devotion to the Scriptures, sacrificial love, and interest in education. Of the two, Ziegelbalg was the most linguistically talented. Within six months of his arrival at Tranquebar, he was able to read, write, and speak Tamil, a local language that was particularly difficult for Europeans to master.
In 1708, being fluent, he began translating the New Testament, finishing his first draft in two and a half years – an impressive record, if we consider he also fulfilled his pastoral and evangelical duties while troubled by ill health. He also translated Luther’s Catechism and several hymns and prayers, and started the Old Testament, going as far as the book of Ruth.
Far from being content with a wooden translation, Ziegelbalg spent time studying the nuances of the Tamil language as they appeared in their cultural context. He did so through conversations and through the study of Tamil classical literature, both on his own and in local schools.
He later described his cultural discoveries in two long ethnological treatises which became popular in Europe. These volumes, together with a Tamil grammar book for future missionaries, helped to launch the study and appreciation of Oriental languages and cultures in Germany and have been influential in dispelling the negative conceptions many Europeans had fostered about India.
Although he had brought his own printing press, he had to request the presence of two Dutch blacksmiths to create Tamil character molds. There was also a scarcity of paper. Most Tamil classics were written on palm leaves. He solved this problem by setting up a paper manufactory.
To Bring Many to Salvation
As most missionaries, he had times of discouragement. “If we consider the success of this Mission from its first beginning; it hath not yet indeed been answerable to our desires: the iniquity of the times, fewness of the laborers, the perverse lives of some Christians among us, the rudeness of the pagans, the dignity of the employment itself and our own insufficiency for it, the want still of more necessary helps, together with other impediments, have been the cause why this work has hitherto made no greater advances,”[1] he wrote, in Latin, in 1716 – at the end of a two-year visit to Europe, where he got married.
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