Are Christians Too Nice?

[nChrist]

Are Christians Too Nice?
By Unknown Author

Christians today are nicer than God. Or at least they are trying to be
so. Christians today have a standard of niceness that Jesus failed to
reach while on earth. Comparing God's attitude and behavior with that of
Christians today shows that believers are far more polite, tolerant,
understanding and respectful to the wicked than God is.

Christians are also less offensive, rude and sarcastic than God's men in
the Bible were. And no Christian would ever be caught dead mocking the
wicked, as God's men in the Bible sometimes did.

Jesus was offensive. Most people were offended by him. The proof for
John the Baptist that Jesus was the Christ was that the blind see, the
lame walk and the majority are "offended" by Him (Matthew 11:2-9). As
Jesus said, "And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me" (Matthew
11:6). In Galilee, Jesus did not plead with his neighbors to understand
Him when "they were offended at Him." If unbelievers are offended, so be
it. "Shake off the dust from your feet." But unfortunately, that is no
longer a "Christian" attitude.

Christ's apostles asked Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were
offended when they heard this statement?" (Matthew 15:12). What is the
usual response from Christians today when offense is taken? Quick,
apologize! Ask for forgiveness! Tell then you are sorry! How did Jesus
respond? He said to ignore the complaints of the unbelievers: "Let them
alone; they are blind guides of the blind" (Matthew 15:14). Today, many
Christians condemn Christ's attitude as unloving.

Jesus promised his followers, "and you will be hated by all because of
My name" (Luke 21:17). Jesus taught that "if they hated Me, they will
hate you." Today, Christians think if the world hates them, they have
failed. The reverse should be true. It is not that a Christian wants to
be hated, it is simply an occupational hazard, if a Christian is living
Godly (2 Timothy 3:12).

Jesus is the Rock. Most believers are unaware, however, that Jesus used
this metaphor to issue a graphic threat against the unrepentant. For
Christ said that on whom that Rock "falls, it will grind him to powder."
Even the Father said that the Son is the "rock of offense." Offending
unbelievers is Christ-like in the deepest sense.

The Bible sometimes ministers through ridicule, sarcasm and even
mocking. For example, God mocked the Midianites when He defeated them
after sending a nightmare to them that they were being attacked by a
loaf of bread (Judges 7:13-14). Elijah, just prior to executing 450
prophets of Baal, "mocked then" as the Bible says, telling them to yell
louder to their god so that Baal could hear their prayers since he was
either on a trip, sleeping or in the restroom (Hebrew for "private
place," 1 Kings 18:27).

When non-Christians air anti-drug ads that mock "pot heads on Jeopardy"
who cannot even remember their names, they are not motivated out of
hatred, but out of love. Ridicule can and does save lives. "Why do you
think they call it dope?" Those ads run on Christian stations and get
absolutely no criticism for being unloving or unkind. Why is it that
Christians never rise up against the effort to stigmatize drug users? If
a pagan brings peer pressure against "pot heads," that is accepted. But
let a believer, however, use mockery to stigmatize fornication or
sodomy, and the Church rises in condemnation. God, however, does not
condemn those who "rebuke the wicked" but just the opposite.

When a harsh word is needed God uses a harsh word. Herod beheaded John
the Baptist for "rebuking" the king for "all the evils which Herod had
done" and for condemning the tetrarch for incestuous adultery. with
"Herodias, his brother Philip's wife." Jesus warned of "the leaven of
Herod." When notified that "Herod wants to kill You," Christ responded
without respect, "Go, tell that fox, 'I cast out demons'..."

The especially harsh term "hypocrite" is used in the Gospels 23 times.
Christ often insulted the scribes, Pharisees and lawyers. He even called
the Pharisees blind guides and sons of hell. Jesus spoke unkind words
unacceptable today. He told the Pharisees "You are of your father the
devil," and made a whip and cleared "thieves" from the temple.

Gentiles (as symbols of the godless) and sodomites are called "dogs" in
the Bible. And Jesus was harsh to all the unrepentant, not just to the
Pharisees (see His use of "hypocrite"). Jesus instructs Christians to
not "cast your pearls before swine" (Mat. 7:6). Yet the silly dilemma
now is, "Who could Christ possibly have meant by that, for we are too
loving, tolerant, polite and respectful to refer to any human being by
that mean-spirited term."

[nChrist]

Are Christians Too Nice?
By Unknown Author

The Bible calls the seductive women among the people of God as worse
than "whores" (Ezekiel 16:33). That crude term appears in the Bible
dozens of times. The men who use those women are "whoremongers" (1
Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 21:8; 22:15), which is the most
raw term in the English language to describe promiscuous men. God
describes other sinners in terms of filthy excrement (Isaiah 64:6) and
even worse (2 Kings 18:27; Isaiah 36:12). Sinners truly are repulsive,
regardless of how Christians try to sanitize them.

The Bible does not say, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." Rather, it says
God hates "all who do iniquity" (Psalm 5:5). "The Lord abhors the man of
bloodshed and deceit" (Psalm 5:6). Also "the one who loves violence His
soul hates" (Psalm 11:5).

There are six things "the Lord hates," including "a heart that devises
wicked plans, ... a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads
strife among brothers" (Proverbs 6:16-19). And God reminds us "Because
of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I
will love them no more" (Hosea 9:15). As Moses wrote of God, "Yet if in
spite of this you do not obey Me ... My soul shall abhor you" (Leviticus
26:27-30).

Paul wrote, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to
what is good" (Romans 12:9) introducing the concept of hypocritical
love. What is hypocritical love? "Should you help the wicked and love
those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord?"
(2 Chronicles 19:2). Warning the wicked of the coming judgment is harsh,
but is a necessary component of acceptable love. A love that is not
hypocritical rebukes and condemns, and then points the way to God.

The apostle Paul fell way short of today's compassionate Christianity
when he wrote that the government should minister terror, wrath and
vengeance against the evildoer and that the sword should be used against
them. The apostle also erred by today's standards by calling unbelievers
fools and the Galatians fools. Incidentally, Jesus also called men
fools. Atheists are fools (Psalm 53:1) and it is unloving to withhold
this knowledge from them.

Jesus was a man, not a girl and not a wimp. Christian men today have
been emasculated. Men and women are different and they communicate
differently. Women are softer and nicer than men, and thank God that
they are. However, men are not supposed to be women. Today, Christian
ministers are expected to behave like women. That foolishness is a death
sentence for many unbelievers. Strength, confidence, conviction and
tough love appeal to those who are searching.

Christians today are way nicer than God. It is tragic. This spiritual
plateau that the Church has reached today conveniently reduces the
chances for confrontation. Nice people rarely rebuke, judge, confront,
accuse or condemn. Nice people have less stress. It seems the only ones
that Christians are quick to judge and condemn are fellow believers who
judge and condemn the wicked. Why is this? I'll tell you why. It's
because if rebuking the wicked ever becomes the expected life-style of
the average Christian, then that would mean that they would have to
rebuke the wicked and that would make them ... (oh no! ... dare I say
it?) ... unpopular!

[Reba]

Sheesh,  makes me think of  "Hitch"


Hello brother,

 Just noising around today been missing the companionship of believers.  Spell check is great!

[nChrist]

Hello Sister Reba,

It's wonderful to hear from you. You are still in our prayers, and we've missed you.

I can't remember how long it's been. I know that I have another grandson since I heard from you, and he's a keeper. He's almost 4 months old now and my oldest grandson is 6years old now. WOW! - Time flies. I hope and pray that things are going good for you and your family.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Jon-Marc]

My experience with other Christians is that they are not all that nice. (1) I have been rejected in two churches because of being divorced. It seems to me that Christians are able to forgive anything except divorce. (2) There is very little unity among professing Christians. (3) We are separated by denomination--often because of small differences. (4) One denomination wants nothing to do with another denomination and thinks they are the only one that's right. (5) There is much fighting and bickering within the denominations, name calling, and spilts. (6) There is much compromising with Satan in some churches by allowing homosexuals to join churches, marry, and be ordained as ministers. 

[nChrist]

Hello Jon-Marc,

YES, there are a lot of divisions, and there were divisions from the very beginning. The divisions near the beginning were huge Salvation issues regarding JESUS CHRIST, the CROSS, and rejection of JESUS CHRIST by HIS Own. In fact, it's been a never ending division over one thing or another.

There are many issues that aren't worthy of lengthy debates unless the participants specifically want to debate that particular topic. Many Salvations issues aren't subject to debate, specifically who JESUS CHRIST is and what HE did on the CROSS.

There are various opinions about many things, regardless of how clear the Bible is on a particular issue. On these exceptionally clear issues, many people simply choose to dismiss them. Alternative lifestyles would be one of these exceptionally clear issues that isn't subject to interpretation at all. Alternative lifestyles are simply sin and an abomination to GOD, and they always have been. Nothing will change, and I don't know how this particular issue could be stated any more clearly.

There are other issues in the Bible that are not understood nearly as easily, so they require many years of dedicated Bible Study for an attempt for understanding. AND, there will still be varying opinions on the most difficult portions of Scripture. This thread wasn't talking about things like this, rather of more simple rights and wrongs taught by the Bible.

Knowledge of sin is one of the first steps for a person to know that they are in need of Salvation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD of GOD. The real gist of this thread is saying that it's cruel to withhold information about sin. In this politically correct world that we live in, that's what the world and the devil wants Christians to do. It certainly doesn't help the person wallowing in sin to smile and act like everything they're doing is OK. Continued withholding of the truth would keep lost people lost, and that would be exceptionally cruel. This was the primary purpose for this thread.

You spoke of compromises, and that would definitely be a major reason for certain divisions. If the compromise involves evil and an acceptance of the devil's ways over GOD'S, that would be the perfect reason to leave that church and never come back. However, there are divisions over much smaller things. SO, at what point should a Christian stand up and be unmovable? The only answer for this is prayer and asking GOD to guide us in what HE wants us to do. AND our answer is already provided in the Bible for many issues. As an easy example, Isaiah tells us bluntly not to call evil good. Regardless, there is never an end to prayer and Bible Study for Christians interested in what GOD wants them to do.

Love In Christ,
Tom