Defending the Faith………. If God is sovereign and we are doing his will, why should we worry about a defense? Doesn’t that appear to be focusing too much on the mundane, too much on our own needs? Does it show a lack of faith? The point is that while it is true that God is sovereign and we are committed to doing his will, we live in a world that makes demands on us, even unreasonable demands. Christians are called before authorities, judges, and courts sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for not-so-good reasons. These persons have the responsibility of keeping peace in society, for upholding society’s laws, and to resolve conflict. Sometimes they are just doing their job; but some use their position to harass and persecute Christians, and this of course is unjust. A clear example of the role of government is seen in Acts 19:35-41 where conflict rose because Demetrius, a silversmith who earned a living making silver models of the goddess Artemis, felt that his livelihood was threatened by Paul’s preaching. It was threatened! The city clerk, who appears to be a reasonable man interested in maintaining peace and in resolving the conflict in a civil manner, exhorts the silversmith guild to go to court to air their grievances, although Paul and his cohorts had not robbed any temples or blasphemed the goddess they must therefore defend themselves in courts and before proconsuls, whether they like it or not. We should not be surprised if our witnessing about Christ causes opposition and we are taken to court for it. This had been the method of operation in societies where the motives are honorable (but their laws or customs may be wrong) but also in totalitarian states where the court system is merely a façade, a mere pretense of justice. The real question is not do we need a defense but how do we deal with being called to court and what should our conduct be. We need to remember that in reality we are not on trial; it is Jesus Christ and the gospel message that is being assessed and judgment passed upon. It has been noted that in Stephen’s defense in Acts chapter 7 that he never once mentions himself. When Chinese Pastor Samuel Lamb was being interrogated, a group of friends and staff members gathered to pray that he might have boldness and that he would realize that it was Jesus who was on trial, not Pastor Lamb (Ken Anderson, Bold as a Lamb, 4). That is not a universal principle because the Apostle Paul often had to defend himself and his own ministry. In 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul said that at his “first defense,” when everyone abandoned him, the Lord stood by his side and gave him strength so that he could fully proclaim the message so that all the Gentiles could hear it. Paul defended himself and his ministry to those who oppressed him in the church, those who denied his right to be an apostle. In the public courts, however, the issue was not self-defense but the public opportunity to share the gospel to those he was called to reach. He used every legal defense he could under Roman law. He also used the occasion to share his witness to Christ’s transforming power in his life. Peter, who had his share of difficulties with those who opposed the gospel, wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV): “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.” persecutionblog/2014/01/defending-the-faith.html
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 15:25:08 +0000
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