"At everyone hearing the word of the kingdom and not understanding, coming is the wicked one and snatching what has been sown in his heart. This is he who is being sown beside the road. Yet he who is being sown on the rocky places, this is he who is hearing the word and straightaway with joy is getting it, yet has no root in himself, but is temporary. Now at the coming of affliction or persecution because of the word, straightaway he is snared. Now he who is being sown in the thorns, this is he who is hearing the word, and the worry of this eon and the seduction of riches are stifling the word, and it is becoming unfruitful. Now he who is being sown on the ideal earth, this is he who is hearing the word and understanding, who by all means is bearing fruit, and is producing; these indeed, a hundred, yet these sixty, yet these thirtyfold."
Matthew 13: 19-23, Concordant New Testament
Imagine that you and a friend were talking. Suddenly your friend announces that the sky above you is green and not blue. You do your best to correct him with what you know to be true, but he won't have any of it. He insists that what you know to be true...is in fact a lie. How would you react? I was faced with just such a question this week as a dear friend of mine discussed a recent post I had written. In my last post, I attempted to show the error of the thinking that men are women and that women can be switched to men. My friends question? How do you argue with those who claim that God intended them to be the opposite sex? Now, I know the answer to this question all too well. Scripture tells us that the Lord created us male and female {Genesis 1:27}. Am I to simply throw away what I know in my heart to be true simply because somebody wants to be someone else? If you believe that then I have a bridge to sell you. What this comes down to is how we are to respond to someone whose beliefs go against all we know to be true. How would I respond? I would ask this question of the person. If God desired for you to be the opposite sex, why did he deceive you from the beginning by creating you as one he did not want you to be? Obviously, someone like this is simply using God to fit their own purpose. I'm ok with that, but don't try to convince me that a pile of crap smells like roses. In His parable of the sower, Jesus pointed out how various people would receive the words of the gospel. There are those who receive the word, are happy and yet as soon as tribulation comes they forsake it. There are also those who receive the word and hold it in their hearts as true {Matthew 13:18-23}. If someone were to inquire of President Donald Trump if the sky was green I believe that he would correctly identify that as fake news.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world.
1 John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament
Going back to my friends question, what is our response to be to those who claim that God intended to do something which we know in our hearts to be in error? Do we simply call them a liar and correct their mistake? I would advise against this, as those we are dealing with more than likely have a distorted view of God for one reason or another. If we admonish them, it only confirms their negative view of the Lord. How would Jesus react to one who openly disparaged the Father? Consider His words that we are to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us {Luke 6:27-36}. Jesus is the gold standard by which we learn how to deal with the ungodly. Condemnation does not produce a desire to know the Lord. Consider that Jesus, when faced with the woman caught in adultery, chose instead to invite any of her accusers who had never sinned to toss that first stone {John 8:1-11}. When we come face to face with one who has a distorted understanding of the Lord, is our response to be one of condemnation? Do this, and it only fuels their misguided belief. What are we to say to one who claims that God intended them to be of the opposite sex? My first response would be to inquire what they knew and understood about the Lord. We might be surprised to find that they're view of God and ours do not match. Somewhere along the line, they came to know a false image of the Lord. How wonderful would it be for someone to speak the truth of God unto them? The truth is that they were created as they were in His own image. To speak anything less is...fake news.
He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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