Why Non-christians Are Offended By The Bible
A few days ago, I received a bill from my Doctors office
. I ripped it open and jumped straight to the bottom line, which showed a balance due of $238.88. Immediately, anger began to rise in my spirit. I know my insurance coverage. I always pay my deductible before I leave the office. How could I possibly owe $238.88? For that matter, how / why should I owe them anything at all?
I was reaching for the phone to call and chew somebody out, when my eye finally drifted back to the top of the document, and I realized that the name on the bill was that of a neighbor who lives one block over. It seems that the mistake was partly the postmans fault, and partly mine. He had delivered the bill to the wrong address and I had opened it without noticing that it wasnt addressed to me. I was reading somebody elses mail!
Im Offended!
Thinking back over this strange experience, it is not so different from the phenomenon of increasing anger even outrage over Christian doctrine. In most cases, that means people are angry about things which are written in the Bible. If you go online and read blogs about science, faith, or politics, you are likely to find angry comments from readers who take offense at scriptural doctrines and commands.
Take your focus off of the topics which seem to trigger their outrage, though, and look at the clues that reveal who they are. Most of the people who are angry about Christian doctrine are clearly not, themselves, Christian. They read or more likely, hear rumors about what is written in Gods Word, and immediately take offense.
What Does the Bible Say?
It isnt surprising that unbelievers dont understand the things of God. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches, The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14 NET Bible
Misguided Christians often attempt to explain spiritual concepts to people who are themselves unspiritual. The Lord, Jesus made it clear that we shouldnt even try to do that. In the Gospel of Matthew, He is quoted thus:
Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.- Matthew 7:6 NET Bible
Does that mean, then, that Christians should reject all contact with unbelievers, and just leave them to their fate? If you are a believer, you surely know about the Great Commission. Our Lord instructed us quite clearly,
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned. - Mark 16:15-16 NET Bible
Avoid Confrontation Whenever Possible.
He also said, I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16 NET Bible) If you are confused by that comment, consider this. In general, snakes sense the approach of humans, and slip into hiding before they are ever seen. Even venomous snakes generally prefer to avoid conflict. Our Lords instruction says, in effect, Whenever possible, avoid confrontations. We are to be aware of our surroundings. We are called to be witnesses, but not to intentionally cause conflict.
Reading Someone Elses Mail
There is a delightful story of an incident which supposedly occurred about a century ago which I read in a Christian devotional. A prominent atheist had given an impressive oratory, attacking the Christian faith from many different angles. He closed his speech with the statement, I have read the Bible from cover to cover and, it made no sense to me. Immediately, a shabbily dressed little old lady stood up and shouted to him, Thats because youve been reading somebody elses mail!
If you find yourself wondering why unbelievers have such difficulty understanding and accepting the Christian faith why they are so hostile toward you, toward the Lord, or toward the Christian faith in general, consider this: Could their problem with our faith be that they have been reading somebody elses mail?
by: Philip Herr
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