There are only two categories of human beings: those who are in Adam, and those who are in Christ. Are you in Adam or in Christ?
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In Matthew 5:39, Jesus says:
If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
If you are a regular church goer, chances are you have heard this phrase before, but what does it mean? Is Jesus advocating physical abuse? Is He is telling us never to defend ourselves? Or is He talking about something different?
Before we answer our questions, let’s imagine the action. Two blows are involved. The first blow comes from a person slapping you on your cheek with the back of their hand, causing your face to turn to one side. The second blow would come when you voluntarily turn your other cheek to them, so that they could then come across your face with their open hand.
In Jesus’ day, when someone slapped you with the back, or palm, of their hand, it was more an insult than a physical attack. The person being slapped would be dishonored and shamed. This is true in our day as well. When a man says something rude to a woman, she may slap him. There is no question she may desire to physically harm him, but her slap will probably do nothing more than bruise his ego, dishonor, or shame him.
Jesus is teaching us we are to allow ourselves to be shamed and dishonored instead of retaliating. The idea then is that we are to relinquish our rights to worldly honor. Instead of finding honor from the world, we are to find honor and acceptance in Christ. After all, as Christians, we are the sons of God. What could bring more honor than that?
(1) It would break the chain of evil.
Our natural response is to hit, take, or offend back, when we have been hit, stolen from, or offended. When we relinquish our rights to worldly honor and personal retaliation, we break the natural chain of evil.
(2) It would take retaliation out of the personal realm and give it to God.
Jesus provides this teaching because the Old Testament Law an an eye for and eye was being misused. The Law’s original intent was to take retaliation out of the personal realm and place it into the hand of the judges, in order to keep blood feuds from starting and preserve Israel’s witness to the surrounding nations.
By Jesus’ day, the Law had been misused. Instead of accomplishing its purpose of limiting personal retaliation the opposite happened. Personal retaliation was exacted more often outside of the court of law. Part of the reason this was happening was because people felt dishonored. In order to gain their honor back, they retaliated.
Jesus then is teaching us that a willingness to be dishonored is necessary to preserve peace and unity in a community, as well as to be patient and allow God or the court to work.
(3) It would show a completely different way of thinking and living than the world, allowing us to witness to those around us.
Allowing someone to dishonor us, and even physically attack us without defense to a certain extent is completely foreign to most people. When we act in ways different than our society, people want to know why we are acting that way and how we can act that way, which then allows us to be a witness to Jesus and His life transforming power.
Are you willing to give up your worldly honor and be shamed, in order to be a witness for Christ? The question is tough, I know. It is, however, what Jesus is calling us to as His disciples.
(1) It doesn’t mean we allow someone to abuse us physically, or even mentally.
Advocating physical or mental abuse would be a misuse of Jesus’ teaching. If you are in an abusive relationship, get out of the situation, and get some help. Cities often have abuse shelters. As well as most churches are willing to help. Seek these resources out if you are being abused.
(2) It doesn’t mean we must be a pacifist
We can defend our country, our family, others, and even ourselves at times.
When it comes to defending ourself it gets a bit complex. Some say never, but I believe we can defend ourselves when we are left with no choice. When we do defend ourselves, we should use the least amount of force necessary to protect ourselves. Remember, it is not about our honor. We do not have to win the fight. We can simply punch someone in the face and run away.
Returning to our initial questions, we now see we can fight back against abuse and an attacker. Jesus’ teaching is more about relinquishing our rights to honor than self defense. With His command, Jesus is doing what He has been doing all throughout the Sermon on the Mount, He is attacking our heart, probing to see if we love Him more than our own honor.
Who should we engage with the gospel? How would you answer that question? Especially, when we consider Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7:6:
Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
I know most of you are thinking: Shouldn’t we engage anyone and everyone with the gospel. I believe that is partly right, especially when we consider Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:16-20 to go and make disciples. So yes, we should be willing to engage anyone and everyone, but how can we best steward our time in a hostile world, especially, when there are so many who need the gospel?
Let me offer you a few principles that I think might be helpful in answering our question.
(1) We should not consistently engage those with the gospel who are looking for an argument.
Proverbs 17:14 and 18:19 say,
The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
(2) We should not consistently engage those with the gospel who are fools and do not desire to know the truth.
Proverbs 14:7; 18:2; 23:9 say,
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
I am not asking this question in order to give myself or others an excuse to not share the gospel. We should be willing to share the good news with all who will listen, and even those who will not.
I am, however, asking this question to challenge you to see that our time and resources are precious. As a result, you should spend your time and resources on those who are willing to listen and are actively seeking to know more about Christ.
For instance, there are a few guys who frequent the Starbucks in my town that I engage with the gospel periodically. I don’t, however, engage them on a daily basis. Why? Because they don’t care to know the truth. They are fools who only want to argue that Christianity is not true. For me to consistently engage them is unfruitful and sucks up my time and resources that I could employ to get to know others. Instead of fretting over engaging them, I rest in the fact knowing they have heard the gospel, are consistently prayed for, and if God so chooses to save them, He will work to soften their hard hearts.
Let me challenge you to share the gospel with others, but to be strategic in who you seek to consistently engage. Spend your time and resources on those who are willing to have an honest conversation with you.
What do you think about Christian accountability? Do you think it is abused? Do you think it is negative? Do you think we should hold each other accountability? Beyond what you think, what does the Bible say? What does it tell us we should do? How does it tell us we should exercise accountability in the body? 1 Samuel 15 provides us with an excellent model.
Saul has disobeyed God by not completing the mission God gave him. Instead of completely destroying the Amalekites, he spared king Agag’s life and allowed his people to keep the best cattle to sacrifice to the Lord. As well as he setup a monument to himself in Carmel.
Samuel received word from the Lord regarding Saul’s actions, goes and confronts him, calling him to repent while also delivering bad news. The Lord has rejected him as king over Israel.
Samuel’s actions both tell us accountability is biblical as well as they provide us with a model to follow. Let’s look at the model Samuel gives us.
(1) We should grieve over others sins because they have offended a holy God.
The first action we should take when we learn of another brother or sister’s sin is to grieve. Sin is an affront to God. It’s rebellion against Him. Knowing another brother or sister is in sin, should cause us to grieve.
(2) We should go to the person and confront them with their sin.
After grieving, prayer for wisdom, and checking our own heart’s motives, we should confront the sinning brother or sister, bringing their sin to light and calling them to repent. Of course, we must not do this in a high-handed, judgmental, or self-promoting way, but in a loving and wise manner.
(3) We must confront them with God’s Word.
Samuel doesn’t come to Saul with his own word. He comes with God’s Word. When we go to another brother or sister in sin, we must go with God’s Word as well. Allowing Scripture to point out their sin is important because it is what is judging them, not us. All we are doing is pronouncing God’s judgment on them via Scripture. In this way, we are acting as God’s messenger, not their judge.
(4) We must call them to repent.
Confrontation should not occur for confrontations sake. Rather, its purpose is that the confronted sinner will repent of their sin and enjoy restored fellowship with the Lord. Calling the wayward to repent is an important step of accountability. One we must not neglect because it is what the whole process is driving toward.
For some, accountability is an uneasy topic. It is something they would never dream of doing. For that reason, let me provide you with motivation to hold others accountable and to seek it out yourself.
(1) As God’s people we should reflect His character to the world for His glory.
If we are in sin, we cannot reflect God’s character to the world. Instead, we are actually misrepresenting God, especially if we call ourselves Christians. By holding each other accountable, we are fighting for the purity of Jesus’ bride – the church – and for God’s glory. We should do this and desire this because the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
(2) Unrepentant sinners hinder the church’s witness to the world.
This is why the world sees many Christians as hypocrites. If we want to regain our name in the world, we have to start calling people to repent of their sin and to follow God. Accountable then becomes a way for the church to fight for its witness in the world.
(3) Accountability is for your joy.
When we live in obedience to God, we experience the most joy. Think about a time when you were living in rebellion to God. Were you joyful then? I know that when I am in rebellion to God, I am not joyful. Now think about a time, when you were living in line with God’s commands, were you joyful then? I know that is the time when I am the most joyful.
Accountable, confronting others with their sin, and calling them to repentance is far from negative, rather it is a way for us to fight for other’s joy.
(4) Accountability helps us finish the race.
Salvation is pictured both as a definitive historical event that happens in our life and as something to be attained at the end of our life. By holding others accountability, we help them to finish the race. We help them to obtain salvation.
James 5:19-20 says,
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
For those reasons and more, we should hold others accountable. It is a grace – gift – God has given us. It is not something negative. It actually is something positive, and something we should desire.
The gospel presents a radically different idea of salvation than most people believe, even among those who call themselves Christians. Salvation is either thought of something you earn, or as a belief only. These two forms of salvation are called Moralism and Relativism.
Depending on where you life, Moralism or Relativism may be more or less popular. To generalize, Moralism is often popular in the red states, while Relativism is more popular in the blue states. On the surface, Moralism appears more dangerous because there is a perceived goodness in the individual that provides them with salvation, while it is often clear the Relativist is living in sin. In reality, they are both just as dangerous and need to be corrected by the gospel.
What is Relativism and Moralism? How does the gospel correct them both? Let’s start with the former of the two questions.
Relativism stresses grace without truth. God accepts us all, sin has no bearing on us, and we have to decide what is true for us. While the Moralist creates additional laws, the Relativist cast off law completely, thinking they can do whatever they like because they have been extended God’s grace.
In doing so, they create a god of their own making. A god they only have to believe in, not one who is the Lord of their life. The reason they do this is to appease their conscience and their fleshly desires at the same time. Belief in God provides their conscience with comfort, while a license to sin provides for their flesh. The gospel, however, tells us we can’t have our cake and eat it too.
Moralism stresses truth without grace. Salvation is obtained by obedience only. Grace is thrown out for proper behavior and additional self-imposed laws, which are believed to help them earn God’s grace.
The Moralist, just like the Relativist, creates a god of their own making, even though their god is completely different. Instead of allowing them to live how they want, the god of the Moralist only accepts them based on their works. Legalism then dominates Moralistic societies.
In contrast to both Moralism and Relativism, lies the gospel, which is not a set of rules. Rather, it is an understanding that believing in Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for salvation.
The gospel differs from Moralism in that it does not require someone to earn their salvation. Rather than earning their salvation, they are saved through Christ’s sacrifice alone, which means they are then freed to live out their righteousness. In other words, their righteous actions become a product of their salvation, not a way to earn or keep their salvation [1].
The gospel differs from Relativism in that it does not give one a license to sin. Paul makes this explicit in Romans 6 when he says,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:1-4)
God’s grace is not to be abused. Rather, His grace frees us to walk in newness of life. It frees us from the grip of sin. It allows us for the first time in our life to live according to God’s commandments.
Relativism and Moralism show us that man has a tendency to distort the Bible’s teaching in an effort to save himself independent of God. The biblical model of salvation, however, leaves no room for either Relativism or Moralism. The Bible heralds the message of justification by faith alone apart from any works of the Law. A message that is radically different than the world’s, but one that is radically freeing. Through the gospel alone we are free to live out our righteousness without seeking to earn our salvation, as well as we are freed from the grip of sin to live in accordance with God’s commandments. Therefore, the Bible’s message of salvation is: Faith + Nothing = Salvation.
[1] Thoughts on Moralism, Relativism, and the Gospel taken from The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller
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