Jesus said that "the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to
their own kind than the sons of light" (Luke 16:8, NAS). These
persons zero in on inconsistencies in our beliefs and exploit them,
like loopholes, to avoid repentence. Since the alternative is to
abandon them, I must strive to reason with them on their level and be
consistent in all that I claim; hence the questions I have brought
up.
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Bill:
Either be totally consistent or abandon them? What a terrible dilemma you are
in!
You admit that if you try to play their game they will beat you. So it's fight
or flight. You are trapped in a legalistic guilt trip.
Another approach: choose your battleground. If the focus is on Jesus, e.g. by
doing a Bible study in the book of John, then you can debate on a more familiar
territory. "Jesus knew what is in man" -- John 2:25. Let Jesus do the claiming
and the convincing. "By grace are ye saved" -- and by grace do ye save others.
Note that it is not our job to convince people of sin; that is the job of the
Holy Spirit. (Unless, of course, you also happen to be holy and sinless).
Of course you can't lead anyone where they don't want to follow. If people want
to put up barriers, they will. But Christ can tunnel through these barriers if
the desire is there. He is the source of attraction; when He is clearly seen,
desire will come. There is so much about Jesus (not Christians, not the Church,
not Moses) that is attractive for people.
Paul Arveson, Research Physicist
Code 724, NSWC, Bethesda, MD 20084
73367.1236@compuserve.com arveson@oasys.dt.navy.mil
(301) 227-3831 (W) (301) 227-1914 (FAX) (301) 816-9459 (H)