Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo: May 11, 2017 “People are not helped by Christians proving them wrong.” || John Pesebre

Question 1: What is the brief statement of the doubt?

Sa isang Facebook post ng hashtag na #neighborology, nabasa ko ito -- “It does not help that the popular way people nowadays know of speaking the truth is by proving others wrong.” Magpo focus tayo dito sa idea that “People are not helped by Christians proving them wrong.”

Question 2: Where did this doubt come from?

Napaka influential ng mga katagang “They’re people that Jesus wants us to love. They aren’t statistics, they aren’t numbers, they aren’t possible conversions” na galing sa isang kilalang writer sa US. Ang mga statements na ito ay nagse set ng morality sa engagement ng mga Christians sa tao. Nararapat na magpakita ng pagmamahal. Kapag hindi mo ginawa yon, hindi proper na Christian behavior yan. Dagdag pa ng manunulat,

• [A] Christian is somebody who understands [John 13:35 on loving one another], who understands that people with different perspectives and different religious beliefs and convictions, they're to be loved and respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter. God loves the world, so Christian does too. (Rob Bell, NOOMA Bullhorn [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005], 14)

Marami pa sana akong mga references to strengthen ang pinanggagalingan ng idea na ito ng #neighborology subalit in the interest ng time idiscuss ko na lang muna ang concern talaga nito para sa mga Christians. Ang problema na nais nyang solusyunan ay yung nakasanayan na daw ng mga Kristiyano na makipagtalo at makipagbangayan tungkol sa kanilang theology. Hindi daw ito nararapat sa setting na ngayon. Hindi na daw ito nakakatulong. It makes Christianity a people with an agenda.

Question 3: What is wrong about this doubt?

Hindi po totoo na “People are not helped by Christians proving them wrong.” Although maari nating sabihin na meron talagang mga Christians na very vitriolic sa kanilang pag disprove pero this statement na “People are not helped by Christians proving them wrong” is actually not very helpful.

Question 4: How is it wrong?

By way of affirming our Christian commitment o tinatawag nating positive apologetics o yung pag-a-affirm ng isang bagay in the presence of objections, bahagi ng napakayamang pahayag ng Salita ng Diyos ang mag-reproof. Tulad nga ng nabanggit ko nung last episode, kasama pa yan sa profitability na dala ng “God-breathed” na Scripture: “reproof” sa 2 Timothy 3:16. Moreover idagdag ko lang na sa 2 Corinthians 10:5, eto ang sinasabi -- “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to robey Christ.” Kung inyo ding susuriin ang mga Old Testament prophets, tila baga sila mismo nakikipag duel pa to prove others wrong like si Isaiah sa Mt. Carmel.

By way of refuting naman ang statement ng #neighborology na “It does not help that the popular way people nowadays…” na idea nauunawaan ko na baka ang iniisip nila ay appropriate yang refutation na yan noon sa Old and New Testament pero ngayon hindi na. However ako mismo is an example of the ministry of refutation. Yung Tita Annie ko na nag share sa akin ng Gospel engaged me on the falsehood of my set of beliefs back when I was not yet a believer. Baka nga kayo rin, yung inyong maling commitments were confronted by the truth of the Gospel kaya nagkaroon kayo ng pagkakataong mag evaluate. Isa sa mga naalala kong crucial na moment sa akin is back then I did not think God would forgive me for my sins and experience divine love. Then I heard this radio broadcast ni Harold Sala quoting Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” The verse is very straightforward about what God wants to carry out -- “let us reason together.” God was trying to refute wrong notions. So paanong hindi na relevant ang pag refute ngayon?

Moreover, si Brian Chilton discusses the following --

• Many have come to faith through intellectual argumentation for the faith. Among such converts include: C. S. Lewis (famed English professor and writer), Josh McDowell (author of countless Christian books), Lee Strobel (former legal editor of theChicago Tribune, atheist turned Christian pastor and writer), Fazale Rana (Christian biologist), and J. Warner Wallace (former Los Angeles cold-case homicide detective turned Christian apologist). These individuals only scratch the surface of those who have come to Christ because of the evidence for Christianity.

Question 5: What wrong idea about God is this doubt trying to create?

It makes God unconcerned about upholding truth of who He is and His creation. Parang Diyos na disconnected sa reality ng universe that He created. Ito yung diyos na matapos gawin ang universe ay umalis na. Napaka impersonal. Or pwede naman yung makalumang paniniwala nating mga Pilipino na yung mga bundok sa probinsiya ay mga actual na diyos na natutulog. Or yung mythological god ulit ng mga Griyego na si “Hypnos” na tulug nang tulog.

Question 6: What is the Biblical teaching about God that recuperates this wrong idea about God?

Read Isaiah 1:18, ““Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Here is God approaching Isaiah and asking the future prophet to reason with Him. Here we see a God who is refutes Isaiah’s wrong understanding.

Question 7: What application can you draw from this correct teaching about God?

Study Isaiah 1:18 and list down the wrong ideas in Isaiah’s mind that God was trying to correct?

Meditate on the passage by asking yourself “What are some of things in my mind and heart that I think God is trying to correct now?”

Question 8: What action point can you resolve to do at this point?