To be a citizen of the United States of America is a great blessing in life. It is hard for us sometimes to comprehend just how great a country this is because its freedoms are all most of us have ever known. This causes us at times to take them for granted and not fully appreciate them, but one must only travel to a foreign country and see both the conditions in which some live and the conditions under which some live to know just how blessed we are. One of the great freedoms we enjoy is the freedom of speech as outlined in the first amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” While many have perverted this “inalienable right” and abused it to the point of unreasonable proportions every American citizen is able to express any opinion he/she so desires without fear of being prosecuted in a court of law. But just because we can say anything we want does it mean we should?
I have noticed in recent months an increasing trend among many New Testament Christians, and in particular some of my fellow preaching brethren, that has caused me to stop and take notice. Social media has made the expression of opinion quicker and easier than it has ever been before, but it has also caused people’s mouths to get them in trouble quicker and easier, often to their lasting detriment. Several times in the last few months there have been many different individuals who have expressed political or social opinions (underline opinion!) that have shown disrespect and derision toward others, but after being firmly rejected by many have caused heated discussions unfavorably attracting the attention of dozens of people. I’m not talking about matters of morality (such as homosexuality or abortion) nor am I talking about matters of Bible doctrine. I’m talking about matters of opinion. Do we have the right to express those opinions? Absolutely! But in the process is it severely handicapping the influence that those preachers and other Christians can have among their peers? Without a doubt!
Paul was once faced with the great decision of doing what was right or doing what was his right (there is a big difference). He wrote: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Christians, preachers, we must remember that everything we say and do is under the great microscope of society. And while we should stand out from society as the peculiar people of God (1 Peter 2:9) we must be able to reach society as the evangelistic servants of God (Matthew 28:19). But how can we reach them with matters of eternal importance if they do not respect us in matters of little consequence? We, like Paul, must decide whether we are willing to lose the respect of our peers for the sake of winning an argument. Sometimes in order to reach the world we must learn to keep our mouths shut!
“A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth called for strokes. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul” (Proverbs 18:6-7).