But I think what I am learning is that some bandwagons need to be full. I am not so much interested in opposing a person as much as opposing their message and the damage that their range of influence can cause. Anyone that says we ought to say and believe the phrase, "My salvation comes from me" or to say and repeat "I am the light of the world." ought to be countered. Followers of Jesus cannot remain silent to any person of influence that turns the message of the Bible upside-down. We would do well to see this interaction as warfare.
But there is a major difference between fighting against a person and fighting against a belief system. This is where the difference lies in various Christians' definitions of warfare. Anytime you hear a Christian who is name-calling and slandering another person based on their belief system- you can bet that they have blurred the lines between tearing down a person and tearing down a stronghold. It's the difference between tearing down the image of God in a person and defending the image of God in a person.
Some Christians wage war against a person. Other Christians wage war against every argument and pretension that sets itself up against the gospel. The second one is best. Paul told Timothy to "Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith." He also says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, "For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
We do not demolish people, people! Click here to check out the growing tide of "opposing ideas that is falsely called knowledge" from one of the most influential people in the world. Let our response be love. And let us stand firm in the faith, friends.
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