Late Post...

Ok, sorry I officially missed the post for yesterday (Tuesday); I was on the road until midnight, so I didn't get to post officially. So, since I have to wake up early tomorrow morning (or this morning actually...), I am going to post a mini-report about confrontation. Enjoy!

Confrontation is an important thing—especially for those who call themselves Christians. Confrontation is an important part of the Christian life, because it is through confrontation that we become more like Christ. God’s Word confronts us about our sin, we repent, and we grow more like Christ.

But how should we confront one another? Should we even confront one another? What does God’s Word have to say about it? Dr. John MacArthur gives a response to these questions in his sermon entitled, “Confronting Sin in Our Spiritual Family”. In this sermon, Dr. MacArthur deals, based on I Timothy 5:1-2, with the process of confronting sin in the body of Christ. Since my area of study is in Christian ministry, I find particularly that I tend to look to men like Dr. MacArthur to see what they have to say on a particular topic, because God will usually have the response in His Word.

In this sermon, MacArthur says that rebuke should be done fearlessly, “with all authority”. He also says of the method of response,

“In the intimate loving relationships of a family, you do not harshly rebuke, he says, the next verb, you exhort, parakale from parakaleo. It means to encourage, admonish, entreat, appeal. My favorite translation of that is the word strengthen. I like the idea of strengthen because it's a positive thing. It means...para means alongside, called alongside. You're called alongside to help someone.” (MacArthur 1986)

Dr. MacArthur then outlines the different ways Paul says we should deal with older men, older women, younger men, and younger women. He says that we should confront older men and women as fathers and mothers, with respect and gentleness respectively. (MacArthur 1986) With younger men and women, we should confront them as sisters and brothers, as equals in humility and purity respectively. (MacArthur 1986)

This was a very helpful and interesting sermon for me to read. I am normally a very reserved person—not one to normally confront someone. After reading this sermon, however, I have seen the importance of confronting sin in the body as a member of a family helping others to become more holy by the confrontation and repentance of sin. I hope that as I mature spiritually, God will give me a spirit of grace and humility in confronting others, and the boldness to actually do it!

Works Cited

MacArthur, John. Grace to You. October 26, 1986. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/54-35 (accessed May 30, 2010).