My dear readers,

Answering Remaining Questions from Calvary Pandan Church Camp 2022 (4) 

Question 1: A person shared that uttering Roman 12:19-21 in prayer to seek justice from God is wrong. So, is there any justice for this broken-hearted Christian? If another evil person is also responsible indirectly in my loved one's death: Can I consider both God's servant (within Christendom) and the evil person (outside Christendom) as my personal enemies? How should I react to both of them? 

Answer 1: Romans 12:19-21: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

Praying for God’s justice is not wrong. There are imprecatory psalms teaching us to pray for God’s justice, as individuals (cf. Ps 68) and as a nation (cf. Ps 137). Romans 12:19-21 teaches us not to take vengeance against those who hurt us, especially the ones who persecute us for Christ’s sake. The LORD sees your suffering for Christ. He will deal with these individuals according to His grace, mercies and holy justice. Remember the Apostle Paul who persecuted believers and how Stephen when he was stoned to death prayed to God to forgive his persecutors? Paul heard what Stephen prayed. The LORD dealt with Paul by saving him in Christ! This is our prayer and hope for all who persecute us because of what we do for Christ’s sake. Therefore, we are to show kindness and love by “feeding” them, so that by our good works they will see Christ in us and glorify God by becoming believers.

The justice of God has always been on this earth. It is a matter of how He metes out His sovereign justice. Sometimes, He metes out His justice on earth toward everyone accordingly as seen in the natural disasters on earth. Such kinds of earthly justice stop or slow down sinful men and their sinful ways. It also allows them to repent of their sins and turn to God in Christ. God will mete out His justice on all humans after they die. No one escapes God's justice.

The person who is the believer’s personal enemy is not determined by whether the person calls himself a believer or not. The definition of a personal enemy applies if the believer is persecuted for Christ’s sake such as defending Christ’s Name or the Word of God, inside or outside the church. If a believer is targeted because of wrong doing, he is not being persecuted for Christ. 1 Peter 2:18-20: “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” 

God’s enemies are those who attack the Bible, such as teaching that the Bible has mistakes, or Christ did not rise from the dead. These are the ones that the Lord teaches us to hate with perfect hatred. It is hatred that is for God’s glory. It is a hatred that will not result in sin, but righteous indignation, in the defence of God’s holy and perfect Word. That is why the psalmist asked God to search his heart and to make sure there was no sinful thought or feelings.

Psalm 139:19-24: “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

 Question 2: How can we make sure that we have contended correctly such that believers are not hurt and we have not shamed the Name of Christ? 

Answer 2: The motive of the believer has to always be the love of Christ when he contends for the honour of Christ and His holy Word. With the love of Christ in his heart, he will season every word with salt. Every word will be truthfully written or spoken. His hope is to help open the eyes of the attackers and to save them from sin. His desire is to stop the damage these spiritual attacks might do to the babes in Christ. With this motive in his heart, his manner of contending for the faith will be right. It means that he will call a spade a spade (note Matthew 23 and see the names that Christ used to describe the scribes and Pharisees). He will not mince his words. He will be firm and unapologetic as he speaks and stands for the truth. He fears God and no man in defending God's truth. He trusts in God his heavenly Father to take care of the consequence. He will not manipulate outcomes by applying situational ethics. He knows it is sin to do so because it is not by faith and that anything that is not done by faith is sin (cf. Rom 14:23).

When chastisement comes, it is meant to stop the person who is in sin. He will experience pain. But the result is to return to holiness. Just like when a loving parent disciplines his child, it will hurt the child. But the result is that the child stops sinning. When we stand up for Christ based upon God’s Word and we do it with a heart constrained by God's love, we will not shame the name of Christ. This is what God has taught all His children to do, for His glory and their spiritual well-being. 

Question 3: If our family members are unbelievers, or from ecumenical churches what is the right way to interact with them? Can we still fellowship with them in family gatherings? Is there a difference in how we interact with a family member if he is in a leadership position in an ecumenical church? 

Answer 3: Having loved ones who are in ecumenical churches is the bane of the last days’ believers. It is very sad and is also a burden to help them know the truth and hopefully deliver them from the ecumenical snare that they are unaware of. Regard them as sinners who need help to see the light of God’s truth. Be very patient and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading to give you the words when the right time comes to share the truth. Attend family gatherings as part of the family. There is no issue of compromise here as long as your conduct among them is one of holiness and godliness according to Scriptures. For example, if they drink, patiently explain to them that you do not. Do your utmost to maintain your holy testimony so that the Lord can use you for His glory as a holy instrument in His righteous hand. It makes no difference whether he is a leader in an ecumenical church or not. He needs to be told the truth too. Ensure that you are well versed in the portions of the Bible that will help you explain the truth to them clearly. Remember this is a battle for the truth in the spiritual realm. It is to save them from sin and hell. Lean upon the Lord always. Do not fall into the snare of the devil by quarrelling or getting into an argument. The Lord has put you there to save them.