In this issue of Chapter and Verse, I'd like to look at five responses to reproof. First of all, to respond means to react: "to act or do something in reaction to something else." In context, we are looking at how a person responses to reproof.
Because we all are human and all fall short at times, we need to understand reproof. When we are faced with the knowledge of the possibility of personal sin in our lives, we need to know how to respond according to the Word of God.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;I John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Sooner or later, if you're breathing you will fall short. We all will. However, God knows we are going to mess up and has lovingly made provision for it.
Psalm 103:13-14 13Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear them that fear him. 14For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Our Heavenly Father is always ready to meet us with mercy and to forgive us when we genuinely confess our sins and repent of them.
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy
Many times I have said to people, "Where do you go in your mind when you are confronted with the knowledge of personal sin?" How we respond to this question makes all the difference between life and death. Let's go to God's Word and look at some of these responses.
Matthew 27:1-5 1When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Judas condemned himself. This is not the proper way to respond to the knowledge of personal sin in your life. Have you ever realized you have blown it big time in an area of life? Well, you can't get any worse than betraying the Son of God. Judas condemned himself and win overwhelming sorrow and grief opened himself up to Satan. This resulted in his death. Verse 5 says that Judas went and hanged himself, which indicated how he would eventually die.
God never condemns us when he deals with us. If our mind is full of God's Word then when we sin we should quickly realize our error and confess and repent of our sin. God then will quickly restore us to fellowship with him.
John 8:10-11 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
If God doesn't condemn, and Jesus doesn't; where does condemnation come from? Not God. Satan many times tricks us into sinning. However, it doesn't stop there. When we are faced with the knowledge of personal sin in our lives, Satan doesn't want us to repent and receive forgiveness from our loving Heavenly Father. So do you know what Satan does? One of his tricks is to get you to condemn yourself, which is just another sin. Never condemn yourself when you blow it; just never do it. Remember that God may confront you, but He will never condemn you. If you feel bad that's one thing, but godly sorrow leads to repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly, sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.Hebrews 12:6-11 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no, chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
So we see one reaction to reproof is to condemn yourself. This is wrong.
Jonah 3:1-3 1Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
God told Jonah to go one way, and Jonah went another. In Chapter 2, Jonah meets up with a hungry fish and after his ordeal he decides to obey.
Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.Jonah 4:1-8 1But it displeased, Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 2And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 2Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? 5So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side, of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. 6And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 7But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 8And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
How did Jonah respond to God? Jonah didn't like what God had said and done, so Jonah got angry. When we don't like what the Lord had said and done, so Jonah got angry. When we don't like what the Lord shows us sometimes we may be tempted to get angry also.
However, if God shows us we are missing it in an area of life, we should not respond to him in anger. If there was someone else involved in this record, Jonah would be angry at them too; I guarantee it. If someone speaks the truth to you in love, you should never respond with anger to them or God. Judas condemned himself and finally killed himself. Jonah got angry and wanted to die.
To be continued…ÿ