Featured Is it Christ-Like to Insult?

Other Scriptures that make my point that harsh, insulting Christianity is wrong:

Ga 6:1--Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Gal. 5:22-23--But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Php 2:3--Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

And one that is ignored over and over on the BB:

1 Tim 5:1--Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

 

Here's another one that is ignored over and over on the BB (and yeah, okay, by me sometimes ):

2 Timothy 2
23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

What??? "In meekness"??? "Gentle unto all men"??? Hmm. Don't see any room for insults or name-calling there.

 

I believe this is definitely talking about age rather than authority, as in a church elder, since after "elder" it refers to younger people. So I believe that older people are always to be treated with respect. I think this is ingrained in the human DNA, part of "natural revelation," since so many societies around the world believe in respect for the aged. Japan even has a "Respect for the Elderly" holiday. In America we have senior citizen discounts, etc.

Concerning the "rebuke," I think it applies just to the elders. We are not rebuke an elder but treat him as a father. We can rebuke the others, but are to do so as a relative, treating them as in the same Christian family.

 

I love the KJV and don't normally quote from other versions (unless it's my own rendering or a Japanese Bible :smilewinkgrin, but here is the ESV rendering of Matt. 5:21-22.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whosever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire."

This is in the Sermon on the Mount, quoting the Ten Commandments. It's part of the teaching of Christ that makes the Ten Commandments apply not just to the outward act but the inward attitude. If you make this cultural and only relevant to the 1st century...well, there goes the entire Sermon on the Mount! (Shades of the old hyper dispensationalism!)

 

All in all, as usual the NASB translates pretty literally and faithful to the original text, to a fault occasionally. In this case, translating the first Greek noun as "fool" is pretty standard, but "good for nothing" is a new one to me. The first Greek word, hraka, is actually a loan word from Aramaic that occurs nowhere else in the NT, but a few times in other documents from both classical and koine Greek. My BADG lexicon gives "a term of abuse, as a rule derived from the Aramaic...'empty one.'" Then it has "fool, empty-head."

The second word is moros, which is actually an adjective sometimes used as a noun. The fact that it is the root word for our English word "moron" is irrelevant to the Greek meaning. It occurs 13 times in the Greek NT, usually as an adjective but sometimes (like in Matt. 5:22) used as a noun. BAGD gives "foolish, stupid" as the meaning. So the two words are very similar in their meaning.

The interesting thing about the NASB rendering is the extra words initalics: "enough to go" to Hell, or Gehenna. At any rate, I think this warning from Jesus plays up the fact that insulting and name-calling are a sign of pride. I don't call someone else a fool unless I'm sure I'm not one, therefore putting myself above them. So much for "esteeming others better"! The sin of pride is considered by many to be the root sin for all others, and the sin that caused Satan to fall.
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Naw, couldn't be! :laugh:

 

Check your shoe size. If it doesn't fit, I wasn't talking about you. It was simply a general statement. And anyway, if someone was skinned alive for preaching Christ, they certainly don't fit what I said.

 

Rebuke is good and proper. Name calling and insulting is wrong. I am dead wrong if I do not rebuke error. I am also dead wrong if I rebuke error in a prideful way. We are to consider ourselves lest we also fail when we restore a sinner, according to the Bible.

 

No I don't, but at least they have to claim Christ to be here. The Pharisees did not claim Christ, opposed Him at every turn and even tried to kill Him, eventually succeeding at getting Him on the cross. What Christ forbade in Matt. 5:22 was calling a brother fool.

When I meet someone I am not sure is saved, I probe their hearts with the Word of God, praying for the Holy Spirit to convict them as I do. I don't see any need to insult, but there may be a need to rebuke. (There is a difference.) It is His job to convict of sin, not mine. I once did that here in Japan with a woman from a liberal church. After awhile she said, "Oh, you're talking about the Heaven of the Bible, not the Buddhist Paradise!" She trusted Christ as Savior that day, though she had been a professing Christian for 20 years.

As well you should be grateful. But I have to ask, was it a rebuke for your false doctrine, or was it actual insulting and name calling? Did the man call you an idiot, fool, moron, etc.? Or did he just rebuke your failures?

I agree. I just believe far more good is done with compassion than anger and harshness. My grandfather used to say, "Any man who can preach on Hell without weeping is backslidden," and his life's verses were Ps. 126:5-6: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

 

First of all, you have no idea what kind of fundamentalist circles or other circles I have been exposed to. Secondly, the thread is not about fundamentalism, so it is not germane for you to continually bring it up.

 

Well, I've certainly found that out, if I didn't know it already! :BangHead: