Quasi-Reformed Facebook Packs of Fatherless Men Attempt to Do Pulpit & Pen Great Deal of Harm — Fail.

To people who read JD Hall’s McGowan article and had concerns:

It is valid to be asking how we should respond when attacked by professing Christians.

Should we overlook every offense? After all, it is often to a man’s glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11).

No. We should not overlook every offense.

Not even Paul or Christ himself turned the cheek on every occasion (Acts 23:3, John 18:23). Sometimes a man talks back.

We have biblical support for calling a spade a spade. Let’s think this through.

God is love.

Also, God is just.

Justice doesn’t shrink back from naming the facts.

Some background:

As Christians, we trust that God will repay evil. That is a great relief, because it means we don’t have to do it.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you” (2 Thess. 1:6).

Since this is true, we do not need to pay back “wrong for wrong” (1 Thess. 5:15).

God will take the vengeance (Romans 12:19).

We can leave room for God’s wrath, as Paul writes.

That said, contrary to what members of various quasi-reformed Facebook packs of fatherless men may say, this does not mean we should refrain from naming evil when it is done.

For example:

“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message” (2 Tim. 4:14–15).

Man-children will cry “slander” and “9th commandment violation” whenever an unfavorable opinion or a strong judgment is expressed.

They would do well to look in the mirror. They tend to do the things they say they are against — while in the very act of trying to correct others.

We should all be cautious:

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thess. 1:8).

The solution:

Let each man do his deeds and say his words prayerfully, and in faith:

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith” (1 Thess. 1:11).

Offer hard words when needed. Offer soft words when needed. Do what you are able to do from faith. “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23b).

In all things, show that you believe it is God who will finally bring about justice. That is how to give God the glory that is due to him.

I believe JD Hall did that in his article. You can disagree. But please don’t be a hypocrite about it.