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Pearls, Swine, Dead Horses

How do we balance "giving an answer" with "not wasting time?"

July, 2019


How often has a person decided to end a spiritual conversation—especially on social media—because it seems to have reached a dead end? Or walked away before things really got started? Or just flat-out said, "I'm done talking about this." More than likely, for those with a passion for faith, this happens a lot.

But should it?

One of the hardest things to come to terms with in our Christian walk is that we can't "make" other people believe anything. No matter how obvious, or clear, or available, some people resist truth no matter what. It's one thing to watch people reject Christianity when they've never been given answers, or when they're totally clueless about it. But there are those who have simply made up their minds and nothing is ever going to change their minds.

As it applies to a particular situation, only you know the full details. Only you and God know what's happening in your heart when it comes to that conversation. But we can still look at how Scripture touches on these exact scenarios:

•1 Peter 3:15–16 tells us to always be ready to give an answer for our faith.
•Ephesians 4:15 commands us to speak truth in love.
•Galatians 4:16 reminds us that not everyone likes to hear the truth.
•Acts 17 and 18 show us the example of Paul debating with skeptics at length.
•2 Corinthians 10:5 encourages us to attack false ideas with the intent of winning others to truth.
•Titus 3:9–10 tells us "divisive" people and bickering should be given a limited amount of our time.
•John 7:17 implies that "intent" comes before "content;" willingness is required for understanding.
•Proverbs 29:1, Romans 1:24, 1 Timothy 4:2 and John 12:39¬–40 indicate that stubborn people may be beyond human reach, by their own choice.
•Christ indicated that evangelism is sometimes a multi-person process in John 4:37–38.
•Jesus specifically said when others "will not" receive the message, to "shake off the dust" in Matthew 10:14.
•Jesus also said we should not waste valuable time on those incapable of appreciating it, in Matthew 7:6.

Based on that, there's nothing wrong with making an effort, giving the other person a chance to interact with truth, and then moving on. At first, it's frustrating when it seems like your work is totally pointless. But it's not pointless; your presentation of truth either leads that person closer to Christ, plants a seed for someone else to encourage later, or serves as part of God's eventual judgment for their stubbornness. That skeptic will never be able to stand before God and say, "nobody told me."

So, be encouraged. There's a balance between dismissing people too quickly and wasting time on the unwilling. So long as you feel you've presented opportunity, and they're ignoring it, you're doing exactly the right thing by choosing to move on to people who need your knowledge and concern. That kind of discernment is exactly what the full context of Scripture asks us to apply.

-- Editor
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