Convince, Rebuke, & Exhort

In our culture today, almost nothing is considered worse than saying that another person is wrong. It is assumed that everyone can have their own truth. The problem is that the truth is the truth even if nobody believes it. We can each have our own opinion, but we can’t each have our own truth.

Believing a lie is harmful. Even if the truth is painful and uncomfortable, we are always better off if we know the truth. We can make better decisions if we know the truth.

If I am trying to go somewhere, but have the wrong directions or think I am starting from a different place than I truly am, it is unlikely I will ever get where I desired to go. In the same way, when people believe a lie, they can’t make wise decisions on where they want to go or rightly judge where they are starting from.

Encouraging someone in believing a lie is easy and comfortable for us, but is not in the best interest of the other person. Correcting them is uncomfortable for all, but better for them in the long run, at least if they listen at all.

It is so easy to just go along to get along. People talk about how we need more unity in the church, but that usually means sacrificing biblical doctrine on the altar of unity. If we all have the mind of Christ and all obey the Bible, then we will have unity. The best long-term path to unity is through knowing, believing, and obeying the word of God.

Let’s see what the Bible says on the subject. I’ll be primarily using verses from 2 Timothy that are Paul discipling Timothy on how he should live and minister to others.

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26) {emphasis mine}

We should never argue with others for the sake of argument or to win against another. Some people like to argue in order to glorify themselves and put down others. This is not what we should do. All debate should be a search for the truth and in order to draw all parties closer to Jesus.

We should always be kind. How we convince, rebuke, and exhort another matters. I particularly like the word exhort. It is to encourage to turn from error to the truth and to encourage to do and believe what is right. Whenever we correct another, they should leave feeling encouraged, not beaten down.

We should know God’s word, so we are prepared to teach whenever the need arises. So often the Bible commands us to share the truth with those around us, but we have to know the truth in order to share the truth.

We should be patient with others, knowing that we previously were unbelievers, that we previously didn’t know God’s word, and that we previously didn’t know how to apply God’s word in our lives. Some people are blessed to grow up in a godly home and attend a biblical church from their youth. Some people come from seriously messed up homes and have never set foot in a biblical church or any church at all. Some people have been Christians for a long time and some are new Christians. We need to meet people where they are and not expect them to instantly be where we are. We also need to realize that frequently we are strong in one area, in which the other person may struggle, while they are strong in an area in which we struggle. We need to be patient with others just as God is patient with us.

We should be gentle in all correction. This usually means correcting privately and in a way to avoid embarrassment. (On occasion, we may need to publicly call out someone who is misleading others, but we should try to correct them privately first.) Being gentle does not mean withholding part of the truth, but it means lovingly encouraging them in the way prescribed in the Bible.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) {emphasis mine}

We can never be adequately “equipped for every good work” unless we know the Bible. The Bible is not just a compilation from godly men. It is God breathed. It is God sharing the truth through His servants. The Bible is so far above every writing of man. It is meant to be used “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,” for both ourselves and others. We need to first teach and correct ourselves and then we are equipped to teach, reprove, correct, and train others.

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. (2 Timothy 4:1-2) {emphasis mine}

We are commanded to “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” We are commanded to “preach the word.” For some, “preach the word” may mean what we generally think of — standing up at the front of a church teaching all in attendance in a church meeting on Sunday morning, but for some “preach the word” just means being able to use the word of God to help those around us in whatever situation we find ourselves. All faithful Christians should be able to at least partially defend what they believe using verses in the Bible (even if it takes a few minutes to find and read the verses).

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:3-5) {emphasis mine}

The Bible predicts a time, which I believe is now, when people “will not endure sound doctrine.” That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share sound doctrine with them. We are told “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” We are not judged based on other people’s response to our evangelism. We are solely judged on whether we obey or not. (This judgment does not mean determining whether we make it to heaven or not, but what authority and blessings we receive in heaven.)

This statement by God to Ezekiel explains clearly what God expects of us:

“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21) {emphasis mine}

We are responsible for faithfully obeying and sharing the Scriptures with others. God is responsible for whether they respond positively or not, but we do want to share the Scriptures in a way that is as palatable as possible.

Paul says:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) {emphasis mine}

What are you willing to do or say in order to help win souls for Christ? Are you willing to do the uncomfortable task of correction and exhortation in order to help bring others into a right relationship with God? Are you willing to live a life that screams the truth of God to everyone around you, so they will see Christ in you?

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

May the Holy Spirit guide us in truth, help us to fully understand His word, and help us to boldly share the word of God with all of those around us. May we follow the example of Jesus who never held back from speaking the truth, but gently corrected the hurting and sharply rebuked the proud and unrepentant. May we honor God with our time, our words, and our actions.

Trust Jesus

All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.