Posted: 09/14/09

"When All Men Speak Well Of You"

Dr. David M. Berman                                                       www.wakeupandsmellthetruth.com

Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

Of all the things most desired of people it is to be thought of with affection. What person is there that truly has no concern whatsoever about what others may think of them? Perhaps there are some who may sincerely have that mind, but truth be known, the vast majority are the contrary. What people think of us is of great concern no matter how many times we attempt to pretend that we have no concern of others thoughts of us. Some things are valid concerning our desire to be thought well of. However, when it comes to the topic of the Word of God vs. the world system, that is another matter altogether.

Modern culture has placed the highest price on self esteem and therefore every public institution has been influenced to make sure that no one's feelings are hurt. There seems to be an insatiable desire to be accepted for everything and anything. Political correctness is the embodiment of this idea and so great pains are taken to watch every word as to make sure that all are spoken well of (unless speaking of Christians since it is deemed proper by our culture to malign Christians at every turn).

The Lord's Word to us however is the opposite of the prevailing idea that to be accepted is the highest call. It is not that God wants us to try to be spoken badly of, it is instead the realization that it is impossible to stand for Christ and have everyone love you. If you are going to stand for the true gospel of Jesus Christ there will be many who simply hate you because you stand for the cause of Christ. What is the main factor concerning the fear Christians have in America relating to sharing their faith? It is fear of what will be thought of them by unbelievers. The fixation for those is on what is spoken of them on earth rather than what is spoken of them in the halls of heaven.

The false prophets of old always told the people what the people wanted to hear. This placed them in the popularity club among many. It has always been that the true prophets had both people who loved, esteemed, and listened to them, as well as many who spoke evil of, and even wanted to kill them. The Bible teaches us that the very name of Jesus is an offence. If you as a Christian have never offended anyone, you most likely have been more concerned with the praise of men rather than the praise of God.

When God says the words "woe unto you" it is a strong rebuke with a sense of the grieving of the Holy Spirit. God has not called us to attempt to get people to hate us but the servant is not greater than the master. If they spoke evil of Christ, they will speak evil of those who are Christ's followers. That is unless we shut our mouths for fear of not being thought of with worldly affection.

The Apostle Paul had a great understanding of this as he was persecuted by unbelievers and accused of evil by some who were believers.  Paul knew the pain of persecution and character assassination and yet he would not compromise the truth for personal gain. What is it with modern American Christians? Why the preoccupation with being accepted by the world? I heard a preacher not long ago speaking at a Church I visited say something interesting. He said that a survey was done asking people what their opinion of Christians were. He said that the prevailing opinion showed that unbelievers have an unfavorable view of Christians. He then went on to say that should not be so and that "they are on to something that we are not." Let's think about that for a minute. Although I think he is right in one sense, I believe he is wrong in another. I do think it is important to convey a sense of caring to unbelievers as to effect a change in their understanding of who Jesus is. We want all to know of His love for every human being. Having said that, it is clear that the world will never have a great opinion of true Christians since the message that Jesus gave us to preach is an offence. I am sure if you took a survey in Rome during the early church, their opinion of the Christians that they were throwing to the lions would have also been negative!

It has never been, is not now, nor ever shall be our mission to always be liked. It is our mission to speak and live the truth no matter what is said of us. We must not be ashamed of the gospel.

Matthew 10:33 "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven"

Jesus made it abundantly clear here that to deny him is a serious offence; "whosoever" means everyone. It is God's will for the believer to proclaim Christ and his Word without being ashamed.  Consider the words of Paul:

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek"

Here we see the proclamation of truth and intent. The proclamation of truth is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew and Gentile. The proclamation of intent is that he is not ashamed of it, nor is he ashamed to proclaim it.

What is your desire? Do you long to be accepted by those who hate Christ? Is your self esteem the main motivator of your existence? Is your goal to be liked and to have people "speak well of thee?" Remember this; befriending unbelievers to show Christ's love is great,  being a friend to unbelievers as to influence them for the kingdom of God is laudable, but to be a friend of the world by compromising truth in order to have men speak well of you is made clear by the following words of James:

James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

This is the problem with making the Bible more palatable to the fallen human condition. There simply is no way to come to Jesus without being offended concerning one's own sinful position before God. It is that conviction that brings a person to the place of true repentance. So Remember this:

Romans 9:33 "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed"

Jesus is a stumbling stone for many. He is a rock of offence. To love the world and the opinion of the world more than Him is to be ashamed of Him.  Woe unto us when all men speak well of us!

By Rev. Dr. David M. Berman Th.D. Click here for bio and archived articles