Faith in Hostile TimesShembull

When Freedom Comes Under Threat

The society you live in probably allows you any and every social, relational, educational, and economic freedom. And yet you don’t feel free to speak about your faith, for fear of being shouted down. Thankfully, Jesus showed us how He dealt with opposition, and He has set us free to do the same.

Let’s examine our hearts. Perhaps you’re incited to anger when your views are maligned. Which person or group of people do you find yourself vehemently disagreeing with? How are you triggered to respond, to defend your beliefs? We need to take our cue from Jesus. When He was tried before His crucifixion, His actions and reactions were very different from those of many antagonised Christians today. He didn’t lose His temper or threaten anyone. He trusted His Father.

Perhaps you feel justified in simply wanting to defend the truth. But how do you ensure you’re defending God’s Word, and not just your tribe, dogma, or freedom of expression? Does the way in which you make your defence clarify to people that you’re following Jesus? Christians absolutely should have a voice in social and legislative arenas. The issue isn’t whether we speak; it’s why and how we speak. When we try to stand up for truth, righteousness, goodness, and decency, we run the risk of doing so with the wrong motives. We charge in to fight fire with fire. For the social, judicial, political, cultural, economic, or legislative agendas currently being pushed in your community, ask God to show you where He’s calling you to have a voice, and ask yourself how Jesus might have handled the current, raging debates.

We’re part of a culture steeped in entitlement. Diametrically opposed to that ideology, Jesus achieved the most significant success in history by laying down His rights and losing His life. Think about what it would look like for you this week to give up your sense of entitlement and take on the sacrificial demeanour of your victorious Saviour. Jesus had no influence over the politics and policies of the Roman Empire, yet He changed the world. So, when your freedom is threatened, think about whether you tend to respond more like Jesus, or more like the Roman Empire that called all the shots in His day.

The God who created the universe and conquered sin and death doesn’t need us to defend Him. He wants us to love our enemies: gently, candidly, fearlessly telling of the good things He’s done. We will certainly face hostility from opponents of God’s truth. Thankfully, Jesus taught us how to respond when our right to believe what we believe comes under threat. Let’s remind one another that we needn’t lash out with matching anger against those who malign our faith. Instead, like Jesus, we can leave our case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. May God give us extraordinary wisdom to know when to speak, what to say, and how to say it.