Title Don't be afraid to slander
Isaiah (122) Do not be afraid to slander (Isaiah 51:1-8)
< The way to make hope strong >
In the text, there are various words of counsel to give the Israelites a strong hope for tomorrow in captivity. What can we do to strengthen our hopes for tomorrow? First, remember the grace of the past (verses 1-2). Then, I firmly believe that there will be such grace and blessings in the future as well. Carve the wounds of the past in water, and the grace of the past in stone. An excellent memory of past graces sharpens the hope for tomorrow's blessings.
Second, listen to the Word (v. 4). The biggest problem of modern people today is that they run recklessly because others run without a clear destination. Why did the Lord tell us to strive to enter through the narrow gate? It means don't lose yourself in the crowd. Know your calling, know your strengths, and go your own way. What is most necessary for this is an attitude to pay attention to God's will and listen to His Word. No matter how busy you are, those who can stop for a moment and listen to the sound of the sky will eventually become the protagonists of tomorrow.
Third, have the assurance of salvation (vv. 5-6). One day, an evangelist asked a young man who was the president of a national Christian college student. "student! Are you sure of your salvation?” The young man of the president answered. “Are you talking about that?” As he is the president of the national Christian college students, he answered that way knowing that he would have the certainty of salvation. However, after the evangelist left, the question of the evangelist lingered and I was somewhat uneasy about the assurance of salvation. From then on, I read a lot of books and attended various meetings to get the assurance of salvation, but I did not get the assurance of salvation.
Then one day, while he was reading the Bible, a word of the Bible suddenly struck his heart, and he had the assurance of salvation. That was John 5:24. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has passed from death to life.” At that time, I received the assurance of salvation and deep peace came into my heart. Using that peace as a weapon, I was able to live a successful life by overcoming any hardships and trials abundantly. The assurance of salvation is the most basic safeguard for a victorious life.
<Don't be afraid to slander>
Finally, do not be afraid to slander (verse 7). There are various slurs against fortress Christianity. When I see bad teachers, I slander them like this. “Why do people believe like that?” But a Christian is neither a perfect person nor a perfectionist. He is just a person who clings to his dwarfness, weakness, inadequacy, and ugliness, saying that he cannot live without God. Therefore, it is not justifiable to slander all Christians just because they have done something wrong. Do only believers make such a mistake? In general, unbelievers make more such mistakes.
Some people criticize the wrong church like this. “Why is the church like that?” But the church is not a place for perfect people. Rather, because there are many weak people, even the church can show its faults. Would only the church make such a mistake? Generally speaking, the general community commits more of that mistake. Therefore, it is also unjustified to slander the very existence of the church for any fault of the church.
Some people slander like this when there is a disaster. “Is God really alive? Clearly there is no God.” However, it is logically incorrect to say that ‘there is disaster’ is ‘evidence without God’. A disaster can rather be an opportunity to realize the existence of God. The question is, why does God give calamities even to good people? But how can man accurately understand God's mysterious will in disaster? A person does not have to accurately grasp the will of God to have faith in the existence of God.
As we go through life, we encounter unjust, vulgar, and slanderous slanders. Do not be afraid of such slander. If there is something to reflect on through slander, reflect on it, but do not waver in your faith or give up your faith. Those who slander unjustly meet a disastrous end (verse 8). Therefore, do not be too upset if someone slanders you, but think of their tragic end and have pity on them. A happy future will unfold sooner or later when we can distinguish between legitimate criticism and unjust slander so that our faith and identity are not shaken by the slander.