Articles
A Proper Response
When brothers Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices to God, it is said, “the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Gen. 4:3-5). The record further tells us that, as a response to this, “Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell” (Gen. 4:5). But that is not the only response of Cain to having his offering not respected by God; we further find that, after God spoke with him, “Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him” (Gen. 4:6-8).
To say the least, Cain’s response to an unacceptable offering was not the proper response. God had told Cain after his offering was rejected, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen. 4:6, 7). Cain did not take that to heart, but went out and killed his own brother, and for that God punished Cain (Gen. 4:10-12).
The proper response of Cain would have been a humble acknowledgment of his failure to offer an acceptable sacrifice, and a correction of what was wrong [“do well”]. But the anger of Cain overrode any desire for humility and penitence, and the consequences would cost Abel his life and follow Cain for the rest of his. It didn’t have to be that way, though. The proper response would have led to acceptance by God, Abel would not have been murdered, and Cain would have had a much better life. If Cain could have acted with restraint and thought about the potential consequences of his actions, it is possible he would have responded differently.
Contrast Cain’s response with that of David, when confronted by Nathan regarding his sin with Bathsheba. When Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” David simply replied, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:1-13). David anguished over his sins, as evidenced by his words in Psalm 51, and maybe even Psalm 32. In those psalms, we find a man who genuinely felt remorse and the weight of his guilt, until he was forgiven by God of his sin. David’s response was the proper response to sin: acknowledgment, sorrow, and repentance. No excuses, no shifting the blame, no making less of it than it actually was.
We find this pattern in the New Testament, too. When Simon the sorcerer offered money for the ability to pass on the Holy Spirit to others, Peter rebuked him saying, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:20-22). John also tells us it is only when we “confess our sins” that God will “forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Again, the proper response is acknowledgment, sorrow, and repentance, with prayer to God confessing the sin and seeking His forgiveness.
And what about the times when others sin against us? What is the proper response then? Jesus tells us the first thing we are to do is, “if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matt. 18:15). That is the proper response — not waiting until he comes to you or demanding he come crawling to you on hands and knees; not making that sin publicly known through social media or the local grapevine [i.e., gossip]; and not stewing over it and holding a lifelong grudge. If we genuinely care for the soul of any, we would go to them and point out the sin that they may have opportunity to make amends with us and with God. It is not love if we do or say nothing, and quite often it is because we are acting immaturely or are too influenced by how the world responds.
It should be evident to all believers that a proper response to sin is of the utmost importance, for it will make the difference between forgiveness and condemnation and, whether we realize it or not, a good example or a poor example to others who see how we respond. We simply cannot know all those who may see or hear of how we respond to sin [in our lives, or in the lives of others], but we should know that someone is likely watching us to judge our confession of faith by how we live. If they don’t see honesty, fairness, love, and humility, they will not likely be impressed by our responses and will not be influenced to follow Jesus Christ.
And it is not just our responses to sin that matter, either. There are various aspects of our earthly lives and in certain situations where our responses are critical and will make an impression — good or bad — on those who see or hear it. How are we doing?
When Disappointments Come. Life is such that there will inevitably be disappointments; how we respond to those disappointments says much about us, so it is important we respond properly. It is one thing for a four-year-old to throw a tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants, and another when it is a forty-year-old. And especially as Christians, it does not become us to act like the world [or a four-year-old] when things do not go as we would like.
Sadly, I have seen a man who, when the congregation was considering its men to be appointed elders and deacons, was not appointed because some did not believe he was Scripturally qualified. His response? Sow seeds of division and leave with several members and start a new congregation, where he appointed himself elder, along with one man who came along. Such is shameful behavior and a reproach on the Lord and His church. If Job can suffer staggering losses and still worship the Lord, saying, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), then surely we can do better than pouting, dividing churches, and complaining to the world. Let us also not forget Paul’s admonition to “Do all things without complaining and disputing” (Col. 2:14). When disappointments come, continue serving the Lord without complaint.
When Times Are Good. Most people think that the devil uses situations like Job, where great losses occur, to win souls. He does, but he also uses times of wealth and abundance. If he can distract us by giving us every material thing we see, he is okay with that, too. Countless souls have been hindered from ever serving the Lord by material wealth, and there is a reason Jesus warned, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23); there is a reason Paul told Timothy to instruct the rich to not “trust in uncertain riches but in the living God” (1 Tim. 6:17); and there is a reason the wise writer asked that he not be given riches, “Lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’” (Prov. 30:8, 9).
When Your Enemies Fall. It is common to see men rejoice when others suffer misfortune, defeat, or punishment — especially when those ‘others’ are considered their enemies or merely unpleasant people. But the wise writer said long ago, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him” (Prov. 24:17, 18). Clearly, this is unacceptable to the Lord when we do.
The proper response is to pray for them (Matt. 5:44), and to give them food or drink (Rom. 12:19, 20), instead of vengeance.
Respond properly! — Steven Harper
