Different Dish Soap
A few readers asked some questions on a recent article, found here , comparing Soap to Jesus Christ and how we express our faith. The article concluded with the following statements:
My point is, there are many different ways to clean the dishes, but there is only one Soap. Let’s not get caught up in how the dishes are getting cleaned, but instead get caught up in the Soap cleaning the dishes.
This summarizes the article in showing there are many ways to express our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. We should not get caught up in the many ways of worship and expressions of faith, but instead get caught up in the “Who” of God, finding out more about Jesus, and what He means to each of us.
The questions were centered on how Christians treat people who may not believe in Jesus or who have different faiths. One reader asked, “What if we use different soap? Won’t our dishes get just as clean?” I believe these are excellent questions and ones we should examine more closely. Too often, Christians will respond to these type of questions with an attack or avoidance, neither which is convincing or serving any purpose other than to shine a negative light on this thing we call Christian faith.
First, let’s realize when we are asked questions about our faith, we are not the first ones to be asked questions regarding our faith in the One whom we call Jesus, for He is the same God Joshua worshipped in the Old Testament. We find other gods being worshipped in the Old Testament, and Joshua basically says, “Hey, whatever you are going to do, decide where you are going to place your faith.”
Joshua 24:14-15
“…throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Second, let’s realize we are told to be prepared to answer questions about our faith, but not to attack or avoid those questions. This is an important element for believers to grasp. Let’s take a look at 1 Peter 3:15-16.
“…always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…”
When you read these verses, focus in on the words “…gentleness and respect…”, as I think these two criteria in giving answers are overlooked by some Christians. Instead, there is an attack, sometimes a personal verbal assault of words, pointing of the fingers, raised voices, and shattered relationships. Other times, there is avoidance, because these questions are making us uncomfortable; faith is a taboo subject at work, at the bar, or at the club; or you just don’t want to hassle with talking about why you believe because you don’t fully know yourself.
I am guilty of both these forms of response. I was wrong. For some silly reason, I had taken the arrogant stance of having to know everything about Scripture in order to prove my faith or relationship with God. You see the problem right away, don’t you? As soon as someone asked me a question outside my understanding or knowledge, out comes the gloves and we go a few rounds, or I suddenly get distracted and fall into the safety net of avoidance. In these cases, I did an extremely poor job of expressing my faith, sharing my testimony, and I left their questions unanswered. I finally realized I am not responsible for having all the answers; I am only responsible for what I know. It is ok to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll be glad to find out and get back to you.”
Why would anyone want to know anything more about Jesus Christ when His followers are so arrogant, nasty, or rude? And, this is where I apologize: I am sorry. Now let me be clear here: I am apologizing for being arrogant, nasty, or rude – I am not apologizing for my faith.
So, what if others use different soap? Won’t it get their dishes just as clean? The real question being, what if others have a different god? Won’t their gods get them into heaven or whatever they may call life beyond death?
Using this same analogy, if I have a totally fantastic dish soap which is absolutely amazing in cutting through the grease and grime, cleaning away the junk, and just leaving the dishes sparkling clean, would I share the name of this soap with others if the subject comes up? And dang, you know this fantastic soap is also free? Not only is this soap free, but I don’t even have to go out and get it – it comes to me. If the subject comes up, I can see myself sharing my experience with this amazing soap. I can also see myself telling family and friends, because this soap is just changing the way I do dishes and life is different.
What happens if I tell someone about this soap and they decide to stick with their old, bargain brand or name brand soap, something different than what I am using? This is a good time for me to yell at them, right? Tell them how crazy they are for not using the same soap I use? Or, maybe I should quit talking to them altogether? After all, they are simply not listening to what I am saying, right?
In this analogy, both responses are absurd, and the same holds true when we are talking about our faith and salvation. Yes, I realize there is more at stake, and I realize clean dishes do not fully equate to an eternity in Hell or Heaven. I also realize yelling or the silent treatment will be equally unconvincing.
So what is the appropriate response? Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect. Again, with a focus on the last few words, the manner in which we give our answer is just as important as the answer we give, for this is how our faith is applied to our lives. With gentleness and respect, we give our answer in the course of the conversation we are having without pulling out the soapbox to turn it into a podium-thumping lecture (there are places for this style of teaching, not as an answer in a discussion). In addition to gentleness and respect, we should learn to quit answering the question once the question has been answered – that is, learn when to shut up.
What if someone is determined to use a different soap even after we “joyfully” express all the attributes and awesomeness of our soap? So what? You provided your reason for your faith, so let it go. Look at Joshua’s response to this same dilemma in the verses above: “…if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua is laying it all out, giving his testimony, and letting the people make their own decision… Wow! What a concept! And yes, it is Scriptural to allow someone else to make their own faith decision, even if it disagrees with your faith or what Scripture states. Wouldn’t you appreciate the same freedom and courtesy? If God gave them the freedom of choice, why would you take it away from them?
This is where some Christians may argue Matthew 28:18-20.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
To fully appreciate the instruction given here, we need to recognize the word disciple for what it means: student. This instruction is not saying go and make Christians of all the nations, go and conquer all the nations, or go and subdue all the nations with your Scriptural wisdom. This instruction is saying go and make students, inclusive to all the nations everywhere (so no one is excluded). This is an important distinction to recognize because you cannot teach an unwilling student and you cannot make a student out of someone unwilling to be one – just ask any school teacher.
We will examine this more in the next article. For now, let me just ask you if you are tough enough to be a Christian and allow others to have the same freedom of choice as you?
Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
Sign Up For Email Delivery For This Blog
