to my ex-friends

Over the years I've friended a large number of people over the internet. Some of those have since defriended me because of disagreements. In this, the weakness of internet correspondence was reinforced to me. The few that defriended me claimed I wasn't responding to them even though in each case I clearly stated that I was only refusing to continue via the internet and shared my personal phone number in hopes we could reconcile our differences. They opted to defriend without a call.

To them I write this post because I just listened to Proverbs 17-24 and in that I was reminded of these guys. My fundamental issue with them was that in their idea of love and godliness they had come to point where they felt they could not judge. But in doing so, they went beyond our Lord's command regarding judgement and refused to address sin.

Prov 24.24-25; "Whoever says to the wicked, 'You are in the right,' will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them." My contention with these former friends is that in their effort to appear loving, they overlooked and either explicitly or de facto endorsed sinful lifestyles

God desires us to grow in the knowledge of Truth and righteousness and those who are mature are to instruct and even discipline others. As Proverbs 23:12-14 states, "Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol." Discipline is for life. These friends have looked at those who wrongly applied discipline but in response now error on the other side. This is not the true love they desperately desire.

Those that are loved are trained and when done properly, will have life-long value (Proverbs 22.6). This is only unpleasant to the foolish and unwise. We who are of the redeemed desire to know what is right and true (Proverbs 22.17-21). Righteousness and justice is our desire (Proverbs 21.2-3) and we confront evil (Proverbs 21.12) - this requires a knowledge of God's will and a willingness to live it. The key is to find the way of love - righteousness can coexist with kindness and to those that find that, there is life, righteousness, and honor (Proverbs 21.21). It is deception to place one over the other and achieve neither. Again, proper discipline is life, it is only the improper motive that brings death (Proverbs 19.18).

The redeemed listen and accept instruction (Proverbs 19.20). Only the foolish fear proper discipline (Proverbs 19.27). A man of understanding receives a rebuke, it is wasted on fools (Proverbs 17.10).

My former friends, again in their misguided sense of love, have justified the wicked and even condemned the righteous who tried to speak out against them. They bring destruction to themselves (Proverbs 17.15).

And so as I listened to these passages today I was motivated to write to these friends and ask, please reconsider. Please ask yourselves if it might be possible that you have reacted against legalism but in doing so have compromised truth and endangered yourselves as well as those you care for. My heart isn't to be right and for you to be wrong but for you to know that love and correction not only can go together but if true, they must go together.

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