I recently heard a story from a Christian leader about an event he was speaking at, wherein other evangelical leaders were addressing the topic of abortion in front of government leaders. All the other speakers spoke from the Bible, giving examples of the sanctity of life taken from scripture. Most of them used the same arguments and the same scriptures. People were unmoved.
When this speaker got up to speak, he understood that their tactics just weren’t working, because the audience actually did not care what the Bible has to say. So he changed his approach and chose NOT to use the Bible, but chose to use scientific and common sense arguments instead. It worked.
I also saw a video recently of a congressman addressing the congress about morality, using examples from the Bible, making it sound like a sermon. Senator Nadler then stood up and replied “What any religious tradition describes as God’s will is no concern of this congress.” At least he spoke the truth. This particular congress (as of March 2021) has utterly rejected God. The founding fathers would turn over in their graves if they heard this because they all knew that this American republic is founded on God’s principles as defined in the Bible, but to Nadler and an increasing number of politicians, God is no longer welcome in America.
I’m not saying that using biblical arguments is wrong, not at all. It’s just that often, that’s a very unsuccessful method to use depending on the circumstances.
While it is important for all people to know what the Bible says, in many cases this approach is 100% lost on the audience, because they give no authority to the Bible. They don’t care what the Bible says. Nothing could matter less to them. All that is accomplished by such preaching is to annoy the listeners and actually harden them against your arguments.
There are many times when it is not necessary, and may even be detrimental, to quote scriptures at people to get your point across. Jesus often demonstrated this since He only spoke to the people in parables. He did not always say “God says such an such” but He told stories that illustrated eternal principles.
When standing before congress addressing the abortion issue, for example, it is not necessary to invoke the Bible to make your point. Science itself, logic, common sense and simple rational thought are all on the side of pro-life.
It is stupid, for example, that it’s a felony to mess with the eggs of a bald eagle, while it is perfectly legal to kill an unborn child. This is insane. This argument alone reveals the stupidity and illogic of the pro-abortion argument. A pre-born eagle is more valuable than a pre-born child.
It is stupid, for example, to watch premature babies being delivered perfectly healthy and happy, and to continue allowing abortionists to kill them at the same gestational age while still in the womb.
I wonder at Christians who are flabbergasted at the insane, immoral and downright criminal activities being promulgated by our current “administration.” I especially shook my head in wonder when the “Pro-Life Evangelicals For Biden” recently published their disappointment that Biden did not actually invite them to a meeting for hugs and snuggles before he repealed the Hyde Amendment. Did they actually expect him to honor his promise? Did they actually expect him to listen to a single word of pro-life advocacy? Which rock have these people been hiding under? Biden has been crystal clear about his pro death agenda.
We cannot expect those who do not know God to abide by or even understand His will:
“The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8).
Not only do they have no desire to please God, but they have no ability. Therefore, we should not be one bit surprised when they act like the demons that are informing their actions. This also applies to these leaders who are shocked at Biden’s response to them concerning abortion. I believe the verse above (Romans 8:7-8) not only applies to unbelievers but can also apply to believers who have minds “set on the flesh.” For whatever reason that I cannot discern, these leaders seemed to have honestly believed that Biden would compromise on the abortion issue. However, anyone with an ounce of spiritual insight could have told them (and many of us did) that they were being morally irresponsible trying to gain votes for such a pro death presidential candidate.
Thankfully, God has woven His truth throughout the fabric of the universe. It’s not always necessary to invoke scripture to know truth. There are many things that speak truth all by themselves. The Bible is described as a sword. A sword that is very sharp, and can divide between soul and spirit. But a sword is not always the best weapon to bring to the fight. The Bible gives us the basis for understanding all truth, and that is guidance toward a relationship with God. With Holy Spirit inside us, we have access to all truth.
But once that truth is known to us, then we have a responsibility to express that truth in a manner suitable to the occasion. And quoting the Bible at people is sometimes not the suitable method for speaking truth. It’s true that the Bible is our best source of moral direction and for learning God’s will for us personally and corporately, but then we are to learn how to take that knowledge, and with wisdom apply it to the particular circumstance in front of us at any given moment, and present the arguments in such a way that makes sense to our audience and will change their minds.
God is not only the author spiritual truth, but also of common sense, logic, and reason. We do well to modify our message for our audience, always teaching truth and righteousness, but in a way that they can hear it and be changed by it. What is that way?
Love.
Jesus rarely preached to people out of the Bible. What he did was love them. Heal them. Cast out demons. Ate supper with those rejected by the spiritual elite. Welcomed even a hated tax collector into his inner twelve. Touched lepers when no one else would come near them. The Bible teaches us the truth about God’s plan and relationship to the entire human race, but it is nonsense to unbelievers. That’s why we can often use other methods of showing the truth of God to the masses. Once they become followers of Christ, then we introduce them to the incredible truth and power of the written Word of God.