Is there ever a wrong time to defend your faith?
Chanah was ready to let him have it. She’d considered her words and typed them into her browser. All she had to do was click share and all her friends would see her response to the so-called “friend” who’d disparaged the political views of her family by voicing an incorrect assumption about those who voted the way they did. More than just politics, it was a direct attack on the Christian faith—and she planned to set the record straight. After all, she’d been taught to defend her faith.
But then she paused.
Anyone who’s been a Christian long enough has encountered an incident like the above, probably more than once. Maybe in your case, it happened not on social media, but in person. Someone throws a verbal punch that hits you square in the chest, and all your defenses rise. You know your attacker is wrong and you want to speak up and have the satisfaction of discrediting his foolish opinion and letting everyone around you hear it, too.
But then you pause. What made you pause?
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
We Are At War
The Christian faith is under constant attack by Satan and his minions. Persecution is on the rise, and we’d be foolish to believe it does not happen on a regular basis in our own country. Think of the Christian teen whose peers ridicule her when she bows her head for a quick lunchtime prayer in the cafeteria. Or the college student who listens to his economics professor bash his conservative views. It makes you angry, right?
Anger is not a sinful emotion. It’s what you do with that anger that sometimes becomes sin.
Anger is not a sinful emotion to have, however. It’s what you do with that anger that sometimes becomes sin.
A Time to NOT Defend Your Faith?
There is a time to defend your faith in public—to go toe-to-toe with the other side in a sizzling debate and pull out your full arsenal of weapons. (Think of the God’s Not Dead movies.) But in every situation, you have to pause and consider what you want to accomplish.
You might be the best debater in your high school, with ample knowledge about apologetics and Biblical history. But what happens when you slam your knowledge down on someone who has just made a rude and incorrect remark about your faith?
You might run her so far into the ground she’ll never say something like that to you again. Others who are watching might give you a pat on the back and say, “You go, girl!” or, “Way to rule, dude!”
But the person who offended you is unlikely to change her beliefs under such a counterattack. You may have won the battle, but you just lost the war for her soul.
Someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior is going to hell. Do you really want to just let that happen?
Rethink Your Battle Plan
Arguments do not change a person’s heart. The Holy Spirit changes a person’s heart. The boy in your biology class who looked directly at you and made a snide remark about “Creationist bunk” doesn’t know his Creator. Your friend on Facebook who made a mean public jab at pro-lifers hasn’t realized how precious her life is to God, so much so that he sent Jesus to die even for her.
Arguments do not change a person’s heart. The Holy Spirit changes a person’s heart.
And Satan will do anything to keep it that way—even bait a Christian into what looks like an opportunity to defend her faith.
“Wait a second!” you say. “Are you telling me to walk away when I finally have the chance to show them the truth?!”
Jesus did that very thing on the cross:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34
He said this after they’d accused him of blasphemy and given him the treatment fitting of real criminals. They divided up his clothing and dared him to prove he was the Messiah by saving himself. He could’ve done just that. Maybe everyone there that day would have become a believer.
But a whole world would have gone without a savior.
Plan B Might Be Better?
In his lifetime on earth, Jesus had no problem arguing with those who had it wrong about God and salvation. In fact, sometimes he really let them have it. But he didn’t take Satan’s bait. His goal was to reach sinners all the way down into their hearts, not just their heads. His goal for everyone was—and always has been—eternal life. He knew when to fight back and when to let it go for the sake of someone’s soul.
The person who just insulted your beliefs needs one thing from you, and it isn’t a rebuttal.
Back to the person who just insulted your faith and beliefs: He needs one thing from you, and it isn’t a rebuttal no matter how well you may have thought it through. He needs the Word of God, presented in a loving manner one piece at a time.
She needs the gospel. She needs Jesus.
Choosing not to argue at that moment does not mean you’re hiding your faith or giving in to incorrect ideologies. It shows incredible love and maturity to be able to look beyond the horizon of our earthly life for the sake of the soul of a nonbeliever, and sometimes the best way to defend your faith is to let the argument fall and instead go for the heart.
Sharing Your Faith in Love: Resources for Teens
You don’t have to have all the answers.
But, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
For practical tips on effectively sharing your faith and winning souls for Jesus:
- Speak the Truth In Love: A How-To From the Garden
- How to Talk About Jesus With Almost Anyone
- How to Invite Someone to Church Without Being Weird
For more on defending your faith when the time comes:
- Armor of God 101: Unlock Your Gear For Battle
- Is it a Leap of Faith to Believe in Jesus?
- How to Handle the Toughest Questions About God
- Defend Your Faith In the Science Room
External resources:
- Overcome Evil With Good by Pastor Nathan Nass
- How to Defend Your Faith Without Being a Jerk by Boundless