A number of years ago the Chicago Tribune ran a story about London, England couple who had more than their fair share of arguments. One argument turned violent. The wife got so mad at her husband she got in their car and ran over him. The husband suffered 45 leg fractures and a skull fracture and spent five months in the hospital. His wife was thrown in jail for grievous bodily harm.
Then the husband did something that shocked everyone - he forgave his wife and asked the court to set her free. The man, now wheelchair bound, told the court, "I can't live without her." In response to her request, the court suspended her sentence and set her free.
Sometime later, a London newspaper did a follow-up story on the couple. The husband reported, "We are back together and happy. But my wife is very argumentative."
In this post-Christian world of ours, it seems that everyone has an opinion about religion or Christianity or about God or Jesus. Maybe you know an opinionated neighbor. Perhaps your cohort at work holds to some pretty strong views. You might even have an acquaintance who likes to create controversy by challenging teachings and beliefs that the Christian church has held for centuries.
As Christians, we must contend for the faith. But we are to avoid those who simply want to argue for the sake of arguing (see 2 Timothy 2:22-26). Instead, the Christian tries to treat everyone with kindness while looking for opportunities to teach the truth of God's Word to those who seek answers to the important questions of life - Who is God? Where is salvation found? What does God think of me? How can I be sure I am going to heaven? As we witness and teach God's Word to those who sincerely want to know the truth, we trust the Holy Spirit to lead our hearers to repentance and faith in Christ. Such gentle instruction is much more effective than running over a person with a car!
