No Finger-Pointing Allowed!
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesIt’s impossible to point our finger at someone without pointing at ourselves. To illustrate, let’s extend our index finger and thumb in a pointing position away from ourselves, and then notice in which direction the other three fingers are pointing. They point directly back at us.
Let’s remember this illustration the next time we point out the faults of someone else. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we should give the person the benefit of the doubt and reserve our judgment until all the facts are known.
Under the Mosaic law, no charges could be brought against anyone unless there were two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Jesus echoed that standard when He taught how to deal with a Christian who sins against us (Matthew 18:16).
If someone has wronged us, let’s first go to the person alone to seek reconciliation (Matthew 18:15) instead of badmouthing him before others. If the person refuses to admit his wrong and turn from it, then involve others to resolve the situation (Matthew 18:16-17). And if someone passes along a slanderous comment to us, let’s refuse to pass it further. Instead, we should encourage the talebearer to follow these biblical steps.
As God’s children, we are to be channels of love and truth, not maliciousness and lies (Ephesians 4:15). Slander seeks to destroy, but gentle rebuke seeks to restore (Proverbs 9:8; Gal. 6:1).