Don't Be Fooled By Insincere People

Jesus never answered an insincere question directly. He answerd insincere questions with a question. The way He loved insincere people was by helping them be aware of their insincerity and thereby creating an opportunity for them to repent and deal with thier insincerity. Asking questions is a good way to do that. A perfect example is in Matt 21:23-27

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority ?"

Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism — where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?"

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'-we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Don't you admire Jesus' answer? And He wants His followers to be like Him - to follow Him in dealing with insincere people. Here's an example of an insincere question:

"How can a loving God send a person to hell?" Normally, the person asking this question doesn't even beleive there is a hell, or an afterlife. They think hell is a fictitious place. But they'll get all bent out of shape if they think you're saying they'll end up in this "fictitious" place. When they do get angry at me because I'm saying that Jesus is the only way to escape hell, I usually say, "Tell me, do you believe that hell is a literal place - a place of eternal torment?" Usually the answer is, "No!" Then I respond, "So, why is it that you're so upset with people, like me, who are telling you that you may be heading for a place that you believe doesn't even exist?" They have to think about that a little while...and some people actually own up to their insincerity at that point.

And rightly so. Could you imagine someone being upset with me if I proclaimed to them, "You will never get to Never-Never land if you don't believe in Peter Pan"? Can you imagine them getting angry with me and saying, "That is so judgmental of you... how narrow-minded and condemning you are - thinking that the only way I can get to Never-Never land is to believe in Peter Pan!" Of course not! Instead, they'd say, "You're crazy! You're so childish or insane if you really believe in that stuff." But why is it, then, that those people who don't, or won't believe in Jesus, or in heaven and hell, get so upset when I tell them that if they don't believe in Jesus they will not be qualified for heaven - and will end up in hell - a place that they think is as real as Never-Never land?...people who believe in a resurrected Savior as much as they believe in Peter Pan. This is just plain insincerity - or, they really do know in their heart that Jesus, and heaven and hell is all true, and they are possibly feeling nervous about the whole thing.

Bottom line: either one believes in heaven and hell, or he doesn't! If he doesn't believe in hell, then it would be insincere to get upset with one who is so pathetic as I who believes that this "fictious place called hell" is actually real, and that they're going there without believing in Jesus.

I try to be gracious and show compassion to insincere people with the hope that when a person's insincerity is exposed, he/she will consider heaven and hell in a more sincere way. After all, I didn't make this stuff up. Jesus spoke often of heaven and hell as being literal places, so if people have a hard time with this, they need to take it up with Jesus. Just something to think about… and a few passages to ponder:

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, " I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
Do you believe this?

John 6:47-48
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

John 6:40
"For this is the will of My Father,
that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him
will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

John 8:23-25
And He was saying to them,
"You are from below, I am from above;
you are of this world, I am not of this world.
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;
for unless you believe that I am He,
you will die in your sins."

Matt 10:28-29 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Luke 16:22-24 (actually Luke 16:19-31)
..."The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

Oh - one more passage and thought:

Prov 26:4-5
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,or he will be wise in his own eyes.

In other words, don't step into a fool's arena. You'll both come out losers. Create the arena (with your wise and loving response) that will help the person see his folly. So, the next time you sense an insincere question, whatever you do, resist answering his insincere question. Start communing with your Lord and ask Him for a wise and loving word for this insincere person. You may just be surprised how the Spirit will give you such a life-giving word.