What Kind of Face Am I Displaying Whenever I'm Defending the Truth?

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There is the statement that says that it doesn't matter how much you know if it's not done in love. Is it wrong for Christians to study science? They are encouraged to know the facts so they could defend the faith. But there is the problem of the atheist who in spite of all the evidence shown upon them that they still choose to mock it. One of the worst arguments is that they can use is that the watchmaker is a human invention while the human body is a product of atheistic evolution. This is really a temptation to get mean towards the atheist especially when they start calling names to the other person or make every form of mockery. 


I reflected on how often I fail to remember that it doesn't matter what I know if I don't have love. I could go ahead and do diligent research to defend my stand. I could listen to one expository sermon after the other, I could dig for facts in science, I could just do everything to gather evidence for my faith. But 1 Peter 3:15-17 doesn't only say to be ready always to defend the truth but to also do it with meekness and fear. The opponent is most likely going to be arrogant and conceited though some are courteous and polite. What's worse is when the unsaved person is the one who's acting courteous and polite and the Christian is doing the opposite. 

I'm reminded how people hate to see me reading the Bible because I always use the truth of Scripture to argue with other people's beliefs. Non-Christians would tell me it's useless for me to keep reading the Bible if I'm always yelling and shouting at others. I tell them that God isn't always love and that He has His wrath. I have the tendency to yell at them rather than tell them the truth as nicely as possible. If being too soft towards people is misguided then so is being too harsh towards them. Some people think the only way to reach the Gospel out is to be as inoffensive as possible. To think that anyone could reach the lost by being as offensive as possible is just as misguided. 

I gave a thought what are my motives in gathering knowledge? Am I just gathering all the knowledge so I could argue with people about Christianity and defend it or am I doing it so I can lead people to the truth? It's frustrating to think how often I point out the Scriptures in context or how often I gather evidence for creation but I'm still scoffed at. It's very tempting to yell, scream or even hit the unbeliever for his or her ignorance and/or mockery. I just want to lose my cool because somebody called me a name never mind that I'm told to turn the other cheek. Insults hurt, words hurt but Jesus told His followers to turn the other cheek. Hitting out of self-defense is different than the prevalent stupidity where people inflict harm for a mere insult.

I don't deny the temptation is there. I get angry but I am command not to sin when I'm angry (Ephesians 4:26). Instead, I should keep showing kindness to the unkind. If I continue hurting them back then it will keep the cycle going. I hit the person the the person hits me back and the reason is because of previously done damage. This is a call towards Christian kindness (Romans 12:9-21). The call has always been to love those who antagonize me and to keep praying for the persecutors. While this isn't a call to allow evil to go unpunished but punishing evildoers is the government's job. Christians have no right to take the law into their own hands as God appointed that job to the government.