Opposite Views Between Christians and Non-Christians

It can often be helpful to have conversations with others to refine, learn, and grow in our understanding and experience of a subject. Sometimes, when doing biblical studies we come across conversations from others that are more helpful, or less helpful. I remember once picking up a commentary on Esther while preparing for a sermon series. In the introduction of the commentary, the writer made clear that they didn’t think Esther had any historical validity, and was essentially a mythological story made up by ancient religious people for psycho-social reasons. Not much later into the commentary, the writer made a comment that the absence of any explicitly religious language in the book of Esther was the result of a secularization by a formerly religious society. In this particular writer’s commentary, the story of Esther was therefore one of secular empowerment of women, and people in general, apart from the burdensome weight of religious belief.  

It was not long in my reading of that particular commentary that I realized a few things.

1) the author and I were coming to the text of Esther with very different convictions. I believe that the text of Esther is the very inspired, divinely revealed word of God.

2) Because of our different convictions about the origin of the text, we would inevitably arrive at different conclusions, and use different methods to arrive at those conclusions. 

Rather than rejecting the commentary out of sight, I continued reading the commentary to sharpen and put to the test my own understanding of Esther. Did my own Christian understanding stand up against the scrutiny of this secular commentator? Were there arguments I had not previously considered? How would unbelievers respond and object to Christian teaching from the book of Esther? 

With these questions in mind, I continued my preparation and study of the book of Esther. This secular commentary was not the only commentary I read. I’m very thankful for a wide variety of helpful Christian commentators who have left notes, observations, and centuries of sermons prior to my own study and preaching on Esther. 

Challenged Ideas Can Have a Refining Effect

Sometimes having ideas challenged and tested can have a refining effect. While preaching through Esther, I was thankful to have read and been exposed to the secular writer’s observations. In conversation with some in my congregation, I was able to identify areas of doubt and questions some in the congregations were struggling with. Had I not been exposed to the way a secular writer approached Esther, I would have been unprepared for those within my congregation who were of a fundamentally secular mindset in approaching the Bible. 

This experience helped me appreciate familiarizing myself with non-Christian authors writing on biblical themes and topics. By doing so I was engaging in a work that would prove useful in ministry to others, both believers who struggled with doubts, and unbelievers who thought the Bible had no historical validity. 

It was about that time in ministry that I began to jot down thoughts, observations, and even objections to the passages I was preparing to preach through. Not only would I ask my usual questions in study of the passage, but I would also take note what an unbeliever, a skeptic, a doubter, or a completely new Christian might make in response to the text. In the most rhetorical sense, I will sometimes speak in sermons hypothetically as a doubter, an objector, an unbeliever, or someone new to a particular passage. This can help bring to light where the tension points are in a passage. In developing this practice, I eventually found myself writing my own notes, commentary, and then also accompanying commentary but from an worldly perspective.

What follows here is an example of a passage that is being commented on and rephrased, as though the opposite of the original passage was being written. I’ve found this helpful to contrast the truly glorious beauties of God’s Word, with the heinous and disgusting realities of sin. 

Compare and Contrast 1 Timothy 2 with an “Opposite Reading” of the Same Passage: 

Opposite reading - the way of the world is the way of death

[1 Timothy 2:1-6]

I exhort firstly, no one pray, or intercede for anyone. There must be no prayerful thanks offered. If anyone is feeling especially thankful and cannot squelch it, then only let thanksgiving be made for those who are directly most materially beneficial to them, no thanksgiving for other wider groups of people, and especially not those who harm, or exercise authority over us. Why do I say this? So that we may live as troubled, quarrelsome, contemptuous, gossip-riddled lives as possible! Disdainful drama is the spice of life and is pleasing to the flesh, rather than godly holy living that pleases God the Savior who does want all people to be saved and come to an experiential knowledge of the truth. The flesh says there is no God, and distrusts, discounts, and disregards the one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, that man gave himself as a ransom for all people. This was witnessed and testified to at the proper time, but our flesh will dispute any claim to the veracity, efficacy, and supremacy of this Christ Jesus the hope of the faithful and God the savior. 

[1 Timothy 2:7]

It was by this God that Paul was made an apostle to proclaim and declare the truth of Jesus Christ, with special focus as a teacher to the Gentiles. But who can believe that? God only helps those who help themselves, and gentiles, “they” are so gross and utterly lost, that God could never and would never do anything for them. 

[1 Timothy 2:8]

Because of this, Men should absolutely not pray with good, clean, pure consciences. No one should be able to lift a finger, let alone a hand, without raging against someone or something, especially in the church! Your flesh wants to speak and think evil, always let your evil speech be thickly salted and pointedly directed at those in the church! God, through Paul, commands men to live interceding for one another, but we know the flesh lives to use others, and receive benefit, rather than be a benefit. Life is all about me, right? Each of us is the center of our own universe, right? Charitable prayer aimed at serving others in holiness before God is an utter stench to the flesh. Don’t gather together to celebrate or meet with God. But if you must meet, only do so with a miserable attitude, after a week, a month, or years spent ridiculing, tearing down, and making sure that every person you’ve met knows exactly how right you are about everything, and how wrong everyone else is. If anyone is in need, well that’s their problem, their fault, and they really should be more like you if they want to be better at everything.  

[1 Timothy 2:9-15]

Also, women dressing to draw attention to their character, rather than their bodies is the antithesis of pleasure, lustful living. Show it off! You’ve got money, and you’ve got a body, you go girl! You don’t need saving. You need to be shown off! Every room you walk in let the crowd be under your sway. May every eye in the throng of bodies be drawn to your skin and bones. When you gather make sure you ladies are known for your stubborn, loud, and brashly independent attitude. You don’t need anyone to teach you or help you with anything. You got this, ain’t nobody gonna tell you what’s up. Whatever you do, do NOT submit, listen to, or let anyone teach you. Adam was formed first, and God made a mistake when he did that. Good thing when God made Eve he had worked out all the problems because she was perfect! Eve was the first stronger independent woman, she followed the way of attraction and self-aggrandizement, in God’s eyes she became a sinner, but Eve, being strong and independent, knew better than God. God promised Eve a seed would come and crush fleshly independent living apart from God, but, if you women would just live in jealousy, selfishness, and lavish self extravagance, you’ll be spared from all that redemption promised by God through the Christ to be born of the woman. 

1 Timothy 2 [NIV translation] The Way of the Lord is the Way of Life

2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. 

8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 

11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 

What stands out to you when reading 1 Timothy 2? What blessing do we see from God’s Word when God’s ways are contrasted with the ways of the world?

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