"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)

Refusing to Speak Out Against Evil Is Infidelity



by Stuart DiNenno


“I cannot openly speak out against the evil in our society because if I do, it is likely that I will lose my job and I have a family to provide for.”

This statement displays an unfaithful attitude that needs repentance.

Firstly, those who say such things may sincerely believe they are doing what is best for their children, but the reality is that one generation’s failure to oppose evil is only going to make the next generation’s problems more severe. The price that today’s men refuse to pay will have to be paid double by their children, and the fact that the previous generation’s infidelity led us to where we are today, does not give us license to similarly kick the can down the road.

Secondly, it expresses a humanistic view that denies the providential protection of God. It assumes that when we do what is our Christian duty to do, we cannot count on God to provide for us and for our families, if our words or actions bring consequences upon us that cause us to be in want. It is an especially unfaithful attitude for those who identify themselves as Reformed in their theology and profess the sovereignty of God over all men and all their affairs in the world.

Thirdly, it is true that the Bible teaches there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent (Ecclesiastes 3:7) but you would be very hard pressed to make a case from the Bible that a “time to keep silence” is a time when speaking out against evil is going to bring tribulation and sacrifice. On the contrary, the biblical examples overwhelming display the opposite behavior — that the testimonies of godly men became more vociferous when the evil around them was most abundant and they were more likely to be persecuted for speaking out.

There is a great deal of behavior among professing Christians today that is being passed off as wisdom and prudence but which is, in reality, only a display of cowardice and faithlessness. Be careful that you do not deceive yourself into believing that you are being motivated by the former when you are really being driven by the latter.

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