Do you not know how to treat people?

Question:

Do you not know how to treat people? I've read many of these answers and you get most of them right, but they all seem so mean! Like I was reading the ones about suicide and you would tell them what they were doing wrong, but you had no love! You didn't show any care for that person even though you might have said you don't want them to die. You didn't show love and care for them (I Corinthians 16:14). Love them when you answer questions. I feel like your answers are sometimes rude. Thank you! And remember you are representing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so show some love brethren.

Answer:

"Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16).

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (II Timothy 4:1-4).

"Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked" (Psalms 141:5).

"Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:8-9).

I find complaints, such as yours, amusing because if you apply your own judgment to your own note you fail your own test.

Have you ever read:

"He [John the Baptist] said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire." The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do?" He answered them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you." Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages" (Luke 3:7-14).

"Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely demonized!" But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us." But he answered, "I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me." But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour" (Matthew 15:21-28).

At times both John and Jesus addressed people in rude ways and with strong words. Loving words have their place, but different situations require different techniques to reach people. When a person refuses to see a danger in front of him or has deceived himself into believing that the course he pursues is perfectly fine, a rude awakening is required to get him to see reality. Others may need to be tested, not for the Lord's sake but for their own, to demonstrate the sincerity of their faith. Everyone is not treated in this fashion, but the point is that it has its place in teaching. For more on this see: The Offensive Christ and Jesus: Intolerant, Confrontational, and Exclusionary.

Then there is the problem that written communication lacks facial expression and body language. Even Paul had this problem. " "For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present" (II Corinthians 10:10-11). I'm not nearly as good of a writer as Paul, so I'm not surprised that a few people misinterpret blunt truthfulness for a lack of love. Thankfully the people on the receiving end don't have the same attitude as you. See One year without cutting. I've lost track of the number of people I've talked out of suicide and other sins, most continue to write to me once in a while to let me know things are still going well.

So, it is about time you grow up in the Lord and understand that people are more complex than you realize.

"Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you" (Titus 2:15).

"And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 22-23).

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