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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
There will ever be a spirit to rise up against the reproof of sins and
wrongs. But shall the voice of reproof be hushed because of this? If so,
we shall be in no better situation than are the various denominations in
our land who are afraid to touch the errors and prevailing sins of the
people.
Those whom God has set apart as ministers of righteousness have
solemn responsibilities laid upon them to reprove the sins of the people.
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Paul commanded Titus: “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke
with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” There are ever those
who will despise the one who dares to reprove sin; but there are times
when reproof must be given. Paul directs Titus to rebuke a certain
class sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. Men and women
who, with their different organizations, are brought together in church
capacity have peculiarities and faults. As these are developed, they
will require reproof. If those who are placed in important positions
never reproved, never rebuked, there would soon be a demoralized
condition of things that would greatly dishonor God. But how shall
the reproof be given? Let the apostle answer: “With all long-suffering
and doctrine.” Principle should be brought to bear upon the one who
needs reproof, but never should the wrongs of God’s people be passed
by indifferently.
There will be men and women who despise reproof and whose
feelings will ever rise up against it. It is not pleasant to be told of our
wrongs. In almost every case where reproof is necessary, there will
be some who entirely overlook the fact that the Spirit of the Lord has
been grieved and His cause reproached. These will pity those who
deserved reproof, because personal feelings have been hurt. All this
unsanctified sympathy places the sympathizers where they are sharers
in the guilt of the one reproved. In nine cases out of ten if the one
reproved had been left under a sense of his wrongs, he might have been
helped to see them and thereby have been reformed. But meddlesome,
unsanctified sympathizers place altogether a wrong construction upon
the motives of the reprover and the nature of the reproof given, and
by sympathizing with the one reproved lead him to feel that he has
been really abused; and his feelings rise up in rebellion against the
one who has only done his duty. Those who faithfully discharge their
unpleasant duties under a sense of their accountability to God will
receive His blessing. God requires His servants to be always in earnest