escaped with him, they had obviously absorbed some of the debauched moral climate of Sodom as seen in their resorting to incest at the end of chapter 19.
Lot is a tragic character. Yet, in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:7-8, we learn that Lot was still regarded as a righteous man who was tortured in his soul by the immorality all around him in Sodom. “If he rescued righ- teous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the un- righteous under punishment until the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:7-9). Just being accounted righteous by God and being tormented in our souls by the unrighteousness around us does not make us a credible witness. But we are not left without guidance in how to be a credible witness in an immoral city. The Apostle Paul went to the worldly and immoral city of Corinth and left behind a church. We have recorded in God’s Word two letters he wrote to the church in that immoral city.
Rico Tice, founder of Christianity Explored and minister of evangelism and All Souls Church, Langham Place, in central London, regards 2 Corin- thians 4:1-6 as one of the most important passages in the Bible on how we are to be witnesses in such a place.
Verses 3-4 tell us the problem we are up against. “And even if our gos- pel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the im- age of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
Since the problem is blindness, who is able to take away that blindness? God was able to create light out of darkness at the beginning of creation, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor- inthians 4:6).
So what is our part? Verse 2 tells us our job as witnesses in such an en- vironment is the open statement of the truth without distortion or under- handedness. “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s con- science in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
And with what attitude are we to do this so that our witness will be credible? We do so with humility and with a servant’s spirit. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).
Being a witness is not easy. It costs us something. It costs us the time and inconvenience of getting involved. It cost us the misunderstanding that can come from telling the truth in a culture that does not want to hear it. It costs us the need to live in a way that is consistent with our witness. But being a witness also carries the blessing of being used by God in his agenda of advancing the gospel, and the blessing of seeing his miracle of opening blind eyes.
Rev. Alan Avera is the Interim Director of Outreach North America. 6 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
“For God, who said, ‘Let your light shine out of darkness,’
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corin- thians 4:6).
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