I have been evaluating myself on something that I’d like to suggest you consider…
What we believe about others and what we expect them to do is a very strong indicator of who we are. For example, if we won’t trust others… we probably aren’t untrustworthy. If we believe what people say… we are probably honest people. If we think people have ulterior motives… that probably means we operate with ulterior motives. If we try to do what is right, we be live others try to do what is right. I get this idea from Titus 1:15 where it is written, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”
Pure people think purely. Defiled people can only think in a defiled manner. Pure people see the positive and good. Defiled people are critics and distrusting. Pure people act, speak, and believe about others pure motivations. Yet defiled people are whisperers, manipulators, underhanded, and they believe everyone else is just like them. Both are surprised when people don’t do what they expect.
The last phrase really nailed me, “But both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” That means that those who are defiled are incapable of realizing their error. They believe what they do is right. They cannot grasp that their conduct, words, and/or actions are evil. God deliver us! Jeremiah 17:9!!
So here’s a test… What is our default belief about others? What do we think other people’s motivations are for what they do? Do we think they are working the system… or playing by the rules. Whichever we think is probably a strong indicator of what kind of people we are.
Question: Given Titus 1:15, what motives do we assign to other people… pure or defiled?
You know, I have always thought that WABC was a very loving, giving church; but in light of recent events I have learned that you can’t believe what people say. I have become suspicious of some people’s motives. Is it possible for a trusting person to become defiled by others’ actions?
I am reminded of your definition of a person’s conscience being like a triangle. I don’t want my triangle to get worn smooth.
Pastor Ron, I’m not so sure about this one. Going away from the passage descriptive of the Cretans and Jews who are defiling the saints with their myths, circumcision, etc. and generalizing to everyone else’s character may be a bit over generalization. Sure, our thoughts reveal who we truly are as Jesus himself points out but I’m not so sure our thoughts about what we think of others always reveals our own character (especially based on this verse Titus 1:15). Pragmatic example (although I dislike pragmatism): a woman may start dating someone whom she discovers cheats on her. She then gets engaged to a man of her dreams and discovers he cheated on her. Later, she finally marries whom she believes is the “right one.” You guessed it, he commits adultery. Now she becomes very untrusting and suspicious of men altogether. This does not mean that she cannot be trusted just because she is untrusting of men due to her experiences. If this is too superficial of an example let me know what your thoughts are.
Suk, thank you for your comment! One of the things I do in my studies is to take the Scripture, it’s historical context and then attempt to put it into a form that I can identify with and understand for myself today. In fact, that is what we have to do with Pauline epistles since they were written to address specific situations to specific people at a specific time. If we don’t, then the New Testament (If not the whole Bible) becomes merely a historical document rather than the Living Word.
I confess that I am not qualified to peer into the human psyche as those who are well trained in that area. And actually that was not my intent in the post. Thus the first line was, “I have been evaluating myself on something that I’d like to suggest you consider.” I have found that I tend to see others primarily based on my own ethos and practice. That is my default mode of understanding people. Actually, I try to believe the best and positive about people until proved otherwise.
As a student of people in the pastoral setting for a few years I have observed and heard from numerous people statements about others that conflicted with what I knew personally about them. Over time I came to see that what they were accusing others of was actually a revealing of the kind of person they were. They projected their personality and motivations onto others. At the same time I have encountered numerous people who trusted and believed in people past what they should. I realized were trustworthy people and believed everyone was like them. After I saw that played out so many times through the years… I came up with the theory in this post.
Is it a hard and fast rule that applies to all people in all situations? No. Is my thought something that can be viewed as a proverbial statement? I think so. Aside: A proverbial statement is something that is generally true, but not always.
I thank you for your comment and appreciate your willingness to delve deeper into the text. I have always sought to encourage people to do exactly what you have done. I want people to test what I say every time I say it to see “whether or not these things are true.” I want people who hear me speak and read what I say to follow 1 John 4:1… which is what you have done. Bless you my brother!