Articles
The Balance Between Prudence and Courage
“In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to apprehend me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands” (2 Cor 11:32-33).
“So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.’ But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out’” (Ac 16:36-37).
“And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you’” (Ac 24:24-25).
These examples from the life of Paul demonstrate various reactions to the situation at hand. And they serve as a backdrop to difficult questions all Christians face from time to time: When do we speak out, and when do we remain silent? When do we take a bold, unyielding stand, and when do we give ground? Are we always required to press every element of principle to the ultimate degree, or is it sometimes appropriate to let matters run their course unopposed? And how do we know the difference?
There is no cookie cutter answer to these questions, but some overarching principles may help us navigate the strong currents of opposition.
1. Withdrawing from dangerous situations is not always cowardice.
Paul shows this in his escape from Damascus. Following his conversion “he immediately preached the Christ in the synagogues … [and] increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that his Jesus is the Christ” (Ac 9:20, 22). Paul was definitely not a coward. Perhaps he reasoned that his apostolic mission would be preempted by boldly challenging the authorities, or maybe he was concerned for the welfare of his Damascene brethren, or both. At any rate, he didn’t recklessly throw himself into a fray he deemed counterproductive.
Jesus avoided Judea during most of His ministry. He focused on Galilee because of the intense opposition of the Jewish hierarchy in Jerusalem. Jesus apparently minimized conflict for the purpose of establishing His identity and grounding the masses in His teaching.
God gives us the ability to reason. He does not expect us to mindlessly expose ourselves to danger where real accomplishment is unlikely (cf. Mt 4:6-7). It may be argued that we never know what might be achieved, and it is true that blessings sometimes come from persecution and even martyrdom. Yet it is not God’s will that we seek or incite such outcomes, to provoke others into mistreating us. Common sense coupled with prayer for guidance will help us decide when to flee and when to confront.
2. Remaining silent is sometimes the appropriate response.
Reservation and non-confrontation is sometimes the best policy. Jesus again exemplifies this at His trial when He refuses to engage the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod in any meaningful defense or debate. “And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Is 53:7; Mt 26:62-63; 27:12-14). There comes a time when there’s just nothing else to say. Jesus had provided ample proof of who He was; there was nothing else to be gained by engaging in a debate with dishonest people whose minds were already made up.
Again, it is not easy to decide when “enough” has been said. But there does comes a time when we may justifiably withdraw from fruitless attempts to convert someone or press a moral argument. Sometimes Christians hold themselves hostage to groundless hope; they feel obligated to press those whose minds are closed. If there is reasonable evidence to decide that our words are of no profit, God will not hold us accountable for silence. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine” (Mt 7:6) is meaningful advice.
3. Some confrontations can’t be avoided.
When Jesus was directly asked about His identity by His accusers He would not keep silent: “It is as you said” (Mt 26:64; cf. Mt 27:11; Jn 18:37). He would not deny Himself no matter the outcome. Conversely, Jesus sometimes deliberately provoked others: claiming to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth; healing on the Sabbath; violently scattering the temple entrepreneurs; withering criticism of Pharisaic hypocrisy and pronouncing woes of doom on them; etc.
Paul did likewise, blinding Elymas; confronting the Athenians; daring anyone to demand Titus’ circumcision at the Jerusalem conference; etc. If remaining silent is a direct reflection on God’s honor, or if inaction is born of fear rather than measured restraint, then we may be accountable for our inaction. But sometimes action born of a troubled conscience or of mere duty is unhelpful. May we all seek greater wisdom in knowing how to act and in what measure to respond to the daily challenges of our faith.
