“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:3-4
When two people disagree about an issue, sometimes one person will say to the other, “Why can’t you see what I see?” As humans, we often believe that other people should see things the way that we see them ourselves. But that is very often not the case. Look at the photo above. What do you see? Is it an old woman or a young woman? We also sometimes see what we want to see or ignore things we consider less important. It is well known that eyewitnesses to a crime often give very different details about what they saw, even though they all saw the same event.
The fact is that every person has a perspective on the world and how they see it is based upon their education, where they grew up, how they were raised, what they like to do, and their unique experiences. These factors form a worldview or a way of looking at the world that is different from ours and that of others. Our worldview shapes our opinions, our evaluation of what we see or hear, and our actions. We need to be aware of these differences so that we avoid conflicts or misunderstandings due to looking at an issue from a different perspective.
In Matthew 7:3-4 (see above), Jesus said we should remove the plank from our eye so we can see the speck in another person’s eye. He was acknowledging that we sometimes have blind spots that prevent us from seeing what others see and vice versa. For example, one person may look at an issue from a legal point of view whereas another person may look at it from a moral point of view. Our perspective and how we view the world will affect what we see and how we see it! Because of these differences, it is unrealistic to expect that others view an issue the same way that we do unless we know them well and share the same worldview.
I would like to address this problem for Christians as we interact with others in two common situations. One is when we are speaking to a non-believer and the other is when we are speaking to a fellow Christian.
Non-Believers
People who are not Christians either have a different religious viewpoint or a secular/pagan perspective. In either case we are likely to discover that they have very different viewpoints from ours as followers of Jesus. We need to be careful not to simply hurl Bible quotes at them and expect them to nod their head in agreement. We must learn to share Biblical concepts using everyday language and expressions so we can have effective communication. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:11, “If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.” So, when sharing Biblical principles or our testimony with non-believers we must speak in a way helps them understand our perspective.
When sharing the gospel with non-believers, we should first ask them what they know or have experienced with Christianity. This will help us to better understand what their level of knowledge is about God and the Christian faith. There’s also little point in presenting Jesus if they don’t believe there is a God. In that case, we must first present the evidence for a belief in God to be able to then present the gospel and the need for faith in Christ.
Similarly, if they believe in God but do not think they are a sinner, then presenting Jesus as the Savior to them won’t make much sense either. So, we first must present the evidence for sinful man in order for them to consider their need for salvation through Christ. As 1 Peter 3:19 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Remember that we are not called to argue for Christ, we are called to share Christ!
Christians
In our world today, we must also sadly recognize that Christians do not all believe the same things. Many Christians have become more secular and have abandoned the Bible as being authoritative for their lives. They have beliefs and viewpoints that do not come from the Scriptures (abortion, marriage, sex, etc.) and instead reflect what the culture believes (i.e. – what mankind thinks). As Paul said to Timothy, “For a time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (1 Timothy 4:3) Most of the major Christian denominations have had division and splits over Biblical authority and teaching.
When talking to other Christians, we must always use the Bible as our source of truth and discussion over the principles we are to live by as followers of Christ. Jesus Himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The apostle John declared that Jesus is the Word when he wrote that “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) We cannot fall into the trap of letting other Christians misquote, misuse, or deny Scripture to form their human-focused opinions and beliefs about God or Jesus. We also cannot accept what pastors or other Christians say unless it is based on Scripture and sound Biblical teaching.
Our job as followers of Christ is to be examples of Jesus in how we live (Matthew 5:16) and to witness our faith in Him to others (Acts 1:8). We are not called to convert others. The Holy Spirit does that part! Just because others do not see things the way we do, does not give us the right to belittle, condemn, or judge others for their viewpoint. We are simply called to share the good news of salvation through Christ and to be His witnesses in our world.
Let’s remove the plank from our eyes so that we can help others see what we see so clearly!