Medium

4 min read3 days ago

In Episode 2, I ended with this truth:

If He is, He will defend Himself in time and eternity. Our job is not to defend Him by killing men. Our job is to reflect Him by loving men.

Now I must ask the question many are afraid to ask:

What if we are wrong?

1. Time has disproved many things we once killed for.

History is our teacher, and history is honest.

There was a time men killed because they believed the earth was flat and to say otherwise was against God. Time proved them wrong.

There was a time men killed because they believed one tribe was cursed by God and another tribe was chosen by God. Time proved them wrong.

There was a time men burned people because they believed sickness was witchcraft. Time proved them wrong.

There was a time men fought wars because they believed their king was God's only voice on earth. Time proved them wrong.

Every generation was sure. Every generation said, "This is it. No questioning." And every generation later looked back with shame and said, "How could we have killed for that?"

So I ask: What makes us think our own generation is the first generation that cannot be wrong?

2. If we kill for it, we cannot take it back.

This is the danger.

If I argue with you and I am wrong, I can say sorry. I can change my mind. I can learn again.

If I insult you and I am wrong, I can apologize. I can rebuild the friendship.

But if I kill you and I am wrong, I cannot bring you back.

Death has no apology. Death has no correction. Death has no second chance.

To kill a man for a belief is to say, "I am so sure that I am ready to end a life that I cannot create, for a truth that I cannot fully prove."

That is not faith. That is pride wearing the cloth of faith.

Faith says, "I believe." Pride says, "I cannot be wrong." Faith is humble. Pride is dangerous.

3. God does not need our wrongness to defend His rightness.

If God is true, He is true whether we kill or not. Our killing does not make Him more true.

Get Adu Emmanuel’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

If God is not as we described Him, our killing does not make our description true. It only makes us murderers.

Think about it: If on the last day we stand before God, and He asks us, "Why did you kill your brother?" — what will we say?

Will we say, "Lord, I killed him because I was defending You"?

And will He not answer, "Who told you I needed your sword to defend Me? Did I not tell you, Thou shalt not kill?"

We must be careful. We may be defending our own fear, our own tribe, our own interpretation — and calling it God.

4. The humble believer does not kill.

The humble believer says: "I believe this with all my heart. I will live for it. I will die for it if I must. But I will not kill for it. Because if I am wrong, I have destroyed a life for nothing. And if I am right, God does not need my killing to prove He is right."

To die for your belief is faith. To kill for your belief is fear.

Jesus did not kill for His truth. He died for it. The prophets did not kill for their message. They suffered for it.

The man who is sure of eternity is not in a hurry to send another man to eternity by force.

5. Let time do its work.

Time is a judge that no man can bribe.

What is true will stand in time. What is false will fall in time. What is from God will remain. What is from man will fade.

We do not need to rush time by killing. We need to allow time to reveal.

Let us argue. Let us debate. Let us preach. Let us write. Let us pray. Let us love. Let us live in a way that our life proves our belief more than our sword ever could.

Because time will tell and eternity will reveal who was right about His existence.

But time is already telling who is right about His character — by how we treat each other while we argue about Him.

Conclusion:

So I will not kill for what time may disprove.

I will believe. I will live. I will love. I will leave the final judgment to the One who sees the end from the beginning.

If I am right, I will be rewarded for my love.
If I am wrong, I will still be rewarded for not shedding innocent blood.

That is safer. That is wiser. That is more godly.