Offense and Defence

Offense and Defence

Two words that mean a great deal to followers of American football. Whatever their meaning to you, sporting or otherwise, they have a very different connotation in the life of a Christian. In Christian terminology it is much more a case of whatever is our defence against us causing or taking offense?

So what is this offence? In his book, “The Bait of Satan”, John Bevere describes at some length how Christians can, will, and do take offense at their brothers and sisters. It doesn’t matter that no-one else saw any offense, either deliberate or unintentional, Christians are particularly susceptible to taking offense. According to John Bevere, Satan uses this as one of his greatest and most effective weapons. He divides friends, families, and whole churches with the deadly weapon of offense.  It can be over almost anything, and usually, the smaller the ‘gaffe’ the greater the offense taken.

So what is our defence against this diabolical weapon that the enemy uses to such devastating effect? We first have to understand that offense is caused and taken when we dent or damage someone’s ego – their ‘self’. It is something usually seen as an insult to them or someone close to them, especially a close family member like their mother. At other times it may be a personal insult inferred from something said which almost invariably was not intended the way it was taken. Every occasion between Christians where offense is taken is almost invariably unintentional.

But someone’s ego got bent out of shape; they threw all their toys out of the pram; and a storm was brewed in a very small teacup.

The defence against all of this is to die to self. Simple as that. When we die to self, we start to ignore the wounding and cutting remarks made by those trying to upset us and those who just don’t realise they are offending you. Similarly, we tend to ignore and forgive things which ‘tweaked’ our ego and which might have caused offense in the past, but because we are dying to self, no longer causes offense today because God gives us Grace to handle it. When we die to self, His Grace is indeed sufficient for us.

Grace – that’s the defence against offense.