What is it about rebuke which bothers us? Why do we insist on not standing up to people's folly to correct them?
We fear that we will lose the favor of man.
Yet in Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings, and made gracious in the Beloved, Jesus the Perfect Man, the only begotten Son.
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Furthermore, rebuke or chastening allows us to grow in grace, to become partakers of our Father's holiness:
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12: 7-11)
In the proverb above, we also learn that when we rebuke others, we find favor, too!
Jesus frequently rebuked the self-righteous Pharisees:
"35And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
36For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly." (Mark 12: 35-37)
and
"15The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." (Luke 13: 15-17)
and
"7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8: 7-11)
When Jesus rebuked the self-righteousness of religious leaders, He received honor and favor.
Today, because we are in Christ, we have His honor, and we can rest assured that standing and speaking the truth, holding others accountable to the truth of the Gospel, will grant us more favor in Christ and before man!
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