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“Thinking the Best”
Most of us have been let down in the past. We have been lied to, cheated, or abused in some way at some point in time, or possibly many times. Have we started to expect that from people around us? Are we jaded into thinking that all people are this way? Have we become suspicious in most circumstances that foul play or ulterior motives are involved? Worst of all, have we started to expect this kind of behavior from our brothers and sisters in Christ; those we are to trust and confide in? While there are dishonest people in the world, the New Testament teaches the Christian to think the best of those we encounter and to hope for what is good and right, especially when it involves fellow Christians.
The attributes of love that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 13 should open our eyes to a new train of thought and expectation. With such characteristics as “thinks no evil”, “does not rejoice in iniquity”, “believes all things”, and “hopes all things”, we can understand that the love of discipleship is one that should expect honesty and faithfulness from our fellow brethren. Consider your own thought process when it comes to your brothers and sisters in Christ. If your brother misses a service and fails to let anyone know, do you automatically assume that he has frivolously forsaken the assembly, or do you hope and expect that his absence was beyond his control, and that he would have been there if he could have? By definition, love hopes and expects the best from brethren in Christ!
Perhaps there is no better example of hoping for good than the Christian Barnabas who was key in helping Saul become accepted as a true Christian in the Jerusalem church. In Acts 9, after being struck blind on the road to Damascus, baptized by Ananias, preaching the gospel for the first time, and even escaping death by the hands of the Jews, Saul attempts to join the disciples in Jerusalem. Of course the Christians there had understandable reservation in allowing him to do so, as Saul had persecuted Christians prior to his conversion, likely many who were relatives or friends of those in the Jerusalem church. Yet, even though we read that “they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple” (26), there was at least one man who trusted in the power of Christ to save even the vilest of sinners, and believed that the Lord had worked this power in Saul. Barnabas took Saul, presented him to the apostles, and “declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (27). He knew of the faith of Saul displayed in his works after his conversion, and he believed in the sincerity of Saul’s repentance, so he vouched for this forgiven man. Aren’t you glad that Barnabas was willing to do this?
Consider your own thought process when it comes to new converts. Often times we may have had experiences or even relationships with new converts before they obey the gospel, and perhaps we know of their behavior as a lost soul prior to their conversion. It may be a struggle at times for us to believe that their repentance is sincere, or to believe that change will actually take place in their lives. Have we come to expect that sinners who repent are really faking it? Have we come to doubt the power of Christ to save souls and change lives?
We are certainly aware of the potential for false converts, lying brethren (Acts 5:1-11), apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1-3), and false teachers (Acts 20:29-31; 2 Pet. 2:1-2). While we certainly need to be on the lookout for such activity, and guard against it, we must not come to expect this from our brethren or condemn them in our hearts based solely on our own personal suspicions. May we learn rather to think the best and hope for good from our brethren in Christ!
