PERSONALITIES CAN SHIPWRECK ONE’S FAITH

14. How can personalities cause a shipwreck of one’s faith?

¹⁴ Christians also face the danger of colliding with fellow Christians in such a way as to cause a shipwreck of their faith or the faith of others. Moreover, the Scriptures warn that a few in the midst of the Christian congregation would deviate from the faith and would try to influence others to follow after them. On the other hand, Christians trust and respect their proved and faithful brothers and sisters and appreciate the leadership and example of their faithful shepherds, but they must not let what other human creatures do cause them to experience “shipwreck concerning their faith.” In charting their course, therefore, it is very necessary for servants of God to avoid letting personalities unduly affect or influence them.​—1 Tim. 1:18, 19.

15. How does Jude describe some who could exist as a threat in the congregation before being expelled?

¹⁵ Jude refers to some who slipped into the Christian congregation and sought to turn “the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for loose conduct,” and he describes them as “rocks hidden below water in your love feasts.” “These men are murmurers, complainers about their lot in life, proceeding according to their own desires, and their mouths speak swelling things, while they are admiring personalities for the sake of their own benefit.” (Jude 3, 4, 12, 16; compare 2 Peter, chapter 2.) Such persons, when discovered, are expelled or disfellowshiped as not deserving to be within the congregation. But if someone rejects the truth of God’s Word, proving to be a chronic complainer while seeking to cover his apostasy and mislead others by admiring personalities, should we follow this one out of the truth and into destruction? How unwise this would be! Be careful that your faith is not shipwrecked by hitting one of these “rocks hidden below water”!

16. (a) When an elder helps us to apply God’s Word, what should be our attitude? (b) What contrasting attitudes were shown by some of Jesus’ disciples?

¹⁶ In contrast, when shepherds and teachers in the congregation endeavor to help us to progress in the truth of God’s Word, are we stumbled by personalities? Many who became Jesus’ disciples liked some of his teachings, and were delighted to receive miraculous food and healings, but, when they were told that they must “eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood,” this was shocking and the result was that “many of his disciples went off to the things behind and would no longer walk with him.” They did not stay long enough to receive understanding on this vital teaching.​—John 6:48-69.

17, 18. (a) How did the apostles show the right attitude in connection with a teaching that might be difficult to accept? (b) Why was the unfaithfulness of Judas Iscariot no reason for the other apostles to waver in faith? What can we learn from this?

¹⁷ When Jehovah’s “faithful and discreet slave” organization provides some new understanding based on God’s Word, we may at times have some difficulty in fully grasping what has been published. But what should be done? Should we become critical and perhaps conclude that this is just how a few men at headquarters feel about it? Or, will we reflect the same attitude as the apostles when Jesus asked them on this same occasion when many disciples turned away: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life; and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

¹⁸ The apostles were convinced from their comparison of Jesus’ teachings and course of life with the Hebrew Scriptures that he was truly the Messiah, and they were not going to turn away from following him because he introduced some new teaching that was difficult at the moment to accept. Of course, one did later turn away, this being Judas Iscariot. Greed turned his head and his heart. But did the unfaithfulness of one of the chosen apostles ruin the faith of the eleven others? No, even though their faith wavered somewhat with the arrest and death of Jesus on the torture stake. They recovered spiritually, and Jehovah, by his holy spirit, strengthened them from Pentecost 33 C.E. onward.

19. (a) As to leadership within the Christian congregation, what important fact should we be conscious of at all times? (b) What responsibility rests upon elders, and as to personalities what should we not allow to take place?

¹⁹ Never forget that we, like the apostles, are following Jesus Christ and not some man or group of men as leaders on earth. Yes, imperfect men are being used to help us, from the governing body to the elders in our congregations, but these have the heavy responsibility to teach strictly in accord with the Word of God. They are to imitate the apostle Paul, who said to the elders at Ephesus: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20) He solemnly charged Timothy as an elder to “preach the word” of God in building faith and in preparing the congregation for the period when some would ‘not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, would accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled.’ (2 Tim. 4:1-4) What do we want? Someone to tickle our ears and tell us that everything is all right, when it may not be all right, or someone who will speak to us truthfully, and yet kindly, and help us to walk in a way that will please God? (Eph. 4:11-15) Do not let personalities get in between you and your heavenly Father, Jehovah, and the Head of the Christian congregation, Christ Jesus!

GETTING ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE

20, 21. (a) What factors make it necessary that we exercise patience and tolerance in dealing with one another? (b) What counsel does Paul give, at Colossians 3:13, 14, for preserving peace and the bond of love in the congregation?

²⁰ All of us having been born in sin and imperfection, there is a need, when we learn the truth of God’s Word, to put aside the old personality traits and to work diligently to put on the new personality. (Eph. 4:23, 24) Jehovah will continue to mold us as long as we submit ourselves to do his will. Nevertheless, undesirable personality traits have a way of persisting despite our efforts to overcome them, and we may find ourselves still working on one of these traits long years after symbolizing our dedication to do Jehovah’s will. Thus the need to be tolerant of one another. Moreover, differing personality traits may not necessarily reflect weakness, but merely the variety Jehovah arranged for in human creatures.

²¹ Love and tolerance will help us to avoid being oversensitive. Due to pressing problems, a brother may pass by without speaking or may speak sharply on occasion. Or a habit or trait of another may tend to annoy. Whatever the situation, the Bible counsels: “Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Even as Jehovah freely forgave you, so do you also. But, besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.”​—Col. 3:13, 14.

22. (a) What could getting upset over a brother’s imperfections cause one to do? (b) To be forgiven our trespasses by God, what is first necessary?

²² Hence, do not let personality differences cause you to become shipwrecked in faith. Steer your course in such a way as to avoid colliding with your brother. If the Devil can get you so upset over the imperfections of your brother that you skip meetings or hold back from preaching the good news of the Kingdom, he is very pleased. Do you want to please the Adversary because of some irritation or spirit of pride? Does your relationship with Jehovah mean so little that you would quit serving him or slow down because one of the brothers commits a wrong? Remember, if Jehovah required perfection of your brother at this time, he would require it of you too. If you want God to forgive you your shortcomings, you must be willing to forgive those of your brother. Jesus predicated forgiveness of our sins upon our being willing to forgive others.​—Matt. 6:12, 14, 15.

26. How are we assured from God’s Word that we can successfully complete our voyage through the stormy times ahead and into Jehovah’s new system of things?

²⁶ Knowing that his time is short, God’s adversary, Satan the Devil, causes the seas of mankind to grow more violent from day to day. (Dan. 7:2, 3; Rev. 13:1) This great opposer of God would like to wreck our faith by swamping us with discouragement or by causing a colliding with personalities. But by keeping our faith seaworthy and by watching carefully that we navigate according to the sure Word of God, with Jehovah’s unfailing help and undeserved kindness, we will complete our voyage through these stormy times, right on through the “great tribulation” and into Jehovah’s new system of things, where the “sea is no more.” (Rev. 21:1) How thankful we will be to Jehovah at that time, that we did not let any of the attractions or difficulties encountered cause the shipwreck of our faith and deny us the grand blessings to be enjoyed eternally by those who love God with complete devotion! “Now we are not the sort that shrink back to destruction, but the sort that have faith to the preserving alive of the soul.”​—Heb. 10:39.