CORRECTION VS DESTRUCTION

 

CORRECTION 

Correction is a good thing done for good reasons. 

It refers to the actions or activities that seek to highlight a specific error or inaccuracy in order to, and with the noble intention and sole purpose of, eliciting reasonable amendment, adjustment, rectification or change of some sort in a positive direction. It is a good endeavour and it is for the good of the persons receiving the correction.

Since correction is a noble activity or a good thing done for good reasons, it also needs to be done or administered in a good and noble way. 

It should generally be offered in a respectful and civil manner not in an insulting or disparaging way, and not going against societal norms and what is lawfully right, such as engaging in libel, slander, defamation or malevolent and malicious conspiracies of any sort.

It should also be made in the spirit of humility, gentleness or meekness, and with empathy, godly love and the fear of God, especially when being carried out by a Christian. 

It will be done in a much more godly way and will align more with The Scripture depending on the spiritual maturity of the Christian providing the said correction. 

CHRISTIAN CORRECTION 

Christian correction or Scriptural reproof should be administered with godly wisdom and power. 

This means that the critical components of spiritual understanding, Christian discretion and Christian virtue, or the power of godliness or godly living, should always be the clear backdrop or solid footing upon which godly correction should stand.

The Scriptural texts cited below are a summary of the Biblical guidelines on how God's ministers should approach and administer spiritual correction. 

"The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged. 

"He must correct those who are in opposition with courtesy and gentleness in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and be led to the knowledge of the truth [accurately understanding and welcoming it], 

"and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."

(Ref: 2 Timothy 2:24-26, AMP)

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well."

(Ref: Galatians 6:1, AMP)

The instructions from The Scripture as stated above are crystal clear and will be the guiding principles of every true child of God. 

The Scripture should also be consulted and obeyed for different instances where correction is due and applicable either on a personal or corporate level, such as when one believer wrongs or offends a fellow believer in Christ, as well as when a sinning believer who has been personally corrected a number of times is impenitent and refuses to repent or is unruly and a busybody within the Church, leading other believers to stumble or to be offended. 

There are instructions for other scenarios, such as bringing correction to elders in the church who persist in known sin. 

"The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 

For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 

But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism."

(1 Timothy 5:17-21, NIV)

Verse 20 in The Amplified Bible states it this way: "As for those [elders] who continue in sin, reprimand them in the presence of all [the congregation], so that the rest will be warned."

There are also instructions for rebuking false teachers who peddle false gospels and unscriptural doctrines that can damn souls eternally. This is a more serious situation: false preachers who are misleading people, turning them away from the Truth, for dishonest gain.

"For there are many rebellious men who are empty talkers [just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved]. 

They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they should not teach for the purpose of dishonest financial gain. 

One of them [Epimenides, a Cretan], a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 

This description is true. So rebuke them sharply so that they will be sound in the faith and free from doctrinal error, 

not paying attention to Jewish myths and the commandments and rules of men who turn their backs on the truth."

(Titus 1:10-14, AMP)

The sincere and truth-loving believer should be careful to avoid such false prophets and false teachers so they will not be deceived. The warnings from The Scripture are strong and clear. 

"For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things." (Philippians 3:18-19)

DESTRUCTION 

Destruction, on the other hand, is "the action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired," according to the simple Google Dictionary; in other words, ruination ("the action or fact of ruining a person or thing"), extermination or annihilation. 

It goes way beyond castigation into conspiracy with intention to cause severe harm and damage.

It includes the malicious and malevolent attempt or action of sabotaging or setting up a perceived enemy or opposition, even when you know they are not guilty or culpable of a certain offence, in order to have the legal basis, biblical justification or social validation to inflict punitive action or retribution on them, and thus to diminish, devaste or destroy them one way or another, either physically, socially or economically.

It could involve instigating, inciting and inducing a wrongdoing or perceived evil, with the sole aim of implicating and incriminating or sabotaging a person or thing, such as a project, organisation or nation.

It often also includes using and exploiting past wrongdoing, previous sinful acts or current shortcomings against a person who has been essentially "blacklisted" by a devious organisation such as a mafia-styled network of sorts, and who is targeted for destruction of sorts such as severe social, emotional, mental or financial assault.

This is unjust and ungodly. It is also criminal. 

It could be as a result of bitterness, vengeance, envy, covetousness, or such evils in the heart. It is definitely inspired and inflamed by Darkness. 

It can come from different quarters usually former relationships and associates, whether marital, social, professional, business or religious. 

No true child of God intentionally engages in such maleficent villainy and premeditated wickedness. 

It is the nature and mission of The Devil to steal, kill and destroy. 

It is the practice of criminals to do the same.

It is the God-ordained delegated authority and responsibility of the Government to protect lives and property in human society and to punish criminals, thus ensuring justice, as well as maintaining law and order in the polity. 

It will be God's all-consuming responsibility and glory to give the ultimate verdict and judgment of eternal punishment which is already reserved for the wicked: the Devil and all his wicked subjects.

As seen in biblical history and church history, false religious leaders and groups are very capable of such ungodly and satanic acts of spite, betrayal, sabotage, false accusation and multifaceted or multilevel destruction. They will go to any lengths to diminish and destroy, just like the ungodly and oppressive sociopolitical cartels with money and power. They can have corrupt government officials on their payroll to facilitate their evil plans. They can even also secretly recruit, deploy and work covertly with criminals as secret agents to execute their sinister strategem. 

As we have seen in a Scriptural text above, their end, fate or destiny is also eternal destruction. 

The Bible verses below confirm the Divine reservation made for false teachers. This shows how severely God takes this religious travesty.

"These [false teachers] are springs without water and mists driven by a tempest, for whom is reserved the gloom of black darkness." (2 Peter 2:17, AMP)

"Woe to them! For they have gone the [defiant] way of Cain, and for profit they have run headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of [mutinous] Korah. These men are hidden reefs [elements of great danger to others] in your love feasts when they feast together with you without fear, looking after [only] themselves; [they are like] clouds without water, swept along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted and lifeless; wild waves of the sea, flinging up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of deep darkness has been reserved forever." (Jude 1:11-13, AMP)

Let everyone in their different categories as applicable -- the correcting and the corrected, the godly and the ungodly, the destroying and the destroyed -- all be Scripturally informed, and thus comforted or warned, duly and accordingly.

The glory belongs to God. Now and forevermore.