The Hard and the Soft Characteristics

The Hard and the Soft Characteristics

We can say that, taken together, the hard and the soft characteristics constitute the whole in nature—in our sinful nature as well as in the divine nature of which we partake through Jesus Christ.

Sin causes everything to be backwards, the opposite of what it should be. Therefore the sinner is soft where he should be hard and hard where he should be soft. He is soft on sin, and the sinner who is tempted gives in and falls; but (for example), he is hard on a weak person for the sake of gain.

When we who are backwards are converted, we are turned face-up. Then we become merciful (soft) toward the weaker person, and we become hard, firm, dismissive, inflexible, and unshakable toward sin.

However, this conversion, salvation, occurs only up to a certain degree; it progresses only partially.

All of us, whether we know it or not, whether we want to or not, are significantly influenced by the spirit of the times and the usual opinion among God’s people, which in turn is influenced by the spirit of the times. One of the most pronounced characteristics of the spirit of the times during the last generation is softness, humanism, alliances, tolerance, and “love”—just talk.

This has the effect that people almost consider Christianity as something soft and sweet, so that everything that has the appearance of hardness and firmness is thought to be unchristian. For this very reason it is especially difficult for the believers to acquire the hardness and firmness that belong to the divine nature. This causes much more damage than one suspects; it hinders (all those who are willing to be hindered) from growing up to the full stature of manhood in Christ Jesus. Instead of becoming a real man, one becomes a pathetic wretch who is unable to say “No!” when it is required, who has no spiritual backbone, who becomes an object of derision for fools.

About Christ it is written, “Therefore I have set My face like a flint . . . .” Isa. 50:7. When we consider His conduct toward the scribes, we see plainly that this prophecy was fulfilled. He was terribly hard, even as hard as flint.

We also see this with the apostles. In Galatians 2:5 Paul says, “To whom we did not yield submission even for an hour . . . .” This is not one of the soft characteristics but rather hardness and firmness.

In Galatians 1:9 Paul says, “As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”

These are terribly hard words! Galatians 5:12: “I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!” Terrible words! What would one say about such words in these days?!

When it concerns the widows’ right for support by the church, we can read about the conditions in 1 Timothy 5. She must not have children or other close relatives. She must be alone, continuing in prayers night and day, not be under sixty years old, well reported for good works, having brought up children, lodged strangers, washed the saints’ feet, relieved the afflicted, and followed every good work. The conditions are very strict and hard; they are so strict that generally you will not find a single widow who fulfills them! That this is right, that this is love is especially difficult to understand in these indulgent times. Nevertheless, it is still love for the best of everyone, for the furtherance of that which is good and as a hindrance against evil.

When it concerns helping the poor, the unemployed, and beggars, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that when he was among them he had commanded that if anyone was unwilling to work, he should also not eat. Unfortunately, there are many such people. If we are really pitifully weak and soft, we usually give them money. But you are relatively strong and hard when you refuse to give them money and offer them food instead. Yet the apostle’s command was that they should not even have food. Who manages to be so hard in these sickly times?!

One could ask, “How can that be love?” By understanding that laziness destroys the person’s soul and that we, by giving them what they desire, will encourage them to continue to be lazy. In other words, one would hinder their conversion from laziness, which cannot possibly be love. By denying them what they desire, they would discover that laziness is not rewarding, and they would thereby find it easier to be converted—which must, by definition, be love. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 also speaks about something that is very common in these days; it speaks about those who stop working with their hands and who imagine they are called by God “to travel with the gospel.” They attempt to delude themselves and others that they are evangelists, prophets, apostles, and teachers, thinking that they have a right to live off the gospel, whereas the truth is that they are not capable of the lowliest work in God’s kingdom. They are in the direst need of being worked with instead of being capable of working with others. By not working but being busybodies, their work is truly unworthy. V. 11. The church in Ephesus was praised for having tested some who said they were apostles but were found to be liars. Rev. 2:2.

It was certainly hard to say to them that they were liars, but it was true! Imagine saying about someone who came in the name of Jesus Christ that they were liars! Yet it was to the church’s eternal benefit, and thinking of the others’ benefit is love. Moreover, a considerable amount of firmness, strength, and hardness is required to be able to do this kind of thing.

Some of this hardness is already needed in the very beginning when (for example) a mother wants to hinder her newly converted child from following Christ by appealing to him with her tender, motherly love. In that case one has to be hard against it; otherwise you will fail. Love is as strong as death, and hard as Hades (the kingdom of the dead) is its zeal. S. of Sol. 8:6.

There is a very good, guiding principle with regard to charity: namely, if you give something to one person, in a manner of speaking, you take it away from another, because the other person could have had it but does not get it. This thought reminds me of the tactic of a notorious thief who stole from the rich to give to the poor. This was not right though it made sense.

However, stealing from the poor to give to the rich would be meaningless. It is just as meaningless to give to the ungodly instead of the God-fearing, or to give to a nominal Christian instead of to someone who lives as a Christian, or to give to a lazy person instead of to a diligent person, etc.

Giving to the rich will bring a person only poverty. Prov. 22:16. This is often an old habit against which you have to harden yourself to be finished with it. One is also used to playing the hypocrite and flattering each other. People like this indulgent and comfortable kind of behavior, and it is difficult for some people to be saved from this sinful softness to Christ’s just and true and pure hardness.

Jesus’ disciples once said about His words that were the result of His love: “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” The truth feels so hard because sin has destroyed people’s vision and taste and everything else in man. We must therefore harden ourselves to be able to speak the truth as we ought to, in order to be faithful to God.

If we are not saved from this softness, our life will be wasted; we will lose the crown of life and the crown of victory. If we cannot overcome, then we are overcome! You are a liar if you cannot bring yourself to speak the truth! You are failing if you are afraid. Rev. 21:8. You are not a servant of Christ if you seek to please men. Gal. 1:10. If you say “Yes” when you should have said “No,” and “No” where you should have said “Yes,” you can still repent. For you is a sinner. God help everyone to the necessary firmness, strength, and hardness to everything that is not pleasing to Him.