Was Jesus being nice when rebuking the Jews' traditions? Was Stephen being nice when he condemned the leadership for hypocrisy? Was apollos not nice when boldly refuting the Jews in their own synagogues?
Do you promote unity over truth? Or civil debate without getting personal?
Do you denounce showing Christians teaching things contrary to the Bible? Or that we can learn what not to teach from the proven errors of others?
Do you forbid rebuking any teaching? Or just draw the line at personally 'burning' others, even when wrong?
This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
Let's look at what God says about arguing over His word, which is called disputing the Scriptures:
Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
The apostles and disciples have always freely and openly disputed the Scriptures. Such liberty of doctrinal argument is encouraged by God, so long as we do not sin by personally assaulting others.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Cults shut down any dispute of their teachings and rule over the people by the truth of the Bible. The same result is in the name of tolerance. They both act like 'arguing' over the Bible is either seditious or discourteous.
Disputing over what the Bible says and teaches, is healthy for individual decisions of faith and life. It is also a good exercise and discipline for learning to rightly divide the word of truth, so long as we remain correctible. That is until it is made personal by hardened people, that do not want to be disagreed with.
But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
We see here how some were initially willing to have an open dispute about Bible truth, until their position was threatened. That is when they hardened their hearts against good correction, and instead began to make personal insults and charges.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Cults shut down any disagreement for the sake of power over the people. Zealot unity seekers shun any disagreement for the sake of harmony and concord. The cult cast out the dissenters, the unifiers brand them 'not nice'.
Let all things be done decently and in order.
Having an honest dispute is promoted in the Bible, and should never be abridged. Unless it becomes sinful disorderly personal conduct.
It is those that refuse correction, who normally default into personal attacks and accusation. We find that they resent and despise anyone daring to disagree with them, especially when it hits the mark. That is because their trust in their own doctrine, and especially justification in life, is being threatened. Lest it expose their corrupted heart and pricks their defiled conscience, they go on a personal attach and rant to shut down further debate.
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
There is also of course another kind of disputing that is unhealthy and ungodly:
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth.
Perverse disputing is just people arguing over their own opinions, philosophies, and religions without regard to what God says in the Bible.
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Once we see that someone does not care what the Bible says about such things, then we become fools ourselves by continued argument.
However, sometimes we find such hereticks in our own ranks. There are hardened believers, that really don't care about all of God words in the Bible. Any words of God that do threaten their personal faith, doctrine, and especially justification, are either rejected or twisted into something else more suitable to their personal life.
Hope this helps. It's the rule I go by in all arguments I make from the Bible. Such as now when being accused of 'unnice' discourse.
