The impact of a ruined testimony

And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. – Genesis 19v9

Lot has always intrigued me. I am not sure I have him figured him out yet. But then I have to wonder if I am really being fair to him.

Let me explain. Here we find Lot, called ‘righteous Lot’ in 2 Peter, living in Sodom, a town whose name has become synonymous with a particular sin. Here is what Peter writes, and I have chosen the KJV because I find the wording so descriptive, even if a couple of words are considered archaic.

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation [lifestyle] of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds);

There can be no doubt that Lot was ‘saved’ in our modern terminology. What in the world was he doing living in Sodom, a city where God says the lifestyle was filthy? He was troubled by their lifestyle, yet he troubled his own life by living there.

Praise God that He delivered Lot by His grace and mercy.

I want to look at something else today however.

Angels came to visit Lot and deliver him. The wicked men of the city came to Lot and asked for the men to be sent out so that they could satisfy their sexual lusts with them. Lot refused, and was so mixed up that he offered his virgin daughters to them instead! Astounding to see the depth to which he had fallen.

But look at the response of the men – ‘Who is Lot to judge us? He has made his home in our city. He sat at the gate with us. He knew what we were like, and now he is deciding what is right and wrong for us?’

Lot had lost his testimony as a righteous man. He was so much in the world that he was of the world. Who indeed was he to judge the men of Sodom?

I can look back and be critical of Lot. I can self-righteously sit back and condemn him. Then I look back at my life and see times, one in particular, where man might have said of me – ‘Who is Roger to tell us what is right and wrong? Who is he to preach to us? He is one of and now he is trying to tell us what is right?’

Early in 1976 I was in such a state that a friend said those words about me and to me. I was saved about two years earlier and had been trying to witness to my friends. For over a year though I had not lived like a believer. ‘Parrow,’ said my friend after a particularly wild evening, ‘You had better never try to talk to us about the Jesus stuff. Now we know that is all a load of [rubbish].’

Ouch. Being vexed by the filthy conversation around me and vexing my own righteous soul with their deeds suddenly became very uncomfortable.

Yes, God delivered my out of that mess. But what about those around me in those days? Where are they today? What impact did my life have on them?

What do we do with our testimony? Are we passing through this world with its ‘filthy conversation’ or have we settled there? Has that become our home? If so, all we can hope for is a life of trouble and vexation. If any of us find our comfort zone there we need to make sure of our state of righteousness. If there is no vexation we must wonder if there is any righteousness.