Does scripture ever support fighting hard for the faith?
The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate. — Noam Chomsky
Watchtower November 15, 1963 p. 688 para. 3 Execution of Divine Judgment upon False
Religion
“It is not a form of religious persecution for anyone to say and to show that another religion is false.
It is not religious persecution for an informed person to expose publicly a certain religion as being false,
thus allowing persons to see the difference between false religion and true religion.”
Neh 13:25 (NWT 1984) And I began to find fault with them and call down evil upon them and strike some men of them and pull out their hair and make them swear by God: “YOU should not give YOUR daughters to their sons, and YOU should not accept any of their daughters for YOUR sons or yourselves.
Pro 18:17 (NWT 2013) The first to state his case seems right, until the other party comes and cross-examines him.
Isa 1:18 (NASB) “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool”.
Isa 41:21 (NWT 2013) “Present your case,” says Jehovah. “Produce your arguments,” says the King of Jacob.
Jer 9:3-9 (NWT 2013) They bend their tongue like a bow; Falsehood, not faithfulness, prevails in the land. “They advance from evil to evil, And they pay no attention to me,” declares Jehovah. “Everyone, be on guard against your neighbor, And do not trust even your brother. For every brother is a betrayer, And every neighbor is a slanderer. Each one cheats his neighbor, And no one speaks truth. They have taught their tongue to speak falsehood. They wear themselves out doing what is wrong. You are living in the midst of deception. In their deception they refused to know me,” declares Jehovah. Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says: “I will smelt them and test them, For what else can I do with the daughter of my people. Their tongue is a deadly arrow that speaks deception. With his mouth a person speaks of peace to his neighbor, But inside he lays an ambush.” “Should I not call them to account for these things” declares Jehovah. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation?”
Luke 21:15 (NWT 2013) for I will give you words and wisdom that all your opposers together will not be able to resist or dispute.
Acts 4:8-9,13 (NWT 2013) Then Peter, filled with holy spirit, said to them: “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today about a good deed to a crippled man, and you want to know who made this man well ... 13 Now when they saw the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were astonished. And they began to realize that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:33 (NWT 2013) And with great power the apostles continued giving the witness about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and undeserved kindness was upon them all in large measure.
Acts 6:8-10 (NWT 2013) Now Stephen, full of divine favor and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men of the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen came forward, along with some Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, to dispute with Stephen. But they could not hold their own against the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.
Acts 9:22 (NWT 2013) But Saul kept on acquiring more and more power and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus, as he proved logically that this is the Christ.
Acts 15:2 (NASB) And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Acts 17:1-3 (NWT 2013) They now traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. So according to Paul’s custom he went inside to them, and for three sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying: “This is the Christ, this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.”
Acts 17:11 (NWT 2013) Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Acts 18:4-5 (NWT 2013) He would give a talk in the synagogue every sabbath and would persuade Jews and Greeks. When, now, both Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to be intensely occupied with the word, witnessing to the Jews to prove that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 18:24-28 (NASB) Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 22:1 (NWT 2013) “Men, brothers and fathers, hear my defense to you now.”
Gal 2:4-6 (NWT 2013) But that matter came up because of the false brothers brought in quietly, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we enjoy in union with Christ Jesus, so that they might completely enslave us; we did not yield in submission to them, no, not for a moment, so that the truth of the good news might continue with you. But regarding those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me, for God does not go by a man’s outward appearance—those highly regarded men imparted nothing new to me.
Gal 2:11 (NWT 2013) However, when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him face-to-face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
Eph 6:19 (NWT 2013) Pray also for me, that the words may be given to me when I open my mouth, so that I may be able to speak boldly in making known the sacred secret of the good news,
Php 1:27-28 (NWT 2013) Only behave in a manner worthy of the good news about the Christ, so that whether I come and see you or I am absent, I may hear about you and learn that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul, striving side by side for the faith of the good news, and in no way being frightened by your opponents. This very thing is a proof of destruction for them, but of salvation for you; and this is from God.
Col 4:6 (NWT 2013) Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.
1Th 5:21 (NASB) But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
1Ti 1:18 (NWT 2013) This instruction I entrust to you, my child Timothy, in harmony with the prophecies that were made about you, that by these you may go on waging the fine warfare,
1Ti 6:12 (NWT 2013) Fight the fine fight of the faith; get a firm hold on the everlasting life for which you were called and you offered the fine public declaration in front of many witnesses.
2Ti 2:25 (NWT 2013) instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth,
1Pe 3:15 (NWT 2013) But sanctify the Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone who demands of you a reason for the hope you have, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect.
Jude 3 (NWT 2013) Beloved ones, although I was making every effort to write you about the salvation we hold in common, I found it necessary to write you to urge you to put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones.
Matthew 22:21-22 (NWT 2013) They said: “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them: “Pay back, therefore, Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” When they heard that, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.
Matthew 22:46 (NWT 2013) And nobody was able to say a word in reply to him, and from that day on, no one dared to question him any further."
Mark 12:14-17 (NWT 2013) On arriving, these said to him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and you do not seek anyone’s favor, for you do not look at the outward appearance of people, but you teach the way of God in line with truth. Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not Should we pay, or should we not pay” Detecting their hypocrisy, he said to them: “Why do you put me to the test Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one, and he said to them: “Whose image and inscription is this” They said to him: “Caesar’s.” Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” And they were amazed at him.
Luke 13:17 (NWT 2013) Well, when he said these things, all his opposers began to feel shame, but the entire crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things he did.
Luke 14:5-6 (NWT 2013) Then he said to them: “Who of you, if his son or bull falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day” And they were not able to reply to this.
Luke 20:26 (NWT 2013) Well, they were not able to trap him in his speech before the people, but amazed at his answer, they became silent.
Luke 20:39-40 (NWT 2013) In response some of the scribes said: “Teacher, you spoke well.” For they no longer had the courage to ask him a single question.
Luke 21:14-15 (NWT 2013) Therefore, resolve in your hearts not to rehearse beforehand how to make your defense, for I will give you words and wisdom that all your opposers together will not be able to resist or dispute.
Acts 6:9-10 (NWT 2013) But some men of the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen came forward, along with some Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, to dispute with Stephen. But they could not hold their own against the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.