Proverbs 16:23 ESV
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+16%3A23&version=ESV]
Smooth-talking, silver-tongued, these are words we can easily give a negative connotation. We call it persuasion but it seems more like manipulation, and it’s hard to find the line where indeed charisma or persuasion becomes manipulation. The temptation for us, when we think of this, is to decide just to say the truth, the plain truth, and nothing but the truth. So far so good, but we don’t mean that in its literal sense. No, we mean that we’re just going to say it with minimal polish- stripping off some, just to be sure- and hope for the best. It’s not effective, we know, but at least it’s not manipulation, not the clever version of lying.
Saying that the wise person should be persuasive is a bit odd, in this light. The word persuasive brings up images, some good and some bad, but one in particular is that of the smooth, well-dressed, unscrupulous lawyer who uses his talents to technically-not-lie his client’s way out of justice. Persuasion feels a little dirty, viewed that way. After all, we think, if the truth alone will not convince, doesn’t that imply that making it ‘persuasive’ is making it a lie? The truth did not convince, the argument goes, and so what convinces must not be the truth.
God’s word, however, does not contradict itself, for God is no liar. He does not want us to lie, but, as this verse clearly lays out, he does intend us to be persuasive. In light of that necessary conclusion, let’s consider the ends and the means of Biblical persuasion- and how they aren’t lying, how they do honor God. Fundamental to this all will be the imitation of God (Eph. 5:1). God does speak persuasively, after all- most universally in Scripture but also in the hearts of those whom He calls (Rom. 1:7). By looking to Scripture, then, we can find a model for our persuasion.
First, the ends. What does God use persuasion for? He uses it first to convince of truth (Gen. 1:1) and second to motivate to righteousness- righteousness of faith (Heb. 11) and of deed (Gen. 21:12). In other words, God gave us the tool of persuasion to urge people towards Him, intellectually, morally, and actively. Thus, we are to use persuasion for good purposes: to aid a loved one, to fulfil a duty, to represent Christ, to restore a brother, to praise Him, and a thousand more. Nor must each purpose we put it to be some grand altruism; God does not call us only to large acts. No, to use persuasion in any small part of a relationship is good, so long as it is to pursue the duty given by God and the health of that relationship and its participants in relation to Him.
Second, the means. What are the means by which God persuades us? He uses truth, of course, for the whole Bible is truth (including its true recounting of lies told by men). So too are we to use truth- though at times, like Christ, concealment, a form of deception, is called for (Matt. 10:13-17). Persuasion, though, is more than just truth; it is also form. Persuasion is fitting the form the truth takes to the person who receives it in order to motivate them. Crucial to this, when speaking to a brother in Christ (Eph. 4:15) or in any place where, as usual, the speech is to be in truth (there are exceptions (Joshua 2), is clarity. We are to persuade men with clarity of communication- though clarity does have its limits. As Peter himself notes (2 Peter 3:15-16), Paul’s writings are not always easy, though an honest reader will concede that the basic and necessary truths are perfectly clear (1 Cor. 2:2).
The means, though, are also to motivate, and here’s where the purpose comes in. When we speak to another, we are to motivate them to honor Him, to turn to Him in faith and to obey His law. Anything else clearly violates the command of Christ (Matt. 18:6). While some hard cases do exist (such as the man who knowingly desires evil, where motivating him away from it may require deception), at least when speaking to a fellow child of God, this persuasion is not manipulation because it is truthful and calls not upon sinful passions but upon the changed heart given by God (John 3:1-16). In the unbeliever, meanwhile, while the heart of stone still beats in them (Ez. 11:19), this persuasion can still call upon not the perversions of sin but the remnants of the image of God which are still, on this earth, their definitional essence.
God bless.
Written by Colson Potter.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
