I recently had a conversation about Doug Wilson, and the CNN article and video about his expanding into Washington DC. The conversation revolved around how abrasive he came across in the article. Sure, CNN was trying to spin him in a bad light, but he was not saying anything that should have been shocking to Christians, but the reporter certainly was stunned more than once by what he was saying.
That got me thinking. As society pulls further and further away from Christian Values, holding those values up in public is going to cause greater and greater offense.
I did a search on my Logos app for references in the writings of Paul, Peter, and John for warnings about this. It brought up a host of verses, and a few of them are posted here. These stalwart men indeed encountered this situation with society and offense, and they offered us advice to prepare for it.
BUT… not to hold back so as to NOT cause that offense.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – Paul on the “offense” of the gospel
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Paul recognizes that the gospel doesn’t always make sense to the world—it confronts pride, self-sufficiency, and worldly wisdom. What believers see as life-giving truth, others may dismiss as foolish or even offensive.
Galatians 5:11 – Paul on the “offense of the cross”
“If I still preached circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.”
Here, Paul points out that the cross itself is offensive—not because it’s wrong, but because it challenges human attempts to earn righteousness. The gospel’s insistence on grace alone can provoke resistance.
2 Timothy 4:2–4 – Paul on sound doctrine being rejected
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine…”
This is a clear warning that truth will not always be welcomed, and that believers must be faithful even when society drifts away from biblical values.
1 Peter 4:3–4 – Peter on being misunderstood for not joining in
“You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do… They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.”
Peter acknowledges that living differently will provoke misunderstanding and even hostility, but he encourages believers to stay the course.
John 15:18–19 – Jesus (quoted by John) on being hated by the world
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first… You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”
John echoes this in his epistles, reminding believers that being set apart will inevitably cause friction with the world’s values.
The apostles certainly did not shy away from the reality that truth can offend, especially when it challenges cultural norms. However, they also emphasized that this offense is not a failure—it’s a sign that the gospel is doing what it’s meant to do: confronting, convicting, and calling people to transformation.
Between the Garden and the Garden City 