Just a couple of further thoughts. There have been quite a few high profile atheists who subsequently came to Christ. I’m thinking specifically of C. S. Lewis and Josh McDowell. I don’t know about McDowell, but I have read any number of books by and about Lewis. Nowhere is it mentioned that Christians were in the habit of saying to him, ‘You fool’ while he was still an atheist.
I have a twofold question on this issue. First, if Christians *had* done that, would it have made it more or less likely that Lewis would come to faith in Christ? I cannot speak for Lewis, but I can speak for myself. When people insult me, they put distance between me and whatever they represent. In short, I don’t like being insulted to my face. If, for example, a person is pushing a certain political candidate, and they call me a fool for not being on that bandwagon, it doesn’t entice me to hop on; it incentivizes me to stay off.
The second point is related to the first. Namely, how does saying to a person, ‘You fool’ harmonize with the Golden Rule? If saying to people, ‘You fool’ were a tried and true method of winning them to Christ, that would be one thing. But it seems off-putting at best. So how could it possibly be in keeping with the Golden Rule? Since most of us don’t appreciate broad, sweeping insults, should we really be in the habit of applying such insults to others?
[Note: yes, indeed God does say, ‘The fool has said in his heart there is no God.’ No question about it; it’s in Scripture. Otoh, it’s nowhere in Scripture recommended as an evangelical approach. Rather, Paul said he became all things to all men, that he might win more. Of course, he never became an atheist to win atheists. But the context implies he would approach them on a level they could understand, rather than simply insulting them to their face.]
I think Josh McDowell originally set out to disprove Christianity, but when confronted with the evidence, well, he got it, and wrote Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
Are men often offended when they are defined or told by a witness that they are a sinner, “dead in trespasses and sin?” A “fool” is a sinner who has rejected God. Does the Spirit of God not convict and convince men of sin? A word of truth spoken by a human instrument can can be used by the Spirit to bring men to their senses. Apparently Jesus, via His testifying that “their works were evil,” offended and insulted many — in their own minds. As to the “Golden Rule” and “doing unto other as I would have them do unto me?” Well, if I were a fool and on my way to hell to suffer in eternal torment for being a fool, I would hope that God would send someone to me who would love me enough to confront me with the truth. If offending me with the truth may be instrumental in the salvation of my soul, I would welcome someone to hit me between the eyes with the truth that will be my destruction if I continue on that path. Read what Jesus said to the rich man who went his own foolish way, “But God said to him, YOU FOOL! This night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20). Now, understand, I do not make it a habit of running around referring to folks as fools — not my style. But if the occasion ever arose, I would have the liberty to do so, should the Spirit of God permit it.
Did Jesus follow the “Golden Rule” in this incident?
Who is Jesus speaking to in the context of Matthew 5:22?
He is speaking to the self-righteous scribes and pharisees. They were full of external, legalistic behavior, who were busy justifying themselves. Another aspect of the context here is the issue of anger, in that Jesus is speaking of hating a brother, in a general sense meaning any other Jewish person in that culture. The term “fool” here can be defined as “stupid or dull.” And the statement here was made regarding “a mere accusation,” not a statement of fact. You might also do some research on Proverbs, and the number of times it refers to “fools,” as well as other writings in the Scripture. Fools of the worst sort do exist, they always have. It is not wrong to show someone what Scripture says about a person who rejects God. The prohibition Jesus is presenting here is calling a person a fool out of anger and hatred -—— context, context, context my friend is everything.
And again, I do not, nor would I run around flippantly referring to folks as fools; nevertheless, the fact of Scripture is that it does define some as fools.