Posted by Tony Reinke.
Being told you’re wrong is never fun. And there is a range of responses we can make when others correct us. In his sermon Sunday on Proverbs 9:1—18, Joshua Harris explained how each of these responses exposes our character. The wise and the fool are measured, at lest in part, by their response to correction and reproof (see vv. 7—9). Harris explained the spectrum of responses like this:
The Wise—(1) Loves correction. (2) Pursues correction.
The Growing—(3) Appreciates correction. (4) Begrudgingly accepts correction.
The Simple—(5) Is open-minded to correction. (6) Is indifferent towards correction.
The Fool—(7) Is annoyed by correction. (8) Judges those who correct.
The Scoffer—(9) Hates correction.
Harris used several real-life examples to illustrate each response.
He closed the message at the cross, the place where we are reproved for our sin most directly. “Correction [from others] is not devastating to those who have already been devastated by the cross.”
The audio of the entire sermon, “Lady Wisdom’s Food and Drink” is available online from the Covenant Life Church website. I recommend it.
