House of Hope Online

February 18, 2024

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It is interesting to me that the primary definition of the word “vitriol” is “bitterly harsh or caustic language or criticism.”  Caustic means capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action.  The secondary definition of “vitriol” is chemical in nature: “a sulfate of any of various metals, such as copper, iron, or zinc.”  Oil of vitriol is concentrated sulfuric acid.  Yuck!

Isn’t it interesting that chemical scientists produced this word “vitriol” to describe a chemical reaction, and now our society has taken over the definition to describe the use of caustic language or criticism?  It is hard to deny that “vitriol” is becoming increasingly prevalent in all aspects of our society and interpersonal relationships, especially within social media and all means of political debate.  When we disagree, or when another hurts us, many of us respond with vitriol, and its caustic nature destroys or eats away at our relationship with others.

Vitriol is very destructive, and it manifests in its worst case with violence, even gun violence.  When someone is bitterly harsh and caustic in their criticism of us, or our opinions, it causes anger that eats away at our peace, like a chemical reaction over time.  Such anger is listed as a deed of the flesh in Galatians 5, and James 1:20 teaches us that “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”.

About a year ago, in a blog titled “Root of Bitterness,” we looked at Hebrews 12 which describes how anger can react within us as a poison or acidity. 

Hebrews 12:

 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

The writer of Hebrews is exhorting us not to fall short of the grace of God, so that no root of bitterness can spring up in us and cause trouble, defiling many.  The Greek word for “bitterness” means acidity, or poison.  The word “defiled” means to contaminate, to corrupt the purity of, or to violate the chastity of.  In other words, bitterness is like a poisonous or acidic chemical reaction that contaminates the purity of our spirits.

Fortunately, as believers, we have an antidote for all poison, whether it be ingested into our bodies, or into our spirits, as described in Hebrews 12.  Just before ascending into Heaven, Jesus said this about believers:

Mark 16:

 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly [poison,] it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

 19 ¶ So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

There is hope for those of us who have had a drink of poison or taken part in the vitriol of words.  Jesus has the antidote for that poison, and He spelled it our for us in Luke 6.

Luke 6:

 27 ¶ “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

 29 “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

 30 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

 31 “And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way.

 32 “And if you love those who love you, what credit is [that] to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

 33 “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is [that] to you? For even sinners do the same.

 34 “And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is [that] to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same [amount.]

 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil [men.]

 36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Now you must admit, if you have been partaking in the vitriol, this is a hard formula for an antidote.  Loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who mistreat you are not the easiest things in the world to do.  But we are not called to easy.  We are not called to do things that even unbelievers can do.  We are called to Jesus.  We are called to do the works of Jesus, even greater works, as He told us in John 14.

John 14:

 12 ¶ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

 13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do [it.]

 15 ¶ “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

 16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

 17 [that is] the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, [but] you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. (NASB)

The Paraclete Is Our Antidote

But notice the key to it all is in verse 16: Jesus will ask the Father, and He will send us a Helper.  The Greek word for “Helper” is “parakletos,” (pronounced par-ak’-lay-tos) which means an intercessor, counselor, advocate, or comforter.  It is our word “paraclete” which means “one called alongside.”  So, we have One who is coming alongside us to counsel us, to comfort us in our hurt, to advocate for us, and to intercede for us to Father.

We have talked in previous podcasts about the need to forgive and to be merciful.  We need the Spirit of Forgiveness to counsel us, to help us crucify the flesh, which wants to avenge the wrongs we have suffered.  But Jesus is instructing to do more than forgive.  He is requiring us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us.  These things are not natural, they are supernatural.

And so the Paraclete is our supernatural antidote for all poisons, including the vitriol that is prevalent in an unbelieving world.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for granting us the grace we need to perform Your will in our lives, to love even our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us.  Thank You for sending the Paraclete to walk along beside us as our Intercessor, our Advocate, our Comforter, and our Helper.  We pray that we will not fall short of Your grace, and that no root of bitterness would spring up to poison our spirits.  Purify our thoughts toward others who have hurt us or offended us in word or action and keep us from the deadly poison of vitriol in our world.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.