In your last paragraph you wrote: "By living a righteous life, on the face of it, it appears that Christopher has encouraged Agnes to sin." Really? Encouraged? B might be the outcome from A, but it doesn't necessarily follow that A always results in B. People respond in all manner of ways to things -- sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad -- and often one is only tenuously connected to the other. If there's a kernel of reality behind your hypothetical, I suspect there are far, far more variables in the equation that you're aware of.
As I reflect upon the broader question of Christian witness and the results that flow from it, several thoughts come to mind:
Is the Christian witness truly correct and truly sincere?
I have little doubt that in your case it is. Truly.
However, it does not necessarily follow that all people who profess to be Christians are truly so; or, if they are, are mature enough in their faith and trust to effectively witness. I think back to shortly after I first came to trust in Christ and I truly shudder at the memory of some of the things I said to others. Thankfully I have matured somewhat since that time and I less frequently seek to "argue" the Christian faith. So in that sense it's quite possible that someone's "witness" leads to undesirable things ... but that's because the witness itself is faulty. It's quite possible to lead people into sin under the name of religion -- it happens all the time.
Note: but I do not believe that sincerely expressing the Truth of Christ in one's life leads another into sin. That would be contradictory to much of the Gospel. The recipient of the Gospel message may choose to disregard it and then go and sin, but it can't be said, I believe, that "Truth of Christ leads to sin." I honestly believe that's a logical contradiction.
Does it necessarily follow that we might then disregard our Lord's call to be a "light on the hill" and shine the Truth of his gospel in this world?
I would think not. Christ did not ask us to be witness to his Truth only when we were happy with the outcome of our efforts. On the contrary, the message of the Bible is quite the opposite: we can expect to be persecuted because of our allegiance to Christ as Lord. Disappointment in the outcome of our witness is, I suppose, a form of persecution. So it would seem to me that if our witness is true to Christ, then we must try -- hard as it often is -- to trust that Christ knows what he's doing.
Note: And of course, he does. You and I have had this conversation before ... Jesus Christ (God himself) is remarkable in ways we are only just now beginning to learn.
Does it necessarily follow that what we see as an undesirable outcome is, in the economy of God's eternal plan, truly undesirable?
I think back to when I divorced my first wife. There was no clear and compelling reason to do so, other than I had grown restless after eight years and thought that I might address the restlessness elsewhere. So I went ahead and broke my marriage vow. Though not a Christian at the time, God placed a heavy burden on my heart for having done so. Several years later I meet Lisa, and I can vividly recall approaching my second marriage with an intense sense of introspection -- I couldn't fully explain it, but I knew that marriage was more than a convenient living arrangement. I learned a valuable lesson from my divorce -- regrettable as it was -- and carried that lesson into my present marriage. In one month we celebrate 13 years. And those have not always been blissful years, but I had a powerful sense of the importance of striving to abide by the covenant I had entered into. The message here is this: God is not limited by our mistakes and errors in judgment. If we are receptive to his guidance, he can take the most broken of people and from that can spring much goodness.
For years I had heard the phrase "Jars of Clay" used in conjunction with the Bible and, even, a musical group. I never knew what it meant, or even where it came from.
Note: It comes from 2 Corinthians 4:7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us." NIV, emphasis added.
Within the context of your hypothetical, this starts to make more sense, doesn't it? Our Christian witness does not really spring from us, but rather from the Holy Spirit who indwells us. When another sees the "light" that shines from you, it does not come from you -- it comes from God. We are but mere common vessels -- simple, unadorned "jars of clay" -- in which God has placed something remarkably wonderful: himself. As Christians we get ourselves into trouble when we try to improve upon God by our actions, separate from his guiding Spirit.
Witness on, brother. Do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Do so with humble acknowledgement of the source of all things good that come from you. Be a "light on the hill."
In Christ's Holy Name ...
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