The Gospel is the good news. We are to share the good news to this world. Here is my question - can there be good news if there is no bad news first? Don't people have to know the bad news before they can fully appreciate the good news?
I recently watched an interview on a syndicated talk show. The discussion was between a pastor, a former pastor, and a recording artist. What disturbed me the most was not their topic of discussion, but the idea that we, as Christians, are being judgemental and defying our faith when we call sin out as sin. If that is the case then every pastor in every church who is preaching the Good News should step down now. Because without the acknowledgement of sin, there is no good news. Yes, I know it is not my job to run around checking everyone's life, every little detail, and going "Yep that is sin....yep, that one too." It's not. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. It is however, my responsibility and our responsibility as the body of Christ, when obvious and/or blatant sin is apparent, to call it out for what it is. Do we do so condemning the person to hell? Without repentance and the acceptance of Christ, they were already condemned just as every other non-believer, including myself, was before they knew and accepted Christ. Do they need to know the bad news that they will go to hell without the acceptance of Christ? Most definitely yes. The darkness and despair of the bad news is immense and we fail as Christians if we leave people there. The depths of that despair sets them up for the glory of the good news, that Christ has already died for those sins and they can be set free. Without the acknowledgement of the bad news, the good news is simply a nice story.
We all mess it up. All of us. However, that can not be used as an excuse by us or against us to not call sin what it is. If being a sinner yourself somehow made you unqualified to speak into others lives, and I mean speaking in a manner that was both encouraging and challenging and at times confrontational, then Paul would have had nothing to write about. Peter - nothing to say. John - not a word. James; the writer of Hebrews; every one of them should have put down pen and paper. But that is not the case.
We are doing the body of Christ great harm when we are no longer willing to call sin out. When we no longer make the distinction between the ways and laws of God and the ways and laws of man. When everything becomes acceptable, salvation becomes relative. Salvation is not relative. It is absolute. Jesus Christ was, is and will always be absolute truth. It is in that truth that we are set free from the power of sin. It is by that truth we are able to overcome that sin. But we must first acknowledge it as such, and at times we need someone else to point out what we can not see right in front of our faces.
It is not easy - to be the one receiving the correction or the one giving it. Especially if you want to do it right. It takes a great deal of maturity. A great deal of wisdom. A great deal of prayer. Most importantly, a great deal of love.
But to not do it - the damage could be eternal.
Brethren, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
James 5: 19-20
NKJV
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He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,and broke their chains in pieces. Psalm 107:14 (NKJV)
Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV
"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
3 comments:
Amen - that is so true - it seems like in Christianity today there is one of two extremes - but it is truth in love - not one without the other - great post
This is so TRUE. It goes back to our conversation last week, our Churches as a whole are not teaching and preaching on sin and the consequences of sin.
We are called by Paul to point out a BROTHERS sin so he can be lifted out and up (Gal. 6:1). The biggest problem is that today there is not enough maturity in the Church to take the correction from someone else. They get their feelings hurt and either leave or start spreading deceitful things to hide their sin (this is a pride thing).
There also is not much teaching on the differences between worldliness and Spiritual.
Listening to some today they have no desire to "Come out from among them". We want to and desire to be part of the status quo of the world today. We have Churches that are chasing after and becoming like the world in the name not offending or reaching out.
I pray for the gift of discernment, we're gonna need it.
Yes Rebecca all this HAS to be done in LOVE.
VERY GOOD POST!!!
Love the post and the loving way you explained it ... I think the problem in the whole situation is that there were so many people posting about it (esp on FB) in one sentence attacks that did not feel very loving. We are still to love the sinner ... but hate the sin. We have to prayerfully seek the words that God would have us use. :) I think the world sees our words that are not carefully chosen, can't see our hearts, and that paints a bad picture of us as judgmental. Again, loved your post.
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