Our current culture, inside and outside the church, urges us to be inviting, embracing, enfolding. They even call it "tolerant" (although tolerant requires disagreement to be tolerance). And, above all, never, never question someone else's salvation. That's just not done. Well, of course, not as long as you ignore Scripture.
The Bible isn't embarrassed to question your salvation. Paul told the Corinthians, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6:9-10). He told the Ephesians, "You may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph 5:5). That is, unrepentant sinners will not inherit the kingdom. When the people who are quite sure they have done God's work but have not repented come to Jesus, He will tell them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matt 7:21-23). Jesus told His listeners to watch for false prophets. "You will recognize them by their fruits," He said (Matt 7:16).
It is a myth that anyone can get to heaven. Unrepentant sinners cannot. So when a man who loves to sleep around says, "I'm a Christian; I love Jesus" without intending to change his propensity for sexual immorality, you can be sadly sure that he is not a Christian and doesn't love Jesus. When a same-sex couple considers themselves married and affirms, "We are followers of Christ," you have to ask, "How can they call themselves followers of Christ and ignore what He says?" (Matt 19:4-6). None of this is for condemnation or "righteous indignation." Every sinner (which, oh, by the way, includes you and me) needs Christ, and we are to love them to Jesus as far as we can. But when we nod and encourage them to continue in their unrepentant sin in the name of "tolerance" and "inclusivity," we assault our Lord Jesus and encourage them toward the precipice that no one should encounter. That's not right, and that's not love.
2 comments:
Part of our exchanging the truth for a lie is redefining love. Just as we are awful detectors of harm, we are awful distorters of love.
Well stated, Stan. As you pointed out, it is not loving of me to observe lost people continue in their sin without feeling compelled to warn them. Many are listening to Satan’s lies that their behavior doesn’t matter to God, and they need to know the truth--that they are heading to a Christless eternity if they continue in their unrepentance. Someone was loving enough to enlighten me many years ago about my need for the Lord, and I am eternally grateful. Therefore, I must do likewise in love. Usually our warnings fall on deaf ears and hard hearts, but someone in there might repent and seek God. As is often said, “If I can help even one person, then it is worth it.” That is especially true when eternal destinations are at stake.
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