“…They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 4)
Right now to call something sin that needs to be repented of may get you banned from something somewhere, especially online. It can even cause you to lose your job or hinder your business. Even there mere preaching of the gospel can get you ousted.
- Paul Washer was banned from Facebook for several days for preaching on Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- Torben Sondergaard was banned by Facebook (and by the country of Denmark) for showing a video that contained preaching, healing and deliverance. The last was considered harmful.
- Dr. Dave Wood had videos banned on YouTube for speaking against honor killings
- Chick-fil-a has been banned in whole cities and universities for its beliefs, even though they serve all people regardless
- My own self has been somewhat “banned” relationally from people for valuing life in the womb
To preach sin right now is not popular. To call people to repent from sin is even worse. But these is not to be unexpected or something we should be surprised about. Nor the fact that it causes division:
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (v. 17-19).
Now most I’ve talked to when I’ve said certain things are sin as the Bible teachers, have lashed out fiercely at me. To call sin as sin is considered “unloving.” We absolutely love all people as Jesus himself was “friend of sinners.” Sinners should be around our table even as saints are at our table and in our homes. Saints and sinners alike should be our friends. We too should be like Jesus as a sinner magnet. But make no mistake, Jesus intensely loved people but he also called them to repent.
Sin right now is not vogue. Because to call something sin means we need to repent of it before God.
No one sin is greater than another. But coming to Jesus does not mean we can selectively choose which sins we repent of.
When a soldier overttakes his enemy and demands surrender, he expects the enemy to turn over all his munitions. He doesn’t say to the enemy, turn over everything but you can keep your bazooka. Or grenade. When surrender happens the enemy is expected to turn over 100% of his weapons. 100%.
When we come to Christ in repentance, we are to repent of 100% of our sins. All that he calls as sin. All. Including complaining, disrespect to authority, sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, gossip, hate, slander, etc…
- God defines what is sin and what is not as we read in the Scriptures. Not us. We can’t pick and choose.
. - Throughout history when man sets himself as the moral authority of what is right and wrong, rebellion erupts. This is what the fall of man predicts. “You will become like gods.” They will set themselves up as their own moral authority and downfall happens.
. - Christ died for sins. His death was all about sin. If there isn’t sin to repent from, then his death was meaningless.
. - The preaching of the gospel is rooted in repentance. That’s what I was reminded of this morning in my reading.
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Mark 6:12 – The disciples were sent out. “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
You see in this Scripture both love (healing and deliverance) and a message to repent.
If our gospel only talks about the love of God, we have an anemic gospel. The wild love of God is that he took our sins on the cross, and that if we repent and put our faith in him, then he will not hold our sins against us.
But foundational to this is that there is such a thing as sin. And sins are not what I say they are, but what God says they are. And trust me, there are plenty of different sins that will strike us all.