There is no other name but Jesus whereby we must be saved. Welcome to my blog: In Him Only. I hope you will be encouraged by what you read.

Friday, September 14, 2018

Can We No Longer Use the 'G' and 'W' Words?

I published this to my blog in July 2009. I republished it to my blog fiver years later, in 2014. Today, more than nine years after the original post, things have even grown worse -- even INSIDE the Church.  I updated my original remarks only a little.
------------

When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. (Ezekiel 33:8-9)

Many years ago, St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "For when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).

In discussing politically sensitive subjects like abortion and same-sex marriage, I hear Christians appeal less and less to eternal standards -- like, God says it is Wrong (the "G" and "W" words), and instead they appeal to more nebulous "touchy-feely" arguments like, it's not good for the family, or, it's not good for the children, or, it's not good for society, or it's not good for (fill in the blank).

But God tells His followers to preach Christ. Here is His word to us through Paul's letter to Timothy: "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."  (2 Timothy 4)


Preach the truth! Teach the truth!

Period.

Why? Because the time would come when people would willfully turn their ears away from truth and seek pastors and teachers to tell them what they want to hear. 

And Oh! If there ever was such a time that people seek ear-ticklers, it is 2018.

Lord Jesus help us! When will we who claim allegiance to the King of king, Lord of lords, and the Judge of all flesh -- when will we recognize we need to leave off the arguments from sociology, philosophy and post-modern theology and stick to eternal truth? The current culture -- even within many churches -- scoff at the idea of eternal truth, but in proclaiming it, real Christians will have done what the eternal God has called us to do.

No comments: