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I’m sharing this here with you from my time of personal devotions with my Lord Jesus Christ, for your encouragement. Sue Love
Romans 13:8-10 ESV
How is it, Then?
So, how is it, then, that so many “pastors” of “churches” today are not teaching repentance, submission to the Lordship of Christ, obedience to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), and holy living? Why is it so many are not insisting on purity and righteousness and godliness but instead they are coddling people in their sins and they are making sin to be no big deal?
And how is it that so many of these “pastors” of “churches” are not teaching this biblical teaching on what love is but they are teaching that love is tolerance of sin, and it is “staying in your own lane,” and it is “not judging people in their sin,” etc. Do you know who the “bad guys” are in today’s modern churches? The ones who practice biblical love and holy living.
So, if you confront someone in his sin you are being judgmental and unloving and intolerant and unaccepting of people. You may even be accused of being hateful and of being self-righteous and legalistic and negative. Memes on social media will be against you and for those who are living in sin, convincing people that love tolerates sin and hate confronts sin.
Throwing Out the Scriptures
So, let’s just throw out the Scriptures, right? I mean, that is what these pastors are doing when they coddle people in their sins rather than confront them and rather than call them to repentance and to obedience to the Lord. And it is what they are doing when they spiritualize walking in sin and while they condemn those who are actually following Jesus with their lives.
Do you know why Jesus died on that cross? Not just to forgive us our sins and not just to give us hope of heaven when we die, either. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died to put sin to death in our lives so that we would now walk in holiness and righteousness and in moral purity and in genuine love for one another.
Do you know that there are “churches” which provide “support groups” for the sexually addicted where they can share with one another their successes and failures on a weekly basis, but that most of them do nothing to confront the addict in his sin and to call him to repentance and to obedience to the Lord Jesus? And guess what? Who is primarily being sinned against here? Their spouses. And who is standing up for them? Almost no one.
You see that the modern church in America has a warped idea of what love is. They think if you confront a sinner in his sin that you are being hateful but that if you tolerate his sin and accept him despite his sin, and even give him ministry opportunities in the church, that you are being loving. But who is loving the spouses? Do you know? Pretty much ZIP! That’s the truth!
So these “churches” are not practicing love but hate, for they are pampering the one who is living in sin, in adultery (sexual sin), which is the big “elephant in the room” in most gatherings of what is called “church” today. And they are demonizing anyone who tries to help them out of their sin. Therefore, they are condemning their spouses to you know what, and it ain’t pretty.
A Call to Repentance
Therefore church, and Christians, and pastors, we need to get back to what the Scriptures teach on what love is. Love does not deliberately and habitually sin against God or against spouses or children or neighbors or anyone. And if someone in your congregation is deliberately and habitually sinning against other people, especially those of his own family, then you need to confront him or her and command repentance and obedience.
And you need to reach out in love to those who are being sinned against, not to those who are deliberately and habitually and premeditatedly hurting other people without genuine repentance. Love is not tolerance of habitual sin. Love puts sin to death. And you need to offer your support to those who are actually doing what the Scriptures teach and who are confronting sin, and who are calling people to repentance and obedience. Don’t shun them!
But you know what the reality is here? You may have guessed by now if you don’t already know. Sin is being normalized and accepted within the gatherings of the church and it is being downplayed and minimized and being referred to as “I messed up,” as though it was just an accident and not willful defiance and rebellion against the Lord and not willful acts of doing harm to others without compassion and without conscience.
They show way more compassion to those steeped in habitual and addictive sin than they ever show to the ones who are the object of those sins, i.e. to those who are being injured on a daily basis by the sins of others who are calling themselves “Christians,” and many of whom serve as pastors and elders and deacons and Bible teachers and in other ministry positions within the church. So a false “love” has overtaken the church in place of genuine love. And it is obvious to those with eyes to see.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not saying we should not show compassion to professing Christians who are trapped in sin. We should. But then we should show them the way out of that sin and insist on repentance and obedience and confession of wrongdoing and then make them accountable to the church to make certain they are changing. And then give love and support to those who they have been sinning against.
Romans 13:11-14 ESV
So, yes! It is way past time for much of today’s “church” to wake up from their spiritual slumber and to bow the knee to God in humble surrender of their lives to Jesus Christ. But while there is still time, you can still do that. You can repent of your sins and die with Christ to sin, not just once but daily, and now walk in humble obedience to the Lord Jesus making him truly Lord (Owner-Master) of your lives.
Now is the time for you to turn away from your sinful practices and from hurting other people deliberately and habitually. And it is now time to put on the love of God which practices holiness, godliness, genuine love, kindness, compassion, moral purity, faithfulness and honesty. Now walk according to the Spirit so you make no more provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. And then love others by doing good and not harm to them. Please!
And to the hurting out there who are being sinned against regularly by those who are being given permission to keep walking in sin under the guise of God’s grace, please know that God cares. So put your lives in his hands and trust him with your future, and forgive those who are hurting you, or who have hurt you in the past, and then walk in his love.
Under His Wings
By William Orcutt Cushing and Ira David Sankey, 1896
Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Under His wings—what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blest.
Under His wings—oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
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Romans 13:8-10 ESV
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
How is it, Then?
So, how is it, then, that so many “pastors” of “churches” today are not teaching repentance, submission to the Lordship of Christ, obedience to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), and holy living? Why is it so many are not insisting on purity and righteousness and godliness but instead they are coddling people in their sins and they are making sin to be no big deal?
And how is it that so many of these “pastors” of “churches” are not teaching this biblical teaching on what love is but they are teaching that love is tolerance of sin, and it is “staying in your own lane,” and it is “not judging people in their sin,” etc. Do you know who the “bad guys” are in today’s modern churches? The ones who practice biblical love and holy living.
So, if you confront someone in his sin you are being judgmental and unloving and intolerant and unaccepting of people. You may even be accused of being hateful and of being self-righteous and legalistic and negative. Memes on social media will be against you and for those who are living in sin, convincing people that love tolerates sin and hate confronts sin.
Throwing Out the Scriptures
So, let’s just throw out the Scriptures, right? I mean, that is what these pastors are doing when they coddle people in their sins rather than confront them and rather than call them to repentance and to obedience to the Lord. And it is what they are doing when they spiritualize walking in sin and while they condemn those who are actually following Jesus with their lives.
Do you know why Jesus died on that cross? Not just to forgive us our sins and not just to give us hope of heaven when we die, either. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died to put sin to death in our lives so that we would now walk in holiness and righteousness and in moral purity and in genuine love for one another.
Do you know that there are “churches” which provide “support groups” for the sexually addicted where they can share with one another their successes and failures on a weekly basis, but that most of them do nothing to confront the addict in his sin and to call him to repentance and to obedience to the Lord Jesus? And guess what? Who is primarily being sinned against here? Their spouses. And who is standing up for them? Almost no one.
You see that the modern church in America has a warped idea of what love is. They think if you confront a sinner in his sin that you are being hateful but that if you tolerate his sin and accept him despite his sin, and even give him ministry opportunities in the church, that you are being loving. But who is loving the spouses? Do you know? Pretty much ZIP! That’s the truth!
So these “churches” are not practicing love but hate, for they are pampering the one who is living in sin, in adultery (sexual sin), which is the big “elephant in the room” in most gatherings of what is called “church” today. And they are demonizing anyone who tries to help them out of their sin. Therefore, they are condemning their spouses to you know what, and it ain’t pretty.
A Call to Repentance
Therefore church, and Christians, and pastors, we need to get back to what the Scriptures teach on what love is. Love does not deliberately and habitually sin against God or against spouses or children or neighbors or anyone. And if someone in your congregation is deliberately and habitually sinning against other people, especially those of his own family, then you need to confront him or her and command repentance and obedience.
And you need to reach out in love to those who are being sinned against, not to those who are deliberately and habitually and premeditatedly hurting other people without genuine repentance. Love is not tolerance of habitual sin. Love puts sin to death. And you need to offer your support to those who are actually doing what the Scriptures teach and who are confronting sin, and who are calling people to repentance and obedience. Don’t shun them!
But you know what the reality is here? You may have guessed by now if you don’t already know. Sin is being normalized and accepted within the gatherings of the church and it is being downplayed and minimized and being referred to as “I messed up,” as though it was just an accident and not willful defiance and rebellion against the Lord and not willful acts of doing harm to others without compassion and without conscience.
They show way more compassion to those steeped in habitual and addictive sin than they ever show to the ones who are the object of those sins, i.e. to those who are being injured on a daily basis by the sins of others who are calling themselves “Christians,” and many of whom serve as pastors and elders and deacons and Bible teachers and in other ministry positions within the church. So a false “love” has overtaken the church in place of genuine love. And it is obvious to those with eyes to see.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not saying we should not show compassion to professing Christians who are trapped in sin. We should. But then we should show them the way out of that sin and insist on repentance and obedience and confession of wrongdoing and then make them accountable to the church to make certain they are changing. And then give love and support to those who they have been sinning against.
Romans 13:11-14 ESV
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
So, yes! It is way past time for much of today’s “church” to wake up from their spiritual slumber and to bow the knee to God in humble surrender of their lives to Jesus Christ. But while there is still time, you can still do that. You can repent of your sins and die with Christ to sin, not just once but daily, and now walk in humble obedience to the Lord Jesus making him truly Lord (Owner-Master) of your lives.
Now is the time for you to turn away from your sinful practices and from hurting other people deliberately and habitually. And it is now time to put on the love of God which practices holiness, godliness, genuine love, kindness, compassion, moral purity, faithfulness and honesty. Now walk according to the Spirit so you make no more provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. And then love others by doing good and not harm to them. Please!
And to the hurting out there who are being sinned against regularly by those who are being given permission to keep walking in sin under the guise of God’s grace, please know that God cares. So put your lives in his hands and trust him with your future, and forgive those who are hurting you, or who have hurt you in the past, and then walk in his love.
Under His Wings
By William Orcutt Cushing and Ira David Sankey, 1896
Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Under His wings—what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blest.
Under His wings—oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
