Unworthy rebels, redeemed by the King of Kings and made servants fit for His use.
In response to a recent video where Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church affirms gay Christians in the church, Chris and Rich discuss the video and the biblical understanding of what makes someone a Christian.
Show Links:
Rich’s Interview on A Word Fitly Spoken
Article – Such Were Some of You
Matter of Theology – Affirmation or Repentance
Dividing Line Episode Regarding Andy Stanley
VOR Episode – Has “Page CXVI” Abandoned the Faith?
What is a Christian? A Christian is a person who was once a rebel sinner, at war with God through wicked works. But by God’s merciful redeeming grace, he or she has been freed from their sins and adopted into His family through the propitiatory work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-26). Because Jesus died in the place of sinners on the cross (taking the wrath of the Father they deserve) and was buried in a tomb, only to raise Himself from the grave of the third day, those who trust in His work receive His righteousness in the great exchange (2 Cor. 5:21). Now, through this free and marvelous gift, sinners become saints and have the promise of everlasting life. And on top of this, they are made new creations with new hearts and new desires (2. Cor. 5:17). This is a Christian.
Yet, how does one come to be a Christian? What must we do to be saved? Romans 10:9 tells us, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This belief and confession come from faith in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross. There are no works that we can do because we are slaves to sin and the wages of our sin is death (Rom. 6:20-23). There is no work we can offer to God that will merit any kindness from Him for all our sins are an abomination before Him. God cannot look on sin without pouring out His judgment upon it (Hab. 1:13). Therefore, the free gift of salvation must be given by God by grace through faith that no man can boast of having saved himself (Eph. 2:8-9). In fact, faith itself is a gift from God. Therefore, we are called in Scripture to repent, turn from our sins, and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:14-15).
Repentance from sins, while a gift from God Himself (2 Tim. 2:25), is a command of God to all those who would find forgiveness in Christ. It is a change of mind which leads to a change of action. It means we agree with God that our sins have put us at odds with Him, that we are deserving of His judgment, but that we will no longer live in the sins from which He has redeemed us (Rom. 6:2). It is the mark of a believer that he or she will live a life of ongoing repentance, persevering against temptation, trials, and tribulation until they day they are ushered into glory (Matt 24:13). The saint is one who once walked in the ways of this world but has turned to become more like their Savior (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And true salvation is marked by the saint who continually lives a life of repentance and seeks to do the good works of God, which He prepared for us beforehand as a testimony to His redeeming work and the glory of His name (Eph 2:10)
With all this in mind, we must face a crisis that continues to rear its head in the professing church. Thanks to weak and shallow preaching in the professing church, through those who promote easy believism and seeker-friendly methodologies, there are professing Christians today who do not believe one must live a life of repentance in Christ to be a Christian. Even worse, they preach an ideology that one can be identified by their sin of sexual immorality and still be a follower of Christ. Today, within the professing church, there is a continual call for churches to accept the idea that there can be “Gay Christians,” “Queer Christians,” or “LGBTQIA Christians.” That persons who live ongoing lifestyles of unrepentant sin before God can somehow still be followers of Christ and should be treated as such. Such an ideology is foreign to Scripture and should never be permitted within the church.
Putting aside for the moment the ludicrous attempts to redefine what Scripture clearly teaches on sexual immorality, let us address the idea that such a thing as a “Gay Christian” can exist within the church. Paul clearly teaches that to continue in the practice of any sin is to be a slave to sin (see again Romans 6). One cannot be a slave to Christ, having been freed from the power of sin and death, yet remain in unrepentant sin (1 John 1:6). In fact, the church is called to examine the fruit of professing Christians to see if we are genuinely in the faith (Matt. 7:15-20; 1 John 4:1-6). Therefore, a genuine Christian cannot be defined as someone who not only lives in sin but identifies, and qualifies, themselves by an adjective attached to their Christianity. To clarify, one cannot be a “Liar Christian,” an “Adulterous Christian,” a “Thief Christian,” or a “Murdering Christian.” To identify one’s self by an unrepentant sin and attach that descriptor to Christ is to blaspheme the very Savior that person claims to follow.
Such as it is with being a “Gay Christian.” God’s word repeatedly condemns sexual immorality throughout the Bible including acts of homosexuality. Only by twisting and redefining what Scripture says can anyone hope to alter this unchangeable truth. Therefore, just as any other unrepentant sin would reveal that a person is not redeemed (because it reveals their heart remains unchanged and enslaved to sin), for any person to describe themselves as openly homosexual is to admit to God they reject His commandments on sexual purity. Any willful rejection of God’s commandments demonstrates one does not follow Christ at all (Luke 6:46-49).
The greatest lie a professing pastor or church can tell a person living in disobedience to God is that it is fine to remain in their sin, that they still are accepted and loved by God. While we do not need to be morally perfect to come to Christ, as none of us can ever do so, to follow Christ means that He has changed us and continually works by the power of the Holy Spirit to produce repentance and good works. Any pastor or church that tells professing Christians they can live in rebellion to God by practicing sexual immorality heaps lie upon lie to those under their charge. What they are doing is leading such persons to further sear their own consciences against God. His law is written upon our hearts (Rom. 2:15) and it accuses us of our sin, bringing conviction upon us. It is meant to lead us to repentance and faith in Christ. Yet, professing pastors, desperate for the applause of the world, seek to deaden the voice of that God-given conscience by telling openly homosexual people they can worship Christ just as they are. Such a lie comes from the deepest pits of hell.
Pastors, Christians, and churches do not demonstrate love when they refuse to call out sin and preach repentance to those professing to follow Christ. Paul condemned such wickedness in the Corinthian church when they allowed a man engaged in an openly incestuous relationship to remain in their midst (1 Cor. 5). Paul commanded the church to apply discipline in this man’s life, to cast him out of the church that he may come to repentance. Today, in many churches, this act would be considered cruel and unloving. Yet, to Paul, this act of church discipline was an immense act of love in hope that the man would genuinely repent and turn to Christ. To refuse to call our friends, loved ones, acquaintances, or even strangers to turn from sin because they may be upset with us is no act of love. It is an act of pure selfishness because we care more about how we are seen among the unregenerate than how we are seen by God. Even worse, it is an absolute denial of the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about repentance and faith to those who desperately need Christ. Those who refuse to preach repentance serve not God, rather they serve the father of lies himself, Satan.
True love in the church is that which preaches the entirety of the gospel. That we are, by nature, rebel sinners who deserve the full and righteous wrath of God. Yet, in His gracious mercy, He sent His only Son to save sinners. That through the propitiation of Christ on the cross, our sins may be forgiven and our hearts may be made new. And, in being made a new creation, we now have new desires that we might serve our Lord by obeying His commandments. Yet, while we live in this life, we will struggle against the desires of the flesh. The temptation to sin will always be present with us but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome and choose not to sin. Will it always be easy? No. We will stumble and fall? Yes, and quite often. This too is part of our journey on the path of sanctification. This is the power of the gospel. This is what must be preached. Without apology or adulteration.
Woe to those professing pastors, Christians, and churches who preach not the true gospel. You reveal yourselves not to fear God but man. And, if you continue on this path, you will prove that you never belonged to Christ, to begin with. Repent of the fear of man. Do not accept the lies of this world. Rather, trust in the power of the Holy Spirit alone and His redeeming work in the life of believers. To do anything less is to blaspheme the Lord you claim to follow. And you may one day find yourself standing before Him as he says, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23)
“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” – 1 Cor. 9:22b
This passage has often been cited by those who argue that pragmatism in the church is an acceptable practice. That using any means necessary to grow the church is permissible if the ends (more bodies in the pews) are achieved. However, is that really what Paul was saying in the passage? Hardly.
In the preceding verses, Paul refers to the fact that, as an apostle, he had a right to call upon the churches to provide for his financial needs while he engaged in the work of ministry. He even demonstrates biblically that it was well within his authority and rights to do so. Yet, rather than compel the churches to give to his monetary needs, Paul chooses to work with his own hands and earn his keep.
Rather than burden the churches and the people to whom he ministered, Paul humbles himself and engages in manual labor to provide for himself and his ministry. Paul takes himself out of the way that the word of God may be central to his work of preaching, evangelism, and discipleship. Paul never wanted to be seen to be engaged in the work of ministry merely for financial gain. Therefore, when Paul became all things to all people, what he was doing was ensuring that he never became the obstacle to God’s work of salvation and discipleship.
Contrast this with the mega-church growth ideology. Those engaged in church growth use this passage to justify the use of all manner of entertainment to attract the “unchurched” to their services. Be it concerts, self-help messages, laser light shows, giveaways of material goods/money, or high-energy, celebrity-styled preachers, the church growth crowd justifies such pragmatic efforts by saying they are merely becoming “all things to all people.”
After all, this is what all people want. They don’t want to be lectured, told they need to repent, called to forsake sin, warned against Hell, etc. They want to be made to feel comfortable, cared about, and entertained. So, they argue, they must become “all things” by changing the church to meet these needs.
This is the exact opposite of Paul and the message he gave to the Corinthians. What Paul argued was the removal of himself as an obstacle that the unadulterated Word of God may penetrate rock-hard sinful hearts so that God may save sinners.
Church growth, instead, removes the Word that man is made the chief object of worship. Instead of humbling and removing themselves, church-growth pastors remove the Word and make much of themselves so that the unregenerate may be entertained. And the more fans arrive in the building, the more they tout themselves and their message.
We must reject the misuse of Paul’s message to the Corinthians as justification for pragmatism in the church. We must humble ourselves, make much of God and His Word, and trust in Him for the ends to be achieved.
This week, Chris goes solo and discusses the growing use of the term “fake Christian” by those who oppose biblical truth. Born out of a combination of worldly desires and pragmatism in the professing church, many today feel emboldened to claim they are the standard of true religious expression while simultaneously declaring biblical Christianity to be hate-filled. How should Christians respond to this new assault?
As Rich fights the creeping crud this week, we invite you to listen to our discussion from 2018 when we talked about a golden calf of the Christian church in our age, inviting people to church to hear the gospel. We discuss this methodology and whether it should be a practice in the church.
© 2024 Slave to the King
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
Recent Comments