The gospel of Jesus Christ redeems sinners. That is the Christian message, that is what we are called to preach to the lost of this world. Mankind is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) because we all are born with a sin nature (Ps. 51:5). Because our federal head, Adam, sinned in the garden, all mankind has been impacted by the stain of sin on our very souls (Rom. 5:12). Since we are conceived in sin, we live out our lives enslaved to sin, and all we do is sin (Rom. 6:20). When we stand before God, we will receive the due payment for our sin, eternal death in the fires of Hell (Rom. 6:23). There is no hope in ourselves or anything of this world by which we can be freed from sin and avoid the just wrath of God to come. Only one thing can free us from our fate and that is Jesus Christ.

When Christ came into this world, He took on humanity, lived a perfect life in thought word, and deed, and then died a sacrificial death for sinners on the cross. He took the just wages of sin, the wrath of God upon Himself, that the penalty might be paid in the place of sinners (Rom. 5:15-21). The righteous God-Man Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life so that guilty sinners might go free (John 10:18). And how is this accomplished? Sinners must repent of (turn from) their sins (Matt. 4:17) and place their complete trust in Christ alone. Trusting in Christ means confessing that He is Lord and that He died in one’s place and rose from the grave, defeating sin and death (Rom. 10:9). It is through this act of repentance and faith that sinners are freed from sin and made new creations in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As a new creation, the sinner is made righteous, his heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh that is inclined to love and obey God (Ezekiel 36:26). The gospel is a message that frees the sinner from enslavement to the passions of his flesh, creates in him a new heart that he might live in obedience to Christ, and then spend eternity with the Savior who redeemed Him. This is the most precious and important message any person can hear and it is the duty of all Christians everywhere to proclaim it to the world.

The only problem is that the world hates this message. Those dead in their sins hate hearing there is a God over them who will hold them accountable for sin. They love their sins and will do anything to remain in that which they believe gives them pleasure, fleeting though it may be. Therefore, sinners will concoct any scheme they can to unseat God from His throne and put themselves in His place. From denying that God exists to creating idolatrous versions of God that they worship in His place, mankind will do anything to silence their God-given consciences against the knowledge that they will face His judgment. This includes reinventing the Christian faith in such a way that it ignores Scripture’s command to preach repentance (for both the sinner and the saint) and replacing it with feel-good messages that coax sinners into believing God loves them no matter what. Or, they desire a message of “tolerance” that denies certain acts are sinful at all. In both cases, when professing Christians acquiesce to these desires, they neglect the duty of the church to proclaim the whole counsel of God and fail to proclaim the true gospel of Christ.

When the church either waters down Scripture’s teachings regarding sin or denies that people are sinning despite the clarity of God’s word, it does sinners no favors whatsoever. By enticing the sinner into the pews without addressing the need for repentance from sin, Christians appeal to the unregenerate flesh of the world rather than piercing the heart with the truth of God. Sinners are made to feel comfortable and included while still being at war with God. There is no examination of one’s heart and no understanding of their desperate need for forgiveness. Sinners then believe they can stand before God on their own merit and they feel no fear before Him. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of the church. The unrepentant and unregenerate sinner has been assured God loves him despite the fact he has never truly trusted in Christ for his forgiveness because he doesn’t believe his sins are really a problem. The sinner is “comforted” with sweet words of encouragement while being set on the path of eternal condemnation.

When sinners are given false assurance of their having a relationship with Christ apart from genuine repentance and faith, they continue in their sins believing God has no issue with them. For example, sexual immorality is rampant in our current culture. So much so that many churches either turn a blind eye to heterosexual couples living in sexual sin outside of marriage, or they are tripping over themselves to be “inclusive” of LGBT persons, assuring them God loves them as they are. Furthermore, many such persons publicly celebrate their sexual sin and demand Christians affirm not only their lifestyle but also their alleged relationship with Christ. However, all these individuals are living in unrepentant sin and Scripture makes clear that such persons will have no part of the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). While every true Christian struggles with sin and will fall into sin, those who refuse repentance and live in an ongoing state of sin will face the eternal wrath of God (1 John 3:9). The most wicked thing the church can do for these persons is deny them the truth that their sins will condemn them eternally.

Professing Christians are not being loving or showing grace to sinners by neglecting the commands of Scripture on these matters. Sin is a serious matter before God. He will not look on sin and will bring His just and righteous wrath upon it on Judgment Day. Christians must have the courage to speak the truth regardless of how they are received by the world at large. Both inside the church and without, people need to hear of God’s condemnation of sin. Those in the church must be reminded what sin cost for them to be forgiven, the death of Christ on the cross. They must be corrected, reproved, and rebuked that they may not return to the shackles of sin (Rom. 6:16). But, those outside the church, those living in continuous, unrepentant sin must hear that they face the righteous judgment of God apart from their turning away from sin and turning to Christ alone. If we refuse to do this for them, if we give them smooth words that would make them more comfortable around us, then we are not loving. In fact, we show that we have no love for them at all. Shame on us if we do so.

Note: This article was also published at X.com