For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT)
There is a popular saying that’s been around a long time…”Love the sinner. Hate the sin.” This is certainly Biblical. Jesus took this approach when he walked the earth. There are many examples of him being in the presence of sinners. And when he was, he was not changed by them…they were changed by him.
Today many Christian churches are changing the rules to be more accepting. And it seems as though the “hate the sin” part of the quotient is being tossed aside.
The Bible commands us to love our neighbors, and even pray for our enemies. But no where in Scripture did God redefine what is considered sin to make people feel better.
I do know that leaving the church doors open to everyone is critical, because everyone who walks through them is a sinner. But the goal once we get there is to bring us more in line with God. To make us more Christ like. It is not to bring God more in line with us. We have no right to attempt to “modernize” the Word of God. The Bible warns us not to be “attracted by strange new ideas”. (Hebrews 13:9)
I often hear the argument that if God would’ve known how the world would be today, he would’ve said things differently. Preposterous! God has always known full well what type of depravity humans would take part in, and quite frankly – it’s the same immoral junk that was happening in Biblical times. If God had decided he wanted to change his definition of sin, he would’ve made that clear.
And what makes this all even worse is that it is church leaders, the shepherds of God’s people, that are unapologetically calling things acceptable that God quite clearly calls sin. To call yourself a representative of God and to speak things contrary to his word seems blasphemous to me. I pray that these shepherds see the error of their ways and repent. They are deceiving many with their false teaching.
“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord . (Jeremiah 23:1 NLT)
…[The prophets] encourage those who are doing evil so that no one turns away from their sins. These prophets are as wicked as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.” (Jeremiah 23:14 NLT)
“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord ’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? (Jeremiah 23:18 NLT)
If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds. (Jeremiah 23:22 NLT)