Sin – Part 3

Sin – By Tom Buckle
Part III
Silence Please!

In a recent L.A. Times newspaper article a popular television preacher of a large church stated, “I was called to start a mission, not a church. There is a difference . . . You don’t try to preach . . . what is sin and what isn’t sin. A mission is a place where you ask non-believers to come and find faith and hope and feel loved. We’re a mission first, a church second.”

I don’t know how you feel about this rationalization of mission and church in regards to not being willing to preach and teach about sin, but I have difficulty with it. I am always provoked when any religious leader tries to redefine a basic orthodox doctrine of the Christian faith to justify leaving out what Jesus did on Calvary to atone for our sins. I wonder, “How can you have faith in Christ without repenting of your sins—and how can you repent of sin if you are not taught what sin is?” How can you pass on eternal hope to an unbeliever unless you tell the story of Christ’s love for mankind in giving His life at Calvary as a sin sacrifice, paying the penalty for your sins?

The church is a mission and we should feed the poor but not to the exclusion of talking about the need for redemption in Christ. The Church needs to feed the starving with food and share the message of salvation and hope. Feeding the poor would be a great time for personal testimonies of redemption and eternal hope through Christ’s forgiveness of sin.

When churches and modern day ministries are given to promoting growth, performance and popularity, the focus is on what man can accomplish under man’s power. The subject of sin is banned from the message. It is not in vogue to talk about sin because it would stir up a sense of guilt, shame and this would likely make some feel uncomfortable. After all, the modern church trend wants everyone to feel good about self and comfortable in worship. Self help in philosophy is called “humanism” and is easily transferred into religion as motivational messages. The message is mostly about how you can help yourself in your own strength with positive thinking and action. Its focus is self-centered.

In church Christians come together to honor Christ in corporate worship. They are hungry to hear an oracle from God with the pastor in the pulpit preaching a message from God’s Word. Self-help is an ingredient that is helpful but alone it lacks the goal of trusting in God rather than self. It does not speak of being reconciled to God by repenting of sin and being born again spiritually into a new person. Living under one’s own strength is no match for living under the infusion of God’s power.

John the Baptist preached a message of repentance to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus the Christ. People by the droves went into the wilderness to hear John’s message of repentance and they responded by repenting. Jesus began His ministry preaching,

“. . . Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17Matthew 4:17
English: World English Bible - WEB
17 From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

WP-Bible plugin NKJV).

Why repentance? Sin is what displeases God. Repentance of sin is the first step to having a relationship with God. It is turning away from your sins to have a relationship with Him. Christ gave his life on Calvary’s cross as a sacrifice for your sins. You can accept His sacrifice as your atonement and be born into a new spiritual life by following Him.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
English: World English Bible - WEB
8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV), shedding His own blood as our sacrifice so we can be right with God. “. . . Without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin)” Hebrews 9:22Hebrews 9:22
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22 According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV).

Jesus shed his blood as a “sin sacrifice” for you and as many who will come to Him. “. . . He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26Hebrews 9:26
English: World English Bible - WEB
26 or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

WP-Bible pluginb NKJV).

(9) “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart on believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10: 9-10, 13Romans 10: 9-10, 13
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹³Â For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

WP-Bible plugin NKJV).

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