Picking up from yesterday’s post, the next statement from the blog article A Mountain I’m Willing to Die On that I want to address is:
I better make sure that my children know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in God’s and their father’s and my eyes, they are okay. They are loved as they are. Without a single unless (Glennon).
This the lie condemned by the apostle John:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).
And if we are okay, then why did Jesus’ ministry begin with the preaching of repentance:
Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
If I am okay and loved by God as I am, what do I need to repent of? Couldn’t Jesus have just said, “Good job Dale. You’re doing great! Don’t change a thing! I love you just the way you are. Have a nice day.” If we deny our sinful nature, as Glennon implicitly does in her article, then we deny the need for repentance. Sinless repentance is an oxymoron.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
If the unrighteous are okay in God’s sight, why will they not inherit the kingdom of God? And why did Paul have to make note of the fact that these people quit doing these sinful things?
Most importantly, if God loves us despite our sins, why did Jesus have to die that horrific death on the cross? Was that really necessary? Jesus seemed to think it was necessary:
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Matthew 16:21).
Why did Paul seem to think that Jesus death was of primary importance:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
The Good News is not that you are okay. Besides, you know that is a lie because you know your heart and your thoughts. The Good News is that God knows you are NOT okay, but rather that you are dead in your sins. But, he loved sinners enough to send his only son and pour out his wrath upon him instead. So, we must repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus for forgiveness of those sins.
In the context of bullying, Christians should never bully because we should recognize our own sin. But we also should never allow people to die in their sins without their hearing the law and the gospel.
Here is the link to part 3.
The King's Dale 