In my last post (see here) I discussed how offensive God's word has become, not only in the public square but sadly enough in many churches. Some of the push back I received was of course bashing Christianity and the Church by those who essentially know nothing of either; but also from some inside the church who claim that teaching sin should be avoided in order not to offend. And that, dear reader, was exactly the point of the post.
Just as 'everyone gets a trophy' has destroyed a desire to succeed in our culture, ignoring what God says about sin is destroying our desire for Him in the Church. For obvious reasons to me, Satan wants us to ignore sin. If there is no sin, there is no need for a Savior.
What makes me sad about this—well, a lot makes me sad—but mostly I'm sad because if we don't realize how we utterly fall short of the glory of God then we are in danger of missing the beauty of what Jesus did for His beloved. You see, we have been groomed to believe that talking about sin is a bad thing, but God says otherwise.
In Mark's Gospel we are introduced to a rich young ruler who knelt before Jesus and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus said to him. . . . You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”Mark 10:19
Jesus quoted the second half of the ten commandments; the commands that have to do with horizontal relationship, none of which have to do with a relationship with God. He was getting to the heart of the matter.
The Ten Commandments begin with submission to God. The longer I walk with Jesus, the easier it is for me to understand how impossible it is to flesh out the horizontal commands without first surrendering to the vertical; God. And even then I fail.
Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, dug even deeper into these commands by saying things like this, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! (Matt 5:21-22). I see no denial of truth here. What I see is Jesus, in His love, pointing out a measure we can not satisfy on our own. We need to be reminded of this continuously!
Now, not all of us have committed murder, thankfully, but I think it's safe to say that each of us has been angry. What Jesus is essentially saying is that if you've been angry with someone, you've committed murder in your heart. The Gospel says that we are all sinners doomed for Hell—But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). He conquered death (Rev 1:18) so we can live. Turning from sin, to Jesus saved me, AND knowing that I am still in this sinful flesh pushes me to Him every minute of every day; moment by moment.
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:20-22 NKJV
This, I guarantee, did not look like love to this man.
Oh but it was.
Jesus was exposing his heart. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:21). Wealth was his first love, not God. Was it his success that deceived him? Was it pride that blinded him and told him that his eternal life depended on something he'd do?
How about you? What's holding you back from surrendering to Jesus? And if you already have, is there something else that you've allowed to take first place in your heart?
I believe one of our greatest challenges is to understand the contrast between heaven and earth. Since we spend so much time striving to get somewhere, to be somebody, it's difficult for us to grasp the concept of grace. In the natural, it's all about striving, but in the supernatural it's all about Jesus. This man needed the truth and Love gave it to him.
You see, we can not separate truth and love. They are not mutually exclusive, they are one; two sides of the same coin so to speak. Truth without love is condemning. Love without truth has no value. Holding back the truth is not love at all. Paul said, "It [love] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out" 1 Corinthians 13:6 NLT.
God is love and His love is truth and Jesus never watered them down. He always spoke the truth in love and unfortunately in this case, as in many cases today, the young man walked away. Notice that Jesus didn't chase after him; not because he didn’t love him, but because He did.
He gave him the whole counsel of God wrapped in love; love always requires a choice. God is not about forcing obedience, He's after the heart. He knows if He has it, all else will follow, including obedience. Truth allows for relationship; without it, do we really have one? There is no step by step guide to eternal life, there is Jesus only. This young man rejected His invitation. He was so laser focused on perfecting horizontal instructions that he missed the perfect One sitting right in front of him.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
How can we walk not, stand not, and sit not, if we know not? God's Truth does not hinder, it brings freedom. Delight in it. Meditate on it. You will find you have roots that grow down into God's love and keep you strong; as strong as a tree planted by the water.
Ignore it and you may be in danger of being blown away by a wind as small as a breeze.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:4-6 NIV
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 NLT
Truth and Love aka Grace and Truth—Do you find yourself leaning toward one side or the other?
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