One of the most oft-quoted phrases that we Christians use to evangelize or talk to non-believers is that “God loves you, but hates your sin”. That is a blatant lie, coined by Mahatma Gandhi, and is not found in the Bible, ever.
In fact, you’ll find that God hates both the sin and the sinner, and His wrath is kindled against the sinner; that’s why Paul wrote that those with a hard and impenitent heart are storing up wrath for themselves (Romans 2:5).
We should stop sugar-coating our words and speak plain Biblical truth — that unless one repents and puts his faith and trust in Christ Jesus, God’s wrath is against that person and come the day of wrath, the full extent of His wrath shall be poured out against the unrepentant sinner.
Dr. John H. Gerstner gives us a Biblical understanding view of the popular, but false, mantra:
Thank God for preachers like brother Paul Washer, and brothers like Lane Chaplin who make these sermons available on YouTube!
This is one of the first of many Paul Washer’s sermons that I heard a good time ago, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much it has affected me and my Christian walk. If you’ve read my testimony you’d know that I was one of many who said that ‘miracle prayer’ and became a (carnal) Christian for many years after.
Knowing how dangerous that belief is, I beseech you — that If you haven’t heard this sermon before and truly examined to see if you are saved (2 Corinthians 13:5), please take the time to today! I pray that it has an impact on you as it had on me.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go, as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe, and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are all lies, direct from hell.
John argues the opposite way: ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.’ I am sure there is neither peace nor safety from deeper sin, but in going directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God’s way of peace and holiness. It is folly to the world and the beclouded heart, but it is the way.”
Robert Murray M’Cheyne, quoted by Andrew Bonar Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1960), 176
I just got reminded of this passage while listening to a radio podcast… have you ever thought of and understood our Lord and Savior’s love thus? Nary an earthly love story even comes close to this!
Let us stand still, and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners; that Christ should rather die for us, than for the angels. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God: yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels, and make us vessels of glory,-oh, what amazing and astonishing love is this! This is the envy of devils. and the admiration of angels and saints.
The angels were more honourable and excellent creatures than we. They were celestial spirits; we earthly bodies, dust and ashes: they were immediate attendants upon God, they were, as I may say, of his privy chamber; we servants of his in the lower house of this world, farther remote from his glorious presence: their office was to sing hallelujahs, songs of praise to God in the heavenly paradise; ours to dress the garden of Eden, which was but an earthly paradise: they sinned but once, and but in thought, as is commonly thought; but Adam sinned in thought by lusting, in deed by tasting, and in word by excusing. Why did not Christ suffer for their sins, as well as for ours? or if for any, why not for theirs rather than ours? ‘Even so, O Father, for so it pleased thee,’ Mat. xi. 26. We move this question, not as being curious to search thy secret counsels, O Lord, but that we may be the more swallowed up in the admiration of the ‘breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.’
I know this will be most useful to a great many Christian men (and even women) out there who are struggling with this issue. No, I am not saying that I am a saint because the temptations come now and then to me as well. That said, if you have ever agonized over the fact that you can’t seem to stop looking, you are at least on the right foot where it comes to overcoming the addiction.
You might say that it’s not an addiction since you only give in to temptation and look once in awhile, but the fact remains that it’s a slippery slope whenever you give an inch to temptations. It’s like using a crowbar to prise open the top off a wooden box — the crack gets bigger inch by inch but sooner or later the top’s off.
We all still struggle with sin in our lives, and I’m very sure that for myself, not a day goes by without me sinning at least a dozen times in thought, deed or speech.
The following post is adapted from a message pastor John MacArthur preached on a practical plan for overcoming personal sin, and I hope that reproducing this here will strengthen and encourage all who read it and apply the lessons taught within.
Original Sin, Ceiling Frescoes (Michaelangelo)
The question is, “How do I kill sin in my life? How do I do it?” Let me give you some little principles — very basic and straightforward.
If you live by the Spirit and are headed towards eternal life because of your salvation, the Spirit in you gives the power to be killing the deeds of the flesh.
The question is, “All right, how do I do that? I agree that the power is there, that’s the bent of my life, that’s the way I am going. I want to see the Spirit do more and more of it. How do I get to that point? How do I gain that victory? How do I establish that habitual pattern? What do I do?”
This is the second Shabbat that I have opted to feature a sermon instead of a song. This week, I will be sharing this short sermon by John MacArthur on how and why we should confess our sins with an exposition of Psalm 51. So, if you have your Bible at hand, join me as we listen together to John MacArthur teach.
I pray that you’ll blessed by this sermon as much as I have.
One of the most oft-quoted phrases that we Christians use to evangelize or talk to non-believers is that “God loves you, but hates your sin”. That is a blatant lie, coined by Mahatma Gandhi, and is not found in the Bible, ever.
Let us stand still, and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners; that Christ should rather die for us, than for the angels. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God: yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels, and make us vessels of glory,-oh, what amazing and astonishing love is this! This is the envy of devils. and the admiration of angels and saints.
I know this will be most useful to a great many Christian men (and even women) out there who are struggling with this issue. No, I am not saying that I am a saint because the temptations come now and then to me as well. That said, if you have ever agonized over the fact that you can’t seem to stop looking, you are at least on the right foot where it comes to overcoming the addiction.
