Setting Up Shop
This truism can be found also in the book of 1 and 2 Kings. The kingdom of Israel split into southern and northern kingdoms. The kings that were spawned during this time were all evil in the northern kingdom. However, even during the reign of good kings in the southern kingdoms, all except Hezekiah and Josiah tolerated disobedience to God through the allowance of high places.
When Israel went into the land of Canaan to conquer it, they were ordered by God to tear down the high places which were where pagan worship took place. After the temple was constructed, God had prescribed a specific way and place to worship him. However, from Solomon on, they still worshiped in the high places. Even though their worship was of God in some instances, He didn’t accept it. He actually divided Israel because of it (1 Kings 11:9-13, 29-38).
Gettin High
Today, we have the same same situation where people who are calling themselves by the name of Christ and doing things that are against what the Bible says, making excuses for it. What the Lord allows doesn’t mean He approves of it.
Let’s take a look at just a couple.
The divorce rate for Christians is just as high as the world with many Christians getting divorces for unbiblical reasons. Christians sport tattoos when the Bible is clear that our bodies are temples for the living God. Resorting to a pagan act which signified apostasy is not a ceremonial act. It’s a moral one.
The politically correct and biblically incorrect thing is to overlook sin. Don’t call out sin and say what it is. Don’t offend anyone because that’s not ‘love’. Don’t rebuke sin because it’s not compassionate. Yet, the Lord did this and commanded us to do the same (Job 11:3, Proverbs 24:25, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Timothy 5:20, Titus 1:13).
In short, having a form of godliness yet denying the power thereof where the Word of God is thrown off and the central thing in life is not the whole counsel of God but the counsel of “what I feel”. Many so called compromising Christians are simply not Christians at all. They’re false converts along for the ride until the next popular thing rolls around or until things get too hot and heavy and they show their true colors and abandon the faith altogether.
The Call: Repent
Head knowledge about Christ is not enough. When head knowledge never becomes heart knowledge and then translate into living, what you have is a seed which never took root. Which means it never bears fruit. Which means the person it was intended for is not a Christian.
All of this should bring home the reality of what the scriptures clearly proclaim. That man is sinful and evil (Jeremiah 17:9, Psalm 14:2-3) but God is holy (Leviticus 20:7, 1 Peter 1:15-16) and holiness and evil will not dwell together forever (Habakkuk 1:13, Hebrews 12:14). God has a place for evil called hell (Psalm 11:6, Isaiah 66:24, Matthew 8:12) and all who hate His holiness will find themselves there for eternity.
But the heart of God is not that man should perish but that He would turn from his wickedness and live (Ezekiel 18:32 & 33:11, 1 Peter 3:9). For He has a hope and a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) because He is the personification of love (1 John 4:8). Even so, if we were to stop there, we’d all still go to hell.
In order to have fellowship with God, something has to be done about our sin. Something has to die and pay the price for our evil and wickedness (Romans 6:23). Jesus did that for us (John 3:16) though He never sinned. He took the penalty for all of our sins. Through faith in Him, we have redemption and we show that faith and our appreciation by turning from our evil ways and walking as He walked (Romans 12:1, Ephesians 4:22-23).
Know Jesus and know peace. Because if you have no Jesus, you’ll have no peace. You’re just a dead man walking.
Choose you this day who you will serve. But as far as me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Rest assured this is one of the areas in life where guessing has eternally disastrous consequences. You better be sure.
