This is our pastor’s article for the November 29th edition of the Stone County Gazette.
Psalm 1:1 tells us: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in step with the wicked, take the path of sinners, or sit in the company of mockers.”
If you remember the Old Testament story of Lot, he was Abraham’s brother. After Abraham moved to Canaan (geographically, modern-day Israel), his brother, Lot, chose to graze his flocks on the fertile lands. This left Abraham with the hilly and stony ground. (Those of us in Stone County know about that!) The disadvantage of Lot’s decision was that his grazing lands skirted two cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. (Sodom is where we get our term “sodomy,” so you have an idea of what took place there!)
Eventually, Lot moved into town and even served on the city council. While he continued to trust in the Messiah to come, he had put his family in a spiritually precarious position. For the lifestyles in Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that God eventually destroyed both towns.
But before Sodom became a pile of scorched cinder, Lot’s daughters had become engaged to unbelievers, who refused to leave before the coming destruction. Even Lot’s wife longed to remain living there. That’s why, despite God’s directive not to look back, she turned to view the city one last time.
Yet, in the New Testament, we see the opposite taking place. Many of the religious leaders criticized Jesus for having anything to do with people of ill-repute. Jesus spoke to tax collectors, known for their cheating ways. He even ate at their homes. Jesus spoke to prostitutes.
So, what was different between Lot and Jesus? Jesus never approved the sins that people did. Jesus also never implied that those embroiled in such sins were all right just the way they were. Jesus did the work of a preacher of righteousness. He spoke the truth. He called others to turn from their sins and receive His forgiveness, which He freely offered.
Galatians 6:1 reads: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person in a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” The Apostle Paul tells Christians to try to bring back a brother who has tangled himself in some sin. Yet, Paul also urges us to watch out, so we don’t think their sins are inconsequential and we ourselves fall.
To bring Jesus to those who don’t know Him, we have to speak to them. We do so by talking to our relatives, friends, coworkers, and neighbors who don’t know Jesus beyond mere head knowledge. Many times, that involves speaking to people who have some sin dominating and controlling their lives. Like Jesus, we don’t imply that God approves such a lifestyle. Like Jesus, we call them to turn from their sin. And like Jesus, if the person responds in faith, we tell him that Jesus has forgiven him and that he is to “sin no more.”
But what does “sin no more” mean? After all, we know that it’s impossible for us to be sinless on this side of heaven! It means that we live lives in daily repentance. Every day, we turn from our wrongs and to turn to Jesus, “the founder and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
So, what’s the balance between not taking the path of sinners but also being the face of Jesus to the world? We can find such an example in the Apostle Paul. He said that we show Christian love to others by “speaking the truth in love” to them (Ephesians 4:15). Yet, we remain watchful, so we don’t lose our own understanding of sin and grace.
