Pastor’s Pen 10/18/2020

Pastor’s Pen 10/18/2020

Do you love Jesus?

“If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.” I Corinthians 16:22

 At first glance this seems pretty harsh coming from the Apostle Paul. Doesn’t God love everyone? The answer     to that is yes and no. There is a sense in which God loves everyone in the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2;      Romans 5:8). This love is not conditional—it is rooted in God’s character and based on the fact that He is a God    of love (1 John 4:8, 16). God’s love for everyone could be thought of as His “merciful love,” since it results in the fact that God does not immediately punish people for their sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23). “Your Father in heaven . . . causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and    sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”

(Matthew 5:45). This is another example of God’s love for everyone—His merciful love, His benevolence extended to everyone, not just to Christians.

However, some take this love to be unconditional and believe that God loves everyone the same and taken to the logical end God must save everyone if He loves them. How could He send anyone to hell?

That is why you have false teachers like Joel Osteen that won’t preach on hell. Asked why he doesn’t preach on hell he gave the flowing explanation in 2016:

“[People] already feel guilty enough. They’re not doing what they should, raising their kids—we can all find reasons. So I want them to come to Lakewood or our meetings and be lifted up, to say, ‘You know what? I may not be perfect, but I’m moving forward. I’m doing better.’ And I think that motivates you to do better.”

R. C. Sproul gives us an understanding of God’s love.

“God’s word is clear, those who do not trust in Him, reject His Son, and die in their sins, are cast into hell.  But rather when the Scriptures indicate the love of complacency, it’s that special love that God has for His Son, and all of those who are in His Son, and who are adopted into His family.

And if we talk about the love of God in His terms of the love of complacency and talk about it     universally, that’s blasphemy because God       does not love the whole world in the love of    complacency. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that there are many ways in which God is at enmity with the world. He hates the world, He hates those who are swift to shed blood, and we have to take that into account. When I hear preachers stand up and say that ‘God loves everybody       unconditionally,’ I want to scream and say, ‘Wait   a minute. Then why does He call us to repent? Why does He call us to come to the cross? Why does He call us to come to Christ?’ If God loves everybody unconditionally, then you can do whatever you want and believe whatever you think. And it’s just not true that God loves us     unconditionally. He’s placed an absolute            condition by which He requires—He doesn’t just invite people to come to His Son—He commands all men everywhere to repent of their sins and to come to Christ. And if you want to enjoy the love of complacency you have to be in Christ.”

So, when Paul writes that those who don’t love God should be accursed; what does that mean? Accursed is used only six times in the Bible and it means to be       eternally condemned. Each of us should ask ourselves,   do we love our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we seek to obey    His Word? Do we love our brothers and sisters in Christ? Just like we saw in Matthew 8:23-27 it cost you to follow Christ. Have you counted the cost?

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark

 

 

 

 

 

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