SHOULD CHRISTIANS OPPOSE THE SINS OF UNBELIEVERS – OR JUST PREACH THE GOSPEL?

SHOULD CHRISTIANS OPPOSE THE SINS OF UNBELIEVERS – OR JUST PREACH THE GOSPEL? Often, many good teachers and preachers make the claim that since lost people are children of the Devil and do not know Jesus, they should be left alone in regard to the sins of pornography, sodomy, drunkenness, etc. They argue that since these people can do no good, and have no righteousness until they are saved, they therefore should only be taught the Gospel. First of all, this greatly confuses RELATIVE righteousness with ABSOLUTE righteousness. In an absolute sense, before God, there is indeed no man that doeth good: Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is NONE good but one, that is, God. This is why God was manifest in the flesh (1 Tim.3:16) and crucified for our sins, providing believers with a perfect righteousness before the Father. Yet, there is also a “relative” righteousness of men compared to one another. It takes into account whether or not a man repents, seeks mercy and asks forgiveness for his many transgressions. It is in regard to this relative aspect of righteousness that many were called “perfect,” “righteous,” “just,” “devout” or even “blameless” in the Bible: Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a JUST MAN AND PERFECT in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Did Noah walk with God in an absolute sense? Was he truly “just” in an absolute sense? Of course not. Otherwise, absolute righteousness (that which God requires for salvation in eternity) would be attainable and there would be no need for a sinless Saviour. Notice other Scriptures: Luke 1:6 And they were both RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord BLAMELESS. Philippians 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, BLAMELESS. It appears that the Lord has two ways of viewing man. If He looks closely, without “winking,” all of man’s righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa.64:6, Rom.3:9)! Yet, if He views man relative to man, there is a degree of general, practical righteousness that is attainable by man. It is this “righteousness” (or the lack of it) that God rewards and punishes temporally, in this life. It is also this “righteousness” (or the lack of it) that determines how harsh a Hell the unbeliever receives. By this standard of righteousness, God burned Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.13:13, 19:24) and killed Herod (Acts 12:23). It is by this standard of righteousness that God will punish the nations during the Tribulation period (Rev.14:7). Those that teach that there is NOT a certain type of relative righteousness (or whatever we wish to call it) that is attainable by man (until he is saved) will have much trouble with the following Scriptures: John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that DOETH EVIL hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that DOETH TRUTH cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. The above passage teaches that only lost people that “do truth” will believe on Jesus. This principle is illustrated in Cornelius: Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2 A DEVOUT MAN, and ONE THAT FEARED GOD with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. 22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, A JUST MAN, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and WORKETH RIGHTEOUSNESS, is accepted with him. There is no man on earth that has even one ounce of good works that can merit salvation (Rom.4:1,2). But some men are worse than others. Some men are more righteous than others. God graciously CONDESCENDS to reward any relative, practical righteousness found among men. In His Sovereignty over the world, He also justly punishes practical evil. Any apparent discrepancies in this general truth will be balanced on Judgment Day (1 Tim.5:24). It is for this reason that God commands ALL men (saved or lost) to continually repent of evil (i.e. turn from sins): Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth ALL men every where to repent: Some argue that if we preach that lost men should turn from sins (not to merit eternal salvation, but to escape God’s wrath and judgment), they will continue to trust in their own righteousness and will not believe the Gospel. This is indeed a danger; it was this that confounded many of the Jews (Rom.10:3). It is for this reason that “devout” people can sometimes be so hostile to the true Gospel (Acts 13:50). Yet, we might equally argue that when sinners turn from certain evils (for example drunkenness, heathenism, etc.) their minds are in a much better state to understand the Gospel (Acts 2:5, 37, 10:2, 17:4, Jn.3:21, etc.). It is also true that by preaching “righteousness” some will begin to see their need for the Saviour. If all law is silenced, how will men know they even need saving? Finally, by preaching that all men should turn from evil, many will be permitted to live another day (and therefore have the opportunity to believe the Gospel) who might otherwise have been slain by the Lord in judgment! God often destroys those who become “exceedingly wicked” (Gen.13:13). And He often “gives up” blatant sinners to further depravity (Rom.1:26). For this reason, unless Christians rise up and PREACH against sin and evil, people will become even more HARDENED to the Gospel. But in standing for morality, how do we avoid the sins of the modernists and liberals who preached a “social gospel” and wanted to “bring in the Kingdom” by making a better society? How do we keep a proper degree of separation from cults and false (or erring) brethren? We see so many yoking with Catholics or Mormons, refusing to witness to them, in order to fight sins such as abortion (baby killing). How do we avoid these problems? Simple. We preach the WHOLE counsel of God! The above problems are not due to contending against sins such as abortion, sodomy, pornography, drunkenness, etc. That is what the Devil wants Christians to believe. These compromises are caused by people “teaching” against abortion, etc, while failing to stand for the REST of what the Bible teaches: 1. Turn from sins or be cursed or destroyed as an individual (or a nation) in this life, as well as earn a hotter Hell. 2. The world is not getting better and better. Man will not bring in the Kingdom. This world is a sinking ship. 3. The RCC gospel is a false gospel. All “works” gospels are false. 4. Good works (or those acts that appear to be good) will not save anyone in eternity. Salvation in eternity is through the BLOOD of Jesus! If the “conservative Christian movement” preached ALL of the above items with energy and zeal, we would indeed hear loud screaming and protests, people would faint, the media would become hysterical, but MUCH GOOD would be accomplished for God! John the Baptist is a good example of how to balance preaching the Gospel AND preaching practical, relative righteousness to the lost: John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Mark 6:18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. (See also Luke 3:7-15) John preached the Gospel; but he also warned his nation (and its leaders) of God’s judgment if it does not turn from its evils (Pr.14:34)! Paul likewise preached holiness, as well as the Gospel: Acts 14:14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, CRYING OUT, 15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should TURN FROM these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: The Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins and that any man can be saved who truly believes it (not of works, lest he should boast). We must avoid “Romanizing” this pure Gospel by mixing faith and works (turning “faith” into “faithfulness”). Yet, in standing for the freeness of the Gospel, and the powerful truth of premillennialism, we must not retreat into an effeminate passivity and mystical antinomianism that is unwilling to CONTEND against sin and sinners: Proverbs 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law CONTEND with them. KAU #116 p.1 (5-30-01)