We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ- Colossians 1:28 NASB 

Fourteen-ish years ago when I began writing this blog, I wrote ad nauseum about problems I saw in Church world. Nearly every week I wrote about some church peeve or irritant I had with how church was being done. 

Then I did this thing I do sometimes. 

I got tired. It felt like I was expending a lot of energy yammering on endlessly about church problems. In more introspective moments, I wondered if I was perhaps overdoing some criticisms. I didn’t want to be one of those people who only complained and never really DID anything to solve problems or make the world a better place.  So, I intentionally pivoted. I began writing more posts focused on doctrine, Bible study and spiritual growth. My hope was that by focusing more on Christian living I would ultimately impact the church community and facilitate much-needed change.

Well. 

This last week it occurred to me as I was listening to some really one-sided teaching on a critical issue that the problems in church world have not gone anywhere. I felt a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit to revisit some issues that are still impacting the church negatively. Following are four the Lord laid on my heart this week: 

Heretical teachings on grace- 

Grace is the most essential doctrine in all of Christianity. Grace is the foundation of everything we believe about Jesus, salvation, forgiveness and how we respond to those who have sinned against us (Ephesians 1:5-7, John 10:10, Matthew 18:21-35). Without grace there is no prospect of salvation, no forgiveness, no abundant life and no hope for anyone no matter how “good” they appear to be (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23-25, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2nd Peter 2:18). Period. However, anytime the doctrine of grace is taught without discussing the doctrine of sin it creates very real practical and theological problems. One of those problems includes an attitude Paul warned about in Romans (Romans 6:1-23). It’s the idea that it is okay (perhaps even good) for Christians to sin on purpose because it gives God an opportunity to forgive their sins (demonstrate grace). Therefore, (the logic goes) sin your face off because grace is just a big bucket of forgiveness one can dip into anytime they sin intentionally or unintentionally. This attitude is foolish and spiritually dangerous because it ignores the clear biblical call to repent and become increasingly more holy with every passing day (John 8:11, 1st Peter 1:15-16, 1st Peter 2:5, 1st John 5:1-4). This does not mean there is no room for failure, mistakes and human frailty in Christianity (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:8-10). It just means Christians are deeply grieved by their own sin and never treat it lightly. 

Salvation without Repentance- 

When I first started writing this blog, I was deeply troubled by the fact that most American churches no longer gave a salvation message. This is an area of growth for the American church; more and more are giving a salvation message. This is very good. However, the whole notion of sin and repentance is sometimes being left out of the call to salvation (Isaiah 1:28, Isaiah 13:9, Matthew 9:13, Luke 13:1-3). People are not always being told that they need salvation because they are sinners who need to be forgiven. Instead, the message being preached in many churches is often a bit fuzzy, i.e. “you need Jesus because He will give you comfort and make you a better version of yourself”. Jesus will do those things but that is not the primary reason we need Jesus. We need Jesus to make us right and holy before a holy God (2nd Corinthians 5:17). 

Bible-lite  

 The Bible is the most beautifully balanced book in all of creation. It is abounding with stories, psalms and theology that reveal and remind us of God’s kindness, mercy, grace and goodness. If one needs a positive reminder of God’s love and goodness they will find it (Isaiah 43:25, Ezekial 36:26, Psalm 23, John 3:16, 1st Corinthians 6:11). However, the Bible also has a lot of passages that serve (metaphorically speaking) as a kick in the backside (Romans 1:18-31, 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21). God designed His word this way on purpose knowing that we need both in equal measure. Without both we quickly lose sight of our on-going need for sanctification and growth (2nd Corinthians 7:1, 2nd Peter 1:3-11).  

Silence concerning the culture-  

The word toxic is overused to the point of absurdity in our world. Nonetheless, our culture is truly toxic. It is a lethal force that damages our souls without our knowledge or consent.   Unfortunately, many pastors and Bible teachers are reluctant to address cultural issues because they want to avoid “being political”. I get it. However, many “political” issues are first and foremost spiritual issues, and many Christians (especially young Christians) are ignorant of what the Bible has to say about a myriad of critical issues including (but not limited to) abortion, how a Christian should treat their parents, cancel culture, poverty and homosexuality. By avoiding “political” issues the church has short-circuited the discipleship of millions to the detriment of the church and the culture. 

Contrary to popular opinion, what a Christian believes matters. 

What we believe matters because our beliefs about doctrine, cultural issues, God’s character and truth all inform and affect our behavior and we will give an account for our behavior in this life (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13).