There is a kind of Bible teaching and preaching that
offends people. Most of us do not want to hear it or go to a church that
includes it. It is when the speakers focus on God’s warnings and wrath, the
stuff that some jokingly call “turn or burn” preaching, the prophetic kind that
jars and points to God’s holiness and hatred of sin. This reaction needs some
thoughtful consideration. It might be what this verse is talking about . . .
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3–4)
The average person in the pew or on the street wants to
hear only about the love of God. Most Christians also want to be reminded that God
loves them, no matter what. Yet does God’s holiness negate His wrath? Does His wrath
negate His love?
After some thought, it seems to me that the wrath of God
makes His love even more amazing. How can a God who is holy and hates sin love
me — a sinful, sin-enjoying rebel? Yet His love is not the ‘look the other way’
kind that cares nothing about my sin and would make me a spoiled brat. He is
not indulgent. Instead, He cares about what I do with my life. That other kind
of ‘love’ would not be worth having.
Solid and thorough Bible teaching and preaching will offend
at times. Otherwise, we sinners are likely to start thinking that God isn’t
interested in our holiness and that His love does not include a desire for what
is best for us.
Paul wrote most of the New Testament and certainly
emphasized the love of God, but he included warnings and most definitely
included the holiness of God. He knew that anything less would not be worthy of
his worship, but the Bible is so clear that God cares about people. When people
wanted a god that was not like God, Paul took that very seriously. He didn’t
want anyone to be deceived.
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3–4)
Itching ears is evidence of deception. People who attend
church and hear a message that offends them because it includes God’s hatred of
sin have been deceived. Those whose focus is totally on the love of God are far
too easily able to sin and say, ‘God loves me anyway’ using this to excuse
their disobedience. Preachers who declared the love of God without talking
about His holiness are catering to those ears who itch rather that preaching
the whole gospel.
Tozer says, “For any man to presume to represent the Son
of God … without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, is the most daring
presumption.” It is also a dangerous presumption. I will not lose my salvation
by ignoring the will of God and saying, “God loves me no matter what” but I
will lose my usefulness to Him and the rewards I could have for being more
faithful to His Word. The Bible describes it this way:
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12–15)
All this said, the first and greatest lie of Satan is that
God does not love me. Like any little child, I tend to think that if God hates
sin and I commit a sin, He must hate me too. But that is not true. Satan is my
enemy, but so is sin. Without the grace of God, sin would send me to eternal
punishment. I need to know the horror of sin!
For that reason, God is showing me that His wrath against
sin is an expression of His love. Like a parent who corrects an erring child
because of love, God’s hatred of sin says that He wants His very best for me,
and His very best means that I stop sinning. Sin will ruin my life, even slay
me. The truth is that Satan wants me to think that I can sin no matter what — but
if I do that, then he has me in his deceptive trap.
^^^^^^^^^
Jesus, to trust You means to believe whatever You say,
even if my sin nature wants to resist You and do its own thing, and even if
whatever You say goes against my false ideas of what love means. When You
rebuke me, may I see that as an expression of Your love. When I hear a message
of ‘turn or burn’ may I see that as Your desire for my holiness, not for my
destruction. May I always remember that although You love me just as I am, You
also love me too much to leave me that way.
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