It may be counterintuitive
to think of a godly person, a servant of God as being angry. There however such
thing as righteous anger; the expression of displeasure or outrage at wrong
doing and sin. Nehemiah was indignant and righteously angry when the people
forsook the ways of God. They were not dealing with their brethren according to
God’s principles and did not show the fear of God in their lives. His ‘anger’
was not expressed to bring them down or destroy them, but to edify them and
help them return to the righteousness of God. His motivation therefore, was
love. The believer cannot but experience and give place to righteous
indignation at the wrong doing and unrighteousness of some who profess to be
followers of Christ, but act like they know nothing of Him! In our modern day
particularly, such liberality has been espoused by some so-called Christians,
that it is difficult to tell them apart from unregenerate sinners who hate God.
In a warped effort of being ‘relevant’ in our contemporary culture, many who
attend churches and say they are Christians, also adopt the foul language of
the world, the sinful sexual practices, the lose lifestyle, the sensual and
immodest mode of dress and the worldview which supports rebellion and rejection
of God and His principles. Yet somehow all this is justified even by their
leaders, as acceptable and even desirable behaviour. Is it possible for light
and darkness to dwell together? Or as James put it – can sweet and bitter water
flow from the same fountain? In an astonishing case of spiritual blindness,
such individuals cannot seem to discern the differences that should be evident
between Christians and non-believers. Many of them simply state the warped
dogma that it doesn’t matter how they behave or if they sin - Christ’s love
simply covers it. It is true that Jesus forgives us, but He is also looking for
a genuine repentant heart, one who not only admits the sin, but is willing to
abandon it and turn from it. To the woman caught in adultery Jesus showed
mercy, but also commanded her to go and sin no more! Some ‘believers’ misguided
by false teaching, take this grace to mean they can just continue to sin and
please their own flesh, showing no regard to God. By their actions they despise
His commands, and yet merely because they claim to believe in Him, and say they
‘love’ Him, they also believe that God allows and accepts what they do! Paul in
Romans 6:1-2 says ‘GOD FORBID! - Surely not! We who have been delivered from
the ways of sin should not merrily continue in sin and then just claim God’s
grace will cover it and abound over it - this is not God’s will. It is not hard
to imagine then, that those who as true Christians, love God and obey His Word
could be vexed, outraged and indignant at the damage these pretenders do to the
cause of Christ. Their injury extends to those who do not yet believe, and also
among those in Christ who are younger, and may follow their wayward example. In
fact it would be wrong if there was no incensed response to such bent and
twisted beliefs, from true Disciples of Christ. Nevertheless, in all our
‘righteous anger’, we need to be extremely careful and honest, to first look at
our own selves. To first be ‘angry’ at our own shortcomings; to genuinely
evaluate our own lives and values, measuring them against the Word of God. Yes,
it necessary that we defend truth with passion and vigour, but we are
instructed by Jesus, that before we try to help our brother with whatever may
encumber their spiritual vision, we ought to first clear our own eyes of any
foreign matter. This noble exercise will not only better equip us to help others,
but also to do so in a more excellent spirit, in an attitude of genuine love – even
if it has to be it some rather tough love !
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
No comments:
Post a Comment