Jesus gave a very harsh, very straight-forward “Stop it!” to sinners in their sin. He expected that when they followed him, they would turn from all sin. Not just some, not just sin less, but sin no more.
We’ve lost that in our culture with all this “sin every day in word thought and deed” nonsense. It’s not only ridiculous, but horrifying! How dare you undermine the power of the gospel with your selfishness!
God’s word is not failing, people just aren’t grasping it’s full power. What a shame to them, I must confess. Repentance is all the way or false indeed!
Holiness and The Gospel
Our World is Broken
Allow me to backtrack.
It is a plain thing to see that our world is broken. Each year as we get farther from the truth, we get worse off. This generation especially suffers from anxiety, depression, and suicide more than any other. We have worthlessness and self-hatred consuming those around us, and what is the hope that is being given to them? Their hope is:
- Changing their gender,
- Being told they’re already good enough,
- Everything is okay because God loves them, and
- Affirmation of their struggles, but no foreseeable cure.
I’m convinced that the church’s job is to be a light in the world, because our world is so full of darkness. As of right now though, few churches are the light they ought to be—there’s so much hurt within the church that they can scarcely be a light to the world.
What is the only hope our world has? What is the only hope the church can give?
It’s Jesus Christ.
Restoring Humanity
Jesus promises peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7), and he says that we can cast our anxieties upon him (1 Pet 5:7). The Christian ought to be filled with joy, and filled with a fire to preach the Gospel. Where do we see this happening?
The bible teaches that God works with man (Mar 16:20), and they each have jobs. I am convinced that God will fulfill his part and has fulfilled his part to man. The reason our world remains broken and hurt is because man has failed his part with God.
There in no peace in condemnation; there is no joy without hope; there is no fiery passion in a cold heart.
It’s not that God has rejected to us, and that’s why our world is broken. It’s because he can’t fix this world as long as there is sin.
Cold Turkeys Bring Wholeness
The phrase “Cold turkey” means to quit completely. If a smoker quits cold turkey, it means he will not smoke a single cigarette from that day forward. Likewise, if a sinner quits cold turkey, he is now a saint.
What has been plainly obvious to me throughout history is that sin brings brokenness.
- Adultery brings distrust and tension
- Lying brings distrust and hypocrisy
- Hypocrisy brings anxiety and shame
- Lust brings shame and isolation
- Pride brings loneliness and anger
- Sloth brings depression and loneliness
There is not one sin that doesn’t hurt you or someone else. That’s why I argue sin is stupid. Only an idiot would sin. A person with half a brain would see that their life is horrible with sin, and that it only hurts them and brings them pain.
If we suffer our flesh and cease from sin as Peter says (1 Pet 4:1), we can cut all the self-inflicted pain from our lives. There would be no shame or guilt, but only confidence—confidence that no man can separate us from Christ.
And in the confidence that Christ has saved us from our sins, we can be made whole. Sinners are broken people; saints are made whole.
Cold Turkeys Save Souls
Jesus is powerful. He’s so powerful, that he doesn’t just make us whole. He doesn’t just put our broken pieces back together and make us whole. No no—instead, he saves us from sin and Hell.
What love is this! What power is this! The Son of God can save us from the sin that used to destroy our lives, and he saves us from the Hell that we were so readily headed towards. He is truly a benevolent savior.