Jesus Christ commanded His Body; the Church to be His witness on earth. He commanded those, who belong to Him and follow Him to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to repentance to those, wat aan die wêreld behoort, so that many souls shall be redeemed from the power of darkness and shall be saved by faith and regeneration in Christ and enter the Kingdom of God and be reconciled with God and become sons of God and inherit eternal life. But if Christians live like the world, waaroor moet die wêreld berou hê?
How can souls be saved, if Christians live like the world?
Many Christians say they believe in Jesus Christ and believe that they belong to Him, but meanwhile, they live the same life as the world and do the same works as the world. There is hardly any difference between Christians and unbelievers, wat aan die wêreld behoort.
Instead of Christians converting the world, the world has converted many Christians (Lees ook: ‘Do Christians convert the world or does the world convert the Christians?').
Instead of making peace between the old man and God, by preaching the gospel of Christ and the call to repentance, and reconcile man back to God, deur geloof en wedergeboorte in Christus, they have made peace and reconciled themselves with the world, other religions, (Eastern) filosofieë, afgodery, occultism en Wetenskap and have defiled the truth of God with the lies of the world and have made the gospel powerless.
Many churches have not removed sin and iniquity, but have accepted and allowed sin and iniquity, by saying that they will always remain sinners and sins and iniquities will always be part of their lives (Lees ook: ‘Bly jy altyd 'n sondaar? en ‘Kan jy 'n gebroke wêreld as 'n verskoning gebruik?')
Ofcourse there are churches, who have removed the sin and iniquity and don’t approve and tolerate them, and don’t compromise, but walk after the Spirit as sons of God in obedience to Jesus Christ; die woord, and be doers of the Word. But they are rare.
Living like the world but rewarded with eternal life
Wat sal ons dan sê? Sal ons voortgaan in sonde, sodat genade oorvloedig kan wees? die Here behoed (Romeine 6:1).
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? sal ons sondig, omdat ons nie onder die wet is nie, maar onder genade? die Here behoed (Romeine 6:14-15).
Most people want to have the same life as the world and do the same (unrighteous) works and things, and because of that genuine repentances and regenerations in Christ don’t take place anymore and the flesh is not put off, but stays alive. In plaas van putting off the old man en putting on the new man, they persevere in sin.
But if those, who say they are Christians persevere in sin, what does the call to repentance contain? What message do Christians have for unbelievers?
Because if someone leads an unclean life and watches porn and/or commits fornication, how can that person approach an unbeliever, who lives an unclean life and watches porn and/or commit fornication, and confront the unbeliever and call the unbeliever to repentance and the removal of sin?
How can someone, who keeps lying, be a witness of Jesus Christ and call liars to repentance?
How can someone, who steals witness and call thieves to repentance?
How can someone, who commits adultery witness and call adulterers to repentance?
How can someone, who is unmarried and has a sexual relationship(s) and/or live together with someone, who isn’t his or her spouse, witness and call to repentance?
How can someone, who practices joga and bows down and worships other gods, witness and call to repentance?
It’s impossible! Therefore many churches have lost their credibility and even have become laughable for the world. Because the same works, which the Word calls sin and the Word has condemned, and which are practiced by the world, are also practiced in many churches.
The new man has been made free from sin and has become a servant to God
Want toe julle die dienaars van die sonde was, julle was vry van geregtigheid. Watter vrug het julle dan gehad in die dinge waarvan julle julle nou skaam? want die einde van daardie dinge is die dood. Maar nou word hy vrygemaak van sonde, en word dienaars van God, julle het julle vrugte tot heiligheid, en die einde van die ewige lewe. Want die loon van die sonde is die dood; maar die gawe van God is die ewige lewe deur Jesus Christus, ons Here, (Romeine 6:20-22)
If you are born again in Christ, you have become a new creation and you’ve been made free from sin. Deur wedergeboorte, jou natuur het verander. You no longer belong to the devil and no longer serve him as a dienaar van sonde en volhard in sonde, but you have become a servant to God and shall serve Him as a servant of righteousness and have your fruit unto holiness.
But if you persevere in sin and are still a slave of sin, where have you been made free from? How can you go into the world and preach freedom in Christ, if you haven’t been made free yourself, but live in the bondage of sin and death in darkness?
Almal, who by faith in Jesus Christ repent and become born again in Christ, shall enter the process of sanctification. The Word and the Holy Spirit, who abides in the new man will teach, correct, and confront the person with his or her sin and then it’s up to the person to obey the Word and the Holy Spirit and submit to God or not.
The Word shall judge everyone
Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, hath one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak (John 12:44-50)
People can say all kinds of things and make others believe that it doesn’t matter how you live and that God is merciful and tolerates, approves, and accepts everything, Insluitend sonde. But the Word says something else and eventually, it’s not the people who will decide, who will enter eternal life and who will be thrown in the eternal pool of fire, but the Word (a.o. Matthew 12:36-37, John 12:48, Openbaring 20:11-15).
‘Wees die sout van die aarde‘
