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, who belong to the world, 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, umhlaba kufuneka uguquke?
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, who belong to the world.
Instead of Christians converting the world, the world has converted many Christians (Funda kwakhona: ‘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, by faith and regeneration in Christ, they have made peace and reconciled themselves with the world, other religions, (Eastern) iintanda-bulumko, unqulo-zithixo, occultism kwaye inzululwazi 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 (Funda kwakhona: ‘Do you always remain a sinner? kwaye ‘Ngaba ungasebenzisa ihlabathi eliqhekekileyo njengesizathu?‘)
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; ilizwi, and be doers of the Word. But they are rare.
Living like the world but rewarded with eternal life
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Makube lee oko (AmaRoma 6:1).
Kuba isono asiyi kuniphatha ngabukhosi: kuba aniphantsi komthetho, but under grace. What then? sone na, ngokuba singekho phantsi komthetho, kodwa phantsi kobabalo? Makube lee oko (AmaRoma 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. Instead of ukukhupha ixhego kwaye ukwambatha umntu omtsha, 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 yoga 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
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (AmaRoma 6:20-22)
If you are born again in Christ, you have become a new creation and you’ve been made free from sin. Ngokuzalwa ngokutsha, indalo yakho itshintshile. You no longer belong to the devil and no longer serve him as a umkhonzi wesono and persevere in sin, 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?
Wonke umntu, 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
Wakhala uYesu wathi, Lowo ukholwayo kuM, anikholwa kum, kodwa kulowo wandithumayo. Lowo undibonayo mna, ubona owandithumayo. Mna ndilukhanyiso ehlabathini, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness. Nokuba umntu uthe waweva amazwi am, ningakholwa ke, andimgwebi: kuba andizanga kuligweba ihlabathi, kodwa kukusindisa ihlabathi. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, hath one that judges him: ilizwi endilithethileyo, abaya kumgweba ngomhla wokugqibela.
For I have not spoken of Myself; kodwa uBawo owandithumayo, He gave Me a commandment, mandithini, nento endiya kuyithetha. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: Ngoko ke izinto endizithethayo mna, njengokuba uBawo wathethayo kum, ngoko ndiyathetha (UYohane 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, kuquka isono. 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, UYohane 12:48, ISityhilelo 20:11-15).
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi‘
