DO MY SINS DISQUALIFY ME FROM SERVING THE LORD?

I noticed that a woman friend (I’ll call her “Susan”) had not taken Communion. She also looked distraught. After the service I asked her if there was anything that she wanted to talk about.

Susan explained that she couldn’t take Communion because there was sin in her life that she was unable to overcome and, therefore, felt unworthy to take Communion. She was thinking about the passage:

·       Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup…That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:27-31)

According to Susan, she had examined herself and judged herself “unworthy” of the Lord and of Communion.

This question of “unworthiness” is a big issue. It also pertains to all forms of Christian service. Jesus taught that we are in no condition to correct a brother unless we have first corrected ourselves:

·       Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:4-5)

Some wrongly assume that Jesus was teaching against all forms of judgment or correction when He stated, “Judge not that you not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Indeed, we will be judged by the same standard by which we judge. Therefore, we first have to judge ourselves so that God will not judge us. This involves examining ourselves, identifying our blind-spots – the logs in our eyes - and confessing and repenting of them. Only then can we judge others.

Paul had taught in a similar manner:

·       Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

Whatever service we are performing, we need to continually “watch” and judge ourselves. Why? As a skilled judo expert, sin is always at work, drawing us one way or another. If we are not examining ourselves and confessing our sins, we can be sure that sin will knock us off balance.

I tried to explain to Susan that sin isn’t our biggest problem. Here’s what I meant. We all sin. I did not say this to excuse sin but to understand it in perspective. Sin is a present reality for all of us. This is why Jesus required repentance of all:

·       No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)

Jesus was correctly assuming that we all have sin. According to Him, we should all regard ourselves as unworthy:

·       “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

Consequently, none of us can stand before God in our own merit or righteousness. Instead, we are reminded that we must always confess our sins. This is the uniform message of Scripture. James wrote that we have to always bridle our tongues. Why? Because they are an ever-present source of sin:

·       For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. (James 3:2)

All of us stumble into sin. Therefore, blessedness was not a product of our sinlessness but, instead, of the mercy of God, as David had often written:

·       Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity… (Psalm 32:1-2)

John also wrote that we all have sin:

·       If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

I tried to explain to Susan that our main problem isn’t sin but our unwillingness to examine ourselves and to confess our sins. Why? Because when we do confess our sins, our Lord is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I therefore asked Susan if she had confessed her sins. She answered that she had but was having trouble believing that God had truly forgiven and cleansed her. “Why,” I asked.

She feared that she had passed the point of “no return,” the point where God would no longer forgive her. I mentioned Paul, the worst of sinners who God had elevated to the foremost of missionaries (1 Timothy 1:15-17), to her. I reasoned as Paul had. If God had forgiven Paul, then He was making it plain that He was willing to forgive anyone.

However, Susan was convinced that her situation was different. She was a child of God, and yet she continued to sin, even though it was against her will.

Instead, Jesus counseled His disciples to always be ready to forgive a brother if he repents:

·       And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17:4)

We have no choice; we must forgive. This also says something about our Savior. He has never required us to do more than what He would do. If He demanded that we always be ready to forgive our brethren if they repent, how much more will He be willing to forgive the repentant!

In fact, we find that there is one thing that induces the angels of heaven to rejoice:

·       Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10, 7)

If they had to wait to find a sinless person, there would be absolutely no occasion to rejoice.

Repentance had also been God’s plea to unrepentant Israel:

·       Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, “‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 3:12-13)

Sadly, Israel would not confess, and this brought destruction upon them. However, we see examples of God showing mercy to the worst of the worst. King Manasseh had been the worst. He ruled for 55 years. If anyone had committed sins that made him ineligible for forgiveness, it was he:

·       Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah...” (2 Kings 21:10-12).

However, the Assyrians captured Manasseh and threw him into prison. This caused the king to humble himself to confess his sins:

·       Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God (2 Chron. 33:12-13).

I explained to Susan that if God had forgiven Manasseh’s decades of the most horrible sins, He certainly would forgive hers and wipe her totally clean from all of them.

My favorite example is Job. Even though he had been the most righteous of men, he railed against God in the midst of his suffering. However, God confronted Job with a long series of questions that Job was unable to answer. He got the point – If he could not answer any of these questions, how could he suppose that he was in any position to bring indictments against God? He clearly was not.

After this, God confronted Job’s three friends who had spoken incorrectly about God:

·       After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7-8)

Something seems wrong here. After God had charged Job with distorting His “counsel by words without knowledge” (Job 38:2), He twice proclaimed that Job had spoken correctly about Him! This seems like a contradiction, but it is not! Instead, it points to the profound impact of confession:

·       Then Job answered the LORD and said: “Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6; 40:2-3)

Job’s repentance not only brought forgiveness, restoration, and blessing. It also brought cleansing from his sins. It was as if Job had never brought any indictments against God!

I explained to Susan that each time we confess and repent, our slate is wiped perfectly clean! I stand in awe before such a God. I hope that Susan also does.

***********

Let’s now deal with the problem of elders/pastors who fall into sin. In one case, a homosexual male prostitute “outed” a famous and popular pastor. When he could no longer hide it, he confessed his sins with tears before his church.

However, a controversy emerged. While everyone was willing to embrace and forgive their fallen pastor, half believed that he should resume as their pastor; the other half did not. Sadly, this caused great dissension.

Well, doesn’t forgiveness entail restoration? Yes, but not necessarily to leadership! Why not? First of all, there are definite qualifications for pastors and elders:

·       Therefore an overseer must be above reproach… He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?... Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:2-7)

The pastor did not meet these qualifications. Therefore, restoring him to the pastorate would surely create dissension and division and violate Scripture. This doesn’t mean that he could never again pastor. However, it does mean that he would first have to win the trust of his family, church, and community.

Along with this, church leadership is to be held to a higher standard:

·       Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)

·       Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1)

Although our God is completely forgiving, we should not be surprised that there is a price to pay for unfaithfulness, especially if we are in positions of leadership. While elders should receive honor (1 Timothy 5:17), they should also be publicly rebuked if they failed in their calling:

·       As for those [elders] who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. (1 Timothy 5:20)

SPIRITUAL HEALTH REQUIRES JUDGING AND CORRECTING

 

We are to be self-critical. If we do not examine ourselves, God will, as Paul had explained:

* Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:28-31; ESV)

If we do not judge ourselves, there will be serious consequences. We are also required to judge our brethren:

* My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

Of course, before we judge others, we must hold ourselves accountable to a standard at least as stringent as the standard we use to judge ourselves. This is what it means to be "spiritual":

* Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

We have to first be humble, realizing that we too are liable to the same kinds of temptations. We should never think that we are above them, lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12).

There is also a calling, especially for pastors and teachers, to correct other Christians in leadership positions, lest they bring disrepute upon the Church. In this regard, apologetic or discernment ministries play a vital role. For example, Hank Hanegraaff has often exposed the false teachings of prosperity ministers:

* Paul Crouch, founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), went so far as to suggest that if God does not kill “heresy hunters,” he will. Benny Hinn took it a step further. On TBN’s Praise the Lord program, he said, “You have attacked me. Your children will pay for it.” On another occasion Hinn shouted, “If you care for your kids, stop attacking Benny Hinn; you’re attacking on the radio all the time. You will pay, and your children will. Hear this from the lips of God’s servant. You are in danger.” Other threats could be cited, including the time Hinn ominously snarled, “I’m not exactly the normal kind of guy, you know. I’m from Israel. Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun. I’d blow your head off.” ("Christianity in Crisis: The 21st Century")

If the Church fails to expose and to distance themselves from ungodly teachers, then the world will distance themselves from the Church and the brethren will be led astray.

For an example of the disrepute that these teachers have brought upon the Church, Hanegraaff writes:

* This cancer has now reached the epidemic stage, and is spreading with such speed as to genuinely warrant the words “Christianity in Crisis.” It has so disfigured the face of Christianity that pagans looking on from without either smile with condescension and cynicism, or, with CNN founder Ted Turner, caricature Christians as “bozos” and “idiots.”

However, the damage done to the Body of Christ by false teachers is even a greater concern. Therefore, Paul warned the Ephesian elders:

* “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31)

Because of the inevitability of false teachers arising even within the church, the elders had to be vigilant. Why? Because false teachers could ravage the flock! Consequently, Paul had insisted that the elders had to be able to scripturally defend their churches:

* He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. (Titus 1:9-11)

The only remedy to error is truth. The only answer to Scripture twisting is sound teaching and correction.

This means that we must judge, if we love the Church. Besides, sometimes even loving God requires us to judge. For example, God had warned the Church at Pergamum to repent for tolerating false teaching:

* “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:14-16)

Their tolerance of false teaching was a sin against God, and they were called to repent of this sin.

To be a friend of the world by tolerating what we should not is to be an enemy of God.

SHOULD A CHRISTIAN NOT CHALLENGE OTHER RELIGIONS, IDEOLOGIES, AND PRACTICES?

Many Christians believe that we shouldn't challenge the faith and teachings of other religions but, instead, just live out our own faith.

While living in accordance with our Christian faith is commendable, our faith ALSO requires us to be vigilant against false teachings, teachers, and religions. The Israelites were repeatedly warned against these:

·       “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)

Such warnings are no less prevalent in the New Testament. While Jesus never warned His disciples about their physical health, He often warned them about their spiritual health and their intake of spiritual food:

·       “And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”” (Mark 8:15)

Our loving Jesus often used harsh words to correct His opposition:

·       ““But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:13, 15)

In fact, Paul cited the ability to refute false claims as one of the qualifications for eldership (Titus 1:7-11). In the "Book of Revelation," Jesus castigated several churches for not challenging false teachings (Rev. 2:14-16; 20), while He commended the church at Ephesus for challenging false teaching (2:2).

Paul also warned against false religions:

·       “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ...Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind...These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:8, 18, 23)

Such examples are so numerous that they hardly need emphasizing, but they are so important that they can't be ignored. Life depended upon recognizing their threat:

·       “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3)

All of these warnings indicate that the way to the soul is through the mind - what we believe. We are liberated (John 8:31) and enslaved (2 Tim. 2:24-26) by what we believe. Consequently, this is where the battle rages:

·       “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

We are surrounded by worldviews that must be challenged for the sake of the Gospel. One common meme holds that Christianity is no different from Islam. Should this lie be exposed? If we don't, then we, the church, are guilty of failing to rescue others from deception. Therefore, I just replied to someone who claimed that Christianity is just as violent as Islam:

·       "There is nothing about the Christian faith that encourages violence. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of Surah and Hadiths that instruct violence. Consequently, Islam has been termed 'The Ultimate Killing Machine.' Where are Christians beheading or raping? Which Christians are teaching to take over the world? Instead, our hope is focused on the next life."

We are required to expose the darkness by the light:

·       “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

No one wants to be exposed, but expose, we must.