Have you noticed how difficult it is for elected officials to break bad news to their citizens? Numerous countries are drowning in debt, yet most leaders refuse to raise taxes or cut benefits. Figuring that bankruptcy will be the next government’s problem, they happily kick the crisis down the road.
These leaders act like the false prophets in Jerusalem. God had punished Israel’s idolatry by sending Nebuchadnezzar to plunder the city and carry off her best and brightest into captivity. Jeremiah told God’s people that He wanted them to submit to Babylon for the foreseeable future, and that after a while He would bring them “back to Jerusalem again” (Jeremiah 27:22).
This struck many citizens as overly pessimistic, and false prophets such as Hananiah declared that God would intervene and destroy Babylon within two years (Jeremiah 28:10-11). Then it was God’s turn to be exasperated. He told Jeremiah to inform Hananiah that he would die, for his lies had cruelly filled the beaten-down Israelites with false hope (Jeremiah 28:15-16).
Giving a thumbs-up when we know better is the worst kind of mean. We must not encourage friends who are struggling with sin to simply grit their teeth and try harder, for they can simply beat it. If they rely on themselves rather than God, they’ll end up back where they started—drowning their sorrows in their addictions.
We must also never assure people that regardless of whom they trust or how they live, a loving God will take them and everyone to heaven. It may seem harsh to warn people about hell, but if you believe that hell is real, it would be unspeakably cruel not to tell them. We humbly share bad news, not because it’s fun but because it’s the first step toward hope.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 John 5:1-21
More:
Read Matthew 23 and consider how Jesus’ tough words for the religious leaders were a sign of His love.
Next:
What bad news, either about yourself or others, have you been ignoring because it seems too painful to confront? What steps can you take to face your problem and begin the journey to wellness by God’s strength?
jstabel on October 27, 2011 at 1:42 am
This is the message that most Assemblies do not want to tell their members,they always want to give assurance even in sin and its outcome(destruction),the leaders are refusing to inform their members and the members are relishing the idea that they can continue in sin and grace will continue to abound,we will only continue to pray that these members are delivered from deceit.
alli on December 27, 2011 at 7:43 am
this is true, sometimes, many times God will show you, ok this city is going to b destroyed like Sodom the key is understnading what season your are in, many times ppl are blinded to things they dont want to see so when God comes to them in truth its unbelievable. How could God allow this to happen? etc, its hard to accept a hard word but God is a good parent He doesnt just tell you what you want to hear.
raspberry on December 29, 2011 at 9:06 pm
The other day, a friend of mine actually asked me this: “If God is really a loving God, then why would He say that only those who come to Him and believe in Him can go to heaven?” He continued to say that God should accept every good human being as there are many out there living in discrete places who could not get in touch with Christians and Christianity. On top of that, he even cited to me that he is beggining to accept more of the “sayings and quotes” in Buddhism than the Scriptures. I was quite stunned to get such a question from a Christian who has baptized. Though there are some stories behind this atttitude of which I think led him to becoming what he is today, I’m quite despair and helpless to assist him as well as answering his question above. Can someone tell me how should I respond to such a question as the above?
mike wittmer on December 30, 2011 at 9:18 am
raspberry:
I think the place to begin is with his view of Scripture. Does he believe it is the true word of God? If so, I would point him to Romans 1, which states that everyone left to themselves will suppress whatever light they have. So the unevangelized good person does not exist.
I’d also say that the eternal difference between Christians and non-Christians is not merely that one believes in Jesus while the other does not, but that one is born again while the other isn’t. John 3 teaches that we are born again by believing in Jesus, which is why this matters.