In Propaganda Downplays Christ's Position we discussed James Talarico's statement: “Not once in the entire Bible does Jesus ask us to worship him. All he asks is that we follow him. Love like He loved. Love the outcast. Welcome the stranger.”
It's true that Jesus told us to help the needy (Matthew 25:35-40), but is that “all he asks” of his followers? Is that “all” we need to do if we “love like Jesus loved”? No.
Jesus loved people enough to tell them to repent (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3). He made it clear that those who refuse to repent “will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
Jesus loved people enough to address their sins and, if we love like Jesus loved, we'll do the same. We'll speak out against laws which promote immorality, such as killing the unborn and promoting destructive sexual lifestyles.
If all we do is help people and never share Christ, we'll be popular. But that's not our calling. Jesus explained, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).
Why did the world hate Jesus? Jesus explained “because I testify that its works are evil” (John 7:7).
Jesus helped the needy, but His first priority was warning people that they were headed to Hell if they refused to repent and believe.
Please don't let anyone claim Christ's only purpose was helping with physical needs. When someone says this, respond graciously but firmly with Biblical truth.
✞✞✞
We should be aware that Christianity has a great heritage of helping the needy: Romans 12:13 - Helping the Needy. But Bill Bright Shares an Important Ministry Regret worth considering.
If you want to better understand why I'm using Talarico's quotes in this series, see Let's Not Avoid Controversy.
No comments:
Post a Comment