NEW MORALITY?

NEW MORALITY?
By Stephen A. Ibeh

There are legalism and the liberalism in both our churches today. But first I will begin with the legalism.

The law was given to us because of transgressions. When the children of Isreal came out of Egypt, (with their slave mentality), they were wild, stealing,committing fornication, killing,fighting and coveting each others wives and properties and worse, worshipping other things except God.

This prompted God to send the Law. God knows that if you leave man to himself and without boundaries he will eventually become just as a wild beast. He wiped the entire human race with a flood once because of that. He certainly knows it.

So to curb the old nature( the flesh) and keep it in check until Christ comes, He had to do something to maintain order, so He gave them the Law.

The Law is only created to keep us in check and show us who we are (sinful creatures that need a savior) until the appointed time, for Our Lord Jesus to come ( Galatians 3:23-24). Simple , nothing more ,nothing less.

The Law is not to be worshiped or observed.Considering that there are other sin which the ten commandments cannot control,  man's inward sin.  For example great sin of pride, evil heart of unbelief ( the unforgivable sin), and inward disobedience towards God ( grieving the Holy Spirit), both for believers and unbelievers.

But today for the believers we have liberty in Christ and not bound by the law!

We have died from the law, because Christ died, and we are risen with Christ in the newness of life which is a new law. The Spirit law.

But where should draw the line on liberalism?

Now, there is a new morality that people have adopted saying that "we are to hate the sin and not the sinner."

As much as how warmly this may sound.Let me warn christains that has adopted this slogan. It is tampering with the Grace of God! The enemy is toying with this slogan and some Christains are not knowledgeable.( Jude 1:4)

This slogan is not in the bible and there's no such thing as a "liberal Jesus" or "Jesus Superstar"

Here is a background concerning how Our Lord Jesus Christ hates sin:

Jesus walked into the temple and saw that the money changers were making deals and gambling in the house of God.

He was furious, burned with anger he began to toss and turn every table and chairs.

The disciple were stunned, they have never seen him behave like this.

Then He spoke this words " My Father's house is the house of prayer and you have turned it to a den of thieves!!

Well that was the temple then, but today the temple is the body of believers...a Holy house for prayer.
( 2 Corinthians 6:16-18)

Most people especially believers all talk about "The liberal Jesus" but not the Jesus of the bible.

He is still the same, yesterday, and tomorrow Jesus who will judge sin in our lives.

Just like the disciples, many will be stunned when He will cast them out of Heaven because of sin in their lives.

Now let's continue:

As for the unbelievers, we can only witness to them, not accept their lifestyle, we are to show them the love of Christ by our testimony and  Gospel of Christ, ( which is the death, burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ) nothing more, nothing less.( Revelation 12:11)

Now, If I present the Gospel of Christ to an unbeliever or a so call believer and he or she rather rejects the Grace of God and chooses  rather they own sinful lifestyle .They are the wicked... enemies of God! (see psalm 7:11, psalm 11:5, and Exodus 34:7, John 3:36, James4:4).

As Christains we ought to love what God loves and hate what He hates, but we should not cast judgement on anybody. It is not left for us to do so.

However, we are commanded to pray for those who are committing evil but not join in and support their sinful lifestyle.( This is where many believers don't take a stand in)

For the believers we also have  grace.Grace is not just for the unbelievers but for the believers as well.But grace is not a license ( see Romans 6, and Galatians 5:1)

Shall we continue to sin? No! We have risen from it! (Notice continuing means living, daily, and enjoying sin). Nobody is sin free.

The flesh itself is sinful in nature, therefore even a believer, might stumble into sin, fault, means to stumble ( Galatians 6:1 KJV)

The believer must confess sin immediately (1 John 1:8-10) and be restored by fellow brethren.

We are to encourage, a child of God who has fallen with the spirit of meekness (godliness), lest we ourselves fall ( Galatians 6:1). Because no one is righteous except righteousness in Christ! ( Philippians, 3-9)

If somebody calls themself a believer   and lives in sin and have been witnessed to by the body of believers ( the church) and he continues to live in sin, based on the authority of the Word of God. He is not a child of God!

And we have the right not to fellowship with them (Mathew 18:17) until they repent and turn to God.

The believer should reexamine themselves and make sure whether they are in the faith.

As Dr. J, Vernon McGee use to say
The prodigal son may get in the pig's pen but won't stay in the pig's pen.

Repent and turn to God! He alone will save you.

Meditation( 2 Corinthians, 6:14-18)