How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14)

How About You; Can You Handle The Truth?

There’s no shortage of confusion today, inside the visible church as well as out, about how God views sinners; those who continue on in their willful sin, even if they’ve heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve probably all heard the phrase — “God hates sin, but He loves the sinner”; however, is that really the case? Let’s consider a book called The Other Side Of The Good News (TOS), which I highly recommend to every serious student of the Bible.

It’s written by Dr. Larry Dixon, who reminds us that one of Christianity’s greatest theologians John Calvin, one of the great Church Reformers whom Jesus raised up said : “We are taught by Scripture to perceive that apart from Christ, God is—so to speak—hostile to us, and His hand is armed for our destruction.” In his article “Does God Love the Sinner and Hate Only His Sin?” Dr. John Gerstner also brings out:

“Repent or Perish” forces people to ponder seriously the popular slogan, “God hates the sin and loves the sinner.” Is a necessary repentance consistent with “God loves the sinner?” If God loves the sinner while he is alive, it is strange that God sends him to hell as soon as he dies. God loves the sinner to death? Loves him to everlasting torment? …

God is perfectly displeased with the sinner. The sinner hates God, disobeys God, is ungrateful to God for all His favors, would kill God if he could. He is dead in trespasses and sins. (Eph.2:1) “The thoughts and intents of his heart are only evil continually.” (Gen.6:5) He is the slave of sin (John 8:34), the servant of the devil, (Eph.2:2). God has no complacent love for the sinner at all. He has a perfect hatred of him, “I hate them with a perfect hatred.” (Ps. 139:22) (Online source)

Then in TOS Dixon goes on, “Seldom do we consider the malevolence of God, and almost never do we hear, or preach sermons on God’s wrath and the justified perfect hatred God has of sinners.” We need to remember that God is infinite; and to our degenerate, limited, and finite minds many things about Him are a paradox. Paradox meaning things that appear to contradict, but actually don’t. At the same time God loves the you He will regenerate if you come to Him in Christ—He also hates the you that rejects Him—that very you, which actually hates Him.

You must come to understand—despite what man-loving “preachers” whine today to win the favor of the world— that apart from Christ we are simply not the delightful little creatures we like to think we are. In fact, here’s what Jesus said about man in Matthew 7:11 — If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him. Did you get that? Christ Jesus—our Creator—has just said — though you are evil.

Now let’s go to the Book of Romans, chapter 8, for a moment. The inspired Apostle Paul tells us that, without the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, our basic nature is self-ishness as our minds are set on the “flesh”, the “carnal” — in other words on our-selves. Romans 8:7 — the sinful mind — if you have the King James Version it reads — the carnal mind; the Greek word here is sarx, and it refers to your body; your flesh, the carnal nature…well, you.

With this in mind — the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. The absolute Truth is that all who are without Christ are controlled by the carnal, sinful, human nature—those not regenerated i.e. born again— cannot [possibly] please God. And this is not just my opinion; that’s the very Word of God from the Holy Spirit Himself. In commenting on this verse John Calvin put it this way, “the will of man is in all things opposed to [God’s] will; for, as much as what is crooked differs from what is straight, so much must be the difference between us and God.”

Still need convincing? Then listen to what Jesus tells us about mankind in the following from Mark 7:21-23 — For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside. And the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit once again — I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature…What a wretched man I am! (Romans 8:18, 24)

Now We Bring It Up Close And Personal

Does that wound your self-esteem? Good; it was meant to. This is not a matter to be taken lightly. And if you are beginning to feel condemned, and without hope, then you are getting the initial message; the other side of the Good News. Romans 6:23 — For the wages of sin is death — this is talking about spiritual death, eternal separation from God. In John 3:18 Jesus says — “Whoever believes in [Me] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”

Now you can understand what the Holy Spirit was talking about through Paul earlier; in our fallen human condition we literally are condemned to sin against God; with no ability whatsoever on our own to stop. John 3:36 — Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. That’s already upon all who reject God’s only provision for the forgiveness of sins, the sacrificial death on the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think we are safe in saying that one doesn’t feel wrath toward someone you are pleased with.

I will close with this: Any one of us can have our lives changed in a mere instant; and, it can happen to anyone at any moment. And it happened to my own family one Spring evening several years ago. As my family waved goodbye to our Mom, just as we’d done for years each evening as she left for her work as a Nurses Aide at Valley Regional Hospital, we had absolutely no idea that a mere five minutes later we were going to receive a phone call that would forever change our lives.

A drunken driver going seventy miles an hour down the narrow, twisting, Old Claremont road, upon which she’d driven to work hundreds of times, smashed directly into her car killing her—instantly. In a split second her eternal destiny was sealed; with no second chance. Perhaps this should give you pause for concern. You see, there was an old Nazarene preacher who gave some advice to a young minister who was just starting out. Sound wisdom, which the young man never forgot. “Son,” he said, “I sure like the way you preach the Gospel, and I’d like to give you a little bit of advice.”

The young minister eagerly told him that he would love to hear anything the more experienced man of God might wish to share. And the old preacher looked at him and said, “When you go out, always preach the love of God, and the grace of God, in Jesus Christ. But, if they don’t want Jesus—then leave ’em with the Law according to Moses.” The other side of the Good News; the choice now lays before You: grace alone, the unmerited favor of God through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone; the only One Who could have perfectly fulfilled that Law.

Or, you are them left with the righteous judgment of this very same Lord according to the perfect Law of Alnighty God—which no mere mortal man could ever even dream of beginning to fulfill. Let me ask you: Does this trouble you; do you find yourself stirred up, even confused inside? Is your heart beating faster now because this doesn’t sound like the “gospel” of the god with a man-shaped hole in its heart that you so often hear about today:

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me. No one has seen the Father except the One Who is from God; only He has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” (John 6:43-47)

And to answer the call to come to Christ Jesus is the all-important decision that only you alone can make. Is He calling to you right now; then, what say ye?