Hating Sin, Loving Sinners
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” (Hosea 4:6)
Can you name all the Ten Commandments? If not, here they are in the paraphrased form:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; 4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 5. Honour thy father and thy mother. 6. Thou shalt not kill. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 10. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s. (from Exodus 20:1-17)
The point of this question is that some people may know more of God’s Word than others. Some may know very little. For whatever reason, they never received much, if any, teaching from God’s Word. As a result, they may be well-educated and decent people but lack knowledge of God.
Something similar–and tragic–happened in ancient Israel after Joshua died: “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers (they died): and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)
How did the next generation not know about God? Apparently many parents didn’t talk with their kids about God or what He had done for them: the plagues, freedom from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, miracles in the wilderness. Obviously, many didn’t think this information was important.
And what happened next? “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers,” (Judges 2:11-12) Baal worship was not just about bowing to a statue. Baal worship included sexual activity which appealed to people’s fleshly nature. The nations around Israel did it. If no one in Israel, or very few, taught about the true, holy God, Israel’s descent into this vile behavior should not have been a surprise.
The same problem exists today: lack of knowledge of God’s Word combined with an abundance of sin. Jesus said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Sin is everywhere in so many forms: on TV, radio, the internet, and in people’s personal lives.
Moreover, people with little objective exposure to God’s Word may have only heard about the Bible or the Christian faith from slanted, hostile sources. They may see Christians as self-righteous hypocrites. Their impressions may have been reinforced by an encounter they had had or heard about with a professing Christian who fit that stereotype.
What should Christians do? We should share God’s Word with them! “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,” “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) Tell people about Jesus, “…speaking the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15) so they’ll know Jesus as Saviour and have forgiveness of sins, and won’t be eternally “destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Whatever the sin in which people are involved, remember that “The Lord is…long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,” (2 Peter 3:9) There’s no one Jesus doesn’t want to forgive and save. If you aren’t sure you’ll be in heaven when you die but would love to be sure, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 4/27/2022
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822