THE SIN OF SEPARATION
The Sin of Separation
The church is commanded, according to Scripture, to spread the Word of God. With the Great Commission being one of the most well-known sections of Scripture in the Bible, Christians are exempt from the excuse of not knowing that they are commanded to share the Word with others and to introduce people to Christ. However, in a world that people are calling “more lost than ever,” we are seeing evangelism at a much slower pace than we’ve seen in a long time, despite there being that many more people that need saving. Church buildings are shutting down, families stop coming to church through generations, and people are losing hope in the church. The reasons for people wanting to leave the church are widely varied. However, there is one bad habit of the church that, if we overcome it, could have the potential to bring back many who have turned away, as well as people who have not heard of the gospel at all. As Christians, we need to break the habit of making the judgment call that we are not capable of making. Assuming someone is or isn’t beyond saving, and then using that as our method of cherry-picking who we think are the most “qualified,” is a sinful practice that pushes away people from Christ.
If we want to bring more people into the body of Christ, we need to understand that as Christians, we cannot decide for ourselves who we want in the church. Ultimately, it is up to the individual as to whether or not they believe and want to be saved. Because people receive the gospel differently, we cannot push away people who need saving, no matter what we think about their sin. According to 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “God our Savior… desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Additionally, in 1 Corinthians, Paul was writing about the kinds of people that will not go to heaven, and upon mentioning several kinds of people in chapter 6, he said in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” We know that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has no limit to the sins that can be forgiven. However, we still ignore some people that need saving. This exact thing makes Christians guilty of sin as well. According to 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” As Christians, we often become prideful and arrogant when looking for who we think might be a good candidate. However, this was the very thing that God told Jonah that he was wrong for doing when he was upset about the Ninevites being saved (Jonah 4). Christians are beggars, not choosers. Even when Paul was writing to Corinth describing the ministry of reconciliation, he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” This shows that even Paul was earnestly pleading to people regarding their salvation. Don’t let pride be the sin that separates you from those who need saving. If your evangelism seems to be ineffective, seek the humility that can help you reach all who need saving, not just the “prospects”. Instead of choosing salvation candidates, choose Jesus as our perfect example for ministry, and don’t hold back the gospel from anyone.
~Caden Conley