Insult people in heaven or flatter hell

TO Elizabeth Ann FitchElizabeth Ann Fitch Thursday, November 21, 2024

Jesus said that I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).

As Christians, we are charged with telling the truth. We should not condone deception for the sake of political etiquette or public recognition; rather, we should tell the truth in everything, even if it offends people.

Insulting people doesn’t have to be rude or mean. Our words of truth can be spoken softly and lovingly. The Scriptures say, “A word well spoken is like apples of gold set in silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

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We must set an example of the fruit of the spirit in everything we do, so that people will know that we are Christians by our fruit: “Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against such things” (Galatians 5:22-23). When we anchor our words of truth on these spiritual fruits, there is a noticeable absence of hatred, anger, blame, or negativity. Our words may offend, but our intention is based on the truth of the Holy Spirit, so that no one will perish but come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

We are inundated with deception and lies, and these attacks target some of our most fundamental truths. For example, God created man and woman (Genesis 5:2). These differences manifest themselves in physical structures and are governed by the chromosomes we inherit within our cells. This truth is found throughout God’s creation, including the animal kingdom and even plants. The union of sperm and egg obtained from a male and female gives birth to new life. However, we are now forced to agree that if a person decides that he is no longer a man or a woman, we must agree with his statements. If we deny their truth, we are accused of committing violence.

Agreeing with such statements is deception. A man who considers himself a woman is not anchored in the truth. He’s a man. When we accept pronouns that do not correspond to the truth, we deny the truth. When we do this, we reject Christ. When we agree to a confusion of the most basic principles, we enable the Father of Lies, the devil, to continue his spiritual warfare with God’s creation (John 8:44).

The attitude towards sin is becoming more relaxed even among Christians. Many Christians talk lightheartedly about homosexuality, promiscuity, adultery, pornography, and other sexual sins. These Christians often state, “Well, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, I don’t see anything wrong with it,” often adding, “Why should I care what people do in their bedrooms?”

This type of indifference is an example of a lack of truth. These actions harm people. In most cases, it is the one doing the actions who hurts the most. This pain manifests itself in the form of illness and disease, broken families, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and the further occurrence of sinful behavior leading to destruction.

God gave us commandments because He is our Father, loves us, and wants us to live fruitful lives. When we do not share the truth that sinful actions are contrary to God’s commandments, then we allow people to perish. We all understand when parents tell their children not to play on the road or with fire. Parents are aware of the potential harm from such actions and offer guidance to their children so that they do not die.

If we look around and see someone drowning and then turn our heads and say, “Well, they’re not hurting anyone, so I won’t say anything,” that person will die. Likewise, when we turn away from sin and say nothing, we allow people to die in their sins without hearing the truth. Telling them the truth may hurt them, but it will serve as an intervention that can give them an eternal life raft to admit their sin, repent, and inherit eternal life.

One of my favorite pastors, J.D. Farag, who boldly preaches the truth, often says, “I would rather insult people into the kingdom of heaven than flatter them into hell.”

As Christians, we are charged with spreading the gospel and the truth about Jesus Christ. Often, by doing this, we anger people. Jesus said, “Do you think that I came to bring peace to the earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). Jesus came into the world so that we would not perish. As followers of Christ, we must love people enough to tell them the truth so that they do not die in their sins. If we turn our heads and say nothing while people sin, or worse, tell them that it is okay to sin, this will lead to eternal punishment. This is not an act of love.

False Christs at the End of the Church Age

In Matthew 24, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “What will be the signs of the end?” Jesus answered and said, “See that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:3-5).

Many new age churches today are offering a false Christ. Essentially, these churches are saying, “Come here! Christ is here and he says it’s okay to sin,” or “Come here, this Jesus accepts sexual sin,” or “This Jesus accepts any sin you want to enjoy.” These false ideas about Christ lead people down the path of destruction and enable them to reject God’s commandments and openly live in rebellion. We should not visit brick buildings disguised as churches that promote such lies and deceit. In our efforts to make people happy, to tell them what they want to hear, to activate their sin and cherish lies, to make them feel accepted by Christ despite their sinful nature, we participate in their destruction.

Telling people the truth is not easy, and it is not easy to confront conflict, especially in a society that threatens to cancel you, fire you, isolate you, or even kill you for disagreeing with the narrative. However, when we deny the truth, we deny Christ. Our silence is an open rejection of the message he brought us and the gospel of salvation. Silence when lies are proclaimed makes us guilty of denying the truth.

Telling the truth in the face of certain consequences is not easy. What Jesus did was not easy. He delivered a message of truth that infuriated the Pharisees. So much so that they conspired against Him and killed Him; he was rejected, beaten, tortured, mutilated, abused and suffered pain that many of us will never know. Why did he do this? Because he loved us enough to come to Earth and tell us the truth. The price for us finding out the truth was ultimately his death. But this death led to his resurrection, our only path to forgiveness and the promise of eternal life with our Father, Yahweh. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Jesus set an example for us to follow. We must hold fast to the truth. We must stand for the truth by bearing the fruits of the spirit. It is unacceptable to humiliate, insult or treat people with disrespect. Such actions will only drive people away from the truth of Jesus Christ. However, we must adhere to the truth rooted in the fruit of the spirit, even if it means sharing in the sufferings of Christ. By doing this, we are fulfilling our great commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

Before his execution, Paul said, “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). We must live our lives in Christ, in truth, as an act of love. Even if we die for the truth, we can die knowing that we have upheld the commission, upheld the love, and will be with Christ forever.