Backed Into A Corner

Backed Into A Corner

Well, Jesus himself warned us didn’t He? In Luke 21:8-11 “ He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and, “The time is near.” Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.’  Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”

And Paul warned us too - 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

It is happening just like they said and what is some of the church doing? They are backing themselves right into a corner with their teaching. There is such a fear of upsetting those who may disagree with Christian doctrine that it has all been devalued and watered down to the point that most of the world can quite rightly say, “There is no point in Christianity at all.” Having made their foolish, crowd-pleasing assertions, those pastors have backed themselves into an untenable corner from which there is no escape – not even total, even more foolish looking, retraction.

So what’s to do now?

Change direction and come back to the full Gospel, repentance and all. The Gospel is nothing without repentance and repentance is very little without a full realisation of our un-holiness compared to God’s holiness. If we do not sincerely repent and change our ways then Jesus will have died for nothing. The Gospel is another of God’s “If/then” messages. IF we repent of our ways, turn away from our old ways to God’s ways, and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, THEN He will forgive us and enter our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life so that we can spend eternity with Him.

There is no cheap, easy gospel. There is nothing without repentance. There is no “put your hand up, say this prayer, and you’re saved” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” It’s only through Jesus with repentance that we access salvation. If you have backed yourself into the corner, repent, ask forgiveness and emboldening, and then come out fighting!

Go on – you know you want to.