Feel Good Theology
“When people make mistakes, don’t make them feel rejected, but go the extra mile to make them feel forgiven, accepted—and free.” – Joyce Meyer
You may not understand but this type of theology runs rampant today in the world of religious teaching. What is clearly being taught is not, when people sin, don’t reject them, but forgive and forget their sin which is not according to divine teaching, which calls sin lawlessness, (1 John 1:4) and all sin must be repented of (Mark 13:5). God’s children must have godly sorrow for sin (Matt. 5:4; 2 Cor. 7:9-10) which leads to repentance. The world teaches a message of “feeling forgiven”, not repentance. But if we only “make people feel accepted”, no doubt they may enjoy our company here in this life, but without a turning away from sin they will be one day be condemned for their sin. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained…” (Acts 17:30-31). Even worse false teachers now seldom refer to sin, but call sin mistakes that we all make and those sins are all covered simply by asking Jesus into their heart. No godly sorrow, no change.
What is a mistake? Webster: “a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment, inadequate knowledge, or inattention”. Not having accurate knowledge of your error is a mistake: Jesus said, “. . . You are mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power” (Matt. 22:29). Not knowing constitutes a mistake. But what is not a mistake is having knowledge and continuing in a mistaken path: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22). Why no excuse: because Jesus told them just as His word today tells us. We all have equal access to the word of God, which is written for our good that we may be complete and thoroughly equipped to do God’s will (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The most precious words, created by the breath of God provide for us all need to live godly lives, to avoid sin, and to secure our own salvation through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue (2 Pet. 1:3). Therefore, if we know what we do is wrong, it no longer falls under the category of a mistake, but is now in the category of sin. Make no mistake, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Jesus also said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
The word translated “mistaken” in Matthew 22:29 is defined as follows: Strong’s Greek Lexicon: to (properly, cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue):–go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way. Helps Word-studies: “properly, go astray, get off-course; to deviate from the correct path (circuit, course), roaming into error, wandering; (passive) be misled. Is the root of the English term, planet (“wandering body”).” Do you hear the language: to roam from safety, from truth, from virtue, to go astray. When one makes a mistake, meaning that they did not understand what they did was wrong, we should make every effort to help them come to the knowledge of truth, and encourage them to correct their ways that God may forgive them. But when someone continues to take the wrong course, to deviate from the correct path and refuses the right way, then we are commanded to, “… note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Rom. 16:17-18). Paul also wrote, “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us”, “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.” (2 Thess. 3:6, 14).
The teaching of “half message” is common today, such as that given by Mrs. Meyer. Because it is not according to God’s word, it has no power to save the lost soul, no power to redirect one on the wrong course. It takes a “noble and good heart” (Luke 8:15), to receive God’s word that they may be corrected and properly applied will motivate a person to change course before it is too late. They will weigh the possible loss of their soul against temporary relationship with the world—and choose life (Deut. 30:19). You can be certain that the scriptures quoted above are seldom if ever taught in denominational churches. What is taught is false doctrine that prevents people from believing the very words quoted. What is taught is “007 Doctrine”. Doctrine that gives one license to sin with regret, responsibility and without applied justice. Jesus will cover all your sin with His blood. “Don’t worry, it’s all good”, “Hey, we’re all sinners”, “Everyone is the same”, and “God understands”, are all quick phrase teachings used today to teach love and acceptance in place of repentance and change.
What does the word of God teach? First, we are all under sin, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and without the blood of Christ applied we are completely lost. We need the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord to wash away our sins, (Acts 22:16; Acts. 2:38) which will redeem us (Eph. 1:7). Those of us who have believed Jesus, were baptized according to His command (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-4; Matt. 28:19-20) are the redeemed and fully accept that we cannot “…drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons…” (Matt. 10:21). In other words we cannot live in sin any longer. (Rom. 6:1&2). We are called to live holy lives keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the revelation of Jesus, knowing that we were not redeemed by corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:13-19). Furthermore the scripture states that “He who abides in HIM ought himself also to walk just as HE walked” (1 John 2:6). Being born again means our spirit is dead and renewed with God’s Spirit of holiness to the point where we are living as “new creations” (Rom. 6:4) and everyone who has this hope purifies himself (1 John 3:3). We who have the seed of Christ in us understand and are not deceived, “He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7). and “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
Am I saying that Christians cannot sin, No! It is worth repeating: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin” which means that because the child of God mourns sin, hates sin, he or she cannot continue in sin. Every form of sin must be put away (Eph. 4:31; 1 Cor. 5:13). What I am saying is Christians can’t continue in sin but are diligent to study and obey God’s word, to learn what is approved by God and what is idle babbling (2 Tim. 2:15-16). Christians strive to hold fast to the pattern of the sound words which they read (2 Tim. 1:13) and when sin is revealed by the light of God’s word, the spirit of God in them empowers them to stop the sin. The divine scripture clearly teaches that everyone makes mistakes, but the children of God do not continue in them, making vain excuses for their sin, but rather they are conformed into an image of Godliness through the renewing of their minds by the word of God (Rom. 12:2) and empowered to change course from sin to godliness. Know this truth: What is sin is not defined by man—but by our Holy and Righteous God. All transgression against His law is sin (1 John 5:17) and separates us from God and Christ (2 John 1:9).
Bottom line is thi s; “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning…” (1 John 3:8) and “. . .if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27). This term “willfully” implies knowledge, and therefore the loss is your soul’s eternal separation from God, (Matt. 25:41), and “…the LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30-31). The word of God was written so that we can know the truth about sin and stop sin in its track. If we do “trip up”, we will know it by God’s word be convict in our hearts and convert to God’s way. As a child of God, when you do sin you, “. . . do have an advocate with the Father…” (1 John 2:1). But don’t let anyone teach you that you can become a child of God without obeying the gospel of Christ. Don’t let anyone deceive you into believing that sin is just a mistake that is forgiving on a continual basis by God, because it is not, for God has said, “He who says, ‘I know Him’, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know we are in Him” (1 John 2:4-5). “Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 4:8).
In Love
David Scarpino