The Fool's Coat

As the world drifts further away from truth, the truth will look increasingly abnormal to the world. As people of truth, there will be much temptation to smooth the hard edges of the Word of God in order to be seen in a more appealing light. There is pressure to stay relevant, or if not relevant; at least not be the "bigots" the previous generations were.

We have seen this softening in much of the Seeker Sensitive church methodology. The padded preaching and the positive and encouraging radio stations. "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, He is crazy about you!" We see it in many Christians who feel the need to apologize or make excuses for the portions of Scripture our generation has problems with. We see it in the, what I call, Christian motivationalism, where God is your life coach and he is trying to get you to accomplish your goals. "He is for you, not against you!"

Many try to straddle the line between the harsh tones of Scripture and the affirmation of the world. Yes, the Bible says this is wrong, but we are ALL struggling here. Who am I to cast a stone? I sin, you sin, we all sin. "Is homosexuality a sin?" When confronted by this question of our day these Fence Walkers might answer "sure." But before the word has left their lips they will insert the conciliatory remark: "but we all sin, yet I am a Christian, so what's the big deal?" Social media is a fountainhead of such apologetic, pandering language but I am recognizing that Christians cannot have their cake and eat it too. The lines have already been drawn and it is only a matter of time until the Biblical apologizers will arrive where they are headed: apostasy. Espousing the exact antinomian heresy that Paul condemns in Romans 6.

We need to stop apologizing for the Word of God. We all need to stop sanding down the edges that God made rough. We need to stop declaring like the false prophets of old "peace, peace" when God has spoken: "there is no peace." After all, it is not our Word to alter anywhere we, or our times, or our culture see fit. It is not our Word to peddle in a way that will draw the best crowd or will yield the best results. It is not our message to take away its offense, that we may be seen in a more appealing, more modern light. It is not our Word. It is God's Word. It is altogether higher than us. It transcends us, both preacher and sinner alike.

And we will one day be judged for how we handled His precious Word. Some of God's harshest judgments in the Old Testament are against the false prophets who lied about the God's Word. "Woe to them who call good evil and evil good, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter"(Isa. 5:20). "I did not send them, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not come upon this land': By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed"(Jer. 14:15). These prophets had the blood guilt of the nation on their hands. They should have known better. They did know better, yet God will call them to account just as he will call each of us to account for how we treat His Word.

Because of this, when we proclaim the Word of God we have to proclaim it with accuracy and power. Both the difficult and the easy; the breaking words and the healing words alike. There is much love and grace in the Scriptures. Proclaim it. There is wrath, judgment, and a hot hell as well. Do we preach those passages with the same zeal and fervor as we do the rest? Are we ashamed to speak the whole counsel of God, particularly the parts that our times find offensive? What about the parts that speak directly to our own weaknesses and sins?

Christians need to let the Word do its job. Let’s not neuter its potency with human wisdom. Our world desperately needs to feel the complete weight of its threatenings, the full force of its power without apology. I am certain that God will bless such faithful proclamations. The raw, unmasked Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It will do what God has intended it to do, if only we do not get in its way.

Let's commit ourselves anew to be faithful to God's Word in its entirety. Let's resolve not to be late to the world's party, doing what so many have done: arriving at the exact conclusions of the world with regard to sin, identity, sexuality—only a few years later than they. If you think Orthodox Christianity looks backwards now, just wait another 10 years; we are going to look most strange indeed! Yet, we are called to be set apart, we are called to be strange. We have known all along that friendship with God means enmity with the world.

William Gurnall once warned: "Many lose heaven because they are ashamed to go in a fool's coat thither."

The coat looks very foolish these days it is true, but will you wear it anyways?

**

2 Timothy 3:10 – 4:5

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.