He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
—Matthew 12:30
One of the many coups of the enemy today comes in the message of religious tolerance and political correctness. I am not saying we should attack people of other religions, but the message of religious tolerance today says that for Christians to claim an exclusive path to eternal life is an attack on other religions.
It is also true that this political correctness has penetrated the thinking of the church corporate in many ways. “Don’t tell people they’re lost and unsaved, because that’s offensive,” we’re told. “Just identify them as unchurched.” Or maybe you’ve heard this one: “Don’t say Jesus is the only way, because that’s offensive. Just say Jesus is the way for Western civilization and that God has revealed Himself in other ways in other parts of the world.”
Statements such as these are not only unbiblical but also directly opposed to the teaching of Jesus Himself. Jesus said the planet is occupied by two groups and two groups only: His friends and His enemies. From the apostles’ writings, we know they too shared this mentality. Look what the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul in Colossians 1:21: “you, who once were alienated and enemies.”
I am not a proponent of brash methods of evangelism and yelling at sinners that they are doomed to hell, but I do believe we have the responsibility to tell them of their eternal destination if they lack a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I fear, however, that many today define Christlikeness as that of never offending anyone.
Friends, Jesus is the only way. He is the only truth, and there is no eternal life through any religion or any person but Him. That is what He said, so that is what we should say too. But let’s also recognize the fact that if we say what He said, we may experience what He experienced. But that too is part of Christlikeness.
Those who know me know I am not a big fan of the word unchurched, which gets thrown around a lot today. I don’t care for that word because it gives the impression that people need to “get churched.” People need to get saved, friends, and hear that they are either for Jesus or against Him. They need to know that Jesus is God come in human flesh and that there is but one God existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And they must be told that if they are against Jesus or choose to follow another path, they are enemies of God.
Our goal is not to be offensive, but our message is by definition an offense to those who are perishing (1 Pet. 2:8). The reality of what Jesus says is this: if we preach a message that does not divide, then we have not preached the truth. The sin of man and the love of God are inseparable components of the gospel, and both must be preached.
When Jesus said people are either for Him or against Him, His words offended many people. So for those who are always asking, “What would Jesus do?” I answer, “He would tell the world He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one gets to heaven but through Him.” Even when it isn’t politically correct or doesn’t demonstrate religious tolerance, it’s what Jesus would do!
Excerpt from “Body Builders” now available on Amazon.
