Better is Open Rebuke

Proverbs 27 (select verses)

5 Better is open rebuke

    than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest

    is a man who strays from his home.

12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

    but the simple go on and suffer for it.

17 Iron sharpens iron,

    and one man sharpens another.

19 As in water face reflects face,

    so the heart of man reflects the man.

20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

    and never satisfied are the eyes of man.

We live in a day and time, at least here in America, we do, when open rebuke, no matter how kindly stated, is frowned upon and subtly rebuked, but while the kisses of an enemy are being raised up and widely accepted. For the message is loud and clear that we are to “stay in your own lane” and not offend anyone with the truth but only say pleasant and smooth-sounding things that make people feel good. Nothing negative. Only what is positive.

So, we get this false idea that to speak out against what is evil and to call people to repentance and to call out sin for what it is and to talk of judgment are all to be avoided because they are negative and not positive, and so they are regarded as unloving and unkind. But what is truly unloving and unkind is to avoid speaking the truth in love and only saying what tickles people’s itching ears and saying only what makes them feel good.

So, the opposite of what they are saying is really the truth. For true love will speak the truth in love to those that they truly love and will not hide the truth out of fear of making someone feel bad. Now this is not about just going around and speaking the bold truth about everything to everyone, but it is about speaking necessary truth in order to save people’s lives from hell so that they can have the true hope of salvation and eternal life with God.

So all these people who are saying all these “feel-good” messages are not doing you any favors if they do not speak the hard truths of the Scriptures to you in order to save your souls from hell. For the Scriptures are clear that if we walk in sin, regardless of what our lips profess, we will die in our sins. We will not be saved from our sins and we won’t have eternal life with God. But hell is what awaits us on the other end, not heaven. So love speaks truth!

And this is especially necessary in our present world where evil is being spoken of as good, and good is being spoken of as evil, and lies and liars and deception and manipulations and alterations of truth abound everywhere you look, pretty much. For we live in a day and age when sin is being glorified and accepted as normal or is called a sickness that people can’t help. And so the sinners are being coddled in their sin, not rebuked.

The Destructiveness of Sin

And sexual immorality is at the top of the list of the most predominant and the most offensive of all sins which are permeating the American church, for it is destroying people’s lives and their marriages and their families and the minds and hearts of young children and the church family, including the lives of many people who call themselves pastors. And not many are doing anything about it, and most do not want to address the issue at all.

And I will hear people say that is just a matter between husband and wife, but no, it isn’t! The Bible makes it a church matter if one professing Christian is deliberately and especially habitually sinning against another without genuine repentance. Or they will advise the wounded spouse to leave the marriage. The Bible doesn’t teach that, either, and that may put an unnecessary hardship on the wounded spouse who can’t afford to live alone.

Or in some cases the wounded spouse is treated as the enemy while the offending (unfaithful, adulterous) spouse is treated with kindness and respect. And this should not be! Are we not to bear one another’s burdens? Are we not to confront those living in deliberate and habitual sin who are hurting others within the body of Christ with their sin? And if they will not change, is the church not responsible to exercise church discipline?

They will be okay with wounding and offending the one already being wounded but they will not risk offending the one who is doing the sinning against another. Everything is all so backwards from what it is supposed to be and thus the church, as a whole, is on a massive moral and spiritual decline and is ripe for the judgment of God. For we are supposed to be speaking the truth in love to one another, not ignoring blatant sin.

For the Scriptures teach that we, as the body of Christ, are to speak the truth in love, one to the other, so that we are not taken captive by false gospels taught by men in their deceitful scheming, and so that we can all grow to maturity together in our walks of faith in Christ. And we are to exhort one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. And we are to stir one another up to love and good works, etc.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Becoming Christ-like

So, as followers of Christ we are to be like Christ. Jesus Christ spoke the truth in love to the people and they ended up hating him for it and so they called for him to be crucified on a cross, although he had done no wrong but only good. And we should be willing to follow his example of love and kindness in speaking the truth of his word to others even if we are hated and mistreated in return, and even if one day they put us to death.

But it was for our good that Jesus should die on that cross, for in his death he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God, not in status only, but in practice. For he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and live for him and no longer for self. He shed his blood to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery to sin so we will now honor God with our bodies.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life. For it is not those who give lip service to God who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]   

What a Savior

By Marvin P. Dalton

Once I was straying in sin's dark valley

No hope within could I see

God sent from heaven a loving Savior

To save a poor lost soul like me

He left the Father with all His riches

With calmness sweet and serene

Came down from heaven and gave His lifeblood

To make the vilest sinner clean

Death's chilly waters I'll soon be crossing

His hand will lead me safe o'er

I'll join the chorus in that great city

And sing up there forevermore

O what a Savior O hallelujah

His heart was broken on Calvary

His hands were nail-scarred

His side was riven

He gave His lifeblood for even me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRWCM-PFO8Y

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