I am reading in Isaiah 1, but I am going to be translating this to our day and time and to how it applies to the church today, especially to the church here in America, which is where I live and know (generally speaking). For I attended the gatherings of the church from infancy on up, and I am now nearly 75 years old, so I have had almost 75 years of experience with the church in various locations (states and cities within the USA), and with the market-driven and institutional American churches of various denominations.
"Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly estranged." (Isaiah 1:4 ESV)
So, I believe that the message in Isaiah 1 applies largely to the church in America today (overall, but not all inclusive). And even though some of us are hearing reports of revivals and of large gatherings of worshipers of Jesus and of large numbers of people believing in Jesus Christ and getting baptized, we cannot make a judgment on these gatherings based on superficial information only. For a large crowd of people singing and waving their arms in the air, and swaying their bodies to the music is not a true indication that true worship is happening, nor is lip service only.
So, I have been investigating what I have been able to get information on these "revivals," and from what I can gather so far, what is largely being taught is not the true gospel of our salvation. In fact, the gospel one group admits to be teaching is just Romans 10:9, which reduces the gospel to a verbal confession of Christ as the Lord and to an acknowledgment of his bodily resurrection from the dead, whereby they are being told that they are now saved. Does the Bible say that? Yes, but out of context it is being taught as “the gospel,” which is a lie, for the rest of Romans and the NT do not agree with that.
What is largely being taught as the gospel of our salvation here in America, which I believe is increasing with these large “revivals” and “worship” gatherings, is a very diluted and altered gospel message which is telling people, basically, that all they have to do is to profess faith in Jesus Christ and now all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed them, and it cannot be taken away from them, but regardless of how they live. Death to sin and obedience to God are largely not being taught as part of faith in Jesus Christ which saves from sin.
So, what we have here in America is a large number of people professing faith in Jesus Christ who have not died with him to sin and who have not been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to righteousness. So they are not denying self and dying to sin daily and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, for they are not being taught those as necessary components of faith which saves, or they are being told that they are unnecessary.
And this is what brings me, then, to Isaiah 1, and to the message I believe that God has for the majority of those who profess his name but whose hearts are far from him, for they are still living for self-pleasure and in sinful practices, and not in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Even though they know the way of righteousness, they are living in rebellion against the Lord by how they conduct their daily lives. America, at large, is a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, who have forsaken the Lord.
And I believe that we, as a nation, are under the judgment of Almighty God, and our future is not going to be what many hope that it will be. For so many are putting their trust in human beings to save them from what ails our nation, but God is our only Savior (Messiah). And I believe that many are putting their trust in “thieves and liars” who are not who they make themselves out to be, and who are deceiving the people with their lies, just like the Scriptures tell us is going to take place in these last days.
“If the Lord of hosts
had not left us a few survivors,
we should have been like Sodom,
and become like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9 ESV)
There is a remnant, though, who have not bowed the knee to “the beast,” and who have not made men their gods, and who have not adopted a diluted and altered gospel message which makes no requirements of us that we must die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord or not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. And we are those who have entered into relationship with our Lord via a narrow (restricted) way which requires death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord, which includes much persecution.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)
And this wide (broad) gate (way) is the one that is largely being taught as the truth of the gospel, which is diluted to a mere verbal profession of faith in Jesus and an acknowledgment of his bodily death and resurrection. But Jesus said if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18-20 ESV)
Same message that Jesus Christ and his NT apostles taught, too, as is evidenced in the noted Scripture references above. Salvation from sin and eternal life with God are only promised to those who are willing to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, and to turn away from their sins, and to walk in obedience to his New Covenant commands. For if we refuse and rebel, and so we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord, then we will not have eternal life with God, but eternal torment in hell will be what awaits us, even if we give lip service the Lord and we profess we believe in him.
Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet
Frances J Crosby, 1880
William H. Doane, 1876
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
They shall be as wool!”
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow.”
Hear the voice that entreats you,
Oh, return ye unto God!
He is of great compassion,
And of wondrous love;
Hear the voice that entreats you,
Oh, return ye unto God!
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more;
“Look unto Me, ye people,”
Saith the Lord your God!
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FDaARQ-Rnk
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