Over-Correcting

 

Driver's Ed teachers tell us that the worst thing to do when headed off the road is to over-correct. 

An over-corrected car will land in the ditch 

or worse.

 In reaction to the legalism and works-focus of previous generations of Christians, this generation is over-correcting. Rather than recenter on the balance of God's Word, today's Christians are slinging themselves to the other side of the road, headed for the ditch on the opposite side. Or worse.


There is a trend within Christianity that is caving to the world's definition of what "Christian" should be. Since Jesus' day, those who did not know Him wanted to define what He should and should not say or do. Nothing has changed.

Much of this caving is due to Biblical illiteracy among Christians. If we don't really know what the whole of scripture teaches, then it is easy to get sideswiped by the avalanche of pseudo-spirituality masquerading as "the new-and-improved-Christianity." Everyone is packing a few handy verse-lets (usually first quoted by a non-Christian to justify some particular sin) that they whip out at every showdown, never stopping to check whether or not that ammunition is being used correctly.

The Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit, which means it can only be wielded properly under the control and direction of the Holy Spirit. To pull out a few one-verse statements and use them to dismantle the rest of the Bible is to abuse the Word of God. I don't think He takes that lightly.

The religion of Tolerance has been popular for a couple of decades and is now invading the church as a sub-culture, presenting itself as Love. This is not the Love the Bible defines. Love seeks to align itself with God's perspective, not redefine it. Love seeks the best interest of every human being--which does NOT mean agreeing that sin is harmless. Love cares enough to weep, appeal, pray for and plead with those trapped in sin strongholds. Love chose to come to earth and be tortured to pay the price for that very sin we smile at, excuse, and verbally defend. I don't think God takes that lightly either.

When we start allowing our culture to redefine sin for us, when we start proclaiming that the Bible doesn't mean what it says, when we choose Tolerance over the law of God, when we substitute one-line daily devotions for real study of God's Word, we have ceased to be Salt and Light. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Matthew 5:13

Let's not let that happen to us.
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