“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk.16:16)
Whatever the sinful lifestyle, it all adds up to damnation.
All agree that the issues at Corinth made it a model church to be avoided at all cost. Equally known, but less scrutinized today, is the state of the Ephesian church in the Book of Revelation. Their “having lost their first love” doesn’t seem to have the same judgemental punch as the sexual sins of their Corinthian contemporaries.
Each generation has its own list of:
‘More evil sins today than in my day.’ Lamentations are made about society’s degradation and all good people convinced that righteousness will never reign again.
What should concern us most is our strange acceptance that the work of the Holy Spirit is controlled by the excesses of today’s sins and our inability to stop their progress. Standing off as nine-mile snipers hoping that our criticisms will move our secular leaders to slow the country’s slide toward hell, and all the while bringing salvation of our nation, is wishful thinking.
It is the work of the church to seek and save the lost. It is the influence of Christians that ultimately brings good laws into being.But good laws do not save people; The gospel does!
To view sinners as enemies is no way to start a conversation for Jesus. Sinners are the mission field; we are the missionaries. Seeking the lost is our honour and our work. God opened doors and presented opportunities to those who sought our salvation, we in turn seek doors and opportunities to save others.
Our mission is to teach sinners to believe and to baptize them into Christ. We start by… Seeking the lost!
John Staiger
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