Sunday, May 13, 2012

Some Things John MacArthur Helped Teach Me Through My Study of Titus

These quotes from John MacArthur's Commentary on Titus and my experience from reading what folks have to say about our President and those who desire that office teach me that most Christians believe in the sovereignty of God with the exception of election season. Enjoy some wisdom from Dr. MacArthur!
To allow our thoughts, plans, time, money, and energy to be spent trying to make a superficially Christian America, or to put a veneer of morality over the world, is to distort the gospel, misconstrue our divine calling, and squander our God-given resources. We must not weaken our spiritual mission, obscure our priority of proclaiming the gospel of salvation, or become confused about our spiritual citizenship, loyalties, and obligations. We are to change society, but by faithfully proclaiming the gospel, which changes lives on the inside.
We must reject sin and never compromise God’s standards of righteousness. But we also must never engage in defamation and denigration of the lost sinners who make up our corrupt culture. When Christians become political, sinners become the enemy instead of the mission field.
When the church adopts a moralizing approach, its energy and resources are diverted and evangelization suffers. When Christians become hostile to government and to society in general, they almost inevitably become hostile to the unsaved leaders of that government and the unsaved citizens who live in that society. We cannot afford to weaken our spiritual mission or our priority of gospel proclamation and kingdom consciousness by getting involved in efforts to change cultural behavior. Even more important, we cannot become enemies of the very ones we seek to win to Christ, our potential brothers and sisters in the Lord. When people come to Christ, He changes them and they change the sphere that they influence. Really changing society starts when a Christian’s moral and spiritual concern is for his own virtue and godliness. It is our righteous attitude and conduct that make us not only more pleasing to the Lord but more pleasing to the unsaved. It is righteous living that makes the saving message of the gospel believable to the lost. If we claim to be saved from sin but still live sinful lives, our preaching and teaching, no matter how orthodox, is likely to fall on deaf ears.
 As followers and imitators of Jesus Christ, our calling is not to fight for our rights or privileges against the ungodly. Rather, as we live in this corrupt world in subjection and obedience to human authority, doing good deeds, maligning no one, and being uncontentious, gentle, and meek, we will thereby demonstrate the gracious power of God to transform sinners and make them like Himself.


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