“For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
(Colossians 3:25, ESV)
(Colossians 3:25, ESV)
There is a common lie being spread throughout Christian churches. This lie has been around for centuries but persists. Recently, liberal churches have taken this lie to be their motto. You might hear in the liberal churches that “God is able to save everyone.” Other liberal churches include, “God is greater than our sins, so everyone will be saved by God at some point.” I have witnessed moderate churches buy into the lie. Some preachers in those churches have taught that “God will overlook your sin. All you have to do is believe.”
All these churches make the mistake of thinking or preaching or teaching that one’s sins will be “tossed out by God”. Many of the leaders who profess these beliefs include scriptures like, “God is love” (1 John 4:8) but then add that God will never act unloving to anyone. These churches are well known for preaching inclusivity to a fault. They “include” all kinds of sins and sinners in their beliefs that God can forgive you for anything even if you don’t repent. Some of these churches even forbid talking about “sins” or “sinners”. They proclaim that since everyone is a sinner, God will have to forgive us all at some point or “God isn’t God”! Essentially, all those who believe these lies about sin, sinfulness, and the need for forgiveness and the grace of God have erred on the side of “inclusivity”. In doing so, they have watered down the gospel so that “everyone can find a place in heaven”. They forget that God is the one who determines who goes to Heaven. They play down the fact that God also claims in Revelation to throw Satan, the beast, and his followers into the hellish lake of fire for all eternity (Revelation 19:20, 20:15). They ignore or overlook the fact that Jesus said that in the last times God will separate the sheep and goats, the righteous and unrighteous (Matthew 25). Only the righteous will go to heaven. Only the unrighteous will go to hell (Luke 16:19ff). But clearly, Jesus believed there would be a hell for sinners who failed to repent (Luke 3:7-9).
Today’s scripture from the epistle to the Colossians bears further witness to the truth. In Colossians 3:25, it is written that “the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done”. Since God has “no partiality (also in Colossians 3:25!), God will judge the righteous and unrighteous fairly. The righteous shall receive their “reward” in heaven (Colossians 3:24). The unrighteous “wrongdoer” (Colossians 3:25) will be punished, i.e. “paid back” for his her sinfulness.
Now, let’s be honest here. I’m not saying people can’t be forgiven. God is merciful and can cancel sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). God is more than able to forgive the repentant sinner. The thing is that many people never repent. Many do not even believe in sin. Some do not even believe in God. All will be judged by their lack of faith, lack of repentance, lack of humility, lack of love.
I find it interesting that most of the churches who say God will save everyone call themselves loving, when it is not loving to deny sin or God. Since God is love (1 John 4:8), to deny God is to deny what it means to truly love. To fail to reject sin is to fail to pay honor to a loving God. All those who deny God will in fact corrupt themselves with a humanistic view of love, a lustful view of love, or a self-serving view of love. All who reject the reality of sin will also fail to honor the God who “saves us from our sin”.
Taken at face value, the scripture for today makes perfectly clear that wrongs in this life will follow you into eternity. There, you will be “paid back” for unrepentant, sinful, and godless actions even if you call yourself loving or kind or nice or whatever.
Recently, it was revealed that Hamas infiltrators in Israel had raped women and children in the towns they took by force in 2023. They murdered people in front of other family members. They publicly humiliated women. They executed defenseless people. Now, there are “loving” liberals who say we should just forgive their actions. Why? The Hamas soldiers do not repent of them! They see their actions as justified in their sinful world view. To ignore their “wrongdoings” and justify their sinful acts is not to be righteous or holy or faithful or loving. It only perpetuates evil. It only allows for these kinds of unholy acts to be seen as lawful, good, justified, or fair. They will never be fair or right or holy or good or loving. So why do Christians advocate offering these rapists and murderers a free ride? Wouldn’t ignoring the sins and the sinners and whitewashing the evil acts only serve to justify satanic behavior? Ezekiel 13:10-14 directly condemns such sinful thinking by well-meaning Christians.
Do not for a moment think that all conservative Christians have been faithful to the meaning of the scripture for today, either. Some of these well-meaning Christians have a Pharisaical view of God’s word. For them, it’s all too easy to write off wrongdoers, kick out people who don’t measure up to their “standard”, and make personal judgements about who is more or less righteous. I even heard one ultra-conservative pastor say that only people of his denomination will ever get to heaven these days. I don’t remember that being in scripture!
The best way to work through this scripture for today is to remember that you are capable of being a wrongdoer in this life. Your mind may become deluded by worldly beliefs and tempted by worldly desires. Whenever you walk down the wrong path, God will want to see you repent and make things right. After sin, God will want you to fall on your knees in humility and bow your head in shame. It is your way of showing respect to Jesus who is the JUDGE of the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1).
In modern times, it is becoming especially difficult to find people wiling to admit when they are wrong. It is equally difficult to find people who are willing to humble themselves and repent with the true heart and soul and mind. That is why we all need the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross paves the way for your repentance and faith and humility and sacrifice and love.
All these churches make the mistake of thinking or preaching or teaching that one’s sins will be “tossed out by God”. Many of the leaders who profess these beliefs include scriptures like, “God is love” (1 John 4:8) but then add that God will never act unloving to anyone. These churches are well known for preaching inclusivity to a fault. They “include” all kinds of sins and sinners in their beliefs that God can forgive you for anything even if you don’t repent. Some of these churches even forbid talking about “sins” or “sinners”. They proclaim that since everyone is a sinner, God will have to forgive us all at some point or “God isn’t God”! Essentially, all those who believe these lies about sin, sinfulness, and the need for forgiveness and the grace of God have erred on the side of “inclusivity”. In doing so, they have watered down the gospel so that “everyone can find a place in heaven”. They forget that God is the one who determines who goes to Heaven. They play down the fact that God also claims in Revelation to throw Satan, the beast, and his followers into the hellish lake of fire for all eternity (Revelation 19:20, 20:15). They ignore or overlook the fact that Jesus said that in the last times God will separate the sheep and goats, the righteous and unrighteous (Matthew 25). Only the righteous will go to heaven. Only the unrighteous will go to hell (Luke 16:19ff). But clearly, Jesus believed there would be a hell for sinners who failed to repent (Luke 3:7-9).
Today’s scripture from the epistle to the Colossians bears further witness to the truth. In Colossians 3:25, it is written that “the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done”. Since God has “no partiality (also in Colossians 3:25!), God will judge the righteous and unrighteous fairly. The righteous shall receive their “reward” in heaven (Colossians 3:24). The unrighteous “wrongdoer” (Colossians 3:25) will be punished, i.e. “paid back” for his her sinfulness.
Now, let’s be honest here. I’m not saying people can’t be forgiven. God is merciful and can cancel sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). God is more than able to forgive the repentant sinner. The thing is that many people never repent. Many do not even believe in sin. Some do not even believe in God. All will be judged by their lack of faith, lack of repentance, lack of humility, lack of love.
I find it interesting that most of the churches who say God will save everyone call themselves loving, when it is not loving to deny sin or God. Since God is love (1 John 4:8), to deny God is to deny what it means to truly love. To fail to reject sin is to fail to pay honor to a loving God. All those who deny God will in fact corrupt themselves with a humanistic view of love, a lustful view of love, or a self-serving view of love. All who reject the reality of sin will also fail to honor the God who “saves us from our sin”.
Taken at face value, the scripture for today makes perfectly clear that wrongs in this life will follow you into eternity. There, you will be “paid back” for unrepentant, sinful, and godless actions even if you call yourself loving or kind or nice or whatever.
Recently, it was revealed that Hamas infiltrators in Israel had raped women and children in the towns they took by force in 2023. They murdered people in front of other family members. They publicly humiliated women. They executed defenseless people. Now, there are “loving” liberals who say we should just forgive their actions. Why? The Hamas soldiers do not repent of them! They see their actions as justified in their sinful world view. To ignore their “wrongdoings” and justify their sinful acts is not to be righteous or holy or faithful or loving. It only perpetuates evil. It only allows for these kinds of unholy acts to be seen as lawful, good, justified, or fair. They will never be fair or right or holy or good or loving. So why do Christians advocate offering these rapists and murderers a free ride? Wouldn’t ignoring the sins and the sinners and whitewashing the evil acts only serve to justify satanic behavior? Ezekiel 13:10-14 directly condemns such sinful thinking by well-meaning Christians.
Do not for a moment think that all conservative Christians have been faithful to the meaning of the scripture for today, either. Some of these well-meaning Christians have a Pharisaical view of God’s word. For them, it’s all too easy to write off wrongdoers, kick out people who don’t measure up to their “standard”, and make personal judgements about who is more or less righteous. I even heard one ultra-conservative pastor say that only people of his denomination will ever get to heaven these days. I don’t remember that being in scripture!
The best way to work through this scripture for today is to remember that you are capable of being a wrongdoer in this life. Your mind may become deluded by worldly beliefs and tempted by worldly desires. Whenever you walk down the wrong path, God will want to see you repent and make things right. After sin, God will want you to fall on your knees in humility and bow your head in shame. It is your way of showing respect to Jesus who is the JUDGE of the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1).
In modern times, it is becoming especially difficult to find people wiling to admit when they are wrong. It is equally difficult to find people who are willing to humble themselves and repent with the true heart and soul and mind. That is why we all need the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross paves the way for your repentance and faith and humility and sacrifice and love.