Letter to the Church: Is It well?

This was pulled from the faith column on 234Next.com, please enjoy.


The scripture declares it is well, but is it really? The prophet (Jeremiah I think) said of the priests of his day, and I paraphrase; the Lord says “my people are full of sores, yet the priests rub them with ointment and tell them it is well”. What does this mean? Straightforward really; Israel was infested with sin, yet the priest told the people that all was well. Today the pastors tell us the same thing; it is well, the Lord will bless you. Yet God who does not change is still saying, “if only the people who are called by name will turn and repent, I will heal them of their sins”.

Today, certain words have become archaic, forgotten, discarded, and mentioned only as infrequently as possible. These words? Sin and repent. Sin is mentioned in passing at the time a person becomes ‘born-again’, and repentance is sometimes attached at the end of the sermon, during the alter call. Following this, we are fine, supposedly, and on our merry way to heaven. Washed by the blood, and led by the spirit. But I remember a story that Jesus told of two men who came to the temple to pray. One, a religious Jew, prayed thus; “Father, thank God I am not a sinner like that other man”. And the ‘other man’ prayed thus; “Father forgive me for I am a sinner”. Who did Jesus say went home a righteous man? The ‘other man’. Today, we are the righteous Jew, the sons of Abraham, bought by the blood and led by the spirit, deceiving ourselves that the blood of Jesus has cleansed us of our sin and we thus on the highway to heaven. Care is required and scrutiny of our ways, necessary.

Sin is real and present, and repentance is a state of being. Jesus defines sin at the level of the heart and therefore ensures that we are almost all in a state of perpetual sin. His evidence of fornication, murder, covetousness and greed is always at the level of the heart and mind. Most are struggling, many are falling, plenty live in self-deceit and denial, and for the very religious, we are like the righteous Jew in Jesus’ story who don’t even know that Jesus regards us as sinners.

Ask a Christian, “are you sure that you will make heaven”? And they’re sure to reply, by the grace of God or, through the blood of Jesus. As for carrying our own cross, that’s not necessary as Jesus has done it all. We forget that he was the same man who said, “except a man carry his own cross, he cannot be my disciple”. Most do not even realize that Jesus redefined sin. So a Christian, man or woman, is most likely to believe that they have never committed the sin of fornication since they became ‘born-again’ simply because they have not physically indulged in the act. But at the level of the heart; the rest is best left unsaid. As for covetousness, our hearts know almost nothing else as our prayers tell the story of ‘give me this and give me that’. We want to gain everything even though Jesus asks us to lose our lives. Is it really well with us? Is it really? Who declares that it is well? The self-styled men of god who are more interested in successful ministries (as defined by numbers, size of church building and monetary collections) or our heavenly father who is only interested in the riches of holiness and the glory of righteousness.

I don’t remember any testimonies about overcoming a long fought battle with a particular sin, or someone finally repenting from lying and thanking God that he had remained 100% truthful for the last one year. The church would be irritated at such testimonies and ask people to keep their victory over sin to themselves. But business success, house building, promotion at work, long-awaited marriage, fruit of the womb, and of course that luxury car, of these we testify daily. Is it really well with us?

When will turn again to the days of old, when John cried in the wilderness, REPENT! When will we take our place and watch like Habakkuk? When will we like Abraham leave everything we know behind and look towards our promised land in God? When will we listen to Jesus, when will we agree with him, when will we truly follow him. Is there not a prophet in the land!?

-Kola Lawal, 234Next.com.