Since we are to worship the Father in the beauty of holiness and holiness
signifies the absence of sin, how can the church therefore are regarded as a
sanctuary for sinners?
Is the Church a sanctuary for sinners?
I recently watched a television program, and the Host asked the participants the question, “Where do you find most sinners?” The first participant replied, “In the church”, and she scored a hefty twenty nine (29) points. Another participant was asked the similar question, and he replied, “In hell”, he scored only six 6) points. Then the host said, “Church was the number one answer”.
I have just
read an article where a so called minister encouraging fornicators, drug
addicts, gays and lesbians, and anyone with an addiction or anything whatsoever
to go to church anyway! Churches he said are hospitals for the broken. Even
people saved are not perfect.
Really! What a
travesty! The result of this survey and this article is a clear indication of
how people generally perceive the church. Most people perceive the church as a
sanctuary for sinners. But is the church in the true sense of the word a
sanctuary for sinners?
The church is indeed a sanctuary, but is it a
sanctuary for sinners! Or is it a sanctuary for the sacred (holy) things of
God?
First of all
Jesus Christ established His church by giving directives to Peter saying; “You
are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:18-19).
The church in the true sense of the word is the body
of Christ, as clearly explained by the apostle Paul who after explaining about
the unity and diversity that should exist in One body wrote; “Now you are the
body of Christ, and members individually” (1Corinthians
12:27).
It is clearly stated that Jesus Christ, “is the head of
the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that
in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians
1:18).
Now since the church is the body of Christ, in whom we
are told, “dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and that we are
complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” The logical
question is, how can the church be a sanctuary for sinners?
When, in order to have fellowship with one another,
which incidentally is also with the Father and the Son, we have been duly
admonished saying; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and
declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth. But if we walk in
the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that
we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:5-10).
So I beg to ask the question, are not the adulterers,
fornicators, gays, lesbians, and drug addicts walking in darkness? So how does
that square with the fact that, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do
not practice the truth?
https://www.amazon.com/author/luciusjoseph
To be continued, stay tuned
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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