Conviction

 February 5, 2023

Conviction of sin is never pleasant. It lays bare the corruption of the soul, the weakness of faith, and hardness of the heart. Our pastors have been preaching the past few weeks about discipleship, and God has been using their words to uncover things in my heart I’d rather keep hidden. 

Today pastor Joe spoke from 2 Peter 3 where Peter speaks of Jesus’ return and how knowing about it informs and shapes our lives. He began by asking how many of us believe Jesus will return to this world. I said nothing audibly, but in my head I said, “I believe.” Pastor continued reading: 

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” —II Peter 3:8-10 

As pastor Joe continued speaking, I couldn’t get these words out of my mind. If I believe Jesus is coming again, and that the day is coming when we all will stand before the judgment seat of God, why am I not warning people of their spiritual and eternal danger? I had to conclude that I have believed this doctrine of the return of Christ more as an academic truth than as something that will really happen.

I believe in Christ’s second coming, but apparently not enough to let it make much of a difference in how I interact with people. The magician Penn Jillette is an atheist, but some years ago posted a video in which he declared that although he is an unbeliever, he has great respect for those who go out of their way to talk about Jesus, but had no respect for Christians who don’t proselytize. His words continue to haunt me: “How much do you have to hate someone to believe they are going to hell without Christ, and fail to warn them?”

If it were only this area, that would be conviction enough, but God continued to hammer me with areas where I have been pretty much hypocritical. Through the afternoon, I’ve been in prayer, and know I’m forgiven. But such forgiveness means little if I don’t follow up with concrete actions in real life. That’s where the rubber hits the road, for our faith is meant to be lived out in the context of our relationships with others. Getting right with God doesn’t mean much if I don’t also get right with others. So pray for me. I’ll do the same for you, for I suspect I’m not the only one in this boat.