Ezekiel 7:27 “…According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
We live in confusing times, don’t we? Many are preaching a gospel of good vibes that replaces reality with a shifting-sand kind of perception. Proponents of the good vibes gospel say questioning someone’s definition of truth signals bigotry and intolerance. That truth (like beauty, I guess), lies in the eye of the beholder.
But theologian Francis Schaeffer writes that the most loving thing we can do is remove the shelter of false reality people build to protect themselves. He says, “Every man has built a roof over his head to shield himself…The Christian lovingly, must remove the shelter and allow the truth of the external world and of what man is to beat upon him. When the roof is off, each man must stand naked and wounded before the truth of what is…He must come to know that his roof is a false protection from the storm of what is.”
Mercy should characterize all followers of Christ. But we can’t let the good vibes gospel dilute the consequence of bad choices. And cloud our need for God.
When Ezekiel warned Israel that God was bringing severe consequences for their rebellion, his message served as far more than a slap on the wrist. They were about to experience unheard of disaster. Those in the city would die from famine and plague. Those in the country, by the sword. God would show no pity but treat them according to their actions. All twenty-seven verses in Ezekiel 7, describe the coming doom. But the chapter ends on a hopeful note: “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Experiencing the consequences of their sin would be the path toward healing, toward freedom, toward recognizing God.
So I pray you won’t be intimidated when people describe you as unloving when you dismantle their “roof.” Don’t be deceived by those who have no fear of God. Because a person who doesn’t fear God doesn’t know the truth at all.
You have far more to offer the world than a good vibes gospel.