Fire ‘n’ brimstone has a place in Christian dialogue, but Law and Gospel must always be tempered with each other. Without the Law the Gospel has no power, and without the Gospel, the Law doesn’t do anything but kill.
Over the last year I’ve preached a couple of ‘fire and brimstone’ sermons, and they were always well-received, but they would have been horrible anti-Christian sermons unless I laid just as much emphasis on God’s grace as I did on God’s judgment.
Without Christ and without the grace of God won by him, there is no Christian Church.
True. 100%. But my point is that F&B is all but vanished and the result is a faith filled with and largely ruled by liberal, not Christian dogma.
Again, it goes back to my point about actual belief. How can a person call themselves a christian while adopting, accepting, excusing and/or promoting non-christian teachings? No, there does not have to be 24/7 prostelyzing about it, but there is little. And when it does rear it’s head, as we see on this and like threads, everyone gets PO’d offended and shocked.
One either believes in the Bible or they do not. It reminds me of the 2nd amendment and liberals. They love the Constitution...except for ......
Many so called christians are exactly the same way. They shy away from things like Leviticus because it’s embarrassing for them. People will think they are some whacked out fundie! How christian is that? That’s cowardice. That’s denying God to his face.
That said and to be clear, I am far from perfect. I do not claim to be God’s personal PR guy. But I can read for myself and I can think logically. And logic tells me that if one has a belief, one will defend it.
IMO/FWIW/YMMV/Ect.
AMEN!
Contrast against:
The Second Book of Nephi
Chapter 25
Nephi glories in plainness—Isaiah’s prophecies will be understood in the last days—The Jews will return from Babylon, crucify the Messiah, and be scattered and scourged—They will be restored when they believe in the Messiah—He will first come six hundred years after Lehi left Jerusalem—The Nephites keep the law of Moses and believe in Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel. About 559–545 B.C.
23 For we labor diligently to write, to apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by bgrace that we are saved, after all we can cdo.
Without the Law the Gospel has no power,
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