In 1872, J. C. Ryle wrote, “At present, we must all be aware, the vast majority of professing Christians care nothing at all about [genuine salvation]. They have no sense of sin. They have no love towards Christ… Repentance, and faith, and grace, and holiness, are mere words and names to them.” He concludes by adding, “Knowledge, conviction, the value of the soul, the need of a Savior, shall all burst on men’s minds one day like a flash of lightning. But alas! It will be too late.”
Over 150 years later, nothing has changed. Countless professing Christians are no more saved than their pagan neighbors (Matthew 7:21–23; Titus 1:16). Decades of watered-down, feel-good, easy-believism teaching from pulpits and stages around the world have damned the souls of millions (Jeremiah 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:3–4).
This isn’t a problem that affects “other countries” or even “other churches.” It’s a tragedy playing out in our country, our churches, our families, and maybe even our homes. For those of us who have had a genuine, saving transformation of our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26–27; 2 Corinthians 5:17), what we must understand is we’ve let this happen on our watch. We have stood by and even participated in the decades-long decline of biblical truth and standards in the cultures in which we live (Judges 2:10). It is Christians who have fought so hard to be accepted by society, to be deemed relevant, and accepted as so loving as to be tolerant of sinful lifestyles and behaviors. That’s how we got here.
We now face the crisis of churches filled with people who think their salvation is secure, but are living in a horrifying deception (2 Corinthians 13:5; James 1:22). The time to take a stand and say, “no more,” was 50 years ago. The damage is so deep that only a miracle of God could ever remedy it. So what can we do? While we cannot turn back the clock for the world at large, we must sound a wake-up call for our family, friends, and church. We must tell them before it’s too late (Ezekiel 33:7-9). Understand that if we don’t, those we love most are going to spend eternity in Hell (Ezekiel 33:6). Stop for a moment and let that sink in.
If you love Christ, you know you wouldn’t wish Hell on your worst enemy, much less on those you love. That means we’re going to have to make our life’s priority that of preaching the gospel to those with whom we have the most influence. We’ve got to show them that true love for Christ results in obeying everything He commands us to do (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3–4). Teach them that God demands we be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). That means finding all sin detestable and refusing to accept or approve of it (Psalm 97:10; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 5:11). Being accepted by the world is never the goal and in almost every case exposes the lack of surrender to Jesus as Lord (John 15:18–19; James 4:4). We are called out of the world, not commanded to be accepted by the world (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:17).
Our hearts should ache with the reality that it’s almost too late for our loved ones to repent of their sins and fall on their knees before the Almighty and Holy God (Joel 2:12-13; Acts 17:30-31). It’s almost too late to rescue them from the terrifying wrath of His justice and judgment (Romans 1:18-19; Hebrews 10:26-27). But right now, there is still time (2 Peter 3:9). The only question is whether we will have the courage and boldness to intercede for them. If we aren’t willing to risk their wrath, ridicule, and rejection, we are complicit in sealing their eternity (Proverbs 24:11–12). Don’t be afraid to risk everything to tell them the truth about what it means to repent and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Don’t be afraid to tell them they’ve been living a lie. Weep for their souls, and tell them before it’s too late (Romans 9:1–3).