The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth!

Yesterday afternoon I sat in my office checking my email. One of the emails I received was a newsletter from the website, churchleaders.com. The main article was titled, "Joel Osteen just explained why he refuses to preach on hell." You can read the entire article here. Of course being a pastor that title caught my attention and I clicked through to read the article. The basis of the article is a statement Osteen made when interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning that aired on Easter Sunday. When asked about why he didn't preach on hell, Osteen said, "[People] already feel guilty enough. They're not doing what they should, raising their kids--we can all find reasons. So I want them to come to Lakewood or our meetings and be lifted up, to say, 'You know what? I may not be perfect, but I'm moving forward. I'm doing better.' And I think that motivates you to do better." When a preacher, one called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, does not preach the entire Gospel message, then the message isn't the Gospel.

When I was growing up, I had a saintly grandmother who would sometimes pull one over on you. She wouldn't tell you a lie, but she might not tell you all of the truth either. Her actions were always done in fun and with no serious consequences. It's no laughing matter when ministers of the Gospel do not preach the full message of the Gospel. Don't hear me bashing Joel Osteen or any other minister who doesn't preach the Gospel as it is presented in the scriptures. They will have to answer for their actions, just like I will, and just like you will. As a pastor that does preach the uplifting parts and the hard parts of the Gospel message, I encourage you to reconsider the message and the messenger if you aren't getting both the uplifting and the hard to swallow parts.

The whole truth of the Gospel message is shared through the pages of the Bible. You find it most concisely in Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. The message is simple: Humans are sinful beings separated spiritually from God. Because of that spiritual separation you are destined to spend eternity in hell. The only way to fix that spiritual separation was for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to die on a cross for the sins of humanity. Through belief in Jesus Christ, that He is who He says He is, you can have your sins forgiven. When you put your faith in Jesus you receive salvation from God, a right relationship with Him, and you will spend eternity in heaven with Him.

Any preacher who does not share the entire truth of the Gospel message, hell included, is only sharing half of the truth. Without an understanding of the penalty for your sins (eternal separation from God in hell), you never truly understand your need for salvation or a relationship with God. Yes, God wants to bless you and do wonderful things in your life (John 10:10), but that isn't the entire view that God wants us to have of Him. He wants us to love Him, serve Him, and have faith in Him, all because He sent His Son to die for us. He did it so we could avoid hell and experience His love.

Few things rile me up as a pastor like someone teaching heresy or omitting to teach Biblical truths as the Bible teaches them. My encouragement to you today is this. If you ever find that your preacher is not preaching the full message of sin, hell, grace, and redemption, then talk to him about it. If he isn't willing to teach the entire message of the Gospel, then you need to find a new preacher.


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