Post 100: Sugar Coating

I've encountered a lot of sugar coating in my day. Back when I used to compete in cross country, even if I had a poor performance during a race, either my parents or coach would say, "You tried your best and that's something to be proud of," or something to that effect. This was the kinder version of saying, "Today wasn't your day, and that race did not go well at all." When you're young and frustrated by a race, sometimes sugar coating isn't such a bad approach.
Recently I have also experienced some sugar coating, but this time, it's in the form of rejection emails from jobs. Responses range anywhere from, "After review of your application, it has been determined to continue our search," to "Thank you for your resume to be considered for a job. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate you at this time." Then there is my personal favorite, which said, "We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above. However, your name was not referred to the agency because...you were not among the most highly qualified candidates." Although these responses are all written in a different format, they all convey the same message: better luck next time. As much as sugar coating can be beneficial in this situation, there is still that sting of rejection.
A place where there should be no sugar coating is in church. A pastor should not try to sugar coat the Word of God in the hopes to gain more members within the congregation. Sugar coating can be misleading, and only the truth should be spoken in regards to God, even if it's hard to stomach at times. Nobody should downplay any particular sin just because they assume it isn't serious, and nobody should deny His wrath. Psalm 7:11 is very up front about this because it says,  "God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day." One can tread dangerously by denying God's wrath because as unnerving as it can be, it is the truth that must be spoken.
Yes, God is love. There is no denying that because it is explicitly stated in 1 John 4:8, "...because God is love."  But love should not overshadow or lessen God's other attributes of holiness, grace, glory, sovereignty, or justice. Unfortunately, this tends to happen more frequently than we might think. Rob Bell came out with a book called Love Wins, which could drastically impact many because of its poor theology. What is most misleading is Bell's attempt to pretty much eliminate the existence of hell, and consequently, God's wrath. As Kevin DeYoung said in his review of the book, "When God is shrunk down to fit our cultural constraints, the cross is diminished. And whenever the cross is diminished we pain the hearts of God’s people and rob them of their joy."
Jesus died in our place because we are unrighteous, unworthy, sinning scoundrels. In order to not encounter God's wrath, Jesus died in our place so that we might be reconciled with our Father. If we deny God's wrath, we deny the reason behind Christ's death. Yes, Jesus loved us and that was part of his motivation for accepting the Cross. But God's wrath was also involved in the picture. God is just and holy, making His wrath just, which is something that a handful might try to deny. What we should focus on instead is what is written within John 3:36. This verse states, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." This concept should also be remembered whenever we are involved in evangelism. Yes, we should share with others about God's undying love for us, but we must drive home the reason behind humanity needing a Savior. The truth about how God reacts to sin and our unrighteousness if we are not covered by His grace needs to be expressed. One of the best examples of how sin can impact not only one person, but an entire nation, and how God responds to sin is found in Joshua 7. This entire chapter outlines the sin of Achan and how God responded.
Passages like the sin of Achan should be used as instructional tools, not glossed over or sugar coated. We all need to be honest with ourselves and others about God and how He is Lord over all. Our focus needs to be on expressing the Truth, not on trying to gain the greatest number of followers. Pastors and evangelists alike need to avoid having a Mary Poppins' moment by adding "a spoonful of sugar" to make the Gospel go down. We are all rebels making it impossible for the Gospel to be easily digested, so we might as well share the Truth as it's presented in the Bible.