LEFT OR RIGHT?

Left or Right?

Reading : John 3:16-20
"Whenever you turn to the right or the left,
you will hear a word from behind you: This is the way; walk in it" ( Isa 30:21 )

Extremism leads to eccentricity, and eccentricity to seclusion and sectarianism. Christians are divided and dwarfed because of imbalance. Biblical truth is parallel. It's like a bird; it cannot fly on one wing! If we are sincere to the Holy Scriptures and submitted to the Holy Spirit, we can claim the promise in the memory text of today for all our understanding and undertakings. Let's balance two truths today.
Love of God and Wrath of God
Someone said, "God is too loving to send anyone to eternal hell." The other person answered, "At the same time God is too holy to allow a sinner into Heaven!" For a broken and repentant sinner the love of God must be presented. For a stiff-necked person the wrath of God must be stressed. Apostle Paul balances this twin characters of God beautifully in Romans 11:22 . "Consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you goodness, if you continue in His goodness." When the wrath and holiness of God are not sufficiently stressed there will be no fear of God. The love of God and the wrath of God are inseparable on the Cross. A minister who speaks only about the love of God will produce spurious converts and the one who speaks only about the wrath of God sad Christians. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), known as the Prince of Preachers, put it rightly: "The sword of judgment threatens us no more; but the rod of parents is still in use!"
Present and Future
There are some who insist on the fulfillment of several eschatological promises right today. Others are content to be hoping of a glorious future at the Second Coming of Christ. The first group calls the second as futurists. I believe most of the New Testament promises have both a present and a future fulfillment. For example, take the subject of holiness. We can be "purified" today but will be "perfected" only at the Coming of the Lord ( 1 Jn 3:2 , 3 ; l Thess 5:23). Similarly the question of healing. We can enjoy the benefits of Calvary only to a certain extent in our bodies today. But the full benefit will be enjoyed at the redemption of our body which we await ( Rom 8:23 ). Disease or death is not totally eradicated today. The "last" enemy that will be destroyed is death ( 1 Cor 15:26 ). Another subject of interest is the Kingdom of God . The spiritual Kingdom is already "within us," but the literal one is still in the future ( Lk 17:21 ; Rom 14:17 ; Mt 6:10 ; 2 Tim 2:12).