Woe to the Church That Calls Evil Good

Not every church belongs to Jesus simply because His name is on the sign.

Not every pastor speaks for God simply because he stands behind a pulpit.

Not every building with worship music, community programs, and a cross on the wall is a house of truth.

Some churches have abandoned Christ while continuing to use His name.

They still gather.

They still sing.

They still talk about love, justice, belonging, and grace.

But they no longer submit to Scripture.

They no longer preach repentance.

They refuse to clearly confess who Jesus is.

They will not call sin what God calls it.

They have replaced the gospel with affirmation, holiness with inclusion, and the authority of Christ with the preferences of the culture.

These churches are not harmless.

They are not simply offering another expression of Christianity.

They are leading people into sin.

They are helping people silence conviction.

They are teaching rebellion and calling it freedom.

They are blessing darkness and calling it light.

God has already spoken about that.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness.”
Isaiah 5:20, NASB 1995

Woe.

Not applause for being progressive.

Not admiration for being culturally aware.

Woe.

That is a warning from God.

There Comes a Point When a Church Is No Longer a Church

Every congregation is imperfect.

Every church contains sinners.

Every pastor, elder, member, and visitor needs grace.

The presence of sinful people does not disqualify a church. If it did, no church could exist.

The issue is not whether sinners are present.

The issue is whether sin is confronted or celebrated.

A faithful church welcomes sinners and calls them to Jesus.

A false church welcomes sinners and tells them repentance is unnecessary.

A faithful church says:

“You are made in the image of God.”

“You are loved.”

“Your life has value.”

“Jesus died for sinners.”

“Turn from sin, believe the gospel, and follow Him.”

A compromised church stops before the call to repent.

It says:

“Come as you are.”

“Stay as you are.”

“Define truth for yourself.”

“Do not allow Scripture to challenge your identity.”

“God agrees with whatever you sincerely believe about yourself.”

That is not the gospel.

It is spiritual poison served in a cup marked grace.

There comes a point when a church has rejected so much of Christian truth that continuing to call it a Christian church becomes dishonest.

If Scripture has no final authority, Jesus is not clearly confessed as Lord, sin cannot be defined, repentance is unnecessary, and behavior Scripture condemns is publicly blessed, what remains?

A building?

A weekly gathering?

A social organization?

A spiritual discussion group?

Those things may still exist.

But a church without submission to Christ is not the church of Christ.

Pastors Who Refuse to Preach Truth Will Answer to God

This warning begins with leaders.

Pastors do not own the church.

Elders do not own the church.

Denominations do not own the church.

The congregation does not own the church.

Jesus purchased the church with His blood.

Every pastor who stands before God’s people speaks as a man under authority.

He does not have permission to edit God’s Word.

He does not have permission to apologize for the commands of Christ.

He does not have permission to remove doctrines because people find them offensive.

He does not have permission to bless what God condemns.

He does not have permission to hide the cross behind political slogans, therapeutic language, and cultural activism.

James wrote:

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”
James 3:1, NASB 1995

Stricter judgment.

Every pastor who tells people that sin is not sin should tremble at that verse.

Every leader who avoids repentance because it might hurt attendance should tremble.

Every elder board that chooses cultural approval over biblical truth should tremble.

Every church that places spiritual authority in the hands of people who reject Christ should tremble.

You may be praised now.

You may be called compassionate, inclusive, courageous, and forward-thinking.

But applause will not follow you into judgment.

You will answer to Jesus.

When Scripture Becomes Optional, Jesus Becomes Optional

The collapse begins when a church stops treating Scripture as the final authority.

The church may not throw the Bible away.

That would be too obvious.

Instead, it weakens Scripture slowly.

The Bible becomes one voice.

One spiritual resource.

One ancient tradition among many.

Its meaning becomes personal.

Its commands become flexible.

Its warnings become culturally limited.

Its doctrines become negotiable.

Every person is encouraged to reach his own conclusions.

That sounds humble.

It is rebellion with a softer voice.

If Scripture cannot correct you, it is not your authority.

If your feelings can overrule it, your feelings are your authority.

If culture can rewrite it, culture is your authority.

If every person decides what the text means based on personal preference, then the individual has become lord over the Word.

Jesus did not treat Scripture that way.

He said:

“The Scripture cannot be broken.”
John 10:35, NASB 1995

When tempted, He answered:

“It is written.”
Matthew 4:4, NASB 1995

When religious leaders were wrong, He asked:

“Have you not read?”
Matthew 19:4, NASB 1995

Jesus submitted to the written Word.

Modern churches that claim to follow Him while denying the authority He honored are not following Him.

They are creating another Jesus.

A Jesus who never judges.

A Jesus who never commands.

A Jesus who affirms every identity.

A Jesus who bends with culture.

A Jesus who saves people from discomfort but never from sin.

That Jesus does not exist.

A Church That Cannot Define Jesus Has Nothing to Offer

Some churches refuse to take clear positions on the divinity of Jesus, salvation, heaven, hell, sin, judgment, or the resurrection.

They describe certainty as arrogance.

They say correct belief is not what makes someone Christian.

They celebrate many conflicting interpretations.

They insist no one can claim to know the truth.

Then why call yourselves Christian?

Christianity is not vague spirituality built around admiration for Jesus.

It is a confession.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

He is the Son of God.

He is God in the flesh.

He lived without sin.

He died for our sins.

He rose bodily from the dead.

He will return.

He will judge the living and the dead.

Salvation is found in Him alone.

These are not optional opinions.

They are the foundation.

Jesus said:

“Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:24, NASB 1995

John wrote:

“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father.”
1 John 2:23, NASB 1995

A church that refuses to confess Jesus clearly is not protecting people from dogmatism.

It is hiding the Savior.

It is offering spiritual language without salvation.

It is giving people community while leaving them without Christ.

You Cannot Preach Salvation While Refusing to Preach Sin

What are people being saved from?

That question exposes many false churches immediately.

If sin is undefined, salvation is meaningless.

If judgment is denied, the cross becomes unnecessary.

If people are already acceptable before God without repentance and faith, then Jesus died for nothing.

The gospel begins with terrible news.

We have sinned.

Not merely made mistakes.

Not merely failed to reach our potential.

Not merely absorbed unhealthy ideas.

We have rebelled against God.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23, NASB 1995

Sin reaches every kind of person.

The adulterer.

The homosexual.

The greedy businessman.

The liar.

The drunk.

The gossip.

The abusive husband.

The proud pastor.

The hateful church member.

The sexually immoral.

The self-righteous.

The person whose sin is celebrated publicly and the person whose sin remains hidden behind a respectable reputation.

Every one of us needs to repent.

A church that refuses to preach sin cannot preach grace.

It can only preach acceptance.

Acceptance is not salvation.

Jesus did not come to validate us.

He came to rescue us.

Stop Calling Affirmation Love

The word love has been abused.

Churches now use it to justify almost anything.

Love means agreement.

Love means affirmation.

Love means never saying no.

Love means never challenging someone’s desires, relationships, identity, or choices.

That definition did not come from Scripture.

It came from the culture.

Biblical love rejoices in truth.

“Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.”
1 Corinthians 13:6, NASB 1995

Love does not bless the knife cutting someone’s throat.

Love does not cheer for the chains holding someone captive.

Love does not tell a sinner that repentance would be harmful.

Love does not protect people from the truth that could lead them to Christ.

When a church tells people that same-sex sexual relationships are not sinful, it is not loving them.

It is lying to them.

When a church teaches that rejecting the sex God gave the body is an expression of holiness, it is not loving people.

It is blessing confusion.

When a church tells adulterers, porn users, greedy men, dishonest leaders, or sexually immoral people that personal sincerity makes rebellion acceptable, it is not offering grace.

It is removing the need for grace.

Grace only matters when sin is real.

Forgiveness only matters when guilt is real.

The cross only matters when judgment is real.

A church that removes sin removes the reason anyone needs Jesus.

You Can Welcome Everyone Without Blessing Everything

Faithful churches should welcome sinners.

Every sinner.

No one should be mocked at the door.

No one should be treated as though his sin is beyond the blood of Christ.

No one should be humiliated for walking into a church looking for truth.

But welcome is not affirmation.

Jesus welcomed sinners.

He never blessed their sin.

He did not tell Zacchaeus to keep stealing.

He did not tell the woman caught in adultery to embrace adultery as her identity.

He did not tell the rich young ruler that his love of wealth should be celebrated.

He said:

“Repent and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:15, NASB 1995

He also said:

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23, NASB 1995

Deny yourself.

That command destroys the modern gospel of self-expression.

Not every desire should be followed.

Not every identity should be protected from Scripture.

Not every relationship should be blessed.

Not every feeling tells the truth.

Some things must be denied.

Some things must die.

Some things must be left at the feet of Jesus.

A church that refuses to say that is not making disciples.

It is making people more comfortable on the road away from God.

These Churches Are Not Freeing People From Shame

Compromised churches often say they want to remove guilt, fear, and shame.

The gospel does free repentant sinners from condemnation.

Jesus removes shame through forgiveness.

The cross gives hope to people who know they have failed.

But there is a false way to remove guilt.

You can silence the conscience.

You can redefine sin.

You can convince people they have nothing to repent of.

You can tell them every uncomfortable feeling is the result of religious oppression.

That may remove guilt temporarily.

It may also remove the path to repentance.

Sometimes guilt is not abuse.

Sometimes guilt is the correct response of a conscience that knows something is wrong.

A man who betrays his wife should feel conviction.

A pastor who manipulates people should feel conviction.

A liar should feel conviction.

A church hiding abuse should feel conviction.

A person living in sexual rebellion should feel conviction.

Paul wrote:

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation.”
2 Corinthians 7:10, NASB 1995

A church that numbs every guilty conscience may be interfering with the conviction that could lead someone home.

That is not mercy.

Social Activism Cannot Replace the Gospel

Justice matters.

Christians should protect children, defend the weak, oppose racism, confront abuse, feed the hungry, care for the poor, and resist exploitation.

But social activism is not the gospel.

A church can become so consumed with political causes that Jesus becomes a mascot for its agenda.

The poor are discussed.

Liberation language fills the room.

Public causes dominate the message.

But sin against God is barely mentioned.

The cross becomes a symbol of resistance instead of atonement.

The resurrection becomes hope for social change instead of the victory of Christ over sin and death.

Repentance disappears.

Reconciliation with God disappears.

Jesus becomes a symbol of human progress rather than the Lord who commands everyone to repent.

The gospel is not merely that society should become more inclusive.

The gospel is that sinners can be reconciled to a holy God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3, NASB 1995

For our sins.

He did not die merely as an example.

He died for sins.

A church that preaches every social cause except the need for sinners to be forgiven has abandoned the heart of the gospel.

Unbelievers Cannot Lead the Church

This should not require explanation.

An atheist cannot provide Christian spiritual leadership.

A person who denies that Jesus is Lord cannot lead people in obedience to Jesus as Lord.

A person who rejects Scripture cannot teach others to submit to Scripture.

A person who refuses Christian doctrine cannot shepherd a Christian church.

Unbelievers should be welcomed to attend.

They should be treated with kindness.

Their questions should be heard.

They should be invited to examine the claims of Christ.

But they should not hold spiritual authority.

If faith in Christ is unnecessary for leading the church, then Christ is unnecessary to that church.

That organization may still perform charitable work.

It may still create community.

It may still use religious language.

But it has stopped understanding what the church is.

Weak Churches Produce Weak Men

This kind of church will not build men of Christ.

It cannot.

It may build men who know the approved language of the culture.

Men who never challenge anyone.

Men who are terrified of being called offensive.

Men who mistake passivity for kindness.

Men who believe every desire deserves expression.

Men who view accountability as harm.

But it will not build men who carry a cross.

Men of Christ need to be confronted.

They need to hear:

Your anger is not strength.

Your lust is not harmless.

Your pornography use is adultery of the heart.

Your money does not excuse neglecting your family.

Your feelings do not determine truth.

Your pride is destroying your marriage.

Your private life matters.

Your wife deserves faithfulness.

Your children need a father who prays.

Your body belongs to Christ.

You need to repent.

Weak churches will not tell men these things.

They are too afraid of losing them.

They want men affirmed, comfortable, and included.

They do not want them crucified with Christ.

A church that cannot tell a man no will never teach him to lead.

A Church That Agrees With the World Has Nothing to Say to It

The world does not need a church that copies its beliefs.

It already has activists, universities, media companies, politicians, corporations, entertainers, and social platforms preaching cultural doctrine every day.

The church was not called to repeat their message with a few verses attached.

The church was called to proclaim Christ.

Light does not agree with darkness.

It exposes it.

Salt does not disappear into decay.

It resists it.

Jesus said:

“If the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?”
Matthew 5:13, NASB 1995

A church that never contradicts the culture is not loving the culture.

It has joined it.

A church that receives praise from every worldly institution should ask what it has stopped preaching.

Jesus warned:

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you.”
Luke 6:26, NASB 1995

The church is not called to be hated for cruelty.

We should not be arrogant.

We should not mock people.

We should not confuse rudeness with courage.

But if we preach Christ faithfully, the world will eventually resist what we say.

The cross offends pride.

Repentance offends self-rule.

Biblical sexuality offends desire.

Judgment offends unbelief.

Christ alone offends religious pluralism.

If none of those truths are heard from the pulpit, that pulpit has likely surrendered.

False Compassion Is Cruelty

A doctor who refuses to name cancer is not compassionate.

A father who watches his child run into traffic and refuses to shout is not gentle.

A shepherd who sees wolves approaching and stays quiet is not loving.

A church that sees sin leading people toward death and says nothing is not kind.

It is cruel.

Worse, a church that blesses sin is helping the wolf.

Jeremiah condemned false leaders who gave people false assurance:

“They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.”
Jeremiah 6:14, NASB 1995

That is what affirming churches do.

They say peace where there is no peace.

They tell people everything is right between them and God while rejecting the truths God revealed.

They offer comfort without repentance.

Belonging without conversion.

Community without Christ.

Grace without the cross.

They heal wounds superficially.

Then they send people toward eternity unprepared to meet God.

Jesus Condemned Churches That Tolerated Sin

The idea that Jesus never speaks harshly to churches is false.

Read Revelation 2 and 3.

Jesus warned Pergamum because it tolerated corrupt teaching.

He condemned Thyatira because it permitted false teaching that led people into sexual immorality.

He told Sardis it had a reputation for being alive while it was dead.

He told Laodicea it was lukewarm, blind, poor, and naked.

Jesus did not celebrate their diversity of interpretations.

He told them to repent.

“Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
Revelation 2:16, NASB 1995

That is Jesus speaking.

The same Jesus who welcomed children.

The same Jesus who forgave sinners.

The same Jesus who died on the cross.

Grace does not make Him weak.

Love does not make Him tolerant of corruption.

Jesus confronts churches because they belong to Him.

Some Churches Need to Repent or Close Their Doors

There are churches that should stop pretending.

If you will not confess Jesus as Lord, stop using His name.

If you will not submit to Scripture, stop carrying a Bible into the pulpit.

If you will not preach repentance, stop claiming to preach the gospel.

If you bless sexual immorality, stop pretending you are making disciples.

If unbelief is allowed to lead the church, stop calling it the body of Christ.

If culture has the final word, stop placing a cross on the wall.

Repent.

Return to Scripture.

Confess Christ clearly.

Call sin what God calls it.

Preach the cross.

Preach the resurrection.

Preach forgiveness.

Preach judgment.

Preach holiness.

Preach grace.

Call people to die to themselves and follow Jesus.

Or close the doors.

A false church is more dangerous than no church because it convinces people they have found God while leading them away from Him.

Leave Churches That Refuse to Repent

There is a time to work for reform.

There is a time to confront leadership.

There is a time to ask hard questions.

There is also a time to leave.

You are not required to keep your family under false teaching.

You are not required to allow your children to be discipled by people who reject Scripture.

You are not required to remain in a church that celebrates sin and mocks biblical conviction.

You are not required to fund rebellion because the building carries sentimental value.

Leave.

Find a church that confesses Christ.

Find a church that teaches Scripture.

Find a church that welcomes sinners and calls them to repentance.

Find a church where grace and truth are preached together.

Find a church building men who pray, repent, protect, serve, sacrifice, and stand firm.

Your family needs truth more than tradition.

Kind People Can Still Teach a False Gospel

This needs to be clear.

People inside compromised churches may be kind.

They may serve generously.

They may care deeply about their neighbors.

They may sincerely believe they are following Jesus.

The issue is not whether every member is malicious.

The issue is whether the teaching is true.

Sincerity does not transform falsehood into truth.

A person can be sincerely wrong.

A compassionate pastor can still lead people away from Christ.

A congregation can do good things in the community while preaching a message that cannot save anyone.

Paul warned:

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”
Galatians 1:8, NASB 1995

Paul did not say to judge a message by how friendly the messenger appears.

Judge it by whether it agrees with the gospel.

The Church Does Not Get to Improve Jesus

Progressive Christianity often presents itself as a kinder, wiser, more developed version of historic faith.

It claims to rescue Jesus from the narrowness of Scripture.

It removes judgment.

Softens sin.

Makes repentance optional.

Treats doctrine as personal.

Blesses cultural identities.

Then it calls the result progress.

But you cannot improve Jesus by contradicting Him.

You cannot make Christianity more loving by removing the commands of Christ.

You cannot rescue the gospel by deleting the parts that expose sin.

You cannot follow Jesus while treating His apostles as outdated.

A Christianity corrected by modern culture is no longer Christianity.

It is modern culture wearing a Christian costume.

This Is a Call to Repent

This is not written because I hate anyone.

It is written because eternity is real.

Sin is real.

Judgment is real.

The cross is real.

The resurrection is real.

And Jesus Christ is Lord.

Churches that have abandoned Scripture can repent.

Pastors who have compromised can repent.

Leaders who have blessed sin can repent.

Congregations that have bowed to culture can repent.

But they must stop lying first.

Stop calling rebellion love.

Stop calling compromise grace.

Stop calling unbelief openness.

Stop calling cowardice compassion.

Stop calling evil good.

Turn back.

The mercy of Jesus is greater than the failure of any church that genuinely repents.

But mercy cannot be received by people who insist they have done nothing wrong.

The Warning Is Clear

A church that rejects Scripture is not free.

It is deceived.

A church that refuses to confess Jesus is not open.

It is faithless.

A church that will not define sin is not compassionate.

It is dishonest.

A church that places unbelievers in leadership is not inclusive.

It is spiritually dead.

A church that celebrates sexual rebellion is not loving.

It is leading people into sin.

A church that replaces the gospel with activism is not following Jesus.

It is using Him.

A church that never calls people to repent is not making disciples.

It is gathering a crowd.

God will not be mocked.

Jesus will not share His throne with the culture.

The church belongs to Him.

He purchased it.

He defines it.

He commands it.

He judges it.

So let every pastor, elder, leader, and congregation hear the warning:

Return to Christ.

Return to Scripture.

Return to the gospel.

Call sinners to repentance.

Preach the cross without apology.

Build men and women who obey Jesus.

Or admit that the name on your building no longer matches the god you serve.

Because a church that blesses what Jesus died to save people from is not a light in the darkness.

It has become part of the darkness.