Studying God’s Word ping
Here we see how far from the truth a man's opinions can take him. John MacArthur is often right in matters, but in this brief discussion so grossly misrepresents the character and function of Christian charity--agape love--as to be a grotesque caricaturization of it.
There are instances too numerous to count throughout the Old (under the Law) Testament and the New (under grace) Testament/Covenant/Will that flatly contradict the concept that love covers sinfulness without first exposing it.
One only needs to read the story of Nathan bringing David's adultery with Bathsheba to both him and to everyone that ever reads the Bible through to contradict JMac's argument.
Rectifying even a small koinonia-destroying trespass--an act directly contrary to Jesus' New Commandment of John 13:34--is a process aptly described by Him in Matthew 18:15-17; and it expressly applies to "Christians."
God's love for us is shown in his chastening of the sinful son by Paul's admonition of Hebrews 12:3-11, where if He allows sinfulness to continue in someone by ignoring it for a time, it is a clear indicator that the human's profession is false, and he/she is not saved at all.
On the one hand, nit-picking and finding fault is not the habitual conduct of a Christ-refined citizen of heaven, but failure to dispose disabling error is merely enabling it to continue, and I do so to this doctrinal misuse of Scripture by John MacArthur.
We need to take heed to Hebrews 7:1-2, where the Christophany Melchizedek (Melek-Tsaddikim) is FIRST just and righteous (which conduct exposes error), and AFTER THAT is peaceful and loving (which balm heals the wounds made by error whether deliberately inflicted, or accidentally suffered without intention).
Come now, let us reason together (Is. 1:18) and let the sins be seen and identified, and not rationalized as merely being hidden by "love".
The blood of bulls and goats used to be accepted by The Mighty God as hiding sin, not removing it. But no longer--Jesus' Blood washes it away. The gracious love of Christ is availabl only under the disciple-indwelling Holy Spirit of God, which removes the power of Sin as a master, and thus conquers sinfulness as a lifestyle by choosing to defeat it as a habit, rather than ignoring it privately or publicly..
Let us reason, not ignore it, and apply church discipline whenever needed, rather than enable sin by looking the other way (1 Cor. 5:1-8, 2 Cor. 2:6-7). Wrongly covering sin by ignoring it is not agape or phileo, it is one of Satan's extensive devices (2 Cor. 2:11).
And be advised that John MacArthur as a fallible man is not always right.
God hates sin, root and fruit!
And let’s look back at Genesis 3:21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
He covered them. God modeled the first animal sacrifice and covered their sin.
Beautiful. Thank you.
1 Peter 4:8 is our wedding verse, and I can testify that for the first thirty-eight years of our marriage it has worked beautifully.