And among the prophets of Jerusalem
Jeremiah 23:14 NIV
I have seen something horrible:
They commit adultery and live a lie.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Jeremiah prophesied during the last days of the nation of Judah. The nation had been in a spiritual and moral decline for many years, and Jeremiah announced God’s judgment against the nation. Yet, at the same time, many false prophets proclaimed that everything would be OK.
But these prophets were living a lie. They claimed to speak for God, but their lives revealed a different story. They were living for themselves rather than God. And, what was worse, they affirmed the lifestyles of those who practiced evil rather than encouraging a godly lifestyle. Their judgment was coming.
Most of us make no claim to being prophets. But how many of us are guilty of affirming the sin that is so prevalent in our world? And, more importantly, within the church? And by affirming them, encouraging them to continue in their ungodly lifestyle.
We affirm sin when we are guilty of it ourselves. When we pass it off as no big deal, or even OK. Or when we disregard sin in the body of Christ.
I am not a judge, nor do I have any interest in being a member of the morality police. But I do have a responsibility to live a godly life that is pleasing to God and would serve as a witness to others I encounter. And to encourage other believers to live, not for themselves, but for the one who died for them. To live and speak words that would affirm a godly lifestyle devoted to God.
