"Put On Your Socks" by Faust

 What a zany song this is. Faust were a German rock band who dabbled in various styles during the 1970s. Eschewing the tried-and-true rock traditions, this quartet fused different musical elements into their own unique sound. Check out the tune here.

It's obvious to us that putting shoes on first is silly. But we make the same sort of mistake when we present the gospel to people. Before we can give the good news of salvation, we must tell folks the bad news of why we need to be saved in the first place.

A group of people once discussed the matter of worshippers in the temple whom Pilate had executed. Christ's answer showed the peril all people face unless they're saved.

Luke 13:2 to 5 (Bible in Basic English) quotes him as saying, "And he, in answer, said to them, 'Are you of the opinion that these Galilaeans were worse than all other Galilaeans, because these things were done to them? I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to the same end. Or those eighteen men who were crushed by the fall of the tower of Siloam, were they worse than all the other men living in Jerusalem? I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to an end in the same way.'"

This "end" is both physical and spiritual, meaning an eternity in hell. As Romans 6:23 (BBE) reminds us, "For the reward of sin is death; but what God freely gives is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Giving only half the gospel is as bad or worse than presenting no gospel at all. In Matthew 7:21, (BBE) Christ warned, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will go into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the pleasure of my Father in heaven." The pleasure of the Father is that sinners repent and follow Christ. 

This is missing from most gospel presentations these days. So present the bad news of human depravity before giving the good news of Christ's substitutionary atonement.

The Rejection of Hell Error

This is another dangerous doctrine put forth by apostate churches. They teach that only the most reprehensible individuals end up in that place of punishment. Is that really so?

Teachers of this errant doctrine should heed what our Lord warned Nicodemus about in John 3:18 (BBE).  "The man who has faith in him (Christ) does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God."

Neither does misfortune or the lack of it prove one's righteousness. Look at what Christ said when people asked him about the Jews who were murdered by Pilate's soldiers as they worshipped in the temple. Luke 13:2-5 (BBE) says, "And he, in answer, said to them, 'Are you of the opinion that these Galilaeans were worse than all other Galilaeans, because these things were done to them? I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to the same end. Or those eighteen men who were crushed by the fall of the tower of Siloam, were they worse than all the other men living in Jerusalem? I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to an end in the same way'"

But, I suppose some will ask, isn't God merciful to those who lived unsaved lives? Matthew 10:28 (KJV) makes no exceptions when it comes to God punishing disobedience. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Many churchgoers assume that they'll automatically be in heaven when they die. Matthew 23:15 (KJV) shows Christ's warning to those who were outwardly holy but inwardly wicked. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Though apostate denominations discount the danger of eternal damnation for not surrendering one's life to Christ, Jesus made this truth starkly clear in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 16:23 KJV) says, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

And if angels who disobeyed God ended up condemned, how much more ought rebellious humanity be damned? Look at what 2 Peter 2:4-9 (BBE) says. "For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged; And did not have mercy on the world which then was, but only kept safe Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he let loose the waters over the world of the evil-doers; And sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, burning them up with fire as an example to those whose way of life might in the future be unpleasing to him; And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers (Because the soul of that upright man living among them was pained from day to day by seeing and hearing their crimes): The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing," and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;"

When Judgement Day comes, these nominal Christians will find themselves on the wrong side of the Lord. Revelation 20:13 (KJV) warns, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

This will be one of my themes in my upcoming book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? So many folks assume they'll be in heaven when they die but they'll be in for a horrific shock once they pass away. I must warn every complacent churchgoer that they too must be born again.

As for Saturday's song, it's one of my favourites. We believers must let agape love rule in our hearts.