May 21
17
“Smile, God Loves You”
Those who endorse and promote the above statement are ignorant of two basic biblical truths. They are ignorant of the holy character and nature of God, and of the fallen sinful nature of man.
By their natures God and fallen man are enemies. They naturally hate one another. God is holy and man is sin. God is pure and man is corrupt. God is light and man is darkness. God is good and man is bad. Fallen man, in the eyes of the holy God, is odious and despicable. He is unacceptable, unreceivable, unforgivable and unlovable by the holy God of the Bible. Divine holiness cannot love sin. Divine holiness hates sin! Divine holiness cannot forgive sin. Divine holiness must punish sin! (Exodus 34:7). God hates all workers of iniquity…..and is angry with them continually (Psalm 5:5; 7:11). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). For a man to indiscriminately address sinners with a “Smile, God loves you” is to be as the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day who cried “Peace, peace: when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14; 8:11).
IN CHRIST God loved, chose, blessed, and ordained unto eternal glory an innumerable multitude of sinners (Ephesians 1:1-11). God loves sinners IN CHRIST. His love for sinners is IN CHRIST (Romans 8:39). The true preacher’s message is not “Smile, God loves you”, but rather it is “Guilty, perishing, hell-deserving sinner, flee to Christ.” IN HIM is redemption, righteousness, reconciliation, and eternal glory. Get to Christ…Look to Christ…Believe and trust HIM and you shall be saved. HE is God’s salvation. ~Maurice Montgomery