I was listening to a White Horse Inn podcast episode hosted by Dr. Michael Horton entitled “The Future of Anglicanism.” He had two guests. The first, Dr. David Virtue who is trying to promote a new Global Orthodox Anglicanism in the midst of widespread liberalism. He said something very telling about mainline churches and some streams of the Emergent Church. They now say…
Come as you are and stay as you are, not come as you are and be redeemed by Christ.
His next guest was the retired Episcopal Bishop of South Carolina, C. FitzSimons Allison, who said regarding the Gospel:
A gospel of inclusion that is not a gospel of redemption is no gospel at all.
Amen. A great reminder in Romans 6…
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:1-4, ESV).
Walking in the newness of life doesn’t mean we are suddenly without sin, but it does mean we’ve been transformed and we ought not live it it. To invite people to stay in their sin, and not call for repentance and belief is a travesty. It certainly is not the gospel. It isn’t an act of love either.
So come as you are to Christ, but turn from your sin, flee to the cross where you can find redemption in His shed blood and victory in His resurrection.
