The Armstrong Churches of God are fond of pointing out the sins and faults of others, but they also bristle when anyone attempts to do the same thing to them. Indeed, most of them believe that they have a Divine commission to call out the sins of others! Is this, however, consistent with the commission which Christ gave to his disciples? Moreover, is it consistent with the way Christ handled sinners during the period of his own earthly ministry?
Their main prooftext for this behavior (calling out sins) is pulled from God's instructions to the Hebrew Prophet Isaiah. In the fifty-eighth chapter of that book, we read: "Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1, ESV) But does this passage prove that calling out sinful behavior is the standard for God's "true" ministers?
First, as we have already pointed out, these instructions were originally intended for Isaiah. Likewise, under the terms of the New Covenant, salvation is open to EVERYONE - NOT just "the house of Jacob"! In this connection, we would be remiss not to point out that the Armstrong COG belief that the English-speaking peoples of the world are descended from the ancient Israelites has been thoroughly refuted and discredited. Hence, any claim that they are preaching to the House of Jacob is also found to be specious. In other words, pointing out the sins of the English-speaking peoples of the world in 2024 does NOT fulfill God's commission to Isaiah to point out the sins of the people of the Kingdom of Judah just prior to its downfall and Babylonian Captivity!
Nevertheless, in support of their messaging about sins, these ACOG folks also cite the fact that we read in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus began his ministry be declaring "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17, ESV) Likewise, another favorite passage of theirs in this connection is found in the account of Peter's inaugural sermon on Pentecost in the book of Acts. We read there that Peter told them to "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38, ESV) Now, admittedly, repentance involves deep regret for sinning, and it follows that that would also involve an effort not to repeat the sinful behavior. Even so, a message of repentance is NOT synonymous with calling out sins!
Now, we can also examine the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) to see whether or not Christ was in the habit of calling out the specific sins of others. Likewise, in this connection, it would be instructive to examine the full context of the remarks Peter made in that Pentecost sermon and determine whether or not he was instructing them to repent of a particular sin or sins. First, I think that we can all agree that Jesus frequently upbraided the Pharisees and other religious leaders of his day for their insincerity, hypocrisy, and lack of compassion for others. Still, I think that it is fair to ask whether or not this was his modus operandi with the masses of the people he addressed. In other words, did he do the same thing with them that he did with their leaders?
First, we should note that, in his model prayer, Christ instructed his disciples to pray: "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matthew 6:12, ESV) Indeed, in the way of explaining this part of the prayer, he went on to say: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15, ESV) Moreover, in the following chapter, Christ went on to say: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5, ESV) In other words, you should be focused on your own sins, not on the sins of others.
Do we begin to discern a pattern in Christ's teachings? Instead of talking about specific sins, we see Jesus emphasizing the forgiveness of sins! A little later, in this same Gospel, we read that Christ healed a man of his infirmity by saying: "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9:1-8, ESV) In the eighteenth chapter of the same Gospel, Christ told his followers the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14). In this parable, a shepherd who had a flock of one hundred sheep went after one that had wandered away and rejoiced when he had found it. In other words, Christ's mission was to redeem those who had wandered away from God!
In the same chapter, we are told that Peter asked Jesus how many times that they would be expected to forgive each other. "As many as seven times?" Peter asked. Jesus replied that they should forgive each other seventy times that amount! (Matthew 18:21-22) This episode is followed by Christ telling his disciples "The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant." He said: "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So, the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So, his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also, my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:23-35, ESV)
This is consistent with a passage that was added to the Gospel of John. In the eighth chapter of that account, we read: "Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?' They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, 'Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?' 'No, Lord,' she said. And Jesus said, 'Neither do I. Go and sin no more.'" (John 8:1-11, NLT) Once again, we see the emphasis on compassion and forgiveness, NOT on condemnation!
Finally, in Luke's account of Christ's crucifixion, we are told that Jesus made an extraordinary statement when he was hanging on the cross. He said: "Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34, NLT) Hence, we have seen throughout the Gospel accounts of his ministry that Jesus ALWAYS focused on mercy and forgiveness where sins were concerned. Yes, Christians are expected to repent of their sins and "go and sin no more," but the only sins that Christ ever called out were those which were attributed to the religious leaders of that day!
In similar fashion, Christ's apostles focused on the same message regarding sin. What was Peter referring to when he told that Pentecost crowd to repent and be baptized? Read the entire account. Indeed, just a few verses before that ACOG prooftext, we are told that Peter said: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." (Acts 2:22-23, ESV) A few verses after that, Peter continued: "'Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.' Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 2:36-38, ESV) Peter was instructing them what to do about the remorse which they were feeling for rejecting the One who came to this earth to save them from their sins!
Moreover, this emphasis on forgiveness of sins was not confined to Christ and Peter. In the book of Acts, we read that Paul told the folks at Antioch: "Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you." (Acts 13:38, ESV) Likewise, in his letters to the saints at Ephesus and Colosse, he told them that the forgiveness of sins was found in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14). In his epistle to the Christians of Galatia, Paul wrote: "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1-2, ESV) In his epistle, James also noted "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:13, ESV)
Thus, we see that Christ and his apostles were NOT in the habit of calling out sins! So, what are Christians supposed to be preaching about? Just before he ascended into heaven, the Gospel of Matthew informs us that Christ told his disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-29, ESV) Notice, that Jesus didn't say one word about them being obligated to call out people's sins. Sure, Christ had plenty of things to say about how to live a righteous life, but he clearly approached the topic from the positive approach of what to do - NOT the very negative approach of "You are sinning!" Anyway, that's how I see it. What do you think?
